New Music 2015 - Part 40 - mid-west or north-west?

The first of this pair I mentioned here back in February. The strangest thing is that although released in the North American market on May 26 it is already available in the UK. WTF?

It is fair to say that this brings no Damascene conversion from her previous records. That would, I proffer, be rather like expecting Dylan to go disco. The rather more shocking thing is that I have yet to see Eilen Jewell play live. I have only listened to it a couple times so far but there's nothing not to like. I'm quite certain that, as I listen to it more often and more carefully, I'll find much more in it and not least because that has been the case with all the earlier releases. Why albums such as her solo début Boundary County (2006), which includes one of the finest modern protest songs in my opinion, remains so little known beggars belief.
OK. Perhaps I should get off my high-horse and chill out. This is pretty much how I would plan on doing that and this is another band that I have never seen live. Having relocated long ago from the mid-west to the ocean-side of Seattle Seapony releases a third LP. I guess it is as much a case of whether wide sky or wide sea does it for you.

'A Vision' is released on 31 July 2015.  Music for warm summer days and sea breezes.

Not only that: Seapony is now a four-piece and, with real percussion from Aaron Voros in place of their former vintage drum-machine, it marks a major step-change. Jen Weidl, Danny Brewer and Ian Rowland continue in their previous rôles but there is a new versatility.
Previous albums 'Go With Me' and 'Falling' were released by Hardly Art.
'A Vision' is self-released and more information. including ordering and formats are vinyl, CD and d/l, may be found here. This is the track list.

1. Saw The Light
2. Bad Dream
3. Couldn’t Be
4. Everyday All Alone
5. Hollow Moon
6. Let Go
7. A Place We Can Go
8. Go Nowhere
9. In Heaven
10. New Circle
11. A Vision

I have never seen Seapony live either. Lots more things to do!

New Music 2015 - Part 16 - Eilen Jewell - Sundown Over Ghosttown

I don't keep statistics of my posts to quite the level of either Wisden or the NFL (select region as appropriate) but I suspect that this is my most lengthy succession of posts on new music.
My view of this is that if there is music that captures my attention there is no reason to ignore it. I will miss plenty for sure but I can't help that.
This is a double-bill, more than that really, by the same artist - Eilen Jewell. At the end of 2014 I posted about live albums. I deliberately held this one back because I had a suspicion that a new studio album was in the offing and I felt that they belonged in a post together. The live album is self released. Here it is.

Eilen Jewell and band was recorded live at The Narrows, Fall River, MA, in February 2014.

The new studio album will be released by Signature Sounds as always and, in North America at least, on 26 May 2015. It is 'Sundown Over Ghost Town.' No idea of the artwork yet but trust me, when I have I'll be on the case and ordering the LP on vinyl (and I strongly suspect that this will be possible).
I still haven't seen her live and I was lamenting that as long ago as 2011. This needs fixing, particularly given the class of the live album mentioned above. I recommend a listen to the four LPs that the songs are taken from.
'Live at The Narrows' comprises twenty-nine tracks over a pair of CDs and was recorded over two successive nights at the venue. It is epic in any reasonable sense of the word.