Shakey Graves - Roll The Bones (2011)

Shakey Graves is the music project of Alejandro Rose-Garcia. The music is country-influenced lo-fi folk. Looking at his bandcamp page, which features several booking and publicity contacts from all over the world, I feel like Shakey Graves is a bit bigger than bands normally posted on Spacerockmountain. This Austin musician is also on an extensive tour of North America, and will soon be playing Portland's Crystal Ballroom in May - that's no small feet for someone I've never heard of, considering this is a venue where bigger names play while visiting the "Rose City".

I really enjoy the music on Roll The Bones. It's got an old-timey folk vibe throughout. It's his earliest post to bandcamp, though I imagine he's been writing and recording prior to 2011 judging by the quality of his musical abilities. The tunes are bold, but not overbearing. There's a good pace from song to song ... hills leading easily into valleys rhythmically, and the harmonies are minimal but lush. Roll The Bones is that rare record you could easily play while commuting or making dinner... anywhere where silence can be filled with a record that's easy on the ears.

I'm not one to quickly subscribe to this sort of music, either, a testament to the quality of this music. That said, I'm always a sucker for a good voice, and Alejandro definitely has one.

It's pay what you want for 10 songs, including a fantastic cover of Johnny Chash's "I'm On Fire", done with only an acoustic bass guitar and vocals.

Listen and download here: Shakey Graves - Roll The Bones

Buy the vinyl: HERE

Like him on Facebook: HERE

Scenes of a City, Vol. 10: Zagreb, Croatia

Often I find myself hyper-focused on a particular place. Not one I have ever been to nor will get to any time soon judging by my near constant lack of funds. However, this doesn't hold me back from taking as much of the culture of that locale I can manage from here. Croatia has been this place as of late, particularly their capital and largest city, Zagreb. Suppose it started as these usually do with for me when I began reading a novel written by a Croatian writer, Miroslav Krleža's On The Edge of Reason. Not that the book is especially Croatian in outlook so much as my mind works geographically thus leaving me reading steadily of the history of the Balkan country. Building this my momentum, I went out and bought bottles of dry white wine made of welschriesling grapes grown in Croatia. Finally, if one is reading Croatian literature and drinking Croatian wine, perhaps it is a good time to dig deeper into Croatian music as well.

I do have a tiny bit of familiarity with Croatia's musical output just from submissions to the blog, including some absolutely stellar albums from East-Ra, Pridjevi, Lizards Exist and from the great Zagreb-based indie label, Doomtown Records, the punk outfit Modern Delusions. None of these should be ignored and what I'm aiming for with this look at Zagreb is to inflate that list with even more notable Croatian musicians and bands.

To be had here:

Peak XV - La Première Ascension (2015)

Peak XV is a kindred soul describing who's himself as an "armchair explorer," which if that's not what I'm doing here what am I doing at all? La Première Ascension is an electronic ambient album, done in a sort of modern classical style. Nearly completely instrumental, it is a fantastic album to hear repeatedly while multitasking, allowing it to fade in and out of your senses, always being pleasantly surprised by whole beautiful is whenever you take a moment to pay attention. That said, my first listen was without distraction and I thoroughly enjoyed every moment.

Denis Katanec Okanagan LTD - Sve moje Laurie (2014)

Americana music sung in Croatian? Sold, immediately to yours truly. Denis Katanec Okanagan LTD plays alt folk, like we often hear coming from North America and does it exceedingly well, but unlike many European artists that make their way onto this blog he singing in his native tongue. No judgment, seriously, good tunes be good tunes in any language. That said, I did find hearing the Croatian compelling, especially in how he quickly spits it out at the being of "Listopad." The main point is that this is a throughly enjoyable EP regardless what you feel, or lack in feeling, about Croatian singing or Croatia overall.

Jastreb - Mother Europe (2013)

Naturally in the globalized world we now all get to inhabit there's little meaning to geographic styles of music, at least in cosmopolitan cities of which I'd include Zagreb. In the light a krautrock band with clear Eastern influence woven in putting out an album in Croatia's capital with a photo of a Alpine mountain as the album art makes sense, at least a bit of sense. Mother Europe makes a nod to all the internationalism that is inherent in being European and did not stop at its borders when it came to informing the style of the album. Pretty goddamn cool shit.

Beat Gates - Elements EP (2014)

A short EP of beats music, as if the name of the outfit didn't give that away straight off. Unrelated to Croatia per se, I have been getting increasingly into beats music, so I am quite pleased to find a good beats artist that crossed sectioned with the country I'd been obsessing about. The songs are a little loopy and ethereal a nicely aloof way and have science fiction spoken word bits laid within. All in all makes for a pretty trippy and interesting few minutes of listening.

Bebè Na Volè - Time of Great Depression (2015)

Here's something I really didn't expect to find looking into Zagreb, music that sounds like early Black Keys and delightfully a touch more gloomy than the Black Keys ever were. Yet there's more to Bebè Na Volè, for it doesn't retain bluesy tone for long, delving into stripped down folk by the fourth track, "Wait For You." At this point becoming similar to Denis Katanec Okanagan LTD but sung in English and weirder by several degrees. The songs become more acoustic yet what is maintained is the frequently nihilistic lyrics. Then it's back towards the electrified blues upon the eleventh track. Like a nice folk sandwich with bluesy bread. A motherfucking fantastic album all around.

