Softly and Tenderly

this is a great hymn from the movie junebug

Kate Walsh

apparently there is another kate walsh who is an actress on some tv show that came up when i searched for her on the internet.  this is not her.  this is a folk singer from the uk.  a little on the commercial side sometimes, tim's house is a soft, sweet folk album.  here's "your song," the first track from the album.  the way she sings it kind of makes you wish it was your song.

Andrew Bird Live

i recently saw andrew bird play at millennium park, and this being the second time i've seen him, i think i can say there is nothing that really comes close to his live performance--at least not within his genre.  it's amazing what he can accomplish with the unlikely combination of violin and various pedals--most notably the loop pedal--and you really can't appreciate this in his recordings.  he also has a great personality that he incorporates into the set for songs like "nervous tic motion" and  "why?" where he is very conversational and eccentric in his gestures.  on top of that, he plays through some very interesting-looking amps that have these giant horns on them like from an old phonograph (pictured).  apparently xrt was broadcasting the show live on the internet, but i haven't been able to find any good recordings yet.  for the time being, here's video i found on youtube from another concert:

Norwegian Pop

apparently they don't like to be mistaken for each other, but i figured since their countries are right next to each other i didn't want to leave norway out after that post on swedish pop.  here are a few artists i like:

Sondre Lerche - Two Way Monologue

Kings of Convenience - Misread

Dylan Mondegreen - Girl in Grass

Swedish Pop

i've noticed a phenomenon of interesting pop music coming out of sweden lately, and i know i'm not the only one.  it seems they must have a pretty good scene going over there, and i thought i'd showcase some of the groups/artists i've heard.  luckily for my purposes here, many also have interesting music videos, so here's what i found on youtube:

Jens Lekman - You are the Light

The Concretes - You Can't Hurry Love

Acid House Kings - That's Because You Drive Me

(there are several videos like this on youtube that are apparently from a sing-along karaoke dvd)

Jose Gonzalez - Heartbeats

this is a commercial for sony bravia and it's where i first heard his music.  it's a really good commercial.

Shout Out Louds - Tonight I have to Leave it

Peter Bjorn and John - Young Folks

i'm sure you've already heard this a million times and may or may not be mad at me for getting it stuck in your head again

pretty good stuff, huh?  at the very least their accents are funny/endearing.

Doveman

doveman is thomas bartlett; who is apparently an in-demand rock pianist in new york who covered the whole soundtrack to footloose.  the movie is a little before my time, and i have never seen it; but i think it's safe to say his version is a little different.  you can read more about it on his website.

Stevie Wonder

i found this early recording of stevie wonder's on youtube.  it's one of my favorite songs, which i first heard played by sonny rollins, but i love the lyrics, so it's nice to hear a vocalist sing it as well.  it's interesting to hear him at such a young age in a sort of transitional style between popular jazz and soul.  on a side note, thinking of tenor saxophonists and stevie wonder, someone once told me that they heard stevie wonder sit in with someone and play john coltrane's giant steps and that he sounded great.  impressive, stevie.