Fortunately our fears are a thing of the past right now as the iconic Barack Obama has become the 44th president of the USA. We’ve been watching his moves much longer than the media hype started surrounding him and no one deserves this spot better than this sincere, honest and kind man, he has been an inspiration for a whole generation and I hope he will succeed in bringing change and unity to his country and the world.

America has dug to its roots to find the strength to unite under Obama, and no music but Jack Rose’s “American Primitive” revivalism suits our mood better today. The prolific Rose seen as a successor of John Fahey has his latest double album “Dr Ragtime & Pals / Self Titled” out on Tequila Sunrise, and it not only displays his amazing fingerpicking skills it is a real testimony to the true American folk spirit, not that stupid pop-culture that has permeated the airwaves for the last 30 years.

But if you’re lucky, you might stumble across a clearing somewhere south of Lily Dale, where revolutionists stop for orangeade and Dr. Ragtime hangs out with his pals. If you ask him politely, he might offer you a taste of his elixir - made from codeine, sarsaparilla, and goat-gland extract - guaranteed to restore memories that never were. And if you’re quiet, he might let you stay and listen to the music: Ethiopian novelties, characteristic marches and parlor favorites - bittersweet slices of Methodist pie, familiar tunes, at least in those sections where the square dance has not yet been supplanted by the fox-trot.Tequila Sunrise

I’ll admit I’m a new convert to Katherine Elizabeth (Kaki) King’s intricate music. I haven’t listened to her previous body of work which has higher critical acclaim. I’m not really knowledgeable in this acoustic alt. country/folk/indie stuff, frankly I haven’t even listened to Cat Power. I’m not an American you know!

That’s why I’m not able to write a proper review about her new album, yet Atlanta native guitarist’s fourth one “Dreaming of Revenge” has been one of the better albums this year that I keep going back to. Her guitarwork & tone is amazing, her voice isn’t bad, and what’s more she has proper songwriting skills.

Too many new artists are focused on sound & form yet most of them never deliver the goods when it comes to writing songs these days. There are at least 3 “very good” singles here, and a few more, “good” ones. Songs like “Pull me out Alive” are frighteningly radio-friendly, (and I think her core fans are probably upset about this) yet there are less straightforward ones to even it out.

When Kaki King went into the studio in upstate New York to record the tracks for her fourth album, Dreaming Of Revenge, her producer, Malcolm Burn, had one condition: “He said, ‘If someone can’t be sawing a log in half and whistling along to the song, I don’t want it on the record,’”

Over all it’s a solid indie/pop album that’d appeal to bigger masses, kinda like the Feist album of yesteryear if I can make a broad comparison. I’m hard pressed to check her previous work to see if she’s changed for the good or for the worse. Out on Velour

Kaki King - So Much For So Little
Kaki King - Life being what it is

* New Thrill Parade’s noisy, piss’d and dark 3rd album is coming out on Wonder Quest soon. The sludgy beginning of the track made this an instant fave but the theatrical vocals (a la a gothed-up Tiger Lillies) sealed the deal. Band to watch!.

* Wait til the ice melts, compilation on Exponential is an emerging artists from Texas sampler which is mostly electronic music with hiphopish beats. I quite liked the jazzy cut-up Diego track, Horizontal K’s URAQTK and the opener by A.M. Architect. For fans of Prefuse 73 etc.

* 16 year old indie pop sensation Please Quiet Ourselves with some clumsy freak-pop. Nothing groundbreaking, but still better than most of the teenpop stuff.

* Seattle singer-songwriter Andy Liotta is the The Billie Burke Estate I almost never listen to pop-rock, yet I gave it a spin after it came into my inbox and it’s ok. Also the proof that I try to listen to everything that gets sent even if it’s a month or so late ;)

* Enoyed this Ruby Beats Remix on Paw Tracks to a band named Rings. In fact the remix with crunkish beats and swirling electronic synths didn’t interest me as much as the vocals. After a few detective tricks, I realised that Rings is the new name of First Nation, which is the all girl trio from NY with a great debut that gave the anthemic Female Trance to us. Lovely.

