speed of dark

The Battle of Land and Sea

Beginning tomorrow, the debut full-length CD by The Battle of Land and Sea, will be available for pre-order. The actual release date will be in October. The duo of Sarah O'Shura and Joshua Canny who make up The Battle of Land and Sea have been touring in England and Europe and will relocate to Portland upon their return.

Two new songs, "The Beautiful Ones" and "Lady" that were not on their 6-song self-released CD (no longer available) are included. That little demo CD, with its delightful homemade cover, has been one of my most-played recordings this year, so you bet I'll be pre-ordering this official release.

Every one of O'Shura and Canny's extremely lo-fi creations is as delicate and lovely as a snowflake or hand-blown glass. If you like this song, trust me, you want the whole thing. You won't believe what they've done with an ancient Pat Benatar song--it's on my list for best cover song of 2007.

The Battle of Land and Sea: You Are a Sailor from The Battle of Land and Sea (2007)

MySpace | Label: Notenuf Records
Pre-order at Notenuf Records on Sept. 25

Show Schedule:
Oct 21 2007 - TT and The Bears w/ The Finches and Ponies In The Surf, Cambridge, MA
Oct 31 2007 - Avant Gentlemen’s Lodge w/ A Sunny Day in Glasgow, Ravens and Vultures, Philadelphia, PA
Nov 2 2007 - Lo-Fi Social Club w/ Monarch and Luke Temple, Baltimore, MD



The Perishers



Indie Mom and I loved Swedish band The Perishers' Sway EP (2004) and Let There Be Morning (2005). The songs are wistful and sad without succombing to sappiness. Their third full-length, Victorious, released September 4, although not as consistent as Sway, does have more pretty Perishers' songs worth adding to the collection.

The best is perhaps the title tune "Victorious" which features lead singer Ola Klüft in a stirring, hooky chorus.

The Perishers: Victorious from Victorious (2007)
Also recommended: "My Own" and "To Start a New"
The Perishers: Trouble Sleeping from Let There Be Morning (2005)

MySpace | Website | Label: Nettwerk Records
Buy at Nettwork Store, iTunes, and eMusic

Now playing shows in Sweden



Grand Drive



Grand Drive, another band we have both liked in recent years, also had the recent U.S. release of their fifth album, Everyone. For a Brit band, they have a curious affinity for the country-rock sound of wide-open western spaces similar to that of J.D. Souther, the Jayhawks, and early Wilco.

"Knives and Forks" is my favorite, but other good ones here are "Talking In Your Sleep", the fluttery "I'm An Echo", and the low-key "Birdsong." Check out also some of their nice older songs like, "Needle In the Groove," "Track 40," "Tell It Like It Is," and "True Love and High Adventure."

Grand Drive: Knives and Forks from Everyone (2007)
Grand Drive: Real Thing from Lights In This Town Are Too Many To Count (2004 - UK Import)

MySpace | Website | Label: Loose Music
Buy at Loose Shop, iTunes, and eMusic, Amazon.com