DE NOVO DAHL

Every now and again, my semi-relentless scouring of cyberspace nets me more than just one or two jump-out tunes - it introduces me to a band that I'd never heard of before that ultimately becomes a long-running favorite. Now, at this point, it's far too early to say that this will prove the case with the Nashville-based band De Novo Dahl - a six-person collective that's been around since 2001 but only recently cracked my consciousness.

At the very least, I like what I've been able to hear so far. The song "All Over Town," from their first full-length effort, has a Roxy Music/glam element to it that I find beguiling, while the slightly older "Waiting for My Friends" plays out as somewhat more straightforward pop (Fountains of Wayne by way of Supergrass, perhaps). "Memphis," by contrast, is a strummy, slightly countrified ode to the late, great Jeff Buckley. Not a bad muse to choose.

So, by the looks of it, this may be one of those bands that proves promising enough for me to pony up some plastic for.

[MP3] [left-click] "All Over Town" [from the LP Cats & Kittens, 2005]

[MP3] [left-click] "Waiting for My Friends" [from their self-titled EP, 2003]

[MP3] [left-click] "Memphis" [from their self-titled EP, 2003]

SINGLE-ARTIST THURSDAY

DAVID GRAY

David Gray (he of "Babylon" semi-fame some half-decade ago) releases his new album, Life in Slow Motion, on September 13th. To my ears, it sounds right in line with the rest of what he's done. Still, middle-of-the-road/ adult-contemporary as it may be, it remains quite likeable. And, seeing as I'm now just some half-decade from the big 4-0, I'd better start developing more of a jones for this sort of stuff.

My two favorite songs from the new record are the opener, "Alibi," with it's slow, dramatic intro and '70s-era Hollies climax, and "Nos de Caraid," which features a more insistent piano-line (reminiscent of Don Henley's "New York Minute") and high harmony vocals on the chorus. Neither song quite attains transcendence, but both would no doubt fit just fine on a mix CD sandwiched between tracks by, say, Dido and Annie Lennox. And there are certainly worse things in this world than that.

[MP3] [left-click] "Alibi" [from the LP Life in Slow Motion, 2005]

[MP3] [left-click] "Nos de Caraid" [from the LP Life in Slow Motion, 2005]

[MP3] [left-click] "Caroline" [from the LP A New Day at Midnight, 2002]

[MP3] [left-click] "This Year's Love" [from the LP White Ladder, 2000]

[MP3] [left-click] "Please Forgive Me" [from the LP White Ladder, 2000]

NOT JUST ABBA & SAABS

SWEDISH SMORGASBORD

Today's post was inspired by an otherwise unrelated message I received from P the Swede, a fellow mixer/archiver at The Art of the Mix. That served to remind me yet again of the many Swedish artists and songs I've been enjoying since becoming addicted to other peoples' MP3 blogs over this past 6-8 months or so. I really don't know why it is that the Swedish people seem to be genetically superior to the rest of the world when it comes to producing songs just dripping with hooks and melody. But they do. And they are. And I am thankful.

[The Divine Comedy, by the way, is not a Swedish band - but the song "Sweden" offers a deliciously over-the-top, tongue-in-cheek rundown of all the things that make that nation great. A must-hear. And other, non-Swedish-related Divine Comedy tracks are still available here.]

[Also "by the way": Swedesplease is still the place to go for all things musically Swede. You will also find many additional links there, so go explore.]

[MP3] [left-click] Shout Out Louds/"Very Loud" [from the LP Howl Howl Gaff Gaff, 2005]

[MP3] [left-click] Sambassadeur/"New Moon" [from their self-titled LP]

[MP3] [left-click] The Legends/"There and Back Again" [from the LP Up Against the Legends, 2004]

[MP3] [left-click] The Charade/"Monday Morning" [from the LP The Best is Yet to Come, 2005]

[MP3] [left-click] David Fridlund/"April & May" [from the LP Amaterasu, 2005]

[MP3] [left-click] The Divine Comedy/"Sweden" [from the LP Fin de Siecle, 1998]

LIFE ON MARS?

THE DANDY WARHOLS

The Dandy Warhols' new album, Odditorium or Warlords of Mars, is due out in the U.S. on September 13th. I've only heard one song from it thus far, and I can't say I was especially impressed by it on first listen. Still, I stuck it on a mix CD and subsequently came to like it while cranking it through the car speakers. So, here it is... with a few older siblings in tow...

[MP3] [left-click] "Everyone is Totally Insane" [from the LP Odditorium or Warlords of Mars, 2005]

[MP3] [left-click] "You Were the Last High" [from the LP Welcome to the Monkey House, 2003]

[MP3] [left-click] "Get Off" [from the LP Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia, 2000]

[MP3] [left-click] "Bohemian Like You" [from the LP Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia, 2000]

[MP3] [left-click] "Ohio" [Crosby, Stills, Nash cover]