Story Time by Paul Asbury Seaman

 

Sometimes a mix comes along at just the right time. This new mix from Paul comes as summer has ended and the weather, at least around here, has turned a bit chilly. There's something about this collection of tracks that seems to work well with this change of seasons.

This mix is different from the usual LLM fair and definitely a change in direction for Paul, a temporary change but a welcome one. These are all vocal tunes, each with its own story to tell.

Here's what Paul says about this compilation:

“Just some of my favorite story songs from the past few decades. Some classics and some I hope will be a delightful discovery for you, as they were to me. Interesting that more than half of them turned out to be about death. But we end on a hopeful note, celebrating life, the universe and friendship.”

Perfect for night time listening around a fire with a good whiskey. Thanks Paul!

Cheers!

[ s t r e a m ]    [ d o w n l o a d ]    [ a p p l e _ p o d c a s t s ]

T R A C K L I S T :

00:00   Michael Smith - Panther in Michigan (Love Stories  1992)

04:43   Mary Lee's Corvette - Tangled Up In Blue (Blood On The Tracks 2011)

11:01   The Chieftains - The Magdalene Laundries (Tears Of Stone 1999)

15:50   John McCutcheon - Christmas In The Trenches (Winter Solstice 1984)

21:16   The Longest Johns - Fire & Flame (Cures What Ails Ya 2020)

23:38   Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Powderfinger (Rust Never Sleeps 1979)

29:02   James Keelaghan - Cold Missouri Waters )A Recent Future 1995)

33:53   Gordon Lightfoot - The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald (Summertime Dream 1976)

40:15   Bruce Springsteen - You're Missing (The Rising 2002)

45:01   Laurie Rose Griffith - Easy Way to Live (Tocoi Light 2005)

50:20   James McMurtry - Crazy Wind (Too Long in the Wasteland 1989)

54:22   David Wilcox - Eye of the Hurricane (How Did You Find Me Here 1989)

57:51   Richard Thompson - 1952 Vincent Black Lightning (Rumor and Sigh 1991)

62:28   Lucinda Williams - Sweet Old World (Sweet Old World (1992)

67:09   Bruce Cockburn - Look How Far (Breakfast in New Orleans, Dinner in Timbuktu 1999)

72:40   end

Quiet Indie Songs #2 - Spring 2021

At the end of 2020 I posted a mix called "Quiet Indie Songs" and it did a lot better than I expected. A few folks thought it should be a recurring series and I agreed. So here you have installment #2 - "Quiet Indie Songs #2 - Spring 2021."  

I'm sneaking this in under the wire as it's barely spring anymore. Most of the songs are from 2021, with 4 of them from 2020. There are some old favorites in there, like Damien Jurado & Phoebe Bridgers. And also a lot of new to me artists like Arooj Aftab, Becca Mancari & Mt Went.

I'm always open for suggestions for new indie artists to use for this series so let me know in the comments if you have some ideas.

Cheers!

[ s t r e a m ]    [ d o w n l o a d ]    [ i t u n e s ]

T R A C K L I S T :

• 00:00    Vagabon & Courtney Barnett - Reason to Believe (2021)
• 02:25    Damien Jurado - Helena (2021)
• 05:05    Helado Negro - Sound & Vision(Bowie cover) (2021)
• 08:16    Damielle Durack - There Goes My Heart (No Place 2021)
• 12:46    Bryce Dessner - Another World(String Arrangement  (Impermanence/Disintegration 2021)
• 16:31    Arooj Aftab - Saans Lo (Vulture Prince 2021)
• 20:22    Jack Symes - Overwhelming (Tompkins Park 2021)
• 25:08    Phoebe Bridgers - Halloween (Punisher 2020)
• 29:20    Piers Faccini - Together Forever Everywhere (Shapes of the Fall 2021)
• 33:27    Mt Went - Light in the Dark (Lit Way Down 2021)
• 38:20    Dawes - St. Augustine At Night (Good Luck With Whatever 2020)
• 43:23    Laura Marling - For You (Song For Our Daughter 2020)
• 47:14    Alexia Avina - Inner Garden (Unearth 2020)
• 50:31    Gia Margaret - Solid Heart (2021)
• 54:08    Waxahatchee - Streets of Philadelphia(Springsteen cover) (2021)
• 58:03    Skullcrusher - Song for Nick Drake (Sorm in Summer 2021)
• 60:47    Becca Mancari - Annie (Juniata 2021)
• 65:23    end

Ambient Folk & Cosmic Roots

 

After the craziness of the last mix it's nice to slow down. And what better way to slow down than with a guest mix from James over at The Slow Music Movement. They have a wonderful new album called "Future Folk: Friendly Faces; Different Spaces." 

https://theslowmusicmovement.bandcamp.com/album/future-folk-friendly-faces-different-spaces

After I heard it I asked James to do a guest mix featuring some tracks from that album along with other cuts that fit the vibe. The result is a unique journey through folk-influenced ambient and ambient-influenced folk.

