Listen: Daughn Gibson - "You Don't Fade"

Not too long ago we got our first preview of Daughn Gibson's follow up to his brilliant debut All Hell in the form of "The Sound of Law" but just in case you thought you had any idea of what to expect from his sophomore record Me Moan, you can go ahead and count yourself wrong. Very very wrong.




One of the notable things about Daughn Gibson is how he seamlessly weaves samples together for his dusty rural croon and yet in "You Don't Fade", that Southern-esque soul and pseudo country swagger slips away some in favor of an eerie loop of female vocals. It was different enough that I thought I was listening to the wrong artist until Daughn Gibson entered his booming, smoky baritone. In "You Don't Fade", Daughn Gibson continues his exploration of dark textures and even darker subjects but in a new refreshing way that's more than just a rehash of All Hell. I mean just listen to the Mortal Kombat-esque chants he uses.

I have no idea what to expect on Me Moan but hell if I'm not incredibly excited about that. It's sure to be a very special record. Daughn Gibson's Me Moan is out July 9th on Sub Pop Records.

Daughn Gibson - "Reach Into the Fire"

Well turns out Daughn Gibson is having a pretty spectacular year: releasing his debut full length All Hell on White Denim, a 7" single not too long after, and successful completion of his first ever tour. Things certainly seem to be looking up for Gibson. Yesterday, he was one of the artists announced in the initial official CMJ lineup and turns out, sometime when no one was paying attention, Daughn Gibson got signed to Sub Pop Records. Considering the absolute awesomeness of their roster, it certainly makes sense and Gibson celebrates the occasion with a release of a brand new track "Reach Into the Fire" which samples labelmates Shabazz Palaces and Tiny Vipers.

After releasing the super sexy "Lite My Fire" 7" single and the dark nature of many of All Hell's track, "Reach Into the Fire" is a breath of fresh air in Gibson's catalog. Bright and pseudo-inspirational, "Reach Into the Fire" takes a page out of "In the Beginning"'s book without sounding like an exact replica.  It's enough to single-handedly get you excited about Daughn Gibson's future Sub Pop releases. Here's hoping it's not too long now.




Thanks to Frank from Listen Before You Buy for bringing Gibson's label signing to my attention.

Pistop: Mandolin Orange

I may have only seen them live twice but one of the things I've come to except from a Bowerbirds concert is a talented opener. Enter  North Carolina duo Mandolin Orange the night's more unexpectedly pleasant surprise. I arrived at the Bowerbirds most recent New York stop expecting solely one opener in the form of Dry the River whose music I had already been exposed to and knew I liked so you can imagine my surprise when Andrew Marlin and Emily Frantz took to the stage with guitar, fiddle, and friend Josh Oliver in tow.



What followed was a thoroughly enjoyable set of folksy, rootsy Americana - the band's self-described country pop. The kind that's welcome even to those like me who prefer to stay as far away from country music as feasibly possible. It's hard to say what exactly sets Mandolin Orange apart for the tons of other folk acts gunning for you attention, perhaps it's that they aren't. The duo have a rather laidback style of songwriting that still manages to highlight their remarkable talents, heart-stirring lyricism, and intoxicating harmonies. There's also the fact that the vast majority of instruments you'll hear from them on their records or see at their live set are played by the twosome themselves (there's guests enlisted to fill out the rest).



Mandolin Orange play a sort of updated Appalachian-infused folk that really doesn't get nearly enough play. Which is sort of a shame. The duo are as equally at home playing traditional folk tunes as they are playing their own traditional-leaning originals and the young band already have two albums under their belt 2010's Quiet Little Room and a double album Haste Make/Hard-Hearted Stranger released late last year. And Mandolin Orange show no signs of stopping any time soon; a fact I certainly couldn't be more pleased with that as the duo's darkly themed but never depressing brand of accessible country pop hits all the right spots.



You can listen to their most recent album over on Spotify as well as check out their upcoming tour dates on their Website here.

Daughn Gibson - "Lite Me Up"/"Mark of a Man"

Remember Daughn Gibson? The Pennsylvania native released his debut album All Hell but a few short months ago and promptly took his brand of electronic-infused folk/country on the road for a short romp about the east coast. I'm glad to say I was in the audience for his Union Hall show and got to witness the premiere of his brand new track "Lite Me Up". Believe me when I say it's the absolute pinnacle of baby-making music. So light some candles and settle down for what's sure to be pleasurable dose of aural sex and maybe more It's a real scorcher.

And make sure you pick up Gibson's Lite Me Up 7" which features another track, "Mark of a Man" on the b-side. You can order the 7" here.

You can also buy the digital version from Gibson's personal bandcamp here.

(via Filter Magazine)

Daughn Gibson - All Hell (2012)

The past couple days I've been let down when I come home from work and expect to have missed something monumentally epic - musically speaking. It's possible that I'm just not looking in the right places or maybe music  news has really been that slow lately. And yet tonight I came home to find a stray tweet from ARMS' Todd Goldstein stating he'd be opening up for Daughn Gibson in May. After about a two month live show drought that was news to my ears. But who was Daughn Gibson? I certainly was intrigued but I could tell I wasn't going to dig, there were, to me, more pressing matters to attend to. And then I saw that Jeff of Secret Moutains praised the album today as well. Schedule cleared, Daughn Gibson was my first and only priority.

