Mumford & Sons, Laura Marling, & Dharohar Project - EP

Last year British folk songtress Laura Marling performed in India. Something about the culture must've spoke to her because she along with Mumford & Sons then teamed up with an Indian ensemble to record an EP together. The 4 song EP features a reworked versions of Marling's "Devil's Spoke" and Mumford's "To Darkness". The EP proves that folk music is universal. The Indian ensemble's instruments perfectly compliment the western instruments of the two charming Brit groups. There's something inexplicably amazing about the way the lyrics seamlessly change from English to with the folk singers even trying their hand at it. Instead of like a direct split between styles, the groups merge into this amazing unit sometimes sounding trading off in the lyrics or with the instruments played before ultimately blending again (Meheni Rachi being a prime example. The EP is remarkably innovative, showing their artistic prowess as master musicians as they step out of their comfort zone with none the wiser. They have no problem embracing the culture and have no trouble infusing it with their own. The result is an enjoyable musical adventure that everyone is bound to love. The EP is available digitally through the wide variety of music vendors and will see physically release sometime in early 2011.

OK Go releases "Back From Kathmandu" video

OK Go's viral videos are quite honestly the stuff of legendary. After their last video for "White Knuckles" which featured a bunch of trained rescue dogs doing awesome tricks I wondered how they could top themselves. In their video for "Back From Kathmandu", the band parades through the streets of Los Angeles with friends, fans, musicians, and the randomly intrigued in tow. Spelling out OK Go with their parade route. Marching 8.5 miles has never been quite so cool. Especially when you add the completely delightful assortment of instruments (I swear I spotted at least two accordions), glow in the dark awesomeness, and the 100 people large marching band. Watch OK Go's video for "Back From Kathmandu":

Elle S'appelle to reunite....kinda

British trio Elle S'appelle disbanded about two years ago retiring their infectious melodic brand of powerpop for regular lives, school, and other endeavors. Recently, however, the band appeared on the roster for a Pixies tribute show this upcoming January. When I asked about it, Andy Donovan, revealed that the band is back for this one show at least albeit in a new incarnation. The show, which features a bunch of Liverpool bands like Married to the Sea, Voo, and The House that Jack Built, will also feature Elle S'appelle's new lineup. So if you have plans to be in Liverpool around January 15th, go see the 10 Bands 10 Minutes Pixie Tribute at the Liverpool Masque.

Stricken City album gets release date

Stricken City's debut album Losing Colour finally gets a release date. The album, due out in February 7, 2011, is available for pre-order at the band's website where they offer up two downloads immediately following purchase. That's the good news.

There's also some bad news attached. The band has announced that this will be their last album and that their February 10th show will be their final performance. It's rather bittersweet. I'm excited about the new album finally getting a release date but not so much about the split. But all good things must come to an end and better that the band goes out at their best than a shell of its former self.

She & Him visit Conan

Last night, cutesy 60s inspired indie-pop duo She & Him performed on Conan and their performance of "I Put A Spell On You" had to be seen to be believed. Stripped down to just Zooey Deschanel on vocals and M. Ward's spacey guitar riffs, the duo proved they're more than just Deschanel's come hither winks with some fancy guitar work. Instead viewers were treated to the most animated performance I've seen the duo give. Gone were the controlled purely melodic vocals the band is known for, replaced with hypnotizing banshee shrieks amid spooky silences and reverb. That might sound bad, but it's not. It's actually amazing. Watch the video:

Sondre Lerche donates rare exclusive track to charity.

Tis the season for giving and Sondre Lerche offers up an exclusive track from way back around the release of 2004's Two Way Monologue. The track "Trying to Say Goodbye" is available for download via The Right Track: Tunes to TargetCancer. The Right Track offers up exclusive mp3 downloads from a multitude of artists to raise money for cancer research. The minimum donation required is $0.99 but I will tell you this right now: Sondre Lerche's "Trying to Say Goodbye" is worth much more. Its classic Sondre, featuring just right falsetto and guitar stylings echoed on the later Lerche-composed Dan in Real Life Soundtrack. You can download it and more tracks at The Right Tracks site here.

Justin Branam teams up for charitable iPhone Sessions

Using the same formula that allowed Justin Branam to raise money to record his next album, Branam teams up with a bunch of friends to help raise money for charity. The homeless in Nashville to be exact. On iPhone Sessions Hope Vol. 1, these Nashville based artists do what they do best: play lovely stripped down sets where allows their talent to truly shine. The seamless recording via iPhone helps to provide an intimacy you might expect in a small bar. The compilation features several Ten Out of Tenn artist like Andrew Belle, Katie Herzig, Tyler James, and KS Rhoads, as well as several artists I personally never encountered before like folsky quintet Neulore, lovely singer/songwiter Amy Stroup, harmony-weaving duo Elenowen, bluesy crooner Seth Philpott, ethereal siren Alva Leigh, and sweet-voiced Steve Moakler. The compilation is available here at a pay-what-you-want rate but before you think to download it for free, think about helping the artists raise money for Nashville Rescue Mission and People Loving Nashville. You'll be glad you did. And for more info on the compilation, the artists and the charities go here.