While this mix only has three tracks from the new album they share a similar vibe and outlook. Here's what James has to say about his new compilation:

     "This compilation came about with my increasing interest in folk music after years of focusing on the 25 year old golden age of musical fusion that is still playing out. Having ridden the industry waves and ripples since the MP3 & digital stones were rudely thrown into the music pond, I am constantly fascinated by 20th century holdouts looking back wistfully to the good old, bad old days of smoky venues, hounding newsagents for music magazines, easily damaged vinyl, ancient instruments, terrible sounding tapes, label dependency, photocopied fanzines and stamp licking.
     So I contacted a few of the artists that had lit my folk flame to see what they had to say? Artists that know their roots, but who are keeping their eyes on the road ahead and the world of possibility they now enjoy. Shortly after, from home studios in spare rooms and internet enabled remote collaborations, wildly processed instruments from hazy late night jam sessions, digitally mutated acapellas and 13th century songs covered in an age that the long dead and sadly forgotten writer could never have imagined, started to drift into my inbox.
     Is an evolutionary leap the key to folk’s survival? Time, the whims of the coronavirus gods, the folk community’s response to today’s existential stresses, adaptation to changing media consumption habits, marketing decisions and ultimately, people’s decisions on what style of music suits them best, will decide."

Interesting side note - James made this mix as a one take live recording. Nice!

Here are some important links:

Slow Folk playlist on Spotify

Future Folk on Streaming Services

Future Folk on Bandcamp

Cheers!

[ s t r e a m ]    [ d o w n l o a d ]    [ i t u n e s ]

T R A C K L I S T :

• 00:00    El Conejo - Tres Tigres Tristes
• 05:40    Jörgen Kjellgren - Dulcet
• 08:32    Adeline Hotel - Reliable Feelings
• 11:10    Kerry Devine - Vehicle
• 15:43    John Stammers - Waiting Around
• 20:00    The Howard Hughes Suite - Smoke from a Future Fire
• 24:08    Tim Linghaus - You Called it Love
• 27:07    Boduf Songs - Unseen Forces and How to Use Them
• 32:40    Roddy Woomble - Everday Sun
• 36:50    Black Brunswicker - Black Grouse Raag
• 41:25    M. Grig - Call, (45.50) Lightbath - Insinyur Cahaya
• 49:00    Ben McElroy - The Silence Has Spoken
• 52:00    Cynefin - Ffarwel I Aberystwyth
• 56:00    Burnt Paw - Arthur's Sea
• 58:40    Andreas Söderström & Rickard Jäverling - Klockan
• 62:53    end

Rivers & Roads

I'm not sure where this mix started but I've had a playlist on Spotify called "Rivers & Roads" for awhile. It's mostly acoustic, folk tunes dealing with, you guessed it - rivers and roads. I figured it might make for a nice change of pace.

The mix alternates between vocal tunes & instrumentals. All of which have the typical Low Light Mixes feel.  It also works nicely as a soundtrack for fall.

Easily my favorite song is the one from Damien Jurado. "Over Rainbows & Rainier" is from his wonderful 2018 album, "The Horizon Just Laughed." If you like this tune check out the rest of the album.

I hope everyone enjoys this vocal diversion. We'll be back to electronics soon.

Cheers!



[ s t r e a m ]    [ d o w n l o a d ]    [ i t u n e s ]




T R AC K L I S T :

• 00:00    Damien Jurado - Over Rainbows & Rainier
• 04:05    Explosions in the Sky - To West Texas
• 07:50    Nick Drake - River Man
• 11:52    Phil Cook - Old Hwy D
• 14:58    Neil Halstead - Sleeping on Roads
• 19:05    Phosphorescent - This Land is Your Land
• 22:30    Bill Frisell - Small Town 
• 23:25    Lowland Hum - Nightdriving
• 27:16    John Fahey - Sunflower River Blues
• 27:47    Adam Torres - Mountain River
• 30:52    M. Ward - Slow Driving Man
• 35:10    Clem Leek - Burlson,TX
• 37:38    Sun Kil Moon - Like the River
• 40:32    Western Skies Motel - Empty Rooms
• 44:05    Mountain Man - River
• 46:15    Gillian Welch - Apache Tears(reprise)
• 49:01    The Lumineers - Long Way From Home
• 51:27    Daniel Lanois - Dusty
• 52:45    Tallest Man on Earth - Rivers
• 56:30    A.A. Bondy - Highway Fevers
• 61:08    The Head & The Heart - Rivers & Roads
• 65:40    end