My Morning Jacket - Circuital

This album provides a great deal of variety from song to song.  It's not hard to draw comparisons to other bands, such as The Fleet Foxes, Kings of Leon, and Wilco when scanning through the tracks.  Even with these tinges of similarity, it is still a very original and addicting album.  Wonderful (The Way I Feel) can draw you in right away, while The Day Is Coming and You Wanna Freak Out seem to get better with every listen.

Ryan Bingham - Mescalito

I will be honest:  I know nothing about this guy other than the fact that his voice is what 100-grit sandpaper would sound like if sandpaper could sing.  And if sandpaper had a band, they would probably sound a lot like Bingham's band. 

Mescalito came out in 2007, and I think I might have listened to a few songs at one point.  How I didn't keep on listening is beyond me, because I have fallen in love with this album.  Bingham's voice itself is the highlight, but so is his ability to get your feet tapping.  He kind of sounds like a hung-over Steve Earle mixed with some Neil Young/The Band instrumentation.  I know - Steve Earle sounds plenty hung-over already.  That's how cool Bingham's voice really is.

So here's what you need to do:  Fire up iTunes, Rhapsody, Napster, or whatever you use, and put on the song "Hard Times."  Spend a few minutes with that song. Then enjoy the rest of the album because you'll be hooked.

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Dr. Dog - Fate

Yes yes, it's been a long time since we've posted. I apologize for that. It's been more like "Best Album of the Summer" than "Day." If you forgive me for that, I will forgive you for not telling everyone you know about this site. Alright, we have now reconciled. Let's get back to the music...

Dr. Dog. Unique band name. Incredibly cool and diverse sound. Influences ranging from The Band, to the Beatles, to Brian Wilson.

I love these guys! I had listened to their We All Belong album last year but didn't really become a big fan. That is changing with their new album, Fate. It is a sonic masterpiece!

So far I can't decide if my favorite track is "The Rabbit, The Bat, & The Reindeer" (has a supremely CLASSIC sound) or "100 Years" (very Wilco-sounding). While these two songs duke it out for my absolute love and affection, take a listen to this album straight through. Like I said, it's got enough diversity to it to make it a truly enjoyable musical experience.

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Micah Dalton - Pawn Shop

I love this guy's voice! Somehow, someway, it's a mix of Amos Lee, Keb Mo, and Ray Lamontagne - Absolutely perfect for Dalton's unique down-home style of folk/blues/soul/pop.

This album feels well-produced: enough effort went into it to make it sound "complete", but not so much that it sounds like too much. Yeah, I don't really know what I just said either.

The bottom line with Micah Dalton is that I think he sounds good, writes good songs, and wears suspenders which just puts him over the top for cool points.

Pawn Shop is the kind of album I can load in my player and listen to in my backyard hammock while swaying in the wind, an experience reserved only for special albums. Check it out!

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Jon Foreman - Summer

Summer is here! We posted Foreman's Spring EP a few months back with great expectations for Summer, the fourth and final installment of Jon Foreman's quad-EP year. In my opinion, this album does not disappoint.

Musically, Summer picks up where the other EPs left off with a nice assortment of instrumentation and arrangements somewhat different that what we are used to hearing with Foreman's everyday band, Switchfoot. The string arrangements are present, as are some less than typical instruments like dulcimer and sitar.

Lyrically, this has become my favorite of the EPs. "House of God, Forever" is probably the strongest track on the album. This duet with Sarah Masen (Foreman's sis in law) is absolutely beautiful.

The track "Again" is a perfect ending to the series both musically and in verse. It's refreshing to listen to a commercially successful artist like Foreman churn out such intimate, spiritually-charged songs. That can be a risk, and it's a risk I'm glad he has taken. I hope he takes the time to do some more albums of this nature in the future.

And once again, Jon, I'm sorry that I thought your band sucked so bad back in 1997. May you accept the multiple endorsements of your current music as my apology. And I accept the greatness of your current music as your apology for sucking so bad back then.


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Storyhill - Storyhill

Sometimes musical reunions are a good thing, and that is certainly the case with the acoustic harmonizing duo known as Storyhill. Storyhill is John Hermanson & Chris Cunningham (formerly known as Chris and Johnny). After taking a break in 1997, their fan base actually grew as loyal listeners spread the word online. Eventually, they decided to reunite in 2001 and began working on some new material.

I first heard these guys at an outdoor college festival in the mid 90’s. I’ve always been drawn to that “Simon and Garfunkel type” folk sound, and I remember really enjoying what I heard that day. It’s amazing how multifaceted a song can become with a couple guitars and harmonized melody lines.

