This has been a week full of tunes coming from the north. Our pal Jackson Emmer, a fellow Vermonter (via CA), has just released a new album. “The songs and works constructed on “PEN – PAL” are all based on human correspondence.” writes Emmer himself. Filled with nostalgia and folk and banjos (!), these songs are remarkably earnest. Among my favorites is “Playground Sweethearts”, with lines like “If we weren’t seven years old, you wouldn’t have shown me yours and I wouldn’t have shown you mine.” what’s not to love?

I’ll never forget the first time that Alex Bleeker approached me about engineering a show for his band Real Estate.  He told me it was their third gig, and they really just wanted to sound like they were underwater.  Since then, Real Estate have found themselves on some big sites and considered pioneers of the lo-fi scene.  I was lucky enough to engineer another show for them last week, and they played one solid ass set.  It was crazy to hear how well their sound has evolved over the last year.  Every song they played was magic.  Bonus closing with their version of Mountain Man’s Animal Tracks.

One of the best parts of the show was a set by Twigz, the neo-psychedelic/experimental brainchild of Tom Greenberg.  I’ve been able to hear snippets from his No Picnic EP, and I really think it’s gonna leave some deep impressions in a lot of people.  Lots of chaos combined with something beautiful.  Hopefully they’ll be able to hit some cities when the EP is complete.

Real Estate – Pool Swimmers

Real Estate – Black Lake

Twigz – Buggy Tide

Twin Sister and Twig Palace are right next to each other in my itunes, so perhaps it’s only natural that I should write about them back to back. I guess I’m on a kick of chilled-out tunes featuring female vocalists, maybe it’s the changing seasons. Twig Palace, besides having a lovely name features one of the ladies from Polka Dot Dot Dot, who has one of the loveliest voices I’ve heard in a while. Beautiful in their simplicity, their songs linger behind your consciousness and slowly seep into your brain. They make me think of hot cider in winter cabins in Vermont, but who can say what they’ll plant in you. There are no fancy tricks here, because they need none.

Twig Palace – Blue Eyed Wonder
Twig Palace – Tick in Time

It’s Sunday night, the rain is gone, and the summer is still here, just a quick note before I head off to bed. I was introduced to Twin Sister earlier this summer, but didn’t get around to / remember to write this post until I read this one. The songs are sweet and sincere, and calming. “I Want A House” is the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard, in more than one sense, with every second one becomes more and more entranced. You will listen and be smiling before you even realize it (true story). Hello repeat button. Transition to the week begins again, and this will make it a little easier to deal. Their full EP exists here for free download.

Twin Sister – All Around and Away We Go

Twin Sister – I Want a House