Aural Fixations

DAVE ALVIN
Ashgrove
(Yep Roc)
For years, I've suspected that songwriter/guitarist Dave Alvin had a blues record in him. Of course, the blues is only one element in Alvin's roots rock cocktail, which also includes generous shots of folk, country, rockabilly and old fashioned bar-band rock & roll. (more)

STAN RIDGWAY
Snakebite: Blacktop Ballads & Fugitive Songs
(redFLY)
Stan Ridgway is the Thomas Hart Benton of American popular music. His portraits and playscapes might convey people, places and activities that look normal at first glance, but a closer look betrays the cynical heart and satirical eye that fashioned the work. (more)

VELVET CRUSH
Stereo Blues
(Action Musik)
For guitar pop fans, the arrival of a new Velvet Crush record is always an event. Few contemporary bands are so adept at tuneful, tasty power pop as the long-running Crush, and as its activity is often curtailed by financial considerations and the members' commitments to other projects, any fresh Crush action is exciting. (more)

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Por Vida
(Or)
I know these songs.

I know these songs like I know my breath. Catch me in a quiet environment, and I'm probably whispering lyrics from "The End" ("If rags were riches this would be a throne") or "She Doesn't Live Here Anymore" ("We used to talk about these days/We used to say they'd never happen"). Alejandro Escovedo writes songs about hardships we can barely fathom, even if we experience them ourselves. (more)