Hayden

After a gap of four long years Hayden returns with In Field & Town. A genuine one-off, he writes fantastic songs. From the new one, try this for size

mp3 Hayden: Lonely Security Guard

Of the older stuff, these very much float my boat still:

mp3 Hayden: Home By Saturday
mp3 Hayden: Carried Away
mp3 Hayden: Bad as they Seem (long version)

Buy Hayden here.

Lest we Forget: Pere Ubu's Dub Housing

Coming out in 1978, Pere Ubu's Dub Housing took the new wave somewhere else altogether, to produce a surreal gothic masterpiece. Off kilter rockers collided with droning incantations. Beefheart meets the Velvets? Or not? Try these:

mp3 Pere Ubu: Dub Housing
mp3 Pere Ubu: On the Surface

Buy the album here and download DRM-free here.

Travel by Sea

The new album by Travel by Sea, Days of My Escape, is out. It's folkie, a bit of J. Tillman, with a bit of electronica... a fine sound. Try these:

mp3 Travel by Sea: Truth Was
mp3 Travel by Sea: Too Much too Quickly

And from their first album, Shadows Rise:

mp3 Travel by Sea: I Won't let You Down

And a bonus, a fine cover of the Will Johnson (Centro-Matic/South San Gabriel) song:

mp3 Travel by Sea: Closing Down My House

Buy here, DRM-free download here.

The Dexateens

Just discovered The Dexatens. A heady blend of country rock. What's even better, you can download their album Lost and Found for free from their website here. If you want taster, try this:

mp3 The Dexateens: Lost and Found

Also, try the title track from their earlier Red Dust Rising:

mp3 The Dexateens: Red Dust Rising

Buy their music here, download drm-free here.

Gary Louris & other Jayhawks

The Jayhawks were one of the ultimate alt-country bands. Their long collapse saw solo records emerge. The last was main songwriter Gary Louris, who has released his first solo album Vagabonds. Try this:

mp3 Gary Louris: True Blue

Mark Olson released a fine solo album last year, The Salvation Blues. Try this:

mp3 Mark Olson: Clifton Bridge

Tim O'Reagan has a solo album, which I'll get to soon, Meanwhile try this stripped down version of a great song he did for the Jayhawks:

mp3 The Jayhawks: Tampa to Tulsa

And the band as it was. Try this acoustic live version:

mp3 The Jayhawks: Blue

Bu the artists music here.

Lest we Forget: Suede's Dog Man Star

Of all britpop's finest, Suede had it all. The great tunes, soaring vocals and Bowie impersonations. Try these:

mp3 Suede: The Wild Ones
mp3 Suede: The Power

Buy Suede here.

Sun Kil Moon: April

Mark Kozelek's Red House Painters made a series of great records. Sun Kil Moon's newie April continues that line of opened out melancholia. Try this:

mp3 Sun Kil Moon: Moorestown

As a bonus, a bit of Kozelek solo:

mp3 Mark Kozelek: Rock'n'Roll Singer
mp3 Mark Kozelek: New Jersey (live)

Buy here, download some drm-free here