Kentuckyseven

Album Shore to Shore – Releasedate 2011-02-28

I recently got aquainted with a very interesting artist. Norman Palm.

Trying to find out more about the man I stumbled in to his corner at normanpalm.com, and started reading.

The man is not only a great musician, he is also a designer and an artist.

After graduating from both an artschool in Berlin and one in Paris he made his first album ”Songs” which he describes not only as an album but a recordbook. 200 pages of Palm’s artwork included.

Mr Palm, has released another album, but only in Germany, where he resides, when he isn’t down in Mexico City.
The album will hit the rest of Europe in February 2011. A review will be here on Kentuckyseven shortly. Album name? Shore To Shore.

I’ve started to listen to the album, and I can say so far, I am very intrigued. This is something else. Something new.

Wanna take a look, listen? Feel free…

Norman Palm – Easy (Vid)
Norman Palm – Easy (mp3)

Listen @ Soundcloud Norman Palm – Easy

It´s time to introduce Jonathan Boulet to the masses. Or to our dear readers anyway.

Boulet is a young aussie who luvs skateboarding the streets of Sydney. Megaskilled (played every instrument on his debut EP a year back) and now heading for the big breakthru.

Listen up JB´s new singel You´re a Animal, released by Modular People. This is some intense, drumdriven, catchy, haunting, energetic stuff for ya´ll. Drugs in audio.

JB – You´re a Animal

JB – Myspace

Dolorean – The Unfazed
Releasedate 18/1 2011

After I got to know the great band Dolorean, from Portland Oregon, I knew. That there’s hope for the great American music-scene. Bands like Dolorean rarely get the spotlight in commercial radio or press, but are greatly appreciated among the likes of Kentuckyseven-readers.

I listened to Dolorean’s first album and said to myself, this is real. Real music from real musicians. The lyrics are storys, the sound is pure and fresh, yet carry a heritage from great American music-history. Al James, the songwriter and vocalist is like a storyteller with warmth, depth and compassion and from the short contact I’ve had with the man, he is a great person too.

The Unfazed is no exception, it’s even larger. The opening song Thinskinned is extraordinary, with the piano, and lyrics like it was a love-story-gone-bad anthem.

Al James and Lara Miller get together in Country Clutter, second track of the album, their voices are melting together and create a comfortzone, where I gladly remain for days and days.

Titletrack sets the mood and emphasize the American singersongwriter culture in a way I think that many artist would sacrifice plenty to create.

The Unfazed is bound for something great. My hope is that Dolorean will meet a larger audience during 2011, the band surely deserves a great audience. My only wish for Christmas is that the rest of the world sees their splendor…
The album will surely end up in many Best Of 2011 lists… I know I have a place for it.

Six out of seven K7’s – just like that.

Everything is upside down when bluegrass from Sweden is making headlines in America. Well, isn´t that just beautiful.

G2 are taking their vibrant – brother were art thou – banjowooping – singsongtales to the heartland of folkmusic and kick ass along the highway.

Kentuckseven can´t get this outlaw bluegrass to shut up. G2 have been voted ”best bluegrassband in Europe” and listening to this stuff you know why.

The album Untapped Routes was released by Cosmos Music Group two weeks ago. Check it out.

G2 myspace

G2 bluegrass

Free download

Funeral Party, L.A.’ most energetic band is releasing their debut album ”Golden Age of Nowhere” in January 2011.

The EP Funeral Party, with Carwars, Chalice and NYC moves to the sound of LA had me at the first note.

This is bound to be a masterpiece, if Funeral Party doesn’t conquer the world with this album, I will personally make it my mission in life to get people to understand their greatness. The single, ”Just Because”, which can be bought at iTunes gives you a taste of what’s coming. This is awsome.

I know that Kentuckyseven will move to the sound of L.A.

Listen @ Funeral Party’s Myspace

Photo: Rebecca Miller

”If you’d like me to, I’ll try to be brave like you.”

Alessi Laurent-Marke, the british singer songwriter beeing Alessi’s Ark, keeps us standing on our toes. After numerous marvelous songs, ep:s , we are in love. If you haven’t experienced her music, you haven’t yet learned what the rest of us have been enjoying for quite some time now.

It’s mysterious, grand, small, sensitive, it’s all you ever wanted it to be. We are just wondering when she is going to appear in Sweden. Kentuckyseven is certain that she will overpower all the cold nights, the rainy days and the darkness of autumn. Alessi’s Ark will take you to that comfort place in your dreams, and keep you there. We are still there.

Alessi’s Ark recently released the EP ”Soul Proprietor” on Bella Union, go fetch it.

We snuck up on Alessi and asked her:

What are you listening to?

– Albums, Epic by Sharon Van Etten, In My Own Time by Karen Dalton,
– Songs, Don’t Mind Me by O Emperor and Elvis by Denis Jones.

Best book read during 2010 ?

– Letters To A Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke

Who deserves breakthru in 2011? .

– Coal Beautiere, Sons of Noel and Adrian and Jake Bellows (of Neva Dinova).

We’d love to follow onboard the Ark, and see where we would end up. If you haven’t been onboard yet, we suggest you take closer look at:

Alessi’s Ark @ Spotify or just visit Bella Union and get to know her yourself…

Nothing wrong with freezin December. But Kentuckyseven is already peakin into 2011. Here´s seven albums to look forward to. We miss any?

Bright Eyes (Saddle Creek)

Bon Iver (TBA)

Thåström (Universal)

Fleet Foxes (TBA)

Iron and Wine (Warner Bros)

The Strokes (TBA)

Drive-By Truckers (ATO)

Wells Tower’s collection of short stories Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned (Granta) is a must-read.

The author (born 1973) grew up in North Carolina and lives in Brooklyn. His work was selected for the Best American Short Stories 2010 and it´s well deserved. This guy can write.

It´s eight or nine novels that in their own, twisted way makes a eerie picture of America. It´s dark and smart, a compelling debut. It´s better than an Ipad för christmas.

Nick Hornby loves Wells Tower and says ”when, in one of the stories, a woman finds out that her husband is having an affair because the footprint on the car windscreen does not match her own, you know you’re reading somebody who doesn’t come along very often.”

Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned is now presented in swedish (Härjat och Bränt), translated by Johan Nilsson och published by Brombergs.

If you’re approved and two-thumb’d up from Burt Bacharach, you know you’re doing the right thing.

Sarah Joyce, with a voice that many would kill for, is spreading her own rumour. Her debut released nov 1, on Atlantic Records is a future soul/jazz-classic to be.

Slow, one of the singles from the album is previously released on the Slow EP. Great stuff for those stay-at-home nights. Have an Old Fashioned and sit back and enjoy.

@ Spotify  Rumer – Slow EP

Record available on iTunes…

Deer Ticks Ian O´Neil exposed us to this revelation. We asked him about the big break thru 2011. O´Neil said, in his own wonderful way, “my vote would be that J. Roddy Walston and the Business make a ton of money.”

Well I´m putting my own bucks on this crazy, way-down-south, pianodriven, stompin, huffing and puffing, all night long Baltimoreband. And believe me, these guys are just getting started.

Their new self titled album is setting stuff on fire. It´s rock and roll all over. Late November just became J Roddy Time.

J Roddy – Myspace

J Roddy – Spotify

J Roddy – Jotob