I’ve owned and listened to a few of their previous albums, although none of them spoke to me as a whole the way their latest self titled album does. From the previous collections I remember, there were certain songs that stuck out as being radio worthy, but some of the others seemed to lack in dynamics and definitive melody. I’d often find myself skipping around to find my favorite tracks. With their newest album, I listen to it from beginning to end, and over and over again. I can’t pinpoint exactly what makes this one so different, but it draws me in and keeps me there for its entirety. For a while, I was unable to identify a favorite song, but now I’d have to say that "Love Will Find You" is my personal choice.

Storyhill’s unique sound and knack for sonic storytelling seems to have matured into who they are today. Some musicians start strong and whither, but this group seems to be gaining more momentum as artists the longer that they work at perfecting their craft.

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New Travis Song

Travis have a new single called J Smith. It's different than anything I've heard them do before. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or bad thing, but what will really matter is how the full album comes out. I have no idea when that will be, but here's the track:

Travis - J Smith

I'm still loving The Boy With No Name so my advice to Travis is take your time on the new stuff. (I'm pretty sure they read Best Album of the Day).

What do YOU think?

Donavon Frankenreiter - The Abbey Road Sessions

Welcome to another "Friends of Jack Johnson" post! That guy just has tons of friends that are cool. And not only are they cool, they make great music. (In the near future I'll be posting some artists from JJ's Brushfire label)

Donavon Frankenreiter is one of JJ's surfing buddies who has a knack for singing and playing guitar. He's had a few studio albums which are definitely worth checking out. The Abbey Road Sessions is a collection of songs recorded live in concert at Abbey Road Studios. There's a DVD version available as well.

This concert features not only Donavon F. and his talented band, but also some string arrangements and extra background vocalists. The sound of the album has a lot of life, and it features styles ranging from blues jams to slow and easy with a tinge of that mellow-happy sound made popular by Johnson.

My favorite moment on the album is when he introduces the song "On My Mind" by saying it was one of the first songs he ever wrote, and that it's about his wife. Then something about the first line of the song makes me laugh. If I wrote my wife a song and that was the first line I doubt she'd be able to keep a straight face. You'll just have to listen to it.

The song "Call Me Papa" is one of my favorite songs in general, and the arrangement on this album with the strings is even better than the original.

"That's Too Bad" is a funky blues jam with just the right touch of Hammond organ. DF has some nice skills on the guitar too.

Honestly, if I was still pursuing a career in music I'd probably follow Frankenreiter around until he let me join his band as a second guitarist. I dig his style. Plus then he could teach me to surf.

SHOUT OUT: My brother Dan should get some credit here for first introducing me to DF a few years ago. Nice find.


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Mark Olson - The Salvation Blues

Mark Olson, along with Gary Louris, was once part of the duo-fronted group The Jayhawks. He left the band shortly after the release of Tomorrow The Green Grass to spend more time with then-wife Victoria Williams and release some lesser known albums along the way.

I consider The Salvation Blues to be Olson's comeback album. It's got his signature alt-country twang and some Jayhawks-like harmonies. In fact, Louris even shows up in some of the songs.

My favorite tracks on this album are "Clifton Bridge", "Poor Michael's Boat", and "Look Into The Night." This is yet another album I love playing during any significant time traveling in the car.

Olson's voice is somewhat of an acquired taste but once you get used to is you'll appreciate his unique sound and phrasing. When he and ex-wife Williams put out a few albums as the The Original Harmony Ridge Creek Dippers it was almost too much since their voices are so similar (She's got a far goofier voice however).

I've heard that Louris and Olson have been doing a few shows together in the past year. Here's to hoping they can follow the lead of the Blues Brothers and get the band back together, man!

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William Fitzsimmons - Until When We Are Ghosts

After having a few people asking me if I was related to this guy (since we share the same last name), I finally decided to give William’s music a listen.

There’s something very relaxing about his voice and recordings. There’s simplicity to his sound, although as you work your way through the album it’s easy to get lost in the subtle grooves being formed.

As I’m listening, I get that same feeling of sitting at a coffee shop with a talented singer-songwriter playing in the corner that I didn’t notice at first, but eventually draws me in to his craft and demands my full attention.

If you’re in the mood for something laid back and easy to chill to, check out this collection by William Fitzsimmons. And by the way, I’m not just endorsing it because he’s my unknown long lost relative. :)

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