Josh Ritter

American folk singer/songwriter Josh Ritter built a steady following on the strength of his first two albums, but his artistic growth did not reach copious fruition until the release of Hello Starling in 2003. Second track "Kathleen" has become such a prominent icon that Ritter's handwritten lyrics were recently auctioned on eBay for charity.

"All the other girls here are stars, you are the Northern Lights" brilliantly introduces the track, though it is true the album is also suffused with sharp subjective thought as well. The solemn lamentations of "Man Burning" illustrate that quite well: "I regret the things I've done, bitter words and fiery tongues."

In 2005, Hello Starling was re-released with an extra disc that contained a four song live set including "Kathleen", "Golden Age of Radio", "You Don't Make It Easy Babe", and "Snow Is Gone." It's highly recommended, as Mr. Ritter is legendary for his colorful live performances.

When The Animal Years appeared swiftly on the heels of that re-release, pre-release samples from the album were snapped up faster than doughnuts at a weight loss convention. Mr. Ritter suddenly featured in multitudes of music periodicals, including a grand write up in Paste - and there was bounteous reason for this fervor.

"Girl in the War" fronted a delicate, yet brutally honest anti-war stance, "Wolves" featured a rolling piano intro and called to mind a successor to Neil Young's throne might be at hand, while the lyric "Best for the Best" suggested a burgeoning songwriter who has the chops to rival Dylan.

As if the world needed any more proof of Ritter's inimitable talent, fourth record The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter arrived in stores in August of 2007. The minute the jangly, excited guitar strum of "To the Dogs or Whoever" strikes the eardrum, it promises something ambitiously extravagant. It is distinctly Ritter, name dropping historical figures and following it up with profoundly mystic lines like "The stain of the sepia the butcher Crimea."

"Right Moves" could have been a hit single were the masses not hopelessly superficial, "Empty Hearts" contains one of the most accessible singalong choruses of the year, while "The Temptation of Adam" serves to exemplify Ritter's songwriting prowess.

The track is a distillation of a romance between a soldier and a woman named Marie hunkered down in a missile silo, described as a "top secret location three hundred feet under the ground." The lyric is hauntingly beautiful as it treads the course of the courtship amidst the foreboding intonations of "W.W.I.I.I.", the soldier's answer to Marie's question of "what five letters spell apocalypse?"

Occasionally, in order to fully understand an artist, it is helpful to read a bit about their background and lifestyle. Writer Josh Jackson, in the aforementioned Paste article, assists with this sufficiently with the following excerpt:

"With his curly mop, scraggly beard, sweater and secondhand corduroy jacket, Ritter looks more like a college professor than either of his parents, who both teach neuroscience at Washington State University, just across the state line.

Though he left Idaho after high school, he’s at home in the woods of the Northwest, where he first began writing songs. He points out the different types of trees—enormous cedars, cottonwoods, ponderosas, willows and Douglas firs.

Further up the mountain from Ritter’s childhood home, his best friend Rocky Weitz’s family owns hundreds of acres.

'I could disappear into those woods for hours,' Ritter says. 'Just take a book and spend the day by myself.'"

"Song for the Fireflies" from Golden Age of Radio (2001)

"Kathleen" from Hello Starling (2003)

"Wolves" from The Animal Years (2006)

"The Temptation of Adam" from The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter (2007)

BONUS TRACK

"Peter Killed the Dragon" from Live at the Record Exchange EP (2007)

Pinetop Seven

Perhaps the closest Pinetop Seven has come to mainstream attention came in 2005 when "Witness", a cut from their album The Night's Bloom, appeared on a Paste Magazine sampler disc. A year later, National Public Radio featured a track from rarities compilation Beneath Confederate Lake on the "Song of the Day" segment, a track for which this weblog is named after.

Though popular success has eluded Pinetop Seven, the band has been immensely active in the Chicago music scene since at least the mid-nineties. Mid-Western Americana is perhaps the most apt genre description of the band's work, as their rustic sound is reminicent of a film score to a dark, moody Western.

Their eponymous debut displayed a firm grasp of the Western genre, replete with a cover depicting a bristling battle between two gunslingers. "Tennessee Pride", with its ominously foreboding amble, is the final and best track on the record. The track could be seamlessly placed in an episode of Deadwood...in fact, I'm surprised none of the band's work wasn't enlisted for use in the HBO program.

Sophomore record Rigging the Toplights is unquestionably Pinetop Seven's finest work to date. First of all, the album features "Drying Out", a song that could possibly induce tears from the dismal tone alone - add to that aching lyrics such as "The winter here has not been kind", and you have a simply sublime piece of work.

Their latest LP, The Night's Bloom, displays dramatic creative growth - particularly in tracks like "Born Among the Born Again". A supporting banjo has never been utilized so masterfully, I would argue, as in this album. "Witness" is another standout, once again featuring haunting lyrics that remain with you long after the track is over.

In addition to the offerings here, the band has a detailed website which features numerous downloads of some of their best songs.

"Tennessee Pride" from Pinetop Seven (1997)

"Drying Out" from Rigging the Toplights (1998)

"On The Last Ride In" from Bringing Home The Last Great Strike (2000)

"Born Among The Born Again" from The Night's Bloom (2005)

"Hurry Home Dark Cloud" (Alternate Mix) from Beneath Confederate Lake (2006)

The National

It has been reported that this summer The National and Modest Mouse will support R.E.M. on tour to promote their latest album Accelerate, which hits stores April 1.

Modest Mouse is a palette thing, you simply either have a taste for it or you do not. Outside of their hopelessly accessible Good News for People Who Love Bad News, Modest Mouse possesses the unique ability to craft obtuse, nearly inscrutable songs that, nevertheless, appeal to the masses.

The National, on the other hand, should provide a perfect foil to the alt-rock-lately-leaning-towards-adult-contemporary R.E.M.

With frontman Matt Berninger's rich baritone drenching already melancholy songs in an even deeper shroud of obsidian fog, it will contrast nicely with Stipe's trademark robotic murmur covering more diverse topics such as deceased comedians and passenger trains.

The National's eponymous debut showed promise, but it was evident the band had not found its footing yet. With sophomore outing Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers, however, the band found solid ground with a teary-eyed outlook on relationships and life itself.

But mostly relationships.

This leering love life outlook was expounded upon in spades with the subsequent release Alligator. The record would finally earn the band critical accolades and a major tour. Just when it appeared as if the band had reached its artistic peak, along came Boxer in 2007.

"Fake Empire" alone is worth the purchase price of The National's fourth LP. A cautiously quiet piano begins the song and, in its brief three minute span, expands into something progressively tense.

Piercing single "Mistaken for Strangers", which finds the band punishing their guitars more than ever, contains one of the catchiest choruses of last year.

The album garnered high praise, including a Best Album nod from Paste Magazine. Demos from the recording sessions are floating around the 'net, countless live bootlegs abound, and many tracks culled from the record have found their way into television spots - namely the NBC program Life.

Try out a track from each album below, buy a record or two, then head over to their myspace for the latest tour dates. You will not regret it.

"Cold Girl Fever" from The National (2001)

"Cardinal Song" from Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers (2003)

"Daughters of the Soho Riots" from Alligator (2005)

"Apartment Story" from Boxer (2007)