In case you haven’t noticed we’re digging our country tinged tunes at the moment. First Aid Kit‘s new album, their second, is largley responsible for kicking that trend off and it was joined recently by the superlative new James Levy and The Blood Red Rose EP.

Back to the record in hand though. The Swedish Söderberg sisters, still teenagers or thereabouts, with this album have started to develop into timeless songwriters in their own right. It’s not been an overnight transformation, their debut longplayer, ‘The Big Black And The Blue’, showed much promise and their youtube cover of Fleet Foxes’ ‘Tiger Mountain Peasant Song’ was a bit of a viral sensation back in 2008 (we still don’t think it’s that great a cover mind you). The duo are still wearing those American influences proudly on their Scandinavian sleeves, as can be heard in the music and tip of the Stetson lyrics to lead single ‘Emmylou’. These days though their harmonies are tighter and the songs themselves more flow more naturally.

If the single (video below) gets you hooked, as well it should, there are plenty more treasures within for those who buy whole albums (remember them?). Recorded in Omaha, with Mike Mogis (Bright Eyes) at the helm once again, you can hear his deft hand in every nook and cranny of the album’s lush, textured sound. The first four tracks are near faultless, as is ‘To A Poet’, while the ramshackle beauty of  last song ‘King Of The World’, featuring none other than Mr. ‘Bright Eyes’ Oberst himself, is a suitably titled crowning jewel.

‘The Lion’s Roar’ is already number one in Sweden and knocking on the door of the top 10 in the U.S, outselling its (also Wichita released) predecessor after only one week!

First Aid Kit will be attracting their own cover versions soon no doubt. Awesome as they say in Sweden!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=PC57z-oDPLs

www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdCGCxsXndQ

‘Sneak Into My Room’ is the title track of James Levy and The Blood Red Rose‘s new EP, out this week on Heavenly Recordings. Allison Pierce of The Pierces is the sweet like honey female vocal you can hear duetting with James on this dark beauty of a song. Let’s hope the Vermont native’s forthcoming album, ‘Pray To Be Free’ (due Feb 6th), delivers on its HUGE promise.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=pg_2n9iVAZk

This fell into our lap courtesy of them nice folks at Melodic recently. Digging the vocals and guitars a lot. Death Masks are from St Helens and are lead by Thom Tyrer if twitter is to be believed.

Shinies hail from Manchester and evidently have a naughty deck of cards, the rascals! ‘Spent Youth’, their only song so far, is a little rough around the edges but that’s half the beauty of it at this stage.

Spent Youth by Shinies

Awesome new four-piece Alabama Shakes hail from Athens. That’s not Athens, Greece or even Athens, Georgia but Athens, Alabama. Don’t worry, the clue is in the band name and if you get stuck just go with Athens and then back away from conversation at speed.

Their debut self titled-EP is available for not much over at their bandcamp and it’s all killer no filler, like they used to say. It comes across like a more polished Lower Dens (that’s no dig at Jana Hunter’s crew - we love them too!).  Here’s a live performance of track 02 ‘I Found You’ from Pegasus Records in Alabama in August.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnVSUH6_oBY

Check out this kinda gorgeous free EP from Philadelphia’s Tech Coast. Stream below and grab over at his bandcamp. No shortage of this sort of stuff out this year but this catches the jaded chillwave ear.

stay ep by tech coast

I Break Horses a.k.a. Swedish Duo Maria Linden and Frederik Balck signed to Bella Union back in 2009, which is actually when ‘Hearts’ was first doing the rounds. The duo though have been lovingly crafting their debut album of the same name since then, which will finally see the light of day on Aug 15th. For now, enjoy this spellbinding free single along with its equally entrancing new video courtesy of Alex Southam of the ‘oof  colelctive’. Roll on August.

I Break Horses – Hearts by Bella Union

This is one of the most beautiful versions of one of the most beuatiful songs you’ll hear all year. If you want to dig deeper you’ll find the original version of ‘Civilian’ on the album of the same name from Baltimore duo Wye Oak. Thanks to www.hauskonzerte.com for capturing this rendition of the track back in February. Catch Wye Oak at Hoxton Bar & Kitchen on June 16th if you’re in London and lucky enough to get a ticket.

‘Past Life Martyred Saints’ is the debut solo album from South Dakota’s Erika M. Anderson or EMA as she is now known. So the story goes Erika moved to L.A. when she was 18 as she “liked Welcome To The Jungle”, as fine a reason as any by us, and went about making music in noise-folk outfit Amps for Christ and then as part of cult ‘genre defying’ duo Gowns with Ezra Buchla. Take a listen to the album’s first, frankly awesome, track ‘The Grey Ship’ recorded half in lo-fi and half in hi-fi and head to her label Souterrain Transmissions for a free download and the album (out now).

See below for EMA’s spring UK tour.

All we know about Harry Crampton at this stage is what his Soundcloud tells us, “Harry has been playing as a solo artist around London for the past year, he has now replaced his acoustic guitar for an electric with his main influences being the likes of Sonic Youth, Pixies and Tom Waits”. What we do know is that we can also hear shades of Kurt Cobain in this exciting new London talent and that we’ll be keeping a watchful eye on where he goes from here.

Check out the bleeding throated glory of ‘Cut By The Sand’, the smoother equally dark ‘Hideaway’, the more upbeat (we’re still not talking The Zutons!) ‘Jigsaw’ and that now defunct, hopefully not forever on this evidence, acoustic guitar on the contagious ‘Let Her Hair Down’. Dribble dribble.

If you read this in time Harry is playing a free gig at The Wheelbarrow in Camden at 5pm TODAY, April 24th.

Harry Crampton by musicmule