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A Number of Names - Shari Vari 1982 on Detroit local show “The Scene”

* Plunderphonics band Oh Astro has a new album out here’s the opener Snow Queen, which samples Ratatat’s “Desert Eagle” and Lily Allen’s “Everything Is Wonderful”

* Alt-country stuff from UK’s Goodtimes Goodtimes

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Taraf de Haïdouks - Latcho Drom

* One of the most influential Balkan orchestras, the Romanian gypsy Taraf de Haïdouks has a new one called Maskarada on Belgium’s Crammed label, after 6 years of silence. This happy folk tune “Lezginkha” with lovely cymbalom, violin and accordeon parts is actually a traditional song from the Caucasus region.

* Gina X and A Number of Names gems courtesy of Disco not Disco

New Thrill Parade - Paradise Glommed
Diego - Father’s Son
Please Quiet Ourselves - The Light
Goodtimes Goodtimes - Sunshine Sunshine
The Billie Burke Estate - I can float
Taraf de Haidouks - Lezginkha
Rings - You remind me (Ruby Beats Remix)
Oh Astro - Snow Queen

Mr. Ehlers is one of the most respected and diverse names in the electronic music scene. He’s one of the few people who never repeats himself. He’s recorded minimal house music as Betrieb and experimental music as Auch, He’s recorded electronic pop with Maerz; his Plays album deconstructed freejazzhead Albert Ayler and blues guitarist Robert Johnson and experimented. Now continuing in the same tradition as Plays, this album offers us a strange and forgotten blues/folk album as if time travelled to future from 1900’s USA. It’s a mature release, for headphones and music lovers and not for the hip crowd. I’m amazed with the micro textural and emotional intensity and his & contributers ability to do something like this and redefine blues with electronic precision, plus he’s from Germany!

Kloster’s ‘ as the water covers the sea’ is a perfect companion to this crackling bluesy folk album. Why? I don’t know, maybe because of the spoken part and the idea of Rapture brings USA to my mind. However Kloster is not from USA but Denmark. This song has touched me upon first listen, it’s as shocking as a Hieronymus Bosch painting, a short track with background noises, where a terrified (?) young child describes the vision of The Rapture that God gave him, describing chariots of fire, repeating words with excitement. I’m sure if this track were played in a sermon at a Puritan church, most of the people would cry and pray at the same time, and it would affect everyone so deeply that they’d really stop doing everything and wait for the Rapture. A masterful and touching song, however please don’t play it to your religious friends!

Here’s the perfect closer to today’s post, a gospel themed song by none other than another diverse genius Uwe Schmidt as Geeez ‘n’ Gosh. GnG is one of the tens of pseudonym’s Uwe Schmidt aka Atom Heart / Senor Coconut has. He’s released 2 albums using this name, and this track is one of the best tracks on the second album Nobody Knows released on Mille Plateaux in 2002. The song starts with a gospel about Jesus and then gets funky!.

Ekkehard Ehlers - O Death (excerpt)
Ekkehard Ehlers - Strange Things
Ekkehard Ehlers - Plays John Cassavetes
Ekkehard Ehlers - Plays Albert Ayler
Geeez ‘n’ Gosh - We call on him
Kloster - As the water covers the sea

Anyways Mr. David Berman here is an indie rock icon who has survived a suicide attempt a few years ago, and on this album he gets assisted by lots of his old friends like Stephen Malkmus of Pavement. He is surely one of those old poet guys who really has the lyrical ability to write songs properly. This song is a proof to that as he’s made a hilarious protest/satiric anthem from the eyes of a pony.

The song is pretty uptempo and packed with lyrics, it’s a frenzy of basic guitars with a huge punk attitude. Can we say Southern Rock is the new Punk? nah I’m just kidding, just get the song and enjoy.

Silver Jews - Sometimes a pony gets depressed
Punks in the Beerlight (via Largehearted Boy)
People // Room games and Diamond Rain by Silver Jews