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!

Driving to Idaho. What happened to Nerina Pallot?

Driving to Idaho...
The track that arguably took her from Dear Frustrated Superstar territory, after endless battles with the suits at the label that released her first album, had that title. Her second album was to be Fires and it was originally released in 2005 by the label 'Idaho' that she set up for that purpose.

Fires (2005) - IDAHOCD001

In 2006 she was signed to 14th Floor Records, a Universal imprint. Fires was then remixed (more sparkly, as the artist herself put it) and given a major re-release. It was good too, and it went platinum in the UK. Call me reactionary if you like but I actually still prefer the original Idaho version for its less intrusive production and have them both. For months in 2006 the songs from this album could be heard almost whenever the radio was on. The singles from it were largely well received and successful given the full treatment and promotion.

14th Floor 825646387076 14FLR16V LC003077 (2006)

They were good songs, well written, arranged and sung and then, as suddenly as she had appeared, she vanished.
Probably not for much longer though - she's now got to choose the tracks that will constitute her third album. That might take some time as, a prolific songwriter and lyricist, choosing at most a dozen from apparently about sixty songs is always going to be a challenge. It will, when it appears, be one that I'll be quite happy to buy even if I have not yet heard a single track from it.