Album Stream: Bryan John Appleby ‘Fire on the Vine’
What is it about the Pacific Northwest? From an outsider’s view, the region appears rife with talented mountain men with a knack for harmonies. The latest such bearded byproduct is Seattle’s Bryan John Appleby.
Appleby’s debut full-length release Fire on the Vine is an elegant collage of heart-felt folk that hits on all cylinders. His rich, pictorial songwriting creates a landscape of sound that has a breadth of emotion stretching beyond your typical folk singer. I use the word collage for a reason. Appleby’s songs play like snapshots without a coherent story tying it all together.
Listening to Appleby is not unlike viewing a painting. There may be a concrete image from which to begin your opinion, but the interpretation is left in the eyes of the beholder. This is not Dylan’s folk, with well-rounded stories unfolding like novels in five minutes or less. Appleby’s writing is more abstract. He had this to say in a recent interview with Common Folk Music:
“I’m excited about writing a song that messes me up and hopefully messes up some other folks. Make of that what you will. Everyone knows the feeling, when you hear a lyric or a melody or a chord that feels like it’s bending you. You feel it pushing you. I love that.”
Stream the entirety of Fire on the Vine below. It is currently featured as bandcamp’s album of the week. As such, it is available for a reduced price of $5 via Appleby’s page until November 14th. Act fast, because the price will jump back to $10 thereafter. Enjoy!
Written by Rob Peoni
Video: First Aid Kit “Emmylou”
Swedish sisters First Aid Kit stopped by KCRW recently. Johanna and Klara Soderberg gained notoriety after their cover of Fleet Foxes’ “Tiger Mountain Peasant Song” reached millions on Youtube in 2008. Later that year, they released an EP entitled Drunken Trees.
First Aid Kit released The Big Black & The Blue their first full-length album in 2010. Just now heading into their twenties, it will be interesting to see how this project will change as the sisters mature. Below watch as they perform “Emmylou” live from the KCRW studios. The track will be featured on their forthcoming release The Lion’s Roar.
Written by Rob Peoni
Video: Tom Waits “Satisfied”
Tom Waits dropped a new video for the song “Satisfied” from his latest album Bad As Me today. The video was directed by Jesse Dylan. Read our review of Bad As Me.
Thought on Tracks 