Line of Best Fit

Eugene Francis Jnr: Poor Me/Kites Single

I recently purchased Eugene Francis Jnr's new single "Poor Me" and the b-side "Kites" from iTunes, and now I can't wait to get more music from this great, up-and-coming artist.   Eugene Francis Jnr's music has been described as "Folktronica" because of the way he perfectly blends the genres of folk and electronica.  While the songs have a stripped down sound, there is also a texture to them.  Based on these two songs and the few that are posted on the Myspace page, I can't wait to get my hands on his debut album.  It's looking like that album, The Golden Beatle, will be released sometime at the beginning of next year.  I'm posting the mp3 for "Kites" and the music video for "Poor Me."  Check these out, and show Eugene some love by going to iTunes and downloading these two great songs.

Myspace Page - iTunes

   

Eugene Francis Jnr - Kites

   
   

Eugene Francis Jnr - Poor Me

Kurt Cobain Film and Soundtrack Due Out This Fall

A new film/documentary entitled Kurt Cobain About A Son is set to be released this fall.  The film is being described as "an intimate and moving meditation on the late musician and artist Kurt Cobain."  AJ Schnack, the film's director and editor, has taken excerpts of over 25 hours of audio interviews that Kurt did with Michael Azerrad for the book "Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana" and combined it with video and images of three Washington state cities (Aberdeen, Olympia, and Seattle) that had an impact on Kurt's life.  The interviews, which have never been made available to the public, are of Kurt talking about his life from childhood up to having to deal with the fame of Nirvana.  The original score of the film was done by Death Cab For Cutie's Ben Gibbard and former Nirvana producer, Steve Fisk.  Also music from artists, such as The Melvins, The Vaselines,  and David Bowie to name a few, "who influenced or touched Cobain during his life" has also been used for the film's soundtrack.  Barsuk Records will be releasing the soundtrack for the film on September 11.  The film has different opening dates depending on the city (New York: October 3, Los Angeles: October 5, and Seattle: October 12).  The website for the film says that they will be adding additional cities.  I'm hoping for a somewhat wide release of the film, but I'm not holding my breath.  This looks like one that I'll have to get on dvd.  Check out the below links for additional information on the film and soundtrack. 

Kurt Cobain About A Son Official Site - Kurt Cobain About A Son Myspace Page
Barsuk Records Page About The Soundtrack

Kurt Cobain About A Son Soundtrack Track Listing
    01  Steve Fisk & Benjamin Gibbard - Overture
    02  "Never Intended" [interview excerpt]
    03  Arlo Guthrie - Motorcycle Song
    04  The Melvins - Eye Flys
    05  "Punk Rock" [interview excerpt]
    06  Bad Brains - Banned in D.C.
    07  Creedence Clearwater Revival - Up Around The Bend
    08  Half Japanese - Put Some Sugar On It
    09  The Vaselines - Son Of A Gun
    10  Butthole Surfers - Graveyard
    11  "Hardcore Was Dead" [interview excerpt]
    12  Scratch Acid - Owner's Lament
    13  Mudhoney - Touch Me I'm Sick
    14  "Car Radio" [interview excerpt]
    15  Iggy Pop - The Passenger
    16  Lead Belly - The Bourgeois Blues
    17  R.E.M. - New Orleans Instrumental No. 1
    18  "The Limelight" [interview excerpt]
    19  David Bowie - The Man Who Sold The World
    20  Mark Lanegan - Museum
    21  Benjamin Gibbard - Indian Summer

[mp3] Nirvana - Been A Son     [Buy Album]

The Soundtrack Mix: Part 3 (Back To The 90's)

Here is the third part of the soundtrack mix.  You can check out Part 1 and Part  2 if you missed them.  For this part of the mix, I've included only films from the 1990's.  The songs either appeared on the original soundtrack or was used in the film.  There are only two songs that do not appear on the original soundtrack album.  The first is Leonard Cohen's "Everybody Knows" from the film Pump Up The Volume.  For the album, they used the Concrete Blonde's cover of the song.  While their version is good, it is no where near as good as Leonard Cohen's.  The second song is Liz Phair's song "California" from Chasing Amy.  The reason that it did not appear on the original soundtrack album is that there was not one for the film.  If you care to read why that is, Kevin Smith explains why here.  The song was originally on one of Liz's Girly Sound cassettes, and it also appeared on her EP Juvenilia.  You may notice that I've included the two Pearl Jam tracks off of the Singles soundtrack.  Since it is the best soundtrack ever put out, I thought it deserved having two songs represented.

 

    Toad The Wet Sprocket - Crazy Life | Empire Records [Buy Album]
    Pearl Jam - State of Love and Trust | Singles [Buy Album]
    Radiohead - Fake Plastic Trees (Acoustic Version) | Clueless [Buy Album]
    Juliana Hatfield - Spin The Bottle | Reality Bites [Buy Album]
    R.E.M. - Fretless | Until the End of the World [Buy Album]
    Duncan Sheik - Wishful Thinking | Great Expectations [Buy Album]
    Gillian Welch - Leaving Train | The Horse Whisperer [Buy Album]
    Elliott Smith - Say Yes | Good Will Hunting [Buy Album]
    Pearl Jam - Breath | Singles [Buy Album]
    Aimee Mann - You Could Make A Killing | Cruel Intentions [Buy Album]
    Son Volt - Looking At the World... | Feeling Minnesota [Buy Album]
    Leonard Cohen - Everybody Knows | Pump Up The Volume [Buy Album]
    Liz Phair - California | Chasing Amy [Lyrics are NSFW]            

Greg Laswell: Through Toledo

The first song of Greg Laswell's that I heard was a cover that he did of Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Want To Have Fun."  His take on the upbeat pop song went in the opposite direction.  He turned it into a piano ballad, and his flawless voice exudes a sense of heartbreak.  After hearing this cover, I went searching for more of Greg's music.  I found the song "Sing, Theresa Says" from his debut album, Through Toledo, and I really liked it.  Normally, I would have purchased the album, but for some unknown reason I didn't and just kind of forgot about it.  Well last week, I got the cd and have been kicking myself for not getting it sooner.

