Year 2011 Round-up Part 1: Small Houses, Hezekiah Jones, Chris Bathgate, Stranded Horse

I think it will go close to Christmas (or even after) until I have the albums and songs of the year lists ready, but I thought I post a couple of quick round-up posts before that. Maybe I should ask Suburban Home is that Micah Schnabel album coming out before the end of the year, before choosing the album of the year. At the moment it seems to be a contest between The Deep Dark Woods and Glossary with Dawes lurking on the 3rd spot and Mummypowder leading the local contest. But last minute changes are always possible.

I’ve become more and more addicted to folk singer-songwriters during the year and Jeremy Quentin (Small Houses), Raphael Cutrufello (Hezekiah Jones), Chris Bathgate and Yann Tambour (Stranded Horse) are new musical heroes of mine. I think I’ve found the first three from the wonderful Canadian blog Slowcoustic and if you like these videos below you should bookmark it (or just make it your home page).

Without further ado, I’ll bring you these great folk songs. Also known as the most beautiful songs of the year 2011 here at the onechord.net headquarters. I’ve listened these so many times that you need master’s degree in mathematics to be able to count that far. The albums are also fantastic. Well at least the first three. I don’t actually have the Stranded Horse album yet, which is criminal because I love that song. I have to do something with that if the rest of it is even half as good.

Small Houses: Late July (from the album North)

Small Houses – “Late July” from Spencer Wells on Vimeo.

Hezekiah Jones: Lift The Shadow From This Heart (from the album Have You Seen Our Fort?)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjHZuOZyelA]

Chris Bathgate: Poor Eliza (from the album Salt Year)

Chris Bathgate : Bridgehouse Session Pt. 2 from Mostly Midwest on Vimeo.

Stranded Horse: And The Shoreline It Withdrew In Anger (from the album Humbling Tides)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DN578CMWAq4]

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Video of the Day #39: Stranded Horse

Something little different this time around. I can’t say I have listened to a lot of music played with kora. Well to be honest, I didn’t even know what that instrument was beforehand. However, it certainly sounds like you can make some pretty magical things with it, if you know what you are doing. French Yann Tambour aka Stranded Horse seem to know what he is doing and this song called And the Shoreline It Withdrew In Anger is absolutely wonderful. New Stranded Horse album Humbling Tides was released in january and if the other stuff on it is equally brilliant, it has to be amazing piece of music.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmLR4ua6t_0]

Stranded Horse at Facebook
Stranded Horse Website

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