Worthy Pursuits & Playlists: Scissors for Lefty, Manchester Orchestra, Damien Jurado

New music you should look (and listen) for:

Scissors for Lefty - San Francisco, CA - Indie Electronica - New Release: Underhanded Romance

Electronica... of the indie rock variety. This band met up in San Luis Obispo and then headed for San Francisco, where they've been building up their street cred. I just heard the EP, which apparently is a teaser of the full length release (?), and it's pretty cool. When I went to Philly recently I heard the folks at World Cafe Live ( http://www.worldcafelive.com/) talking about them, too, so word is traveling fast. My favorite is "Mama Yer Boys Will Find A Home" and "Ghetto Ways." Hear both at www.myspace.com/scissorsforlefty

Good Chance You'll Like This Artist If You Like: Franz Ferdinand, Arctic Monkeys, going dancing in Buckhead but wish the club was more like The Earl.

Manchester Orchestra - Atlanta, GA - Experimental Pop Rock - New Release: I'm Like a Virgin Losing a Child

It's finally here!! A full length from Manchester Orchestra! Don't let the name fool you... these are young guys (ages 19 to 23) from the Atlanta suburbs and they play experimental pop rock that is gritty and gut-wrenching and sometimes emo. I had the pleasure of seeing their first real show last summer at Smith's Olde Bar. Since then they've performed at SXSW and Lollapalooza, and caught the attention of Jay Harren, formerly of 99X (now Columbia Records talent scout), who calls them his favorite band. I feel the same way. The lyrics are amazing when you consider they were written by 19 year old frontman Andy Hull. I highly recommend buying "Wolves at Night" as a single, if you can't splurg on the whole album (but you should). More info at www.myspace.com/manchesterorchestra, where you can get free video podcasts tracking the making of the album.

Good Chance You'll Like This Artist If You Like: Pedro the Lion, Smashing Pumpkins, softer songs with solid lyrics between lots of loud rock

Damien Jurado - Seattle, WA - Urban Folk - New Release: And Now That I'm In Your Shadow

Damien Jurado is a pretty important player in the Seattle music scene. He started his career by playing with Seattle punk bands back in the late 80s, including Coolidge, with David Bazan of Pedro the Lion. Jurado was signed to Sub Pop Records and put out a series of solo albums, but later split ways with the label and spent more time with his family and on his day job as a preschool teacher (I met him recently and he has a pirate flag tattooed on his arm, which is cool for a preschool teacher). He's since signed to a new label and just released a striking record with his band named Damien Jurado (how confusing). The record is full of haunting songs like "Denton, TX" and "What Were The Chances" (despite an intro that sounds like it belongs in a 1986 Genesis song). That's a great song. You can actually download that one for free (yay free music) from MySpace at www.myspace.com/damienjurado.

Good Chance You'll Like This Artist If You Like: Neil Young, Nick Drake, Elliott Smith

And a playlist...

There's a great blog called Tiny Mix Tapes (http://www.tinymixtapes.com/) where you can submit a feeling or situation and they'll generate a playlist for you. Pretty cool, right?

Hear is a good new one they just posted... appropriate since it's a big wedding/football/fall festival weekend...

"I'm hungover. Soft songs that won't hurt my head."

01. Velvet Underground - "Sunday Morning" (The Velvet Underground and Nico)
02. Andrew Bird & Nora O'Connor - "Oh, Sister" (Dylan Covered)
03. Beck - "Everybody's Gotta Learn Sometimes" - (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind soundtrack)
04. Elliott Smith - "Pitseleh" (XO)
05. Nick Drake - "Man in the Shed" (Five Leaves Left)
06. Old Crow Medicine Show - "We're All In This Together" (O.C.M.S.)
07. Regina Spektor - "Braille" (11:11)
08. Ryan Adams - "Damn, Sam (I Love A Woman That Rains)" (Heartbreaker)
09. M. Ward - "The Undertaker" (Transfiguration of Vincent)
10. Bob Dylan - "Shelter From the Storm" (Blood on the Tracks)
11. Nouvelle Vague - "Friday Night and Saturday Morning" (Bande A Part)
12. Iron and Wine - "Sunset Soon Forgotten" (Our Endless Numbered Days)
13. Rolling Stones - "Factory Girl" (Beggars Banquet)
14. N.Lannon - "Spy" (Chemical Friends)
15. Kings of Convenience - "Homesick" (Riot On An Empty Street)
16. Otis Redding - "Cigarettes and Coffee" (The Soul Album)
17. Caetano Veloso - "London, London" (Caetano Veloso, 1971)

(Repost of my weekly email; reposted again to carenexplainsitall.blogspot.com)