I’m afraid no matter how hard I try, I simply can’t do this post justice. It has nothing to do with the quality of the song, in fact, it could be any song.

The problem lies in the backlog of music I need (and want) to clear out. I have enough material for at least two Artist Spotlights and two Regional Mixes. And as much as I want to share my latest obsessions as soon as possible, I’m still working on a good way to organize it all.

This wealth of material stems from my seemingly insatiable appetite for country/folk/bluegrass music. It all began with the Magnolia Electric Co box set Sojourner, which largely inspired my “Midwest Melancholy” Regional Mix. Then I discovered Deer Tick, The Acorn, Gillian Welch, and The Everybodyfields in quick succession. All of these artists have been covered (to varying degree) in previous articles; several more have popped up since then and deserve equal attention.

Needless to say, until I clear all this out, I’m going to feel slightly distracted and unfocused. As a result, the next few posts will likely be short on text (and justice), as evidenced below.

This week’s download features a song called “Late Blues” by Ida. I immediately fell in love with its somber, late night feel. Beautifully understated and achingly delicate, “Late Blues” is a near-perfect combination of electric guitar, bass, and drums. Check out Heart Like a River if you like what you hear.

[mp3] Ida :: Late Blues

Cat Power’s Chan Marshall is like fine wine. Not so much that she gets better with age (which is certainly true – each consecutive Cat Power album has garnered her more and more critical praise). Instead, I argue that the older her material gets, the better it sounds.

I think working backwards through her catalog has lead me to this conclusion. The dark, moody music of Moon Pix, Myra Lee, What Would the Community Think, and Dear Sir is truly mesmerizing.

Interesting story: A few weeks ago, California got hammered by a monster storm. It brought 11 feet of snow to parts of the Sierra and packed winds in excess of 75 mph. One thing I really miss about the Midwest is lightning and thunder, which Pacific storms don’t frequently produce. The last time I’ve heard thunder in California was back in 2001.

As I sat that morning in my apartment marveling at the storm, I listened to Moon Pix, a great rainy day album. The song “Say” (posted below) even features a recording of rain and thunder.

What happened next was hard to believe. As I sat listening to “Say” the heavens above slowly split open with a bellowing crack of thunder. It had nearly the same tone and length as the recording in the song. At first I thought it was the song, but I soon realized it was out of place. Needless to say, it was a great way to start the day.

So in honor of that amazing coincidence, and her forthcoming album Jukebox (January 22 – tomorrow!), I’ve decided to feature Cat Power in this month’s Artist Spotlight. The six tracks posted below sample Myra Lee and Moon Pix and are all somber, bluesy, electric gems. Enjoy with a glass of wine?

[mp3] Cat Power :: Top Expert
[mp3] Cat Power :: Ice Water
[mp3] Cat Power :: Still In Love
[mp3] Cat Power :: Rockets
[mp3] Cat Power :: Say
[mp3] Cat Power :: Metal Heart

Disclaimer: I am in no way advocating the frequent consumption of large amounts of alcohol.

That being said, alcohol does seem to inspire a lot of great (though often depressing) music. Who knows how many albums and songs were recorded during late night drinking binges. And the catalogue of songs mentioning booze may very well be endless.

Enter a song called “Moonshiner.” While its true origins may be unknown, the song is, more or less, an ode to alcoholism. Prior to discovering Cat Power late last year, I had only heard Bob Dylan’s version on Live At the Gaslight 1962. Then a few weeks ago I found a track called “Moonshiner” on the Cat Power album Moon Pix. Sure enough, it was the same song, albeit a very different take.

The Dylan version is acoustic and intimate, while the Cat Power is more electric and somewhat distant. I think I prefer Dylan’s take, but that could be because I heard it first. It’ll be interesting to see what other people think, so leave comments!

[mp3] Bob Dylan :: Moonshiner
[mp3] Cat Power :: Moonshiner