Nive Nielsen & The Deer Children - Nive Sings! (2010)

Found this album in a backwards fashion. Well, sort of, ever since we've been geographic-based 'Scenes of a City' posts, it has become a bit of a habit of mine to throw locations into bandcamp and see what pops out. Even if it is somewhere remote and/or culturally removed from the majority of bandcamp users. Anyhow, as you may have put together I was reading about Greenland (lolling around with a cold, I seem to get little done other than read wikipedia). In particular I was learning about the only locality that passes as for urban in the arctic country, it's capital, Nuuk. As you might imagine a city of some seventeen thousand doesn't have all that much going on musical, but then again, it is the center of Greenlandic culture. So, I poked around and found something to share.

Nive Neilsen is the Greenlandic singer that this so aptly titled refers to. However, without the fact that she's from Greenland being pointed it out at such length by yours truly already, it would be easy to never even consider this coming from the United States or Canada. The music is rooted in American folk, though very much through the lens of modern indie pop, maybe the best comparison I can summon is Benni Hemm Hemm. Like most of the albums I have been praising most highly lately, the style isn't fixed throughout. Sure, there are folksy indie pop tunes that do an wonderful job as showing of Neilsen's elegant singing talent like "Good for You" and "My Coffee Boy." Just these would have earned enough of my interest for me to post Nive Sings! And yet there's more to this release. For an album that's title implies the showcasing of a singer, the instrumentation is damned remarkable. The roster of musicians that worked as the Deer Children is lengthy and they played all sorts of things from weird folk favorites like the saw and banjo to the ever-adorable ukulele and kazoo. There's even a song called "Autoharps!" You can guess what may happen in that one. So while Nive Sings! was put out five years ago, yet this is the first I've heard of her. Once I looked around it seems she's still active, including getting some attention from Daytrotter. I'll finish by saying I think she's been overlooked and certainly merits attention.

To be had here:
Nive Nielsen & The Deer Children - Nive Sings!

Roselit Bone - Blacken & Curl (2014)

Fourth of July is here and it's time to blow shit up and cook dead things as we celebrate the surprisingly esoteric concept of "freedom". Some of us may actually feel some patriotism today, or  even bother reflecting on everything that lead to the current state of things. But most will use the day off as an excuse to drink themselves into a stupor under the guise of national pride, letting the troubles of yesterday drown in the swimming pool while tomorrow perpetually worries about itself.

My own pessimism over the topic reinforces my love for the gothic americana of Portland band, Roselit Bone. Singer/songwriter Joshua McCaslin paints bleak imagery of a world that is dry and desolate on opening track "Slow Hot Death", where everything we thought would save us, in the end, didn't.

"Our idols will be melted down or crushed, as we pray to them to turn back the tide. Our hearts will fall like rocks into the dust, when we learn that they were never on our side."

This is a repeated theme in Black & Curl, where idolatries of religion and love are painted as uncertain crutches. The music has range on the country spectrum, much more now that the group features a several new members. This is a departure from Roselit Bone's previous configuration as a guitar and drum duo. Here the sound is lush and full, complete with a pedal steel player and horn section: an addition that lends a cinematic quality to a group that was already something quite special to witness live (see also their live record Live At Ella Street Social Club record).

I almost never gush over lyrics but those written by McCaslin are perfect for this style of music, he's like a rabid poet of the prairie. Everything is stronger about the music on this release... and even though I've said before I'll say it again here: this is the best band in Portland right now.

Roselit Bone - Black & Curl

Lasso - Lasso'd (2011)

This album stands out among what I've been sent lately. It has a pretty unique style compared to what's been playing in my headphones. Lasso is undoubtedly psychedelic rock but with a strong degree of country and Americana. The music is worth paying attention to just to hear the contrasting use of twangy and fuzzy instruments matched up to create something all the more wonderful. Taking a cue from the album art I imagined a dreamily colored western landscape as listened with my eyes shut. In the tracks that have vocals I found the singing pretty awesome and it varies throughout the album, augmented by brief sampling to create mood. Also, there's a ragtime/dixieland sorta number, "Creep St." that's a highlight for sure. The fella that sent to this album is not only in the band but runs a small label/studio in Kalamazoo called Double Phelix. The bandcamp page linked to has the album for free digitally or for a measly $5 on tape or CD. I highly recommended that you at very least stream it.

To be had here:
Lasso - Lasso'd

Doop and the Inside Outlaws - Everett Belcher (2009) & Blood River (2008)

Something a bit out of the ordinary for spacerockmountain, alternative country music. Though I've never held any opposition to the alt country genre, I've also never gone too far out of my way to get it. Lucky for me that I ran into an acquaintance of mine at a bar that I had the mild wherewithal to recall being a musician that I could solicit for albums to post here. He's a member of Doop and the Inside Outlaws, though not the man that has chosen Doop for a moniker. They're a shining example of how Detroit is, if nothing else, a city where most any kind of art can flourish including country music. In my meager attempt to explain what little comprehension of country I mentioned Johnny Cash and I was told if I like him I could very well enjoy this. Pretty accurate assessment and it grows with continued listening. Perhaps the best way phrase to describe the soulful, twangy country of this group was suggested by him in the bar, blue collar. They're very much workingmen lamentations. Finally, I'll be forward about that fact that these are links to their bandcamp page and that the albums are fully streamable, but not free for the taking. Do whatever you see fit about that.

To be had here:





Everett Belcher












Blood River