we love: Sera Cahoone

"No clue as to what I'm doing here"

We love Sera Cahoone's new record. This should come as no surprise to anyone whose good at playing connect the dots. Shall we: Sera used to play drums in Carissa's Wierd, with Matt Brooke and Ben Bridwell. Carissa's Wierd broke up. Mat and Ben founded Band of Horses. We love Band of Horses. Sera played drums on their debut, Everything All The Time. Then, Mat left Band of Horses. Tyler Ramsey sorta took his place, but not really. Mat founded Grand Archives, whom we also love. Sera recently toured with Grand Archives and just released her second solo disc on Sub Pop, home to Carissa's Wierd, Band of Horses and Grand Archives. So yeah, six degrees and all that nonsense. Anyway, we've really been digging the "country noir" of Cahoone's Only As The Day Is Long, but there's just one problem; no vinyl release!

Seriously, Sub Pop, were you not listening when Sera dropped the final mix in your palms?! This record screams vinyl, from the front porch banjos to the jangle of tambourines and Sera's oh-so haunting voice. Only as the Day is Long feels like a record released 30 years ago and should be a prime target for vinyl release, just as Bon Iver's sylvan dream For Emma, Forever Ago is one of those records that only feels right on wax. Not gonna lie, we're a little disappointed in Sub Pop for not giving Sera the vinyl treatment, because honestly, Only As The Day Is Long really deserves it.

Sera Cahoone- Only As The Day Is Long

Bobkast #11: Gonna See A Movie Called Gunga Din

"A Town Built on Black Gold & Iron Ore"

Nothing spells winter like a pair of carhart overalls and a thick ole flannel shirt. Throw a wool sweater on top of that, thick socks, duck boots, and a warm hat and your ready for a jaunt through the snow covered forests. A few great covers here, along with a preview of the M. Ward/Zooey Deschanel "She & Him" record, our favorite folkies (Karen Dalton & Joanna Newsome) and a new one by The Builders & The Butchers, who Bill the Butcher of Gangs of New York definitely would've loved.

Bobkast #11: Gonna See A Movie Called Gunga Din
Oakley Hall- Marine Life
Band of Horses- Plans (Grizzly Bear cover)
Glen Hansard & Marketa Irkglova- You Ain't Going Nowhere (Bob Dylan cover)
Karen Dalton- Katie Cruel
Joanna Newsome & the Ys Street Band- Colleen
The Builders & The Butchers- Black Dresses
Gram Parsons & Emmylou Harris- Return of the Grievous Angel
Blitzen Trapper- Country Caravan
Silver Jews- Friday Night Fever
M. Ward- When I Get to the Border (w/ Zooey Deschanel) {Richard & Linda Thompson cover}
Willie Nelson & Calexico- Senor (Bob Dylan cover)
Wilco- True Love Will Find You in the End (Daniel Johnston cover)

Bobkast #11: Gonna See A Movie Called Gunga Din {direct link; right click, or option, to download}

we saw: Band of Horses

"Looks Like The Tide Is Going Home"
(Photo courtesy of Aberger915)

Mount Pleasent, South Carolina's Band of Horses hit up Brooklyn's Masonic Temple last night for a big Valentine's Day show, their last in the States before shipping off to Europe next week. While not the most incredible show I've ever seen, Ben Birdwell and company managed to tear through a set culling mainly from 2007's Cease to Begin. As expected, Birdwell's vocals soared throughout the night, even more so than on record. Of course, this may have been attributed to keyboardist Ryan Monroe whose complimenting harmonies gave the show a dreamy, back in time feel. During the encore Birdwell appropriately dedicated "No Ones Gonna Love You" to "all the people having intercourse tonight." He followed that by ironically dedicating "Weed Party" to "everyone who was going to treat their body like a Masonic Temple."

Band of Horses have been in NYC all week. Wednesday night they played Carnegie Hall with Sufjan Stevens, Ray Davies, and Phillip Glass. Tuesday they played Conan, which you can take a gander at below, courtesy of the Daily Tube.

