Friday Pick of the Week

Happy Friday, friends. This week's selection has been all the rage on the internet. Fort Atlantic's "Let Your Heart Hold Fast" was number two on Spotify's list of Top 10 Most Viral Tracks for the week of December 23. The track got a boost from its contribution to CBS's How I Met Your Mother, riding a wave of Google searches for "what was that song on how I met your mother last night?" Fort Atlantic is essentially a project of Birmingham-tied singer-songwriter Jon Black, who incorporates digital production into folksy rock-pop. You well might recognize Black's voice and styling from his contributions to Birmingham-based Red Mountain Music. Without further ado, I present to you the Friday Pick of the Week.

Friday Pick of the Week

It is still Christmas season here at the wondering roots, as we celebrate the full twelve days. However, as the new year is upon us, we didn't want to send you into the next week without this lovely sampling from Andrew Bird. His interpretation of the New Year's classic "Auld Lang Syne" is far and away my favorite version of the song, and it serves as a lovely cap to the impressive multi-artist Holidays Rule compilation released in October. So may 2013 bring you and yours better than you hope for, and may you welcome the year with this Friday Pick of the Week.


Auld Lang Syne

Friday Pick of the Week

Let's not let the Mayan apocalypse overshadow the fact that it is the Advent season. Today's pick gladly welcomes the coming Christ, and the artist is no stranger to the Apocalypse. "Star of Wonder" made it's appearance on Sufjan Stevens' first Christmas album, a five disc masterpiece that is a staple during the yuletide. Rachel and I love this song so much that it was the tune to which she walked down the isle at our wedding. Sufjan recently released his second Christmas epic, Silver & Gold, another five disc set that beautifully captures the gravity, expectation, terror and whimsy of Christmas. From the wondering roots to you and yours, Merry Christmas.

Star of Wonder from Russell Strauss on Vimeo.

Friday Pick of the Week

Happy Friday, friends. I love weddings. I also love new places. That's why I am so excited for this weekend, when we get to head to Chicago to celebrate the Bahratkins nuptials. It will be my first visit to the Windy City, save for an delayed layover en route to Seattle, coincidentally only a few short hours before I proposed to my wife. So with a trip to Chicago on the itinerary and love in the air, what would be more appropriate for a Friday Pick than a love song by Chicago?

Friday Pick of the Week

This past Saturday night, several friends and I navigated the dark streets of Lipscomb, Alabama in search of Gip's Place. The trek was well worth it. If you've never heard of Gip's, take five minutes and watch this:



As you can tell, it was one of the coolest experiences I've ever had in Birmingham. Without further ado, Earl Williams has got his mojo working.

Friday Pick of the Week

Happy Friday, friends. You know what they say about Friday Pick of the Week? You can never have enough Kiwis. It has been a year since Brooke Frasier graced us with her lovely vocals, and so the time has come to head back to New Zealand. When this track from The Naked and Famous's debut album Passive Me, Aggressive You comes on the shuffle, we dance. So get to dancing.

Friday Pick of the Week

Happy Friday, friends. If you like the Polyphonic Spree, I think you'll quickly realize my affection for today's choice. If you don't like the Polyphonic Spree, you need to lighten up.
As I've mentioned, lately I've been listening to a good bit of folk and bluegrass, with an appreciation for trends that harken back to artists like Bob Dylan and Hank Williams. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros pull the sound off well, particularly on their second album Here, which debuted this week. While I was hoping to include a song from that album, I couldn't resist choosing this rendition of "Home." I'm not sure they are even aware of the audience, which makes it even more beautiful.  Enjoy.

Friday Pick of the Week

As you may know, Fleet Foxes has been one of my favorite bands since music guru Parker Ingle passed along to me their first album a few years ago. I was saddened to learn this spring of the departure of the band's drummer J. Tillman.  Fortunately, the move led me to check out his solo stuff, which he was putting out well before his time with Fleet Foxes.  Here's one of my favorites, the title track from his 2009 album Year in the Kingdom.

Friday Pick of the Week

It's a polyphonic Friday. If you don't know The Polyphonic Spree, you're welcome.  If you know The Polyphonic Spree, you're welcome.

Friday Pick of the Week

Speaking of roots, this past weekend I had an opportunity to experience one of the pillars of American music. The Grand Ole Opry has aired a new show every Saturday night since 1925 without missing a week.  Countless legends have graced the Opry stage, whether at the Ryman Auditorium or at the Opry House, and it has been called "the home of American music."

The set-up of the Opry is brilliant - performers ranging in style from bluegrass to bubble-gum pop-country and in age from young to old perform two songs apiece, broken up by performances and banter from four different hosts.  You could feel weight of the place from the time we walked in the door, and every artist who stepped on the stage displayed a reverence for where they stood.

While the highlight of the night was watching mandolin legend Jesse McReynolds, I appreciated the entire experience, particularly the way the hosts and regulars incorporated so many different elements of country music.  I've never been much a fan of the honky-tonk steel guitar, but hearing it from that stage gave me a new perspective.  I've been listening to Hank Williams and Patsy Cline all week. Without further ado, here's an Opry staple that we got to hear live this past week:

Friday Pick of the Week

Happy Friday, friends.

This week we're back in Alabama highlighting an Athens group whose rise to popularity has been described as "meteoric."  I'm not exactly sure what that means, but hearing Alabama Shakes lead singer Brittany Howard deliver sounds straight from her soul brings chills to mine.  The band has just released their much anticipated debut Boys & Girls, and is currently selling out shows from Birmingham, Alabama to Birmingham, U.K.  Their sound resonates everything you'd expect from a band who cut their teeth covering AC/DC and Otis Redding in Limestone County's dive bars and who recorded their first tracks in Muscle Shoals.  Get on the wagon.  Without further ado, the Alabama Shakes.

Friday Pick of the Week

How could you not like this guy?
Photo stolen from Yael Levy at BARE magazine.

This week's pick comes from a new album that has been playing on loop at our house since NPR started streaming it on their First Listen page a couple weeks ago.  Three rounds into Horse Feathers' Cynics New Year had me absolutely hooked.  The grey-skied strings blend beautifully into a background that makes me want to drink coffee all day.  While not as revolutionary as my initial listens to Fleet Foxes' self-titled debut, the music will certainly assume a similar position in the soundtrack of my subconscience.

Perhaps it is the added responsibility of fatherhood, but more and more these days I am loving the indie/folk sounds I come across.  From older favorites to new ones (see Lost in the Trees and Of Monsters and Men), the music is currently dominating my playlists.  Without further ado, here is the Friday Pick of the Week: