You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive

I love Justified. It's one of the best scripted shows on TV. The penultimate fifth season has just finished, and while it may have been a little uneven in parts, the final episodes were once again nothing short of breathtaking. The best thing about the show is that you never know what's going to happen next. The writers have their way of coming up with completely unpredictable twists and solutions, thus keeping the audience constantly on their toes. The world of Justified is inhabited by a wide range of colourful, fascinating characters, most of whom don't get enough screen time, but the heart of the show lies in the relationship between U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens and his rival, criminal Boyd Crowder, the main duo portrayed brilliantly by Timothy Olyphant and Walton Goggins. Their chemistry is terrific, and so is every scene they share.

A lot of the show's plot takes place in Harlan, Kentucky, and so far, all seasons but one have ended with various covers of Darrell Scott's song You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive. It's a powerful song about the town's coal mining history, but it also sums up Justified perfectly. It has been covered by Brad Paisley or Patty Loveless, among others. Here's the original version.

Jake Bugg

After reading NME's top 50 albums of the year, I decided to listen to the bands I had not heard of before.  There was one artist who really stuck out and I have just fallen in love with, and that is Jake Bugg.  His self-titled album was ranked #9 on their list.  The genre is folk/country and to me that is partially right.  His sound reminds me of some oldies and I think that is the main appeal.  It's a sound that has been done, but he adds his own touch to it.  Listen for yourself and let me know what you think.

Here's his music video for, "Two Fingers."

However, I do love the tracks "Seen it All" and "Note to Self."

The Very Best Of The Byrds

Although I've been a huge fan of The Byrds for over a year, it wasn't until recently, that I have finally "acquired" all of the band's studio albums. This whole time, I was spinning their 1997 best of compilation almost constantly, and it gradually became one of my all time favourite CDs.

Notice the trademark glasses of the frontman Roger McGuinn :)

I haven't grown tired of the band's versions of the Dylan's classics, for which they became famous in the first place, such as their first single ever Mr. Tambourine Man, or Pete Seeger's adaptation of the Book of Ecclesiastes Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season) featured prominently on the Forrest Gump soundtrack. The Byrds crafted some of the best covers in the history of rock music. With richer intrumentation and Roger McGuinn's distinctive vocals, they had the ability to take those already brilliant songs to a whole new level. Not to speak about their originals, such as I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better, Chestnut Mare or perhaps the first proper psychedelic rock anthem Eight Miles High.

Not unlike The Beatles, The Byrds introduced a unique amount of talent in each of its members. Most of whom found new success in their subsequent careers and inspired countless musicians of the generations that followed. Roger McGuinn, Gene Clark, David Crosby (of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young) or Gram Parsons were all highly influential personas in the genres of psychedelic rock, country rock and folk.

The band's unmistakable sound owed a lot to Roger McGuinn's jangly guitar, the twelve-string Rickenbacker. The main reason I was hooked instantly, though, were the ethereal melodies. The Byrds were masters at crafting them, and were true equals to their contemporaries, The Beatles and The Beach Boys.

The CD is a selection of 27 songs from the first five years of the band's career (1965 to 1970) and really doesn't miss anything essential. Although the band's style changed significantly over the course of the years, from blending the folk revival and Beatlesque rock to psychedelia and country, the whole compilation still feels like a cohesive album. I'd even go as far and say that The Very Best of The Byrds is what "1" was to The Beatles. The ultimate collection. I'd strongly recommend it to anyone with at least a vague interest in the '60s music. (Or anyone, who still thinks today's indie folk rock bands do something special.)

Well, I had to get this out of my system. Since the first time I heard Turn! Turn! Turn! to this day, my love and respect for The Byrds have been only growing. They are one of the reasons why the music of the '60s was the best. And that's not an opinion, it's a fact.

Favourite Best of albums, part II

Obligatory link to the first part.

Your New Favourite Band

The Hives

It's rather unusual when a band releases greatest hits compilation before they even have a hit. But these ever so ridiculously boastful garage rock revivalists did it and it paid them off. Your New Favourite Band features twelve songs from each of their previous full-lengths and the A.K.A. I-D-I-O-T EP and is one of the essential rock albums of the 2000's. It was the first thing I heard from them and somewhere between the initial "Wtf?" and the subsequent "Haha, awesome!" they really became my favourite band. You simply gotta love those phenomenal guitar riffs and Pelle Almquist's unmistakable howling. Hopefully, their new album will come out soon. I can't wait...

Hate to Say I Told You So

Ring of Fire: The Legend of Johnny Cash

Johnny Cash
I've never been very fond of country. Actually, I hated it for at least half of my life... But man, this is Johnny Cash. Even the most confirmed country haters have to respect him for what he's accomplished. This album might not contain everything essential from those 1000+ songs Cash recorded, but as a highlight from his long career spanning for nearly fifty years, it works very well.


Hurt (Nine Inch Nails cover)


Ring of Fire

Tired Pony

There is a band I discovered just today...

"Tired Pony is a new supergroup, led by Snow Patrol singer Gary Lightbody and featuring Peter Buck from R.E.M. and Richard Colburn of Belle and Sebastian. If the band's actual lineup didn't have enough starpower already, debut album The Place We Ran From also features contributions from folks like M. Ward, Editors frontman Tom Smith, and some lady named Zooey Deschanel." (Pitchfork)

Band's MySpace
Band's YouTube channel
Official website

Conan, the Musician

Whether you're on team Coco or not, I hope you'll enjoy these videos.