Daughn Gibson is from Carlisle, Pennsylvania and very well may still reside there. I honestly have no clue. There's not too much I can tell you about Gibson and maybe that's for the best. What I can tell you is that his debut record All Hell is unlike anything I've heard before. You may hear that time and time again when someone's trying to sell you new release after new release of virtual unknowns but believe me when I tell you this: All Hell is new. All Hell is distinct, creative, and original. Beginning with "Bad Guys", it's not hard to see why Gibson has adopted country as his genre labeling of choice, simple bent note guitar riffs and a languorous drawl. The most unexpected thing about Gibson is deepness of his voice which becomes less of shock as you listen on. With "In the Beginning" you start to really get a taste at the turn the record will soon take - it's a lot poppier than the lead track, building on simplistic hymn-friendly piano chords before the entrance of funky beat makes it clear it's not going in that direction.   

Daughn Gibson has the sort of genre-blurring interplay that bands like Megafaun have more or less made a career of. There's a single genre label for the sake of ease but Gibson tests the very limits of it as mean of categorization. All Hell becomes bigger than genre. It's a series of songs with twists and turns you don't see coming even as you become more comfortable with the album. On All Hell, Gibson proves himself not only a skilled multi-instrumentalist (trading off on guitar and piano whenever he sees fit) but as a skilled manipulator - bending boundaries, foundations, and arranging samples in just the right way to keep you on your toes. And regardless of the textural soundscapes, Gibson's voice is clear as a bell, deep and reverberating and ultimately grounding. Even with the multitude of things going on around it, it is always the focus, the one point your ears have no trouble finding.  All Hell is astoundingly different, the result of a clearly  talented man with a host of ideas with enough sense to know how to properly use them. Gibson never overwhelms, instead allowing you to appreciate each moment as much as you like as his croons draw you toward where you need you to go.   

Get a taste of Daughn Gibson's rather eclectic style with some tracks from the album: 

 Daughn Gibson - In the Beginning by Mistletone 

 Daughn Gibson - Tiffany Lou by wearehitsville 

 Daughn Gibson - Lookin Back on '99 by brooklynvegan 

Daughn Gibson's All Hell is out now on White Denim with a limited edition run of vinyl which you can order here. You can stream the album on Spotify. 

Justin Townes Earle - Harlem River Blues (2010)

I was introduced to Justin Townes Earle last year at possibly the worst time for him: Right in the midst of his personal struggle as he cancelled a tour to go to rehab. Normally things like that would ward listeners off but I was intrigued and even more so when I discovered he wrote a "country" album about New York City. It's certainly not your typical fodder for anything vaguely resembling folk music and yet that's exactly what Earle sets out to do so on Harlem River Blues.

It's easy to peg the Nashville bred Earle as a country singer who seems way out of his element singing about a city with virtually nothing country about it. And yet, Earle isn't really a country singer. Sure he has the sort of Southern drawl and twangy guitar that comes naturally to most of them but what Earle's has that others don't is an inventiveness that keeps his music from sounding like what you'd typically find in the genre. No, Earle's music is a combination of bluegrass and folksy Americana with the sensibility and engaging nature of Indie rock. It's why he can get away with convincingly spinning tales about a city that's as far away from as country as can be like the work song "Working for the MTA".

With Harlem River Blues, Justin Townes Earle proves that you can work wonders if given the proper inspiration. The album is fresh and innovative and yet familiar. Earle could be singing about anywhere but just happens to be singing about New York City. There's not a whole lot of you have to know about the city in order to get the album or understand what he's singing about. Rather he uses the city as focus for his tales of love lost, defeat, and possible redemption.

Lissie - Catching A Tiger (2010)

“David Lynch Loves Lissie”

That’s the headline that started it all. Paste Magazine posted an article about David Lynch’s love for Lissie in August and I was immediately intrigued (Not intrigued enough to just read the article strangely but intrigued to do some research). Who is Lissie? What does she do and why does David Lynch, filmmaker extraordinaire, love her? Well Lissie is a twenty-something singer/songwriter from the Midwest. Thanks Google. First and second question answered. The last question came only when I picked up her debut album Catching A Tiger last month. The thing that sets her apart from all the singer/songwriters out there is the sometimes gritty rock style she plays in, while wailing her heart out in a way that demands your instantaneous attention. And yet she has this aura on nonchalance as well. Like she could care less about these peeks into her soul she gives. Her vocals are raw but also controlled in this way that makes you marvel at how easy she makes it seem. “Record Collector” has a swagger and folk tale lyricism that coupled with Lissie’s effortless yodels lead you to expect a country album while “When I’m Alone” and “In Sleep” elevate it a bit with emotion-invoking pop rock goodness.

Catching A Tiger is this fluid genre-bending work with its mix of personal and storytelling lyrics, folksy country twang (“Record Collector”), piano balladry (“Bully”), hyperactive feel good rock (“Cuckoo”); It all keeps attached with Lissie’s emotive vocals. Just when you think you know what to expect, Lissie shatters those expectations by bringing in some different sort of influence. In that way, she keeps the album from being this boring sobfest or standard singer/songwriter fare. Lissie doesn't just bring you on an emotional roller coaster but baits you to follow her by pretending not to care while giving you reassuring glimpses at just the right time.

Get a glimpse of Lissie with a live video of "In Sleep":