Bruce Springsteen - The Wrestler

A song worthy of the fantastic film.

J. Tillman - Firstborn

I really liked J. Tillman's last album Vacilando Territory Blues, although I thought the songs were too similar for it to really make a mark. This was definitely one of my favourite tracks off it though.

Phosphorescent - To Willie

Can't say I'm all that familiar with either Phosphorescent or Willie Nelson's back catalogues but this album has made me want to explore both. It's a fantastic covers album, which is pretty rare and is out now. He's got a great voice and, if you didn't know better, you'd think they were his own songs, you really get the sense he cares about the songs and he's not just going through the motions. I think it's been a fairly strong opening of the year in terms of music and this is definitely one of the best releases so far.


Phosphorescent - Reasons To Quit

Phosphorescent - It's Not Supposed To Be That Way

FADER TV: Open Bar With Phosphorescent
Uploaded by thefader

Spectacle: Elvis Costello With...

I've enjoyed the couple of these episodes that I've seen with Elvis interviewing and performing with Smokey Robinson and James Taylor. The latest in the series featured Elvis with She & Him and Jenny Lewis. It was a really great show.

This video has Elvis doing "Show Biz Kids," followed by a Q&A with She & Him and Costello joining Matt and Zooey on "Change Is Hard."



Here Elvis welcomes Jenny to the stage for a quick interview, followed by Matt taking a solo on Jenny's "Pretty Bird."



Finally, Zooey comes out to sing with Elvis and Jenny on Acid Tongue's "Carpetbaggers," followed by "Go Away."

Springsteen - The Blogger

© 2009 Danny Clinch Photography

Great piece by Springsteen about his superbowl performance
here . He should do this more often, a tour diary or something would be fantastic.

Strand Of Oaks - Leave Ruin

I've been listening to this album non-stop for the past few days and probably will be for a while longer too. A really brilliant record, fans of Bon Iver, Iron & Wine would do well to get a copy of this album. The lyrics are great and really help the album stand out. This is one album that could definitely make a big impact this year. Download 'End In Flames' from the album below and have a look at a live performance of 'Two Kids', one of my favourite tracks.


Strand Of Oaks - End In Flames

Grammy Highlights

Album of the Year : Robert Plant & Alison Krauss - Raisin' Sand



Radiohead - 15 Step



Chris Martin (Feat Jay-Z)- "Lost+" / Coldplay - "Viva La Vida"



Paul McCartney & Dave Grohl - I Saw Her Standing There

Kasey Chambers & Shane Nicholson - Rattlin' Bones

This album completely passed me by last year but I've been catching up with it recently. Records which effectively blend male and female vocals are quite hard to come by but this one definitely succeeds. Chambers and Nicholson are husband and wife and both have strong solo careers with Chambers, in particular, putting out some really great albums.

This is really top drawer alt-country with the songs veering from country, bluegrass, gospel, traditional singer-songwriter fare to anything else they can draw inspiration from. A really great album, it's well worth tracking down.

Kasey Chambers & Shane Nicholson - Rattlin' Bones

Eddie Vedder - Where The Streets Have No Name

Everybody loves a bit of karaoke. Even Eddie Vedder apparently.

White Antelope (Robin Pecknold of Fleet Foxes) - False Knight On The Road

Apparently Fleet Foxes are bringing out a deluxe version of their album soon and this is one of the extra tracks featured on it. It's a traditional ballad and certainly fits in perfectly with the Fleet Foxes sound. Have a listen here

The Hold Steady - Atlantic City

Taken from the upcoming Heroes compilation, which looks great, out in a couple of weeks. Tracklist below



01. Beck (Bob Dylan: "Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat")
02. The Kooks (The Kinks: "Victoria")
03. The Hold Steady (Bruce Springsteen: "Atlantic City")
04. Hot Chip (Joy Division: "Transmission")
05. Lily Allen (The Clash: "Straight To Hell")
06. Yeah Yeah Yeahs (The Ramones: "Sheena Is A Punk Rocker")
07. Franz Ferdinand (Blondie: "Call Me")
08. Duffy (Paul McCartney: "Live And Let Die")
09. Estelle (Stevie Wonder: "Superstition")
10. Rufus Wainwright (Brian Wilson: "Wonderful/ Song For Children")
11. Scissor Sisters (Roxy Music: "Do The Strand")
12. Peaches (Iggy Pop and The Stooges: "Search And Destroy")
13. Adam Cohen (Leonard Cohen: "Take This Waltz")
14. Elbow (U2: "Running To Stand Still")
15. The Like (Elvis Costello: "You Belong To Me")
16. TV On The Radio (David Bowie: "Heroes")

Springsteen Superbowl Performance

Great performance at the Superbowl last night by Bruce and the band. They really tried to fit as much as possible into the 12 minutes they were given. There was even room for a hilariously misjudged knee slide.