Through Toledo came about because of the break up of Greg's marriage.  After his marriage ended, Greg decided to use the recording studio as his way to cope.  Before he knew it, he had recorded four to five songs, and this was the start of Through Toledo.  The result is a great album that you will want to add to your collection.  In addition to the songs posted, be sure to check out the video for "Sing, Theresa Says."

Official Site - Myspace Page - iTunes - Lyrics
Listen to More of Greg Laswell @ The Hype Machine

   
Greg Laswell - Sing, Theresa Says

Greg Laswell - Amazed

 

Bonus Track:
Greg Laswell - Girls Just Want To Have Fun (Cyndi Lauper cover)

 

Greg Laswell - Sing, Theresa Says

Lou Barlow: Mirror The Eye

I somehow missed the release of Lou Barlow's EP, Mirror The Eye, back in January, but I ran across it a couple of weeks ago and immediately bought it.  Being a fan of Lou's 2005 solo album, Emoh, I couldn't wait to give it a listen.  While I was somewhat expecting Mirror The Eye to be b-sides from Emoh, that's not the case.  The EP's five tracks were all recorded after Emoh, and they are all terrific.  I guess it was better to find this later than never.

While bumping around Lou's website, I found a live version of the song "Legendary".  The song appeared on Emoh, and has to be one of the saddest songs you'll ever hear.   Be sure to give it a listen, and go to Lou's website to find more live and rare recordings.

Official Site - iTunes - Lyrics
Download Mirror The Eye Directly From Lou Barlow's Site

   
Lou Barlow - Yawning Blue Messiah

Lou Barlow - My Surrender

 

Bonus Track:

   

Lou Barlow - Legendary (live)

Rocky Votolato: The Brag and Cuss

The biggest difference between Rocky Votolato's recent release, The Brag and Cuss, and previous release, Makers, is the addition of a backing band.  The backing band has given The Brag and Cuss a fuller sound.  Other than that, Rocky has stayed true to the sound and lyrical styling of Makers.  He wrote most of the songs for The Brag and Cuss while on the road touring.  The long strain of being on the road and away from family is the underlying theme of most of the songs on the album.  My personal favorite is the song "Postcard From Kentucky."  If you were a fan of Makers, you'll like the follow-up.

Official Site - Myspace Page - iTunes - Lyrics
Listen to More Rocky Votolato @ The Hype Machine

 
Rocky Votolato - Postcard From Kentucky

Rocky Votolato - Whiskey Straight

Ryan Adams, Easy Tiger, Etc.

Ryan Adams' newest album, Easy Tiger, feels like a mix tape to me.  That's not a negative thing.  Most albums have a distinct sound or feel to them.  Artists will leave good songs off of albums if they feel the songs don't fit into the overall mood of the album.  This is not the case with Easy Tiger.  There are a hodgepodge of genres represented: rock ("Halloweenhead"), country ("Tears of Gold"), and bluegrass ("Pearls On A String").   While this difference in styles could make most albums sound disjointed, it works in this case.  It not only shows the range of Ryan's talent, but it makes for a great album to listen to.

My favorite songs of Ryan's have always been his acoustic songs, and Easy Tiger does not disappoint here.  Songs like "Oh My God, Whatever, Etc." and "These Girls" demonstrate Ryan's ability to create great songs with just an acoustic guitar and emotional striking lyrics.  The highlight of the album for me is the final track, "I Taught Myself How To Grow Old."  It's just a beautiful song, and the perfect end to the album. 

Official Site - Myspace Page - iTunes - Lyrics
Listen to More Ryan Adams @ The Hype Machine

 
Ryan Adams - Oh My God, Whatever, Etc. 

Ryan Adams - I Taught Myself How To Grow Old (live)

Ryan Adams - Two (Live on the Late Show With David Letterman)

Click to Watch: I Taught Myself How To Grow Old (Late Show With David Letterman Webcast)

The Soundtrack Mix: Part 2

This is the second part of my mix of soundtrack songs.  In case you missed it, you can go here to see Part 1.  The only criteria is that the song had to appear in a movie or on a movie's soundtrack between 2000 and 2007.  Just as a heads up, there are two songs on this part that appear in the film, but are not included on the soundtrack release.  They are Spoon's song "I Turn My Camera On" and The Shins' "Those To Come."  Also note that there are two volumes of the Elizabethtown soundtrack.  You'll want to take a look at both of those.  Enjoy the tunes, and be sure to check back soon for the third part of the mix.

    Death Cab For Cutie - A Movie Script Ending (acoustic) | Wicker Park [Buy Album]
    Spoon - I Turn My Camera On | Stranger Than Fiction [Buy Album]
    Dawn Landes - The Kissing Song | Winter Passing [Buy Album]
    Ryan Adams - Words | Elizabethtown [Buy Album]
    Sufjan Stevens - Chicago | Little Miss Sunshine [Buy Album]
    Matt Nathanson - Laid | American Wedding [Buy Album]
    The Shins - Those To Come | In Good Company [Buy Album]
    Rogue Wave - Every Moment (live) | Napoleon Dynamite [Buy Album]
    The Black Keys - When The Lights Go Down | Black Snake Moan [Buy Album]
    Patty Griffin - Long Ride Home | Elizabethtown [Buy Album]
    Iron & Wine - Such Great Heights | Garden State [Buy Album]