ray lamontagne - jolene (live)

ray lamontagne is a singer/songwriter and his music can best be described as ryan adams meets otis redding. on december 6th he released a live ep entitled "live from bonnaroo 2005" via rca. if you like this track then i suggest checking out his debut full length "trouble" (rca, 2004). honestly, this is one of the best songs i've ever heard in my entire life.

mp3 | ray lamontagne - jolene (live)

my top 50 albums of 2005

1.
black rebel motorcycle club - "howl"
mp3 | still suspicion holds you tight

2.
jesu - "self titled"
mp3 | we all faulter

3.
black mountain - "self titled"
mp3 | druganaut

4.
serena maneesh - "self titled"
mp3 | chorale lick

5.
sufjan stevens - "illinois"
mp3 | john wayne gacy, jr.

6.
my morning jacket - "z"
mp3 | wordless chorus

7.
super furry animals - "love kraft"
mp3 | ohio heat

8.
m83 - "before the dawn heals us"
mp3 | don't save us from the flames

9.
ryan adams and the cardinals - "cold roses"/"jacksonville city nights"/"29"
mp3 | sweet illusions

10.
broken social scene - "self titled"
mp3 | fire eye'd boy

11. clap your hands say yeah - "self titled"
12. sigur ros - "takk..."
13. kathleen edwards - "back to me"
14. early day miners - "all harm ends here"
15. dead meadow - "feathers"
16. pelican - "the fire in our throats will beckon the thaw"
17. pretty vicious - "hollywood forever"
18. akron/family - "self titled"
19. queens of the stone age - "lullabies to paralyze"
20. common - "be"
21. laura cantrell - "humming by the flowered vine"
22. lcd soundsystem - "self titled"
23. david dondero - "south of the south"
24. doves - "some cities"
25. lucero - "nobody's darlings"
26. the national - "alligator"
27. kanye west - "late registration"
28. oasis - "don't believe the truth"
29. bright eyes - "i'm wide awake it's morning"
30. the hold steady - "seperation sunday"
31. hood - "outside closer"
32. teenage fanclub - "man-made"
33. differnet - "the title of the record is the text printed on the cover or nothing at all"
34. oneida - "the wedding"
35. little brother - "the minstrel show"
36. broadcast - "tender buttons"
37. animal collective - "feels"
38. six organs of admittance - "school of the flower"
39. sennen - "widows"
40. edan - "beauty and the beat"
41. son volt - "okemah and the melody of riot"
42. the new pornographers - "twin cinema"
43. wolf parade - "apologies to the queen mary"
44. stephen malkmus - "face the truth"
45. blood on the wall - "awesomer"
46. the clientele - "strange geometry"
47. lightning bolt - "hypermagic mountain"
48. m. ward - "transistor radio"
49. pernice brothers - "discover a lovelier you"
50. silver screen - "the greatest story never told"

the vera violets - all of you

so i just got the latest album by the vera violets (previously known as drone dimension) "sunshine dust" in the mail yesterday and it rules. the band is a 3 piece based out of florida that should appeal to fans of all things psychedelic. the album comes out sometime this month on daydream delay but you can buy it now at tonevendor for a measly $7. it has 19 songs on it and runs about 75 minutes so you'll get your money's worth for sure. if you like dream pop, psych rock, brit pop or shoegazer music then you should definitely check these guys out. recommended if you like: my bloody valentine, the cure, brian jonestown massacre.

click here to download: the vera violets - all of you

black rebel motorcycle club - mercy

on black rebel motorcycle club's latest album "howl" (rca records) the band decided to go in a slightly different direction. they lost most of their jamc influence (they still remind me of "stoned and dethroned") and went for a blues/gospel/folk sound that really works well for them. they also kicked their drummer out during the recording of the album and later invited him back after it was completed. regardless of the drama that circulated around the making of the record they still managed to create my favorite album of 2005. the track i'm posting is an outtake from the "howl" sessions that will later be released as a b-side on their next single. recommended if you like: love and rockets, spiritualized, the jesus and mary chain.

click here to download: black rebel motorcycle club - mercy

grateful dead - dupree's diamond blues (live)

i guess all my "indie cred" is gonna go out the window after this post but i really couldn't care less. i like the grateful dead and i'm not afraid to admit it. on november 1st their legendary "filmore west 1969" recordings were released as a 3 cd set via rhino records. it documents the dead when their live show was at it's best, turning almost every song into a 10+ minute jam. in related news if you haven't already heard..last week grateful dead merchandising made the live music archive remove over 3,000 of the dead's shows from their site so they can later be sold on sites like itunes. however i just got finished reading this article and due to fan petitions this decision has been overturned. way to go dead heads! recommended if you like: jethro tull, cream, stevie ray vaughan.

click here to download: grateful dead - dupree's diamond blues (live)

black christmas 2005 mix

1. jens lekman - run away with me [mp3]
2. brian wilson - on christmas day [mp3]
3. bright eyes - have yourself a merry little christmas [mp3]
4. johnny cash - blue christmas [mp3]
5. my morning jacket - xmas time is here again [mp3]
6. loretta lynn - country christmas [mp3]
7. winter blanket - i'll be home for christmas [mp3]
8. marah - holly jolly christmas [mp3]
9. willie nelson - deck the halls [mp3]
10. vince guaraldi trio - christmas time is here (vocal) [mp3]
11. low - just like christmas [mp3]
12. john lennon - happy xmas (war is over) [mp3]