Band of Horses 2/14 Brooklyn Masonic Temple

is There a ghost?
islands on the coast
great salt lake
the first song
bass song
Monsters
cigarettes wedding bands
thirteen days (jj cale song)
Older? (sung by Ryan Monroe, keyboardist)
Funeral
Wicked Gil
Ode to LRC
Effigy (CCR song)
****
no ones gonna love you
weed party
marry song
general specific
Feeling Stronger (Chicago cover)

"No Ones Gonna Love You" live on Late Night With Conan O'Brien

under the covers: Grizzly Bear

"When I Look In Your Eyes/ With Every Blow/ Comes Another Lie"

Released on Yellow House over 14 months ago, Grizzly Bear's "Knife" is still making waves. And while the song found it's way onto most 2006 "Best of" lists, it's ability to stay fresh in the ADHD minds of the blog-fueled world is nothing short of remarkable. Think about how sick of Peter Bjorn & John's "Young Folks" you were 6 months ago. That said, the fact that Ed Droste & Co.'s "Knife" is still humming around in the minds of the youth is one hell of an accomplishment. And how do we celebrate accomplishment in the post-Clinton era?? Covers. That's right kids, your favorite bands playing each others songs. What a novel idea!

Last week Grizzly Bear released the Friend EP, a collection of new jams, re-workings and killer covers by the likes of CSS, Atlas Sound and Band of Horses. If your keeping score, P4K editor Ryan Schrieber gave Friend a really, really good review. Good enough that Idolator even made fun of him for it. Not gonna lie, the guys got good taste. Anyway, it's been a week since its release so I thought we'd celebrate by posting every "Knife" related song I have. Now sing it with me kids "Can't You Feeeeel the Knife."

Grizzly Bear- Knife
CSS- Knife
Atlas Sound- Knife
Born Ruffians- Knife
Grizzly Bear- Knife (Girl Talk Remix)
Grizzly Bear v. The Knife- Knife/Heartbeats (by Parrka)

The Bobkast: V.4- I DIG YOUR MIND

"I'm Dead and I'm Perfectly Content"

Inspired by my longing for autumn in New York this mix is concentrated in nostalgic, timeless rock and roll deeply indebted to '60's pop and rock. While much is culled from 2007 releases (Band of Horses, Buffalo Killers, Stars) I tried to blur chronological lines with this podcast by incorporating classick old skoolers like Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, and ferocious '60s garage rockers The Nervous Breakdown (Thanks to Aquarium Drunkard for introducing me to "I DIG YOUR MIND"). At the same time, where would we be without progress. That's why we've got modern retro outfits like The Raveonettes, Buffalo Killers and Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings ripping it up.

The concept for this podcast came after relentlessly listening to The Black Lips. Unfortunatly for better or worse, I decided to leave the Lips off this podcast. But please, please check them out. If you haven't heard them yet they sound like the early Beach Boys raping Iggy Pop with Jan & Dean's guitars, followed by Iggy slicing each one of their peppy So-Cal necks with a broken bottle of Beam, turning the bottle on himself and cutting his chest, consequently using the blood ,and the bottle, to produce a super reverberated slide guitar tone. Yeah, they sounds like that.

PS- Yes the B.O.H song is named after everyones favorite European three-point shooter.

The Bobkast #4: I DIG YOUR MIND
1. Spoon- The Way We Get By
2. The Nervous Breakdown- I DIG YOUR MIND
3. The Rosebuds- Waiting for the Carnival
4. Buffalo Killers- Don't You Ever Think I Cry
5. Band of Horses- Detlef Schrimpf
6. The Kinks- Get Back in Line
7. The Zombies- I Want Her She Wants Me
8. The Kinks- Along Way From Home
9. Tom Waits- (Looking for) The Heart of Saturday Night
10. Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong- Gee, Baby Ain't I Good To You
11. Sharon Jones & the Dap-kings- 100 Days, 100 Nights
12. Candy Payne- By Tommorrow
13. The Raveonettes- Ode to L.A.
14. Charlotte Gainsbourg- The Songs We Sing
15. Stars- Celebrated Gun

Download the fourth BOBKAST here

Grand Archives

"I'm Sleepdriving Away"

Band of Horses 2K6 release Everything All The Time was one of our favorite records of last year. So when we heard that founding member Mat Brooke was leaving the band, we got all gushy sad inside. Luckily, it didn't take long for him to get back on his, um, horse.

Brooke's new band, Grand Archives, makes sleepy, reverb soaked, "potent dreampop." Warm fingerpicking and ethereal vocals make the wonderfully titled "Sleepdriving" a must for somber, sleepless nights, when a long drive or walk maybe the only thing to calm your mind. We're not the only people that dig Brooke's new project, the Grand Archive-ists have already opened a bunch of shows for fellow Washingtonians and indie powerhouse Modest Mouse. Download two tracks from their demo EP below or preview the entire thing here.

Grand Archives-Sleepdriving
Grand Archives- Southern Glass Home