I am very thankful to get a great amount of music sent to me. I’m even more thankful when the stuff that’s been sent to me is really good and disntinguishes itself from the other newly-arrived items I had been listening to. I recently opened an item from my in-box and found myself hitting repeat on the tracks that the email included. That email was from North Carolina’s Runaway Dorothy (Official / Myspace) and I was listening to their full-length debut, The Arc.

Fronted by David Parnell, Runaway Dorothy showcases a classic alt-country vibe that plain and simple, scratches me where I itch (various ointments and creams have yet to work as well a this album has…too much info?). The production is sparse and the melodies are mournful. The Arc flows with an ease that is laid-back yet completely engaging.

LISTEN: “Takes Alot of Love” – Runaway Dorothy

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LISTEN: “Caulfield” – Runaway Dorothy

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LISTEN: “Hard Way Home” – Runaway Dorothy

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Tags: Runaway Dorothy

The new record from Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (Official / Myspace), Beat The Devil’s Tatoo, is out this week. It is absolutely killer. You dig filthy, guitar-slingin’ combos of bluesy, riff-heavy rock? Well, good. You’ll dig the crap out of this new album. BRMC has been doing their thing for years now and this pedal to the metal album is proof-positive that slowing doesn isnt an option for this club. The title track (listen to it below) will help you hear what I mean. While also on the album, the approproately titled, “Sweet Feeling” showcases an acoustic side to the guys with a sweet harmonica that is more folky than it is dirty delta, but all in all, BRMC delivers what they have been cranking out to a maximum effect.

Be sure to catch these guys when they swing through the Lone Star State soon:

LISTEN: “Beat The Devil’s Tattoo” – Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

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LISTEN: “Conscience Killer” – Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

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Tags: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

It’s not all that unusual for me to delve into areas of the musical landscape that aren’t nestled snuggly between the boundaries of country/folk/americana…ok, a little unusual, but not unheard of. That said, I do believe this is my first ever Hip-Hop post on this here Knob. The fact is, I have enjoyed a good bit of rap over the years; albums by The Roots, Kanye West, Jay-Z, Lil Wayne and T.I., among others, all have a place in my collection. An upcoming release that I found out about the other day while surfing the interwebs will certainly have a place along side the albums I mentioned previously.

In April we’ll see the release of Distant Relatives, the new collaborative effort from Damian Marley (of Jamrock fame) and Nasir Jones, better known to most of us as Nas. Both of these artists have a reputation for innovation and the couple of tracks I have heard show that neither sacrifices their own unique brand in the attempt to create a cohesive sound. Listen for yourself…

LISTEN: Damian Marley & Nasir Jones – “As We Enter”

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Distant Relatives – Trailer

Distant Relatives | MySpace Music Videos

Tags: Damian Marley, Hip-Hop, Nas, Nasir Jones

I really really liked Austin Collins last album, Roses Are Black. In fact, I babbled so much about it, I embarrassed myself a tad (back then I didn’t have much need for paragraphs or proper punctuation, it seems), but hey, I really connected with that record, what can I say? Thankfully, Chip reviewed the new record, Wrong Control over at Twangville and not me this time around. The new disc is also fantastic and seems to rock out a bit more than Roses, which is just fine by me.

I wanted to follow a similar path that I traveled with Drew Kennedy’s latest disc. These two Texas troubadours are buddies, so it only seems fitting that I allow Austin the same opportunity that I so graciously allowed Drew (kidding, they’re both better writers than me obviously, so they’re slummin’). Here is what Austin has to say about two of his favorite tracks from the new disc, out this week.

LISTEN: “Care” – Austin Collins (From the new album, Wrong Control)

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Austin Says: I call this song the script to my neurotic head-movie. Care is a snapshot of my steady brain battle. Constant distraction and confusion; bait and switch tactics. Sometimes I really can’t seem to land a thought that will stick. I work myself up and pace – mentally and physically. It really bothers me.

LISTEN: “Island” – Austin Collins (From the new album, Wrong Control)

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Austin says: I hate it when relationships come with strings. I also hate when someone gets his or her jollies off of creating co-dependence. It’s like the new gateway drug, the new spiritual addiction to a spiritually numb culture that is constantly looking for guidance. This song came from watching people I love fall prey to other people I love in this way. It’s like a declaration of personal freedom, I guess. John Donne said, “No man is an island” and I thought to myself, “Shut up, John Donne”

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Tags: Austin Collins, Drew Kennedy

Sorry, hate to be one of those bloggers who wont stop going on and on about the bands that will be playing at SXSW this year. I have historically ignored other blogs for the entire month of March, due to my sorrow over not going to SXSW in years past but not this year, hope you dont mind too much. In fact, I’ll let you peek behind the curtain a bit; it’s kind of nice to blog about some bands that I just simply like, versus trying to keep up with new releases and items that have some sort of time-sensitive issues to handle. Thanks for indulging me.

San Francisco’s Sonny & The Sunsets (Myspace / Official) will be playing all kinds of showcases and parties when they trek down to Austin. This track from Sonny Smith’s catalog (below) can be heard on a new compilation, In A Cloud SF, from Secret Seven, even though he does have 4 or 5 albums out (some are out of print at this time). This track has a distinctive Cali-retro vibe that would be suited for any surf-intensive Beach party.

LISTEN: Sonny & The Sunsets – “Heart of Sadness”

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Tags: Sonny & The Sunsets, SXSW