back with a bang

Let me also excuse my long absence from these pages. Here’s a bumper load of tracks to make up for it.

First up is The Lord Dog Bird, who is one of the guitarists out of Wilderness. He’s shacked up somewhere with a four-track and a wonderfully echoey acoustic to create his self-titled record which is out on Tuesday on Jagjaguwar. This track has its rough stomp smoothed over by some stirringly played chords and arpeggios, alongside a raggedly soulful vocal performance, to create a song that flies straight to your chest.

The Lord Dog Bird - The Gift Of Song In The Lion’s Den

Here’s one from Wilderness themselves, whose record Vessel States I picked up for a pound in Music and Video Exchange, and I can only say whoever left it there has ears of cloth.

Wilderness - Beautiful Alarms

The Lord Dog Bird reminded me of “Wake Up” by The Walkmen from the first album Everyone Who Pretended To Like Me Is Gone, which shares its blustery, grimy, salt-air decay, as well as its key and rhythm. It’s a very fine song, all nasty, vindictive smoothness. The album is full of unique sounds, from the drunken muffled piano to the distant holler of the guitars.

The Walkmen - Wake Up

The band are best remembered for the demented propulsion of “The Rat” of course, which I thrashed around to just last night in fact, but my favourite of their rhythmic modes is their uncertain, sashaying waltz-time. It’s such a poignant, genuine mood, full of tentative romance and wistfulness. Check it out on “The Blizzard Of ‘96″ from their first record and on the lovely “Red Moon” from their new one, You And I.

The Walkmen - The Blizzard Of ‘96

The Walkmen - Red Moon

You And I can be bought for just $5 (£2.56 when I got it t’other day), with all the proceeds going a cancer charity. It’s a 3-week deal going on at Amie Street. After that I suppose it’ll be available in all the usual ways.