While the previously-released title track from their impending album, Return To The Moon, was a pleasing pop-stretch for Matt Berninger (The National), we weren’t prepared for EL VY’s new song I’m The Man To Be released today via the lyric video below.  EL VY is the new project from Berninger and Brent Knopf of Menomena/Ramona Falls.  Watch/stream below as Knopf sets Berninger’s scatological, stream-of-consciousness rap (“from the perspective of a pathetic self-aggrandizing rocker alone in a hotel room, something I know a lot about” according to Berninger) to an invigorating, angular musical backdrop of vibraphone-sounding keys, savory synths and Gang of Four-influenced guitar. It’s a grower.

The video adds some further unexpected moves from Berninger, as directed by brother Tom Berninger (Mistaken For Strangers).

Check the song/video out below.

One of our favorite live bands, Elbow, headlined the Kendal Calling festival last night in England’s Lake District.  Elbow has today  dropped a vibrant vignette from their headlining set–video of their performance of Newborn (deserving lyrics at bottom) off of their seminal album, Asleep In The Back.  Feast on it below, but pay particular attention as the band takes flight from the 5:30 mark on to the rousing finale.  And watch as Guy Garvey shows from 7:30 on (in particular) why he remains one of our more gifted and compelling vocalists.  Don’t miss ’em next time they come ’round your town.

Newborn

“I’ll be the corpse in your bathtub
Useless
I’ll be as deaf as a post
If you hold me like a newborn
Whisper what you feel
My badly strung declaration
To you
You’ll spend the end of your days
Gently smiling like a newborn
Love not by degrees

Press your lips
To my eyes
Taste my tears
On your tongue,
Pull the blinds
Play our song
Nothings changed
Nothing could be wrong.

Scream in the night
Kick and strike
Like a newborn
Holding me shaking
Awake in the dark
All of these promises
Kept and unbroken
Tracing the scars
Tracing the scars
Even and cold
As we both become older.
Your arms bound about me
The hush in your voice.
The warmth of your fingers
Entwined around mine
In the eve of our lives
Never a choice”

As mentioned recently, the talented and grace-filled Glen Hansard (Frames, Swell Season, Once) will soon release his new solo album Didn’t He Ramble on September 18th on Anti-.  Hansard recently happened by Canada’s Exclaim!TV to perform the winsome Winning Streak off the album.  Check it out below and don’t miss his U.S. tour beginning in November (tickets can be found HERE).

“And may the sign of the cross be some comfort when you’re lost
And help you when you’re all broke down
May the spirit of St. Christopher turn you around
And may the devil’s evil eye pass you right by
Don’t you look back my friend
And may the sisters of good charity take you in

Through summers long and winters cold
May you always have someone good to hold
May good fortune be your constant and a loyal friend
And may your winning streak never end.”

Can we hear an “Amen!”?

Your favorite media behemoth (ok, Pitchfork) has begun a new video series entitled ConTours in which they capture bands out on tour.  The first episode features all-the-rager Courtney Barnett and band as they thrash across America, starting in California with Barnett swimming in wine and jumping onto drum sets and such.  Nice captures.  Check it out below.

We are huge fans of Afie Jurvanen’s Bahamas. To augment his subtly brilliant songwriting, guitar-playing and delivery at the CBC Music Festival held in May Jurvanen brought out Choir Choir Choir to ladle on harmonies on his telling song Lost In The Light.  Check it out below. Beauty.  Afterwards, watch Bahamas perform another gem, Caught Me Thinking.

And finally check out Bahamas’ invigorating video for song Waves.

These are good (at least better) times for up and coming female artists/bandleaders.  We have spent a ton of time this past year singing the praises of Courtney Barnett, Sylvan Esso, Torres, Tei Shi, and Hop Along, amongst others (with many more lurking).  Add to that list Eskimeaux, who we’ve raved about ever since first hearing their song I Admit I’m Scared in April.  The band is led by erstwhile Gabrielle Smith and their album O.K. has been on repeat on the Lefort Jukebox.  Highly recommended, and especially for the coming-of-age set and lyrics-lovers.  To get a feel (though a softer version than that on the album and live), check out below Eskimeaux’s superb Tiny Desk Concert on NPR.  Folly and I Admit I’m Scared are bound to appear on our Best Songs of 2015 list.

Set List
“Folly” 00:00
“A Hug Too Long” 02:42
“I Admit I’m Scared” 05:25

All-time favorite, Glen Hansard will soon release (on 9/18 on Anti Records) his new solo album Didn’t He Ramble.  Today Hansard has released the highly entertaining video for song Lonely Deserter.  The video, which you can watch below, was directed by the talented Myles O’Reilly.

About the video, Hansard told the Wall Street Journal: “I wanted to show that within a home there’s a universe of though.  I grew up in a family and around families that put a lot of meaning into the Irish story, the working Irish, the stories of land struggles, of uprisings, of oppression and rebellion, the language of Ireland. And in homes all over the country the hedge school [depicted in the video] continues. Schools weren’t teaching us a true history. It was an ‘approved’ version, watered down.”

About the song, Hansard says: “The song refers to the one who claims he was there fighting alongside his brothers and sisters, whereas he spent the whole time drunk or in hiding, with a head full of ghosts to haunt him through the years.”

We love both the song and the video.  Bravo!

Following the album’s release, Hansard will tour the U.S. starting in November in LA at the Walt Disney Hall.  If you haven’t seen Hansard live, don’t you miss it. He’s one of our best live performers extant.  Go HERE to see the dates and get tickets.

While you’re at it, check out the video HERE of Hansard performing fan-favorite Falling Slowly with a young fan.  About the performance Anti Records wrote: “During a recent HMV in-store in Toronto, Glen Hansard broke a guitar string and asked if anyone had a guitar. Eighteen year old Jesse had brought hers along to be signed and she handed it to him. Glen invited her up on stage to perform and she asked if he would do Falling Slowly with her.”  Just try and get through that video without a lump developing in your throat.  Like we said, don’t miss him live.

We’d been waiting for an excuse to feature talented singer-songwriter Natalie Prass.  Leave it to La Blogothèque’s great Takeaway Show to provide that opportunity and cast Prass in a great light.  Watch below as she performs two songs (Why Don’t You Believe In Me and Never Over You) from her critically-acclaimed and eponymously-entitled debut album, on a cafe terrace.  Check it out below.  Très charmant.

Afterwards, watch similarly winsome performances for CBS’s Saturday Sessions and other vignettes from Carson Daly.  And then go buy Prass’s superb album HERE.

We’ve loved everything we’ve heard from synth-pop duo Sylvan Esso ever since we first featured them in January 2014.  It’s been a while since we’ve heard any new music from the them, but they have yet another slice of pop-perfection in the fantastic new Jamie’s Song featured in a recent episode of the cool podcast, Radiolab.  The song is an homage to the first story of the Radiolab episode.  Said story is a first-person account by Jamie Lowe about what it’s like to live through the bipolar disorder. The song pushes all the buttons we’ve come to expect to be pushed by a Sylvan Esso track–startlingly grabbing melody, rhythmic throw-down, lyric-immediacy, etc.  Bravo!

You can listen to Jamie’s Song by moving the bar below over to the 22:51 mark in the episode below.  A great new track from Sylvan Esso.

In addition to the duo’s new song, member Nick Sanborn is releasing his debut Made of Oak EP, Penumbra, on November 6, 2015.  More info including a trailer, album cover, track list, tour dates and more can be found HERE: