I admit that I wanted to love the new Andrew Bird album. What I can report is that I really, really like it. It’s atmospheric and warm with the quirkiness you’d expect, if you’ve spent some time with his earlier releases. Unlike 2007’s infectious Armchair Apocrypha, it requires more patient listening. But I find myself returning to it frequently—with his gentle hooks finding purchase in my mind.
As I was going through my iTunes, these songs bubbled up for some reason. No real theme here, except that they’re all reasonably old and somewhat obscure (not unlike yours truly).
The Verlaines are one of my favorite New Zealand bands from the storied days of the Flying Nun label. Founded and led by classically trained guitarist Graeme Downes, the band is known for their literate vocals and complex song structures—not surprising, given Downes actually attained his PhD between recordings, and has maintained an academic life with regard to his day job. 
From the many incarnations of Palace Music, Will Oldham settled on the Bonnie “Prince” Billy moniker about a decade ago, and has quietly continued tinkering with permutations of American music—country, folk, roots, and the like—but approached with a modern sensibility. 
TV on the Radio open the new album with a nod to 2006's Return to Cookie Mountain, and never look back. Their cauldron of sound just keeps pleasantly surprising you with subtle influences and innovative production. A great effort. 
I intentionally avoided Of Montreal after their splash at the SXSW a ways back. Something about their screechy 80’s-influenced art rock just kind of annoyed me. But early this year, I finally gave 2007’s Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? a fair listen, and it all kind of clicked into place for me (their cool album art doesn’t hurt either). Their latest, Skeletal Lamping is a funkier endevour indeed, and as a new convert…I dig. 
Ignoring the The Walkmen was far easier because I didn’t have to do it consciously. I was a big Jonathan Fire*Eater fan in the day, so you think I might have followed along with the remnants, but I just didn’t hear anything that really interested me. That was until I was in the throes of a Dylan discovery phase, and I heard “Louisiana.” The connection was made. I really quite like the new one, You & Me, it’s good enough to shake any Dylan knock-off hostility. 
The band Railroad Jerk got together around the turn of the 90’s. They put out a couple records on Matador that got some attention, but their third release, 1995’s One Track Mind, is the one that got mine. Loved their brand of lo-fi, shit-can, delta blues-rock. Their follow up Third Rail tightened up their sound and was their best effort yet…unfortunately it was to be their last, although I have read rumors about an unreleased album. 
