I’ve been surprised at just how much I enjoy Albert Hammond Jr.’s solo debut Yours to Keep. It’s bright and inspired, and I’ll do my best to avoid making any sort of ill-advised comparisons to the Strokes (I never even bothered with First Impressions of Earth … oops).

Not sure if I’d grown tired of the Strokes or my tastes just moved in a different direction, but if they’re smart, they’ll let Hammond have his hand in more of the writing next time around. Yours to Keep has snappy, easy-to-digest melodies, and the writing is earnest (if not a little forced at times).

Hammond and his band stopped by Minnesota Public Radio for a quick in-studio session, which I’ve separated into individual mp3s.

Albert Hammond Jr., on MPR’s the Current, 6/7/07:

• Everyone Gets a Star
• In Transit
• Bright Young Thing

I expressed some love for the Ponys last week, and now I’m going full tilt, which means I recorded the group’s appearance on Minnesota Public Radio’s the Current and split it into individual mp3s.

Looks like I can redeem myself for missing them in Phoenix last month by catching them at the Pitchfork Music Festival this summer. (Although, I’m not traveling 1,800 miles just for them. This concept of GZA performing the whole of Liquid Swords is the main draw … for now.)

So here’s a nice, three-song set to enjoy while I go swimming (it’s supposed to be 103 degrees today) with my nieces.

The Ponys, on MPR’s the Current, 5/4/07:

• We Shot the World.
• Exile on My Street.
• Turn the Lights Out.

As promised a few days ago, here’s the full set of the Broken West’s performance on KCRW.

For what it’s worth, Shiftee has become a high point on an album of many – though it should not be confused with this Shiftee. I like that the band got through eight songs in this session; considering there’s 12 songs on I Can’t Go On, I’ll Go On, it’s more than worth the price of admission.

One last note: Hale Sunrise screams Wilco – but that’s a good thing.

The Broken West, KCRW Morning Becomes Eclectic, 4/19/07:

• Down in the Valley
• So it Goes
• On the Bubble
• Shiftee
• Slow
• Hale Sunrise
• Big City
• Brass Ring

Today we are off for a weekend jaunt to Rocky Point, Mexico, with friends to celebrate my wife’s 30th birthday, which was on the 17th. We’re even taking this guy’s woman. Woot! The plan is to drink some beer, some tequila, beer, tequila, then some beer. And maybe swim. And read. Though maybe not in that order. I bought Game of Shadows, as if I needed any more reason to question Barry Bonds. (Quickly on the topic of sports books: Read Jack McCallum’s :07 Seconds or Less. Highly recommended.)

Anyway, I recorded the Broken West’s session on KCRW from Thursday morning but didn’t have the time to split it up and what not. But I’ll leave you with one of the tracks, Brass Ring. (Please note, the somewhat sudden fadeout came from KCRW, not me.) Sorry, but we’re in a hurry to get the heck outta dodge.

There’s a chance I’ll try to post the rest over the weekend, but there’s also a chance I’ll have no desire to even look at a computer. Happy birthday to my wife! 30 is the new 20 … or something.

KCRW set list:
Down in the Valley
So it Goes
On the Bubble
Shiftee
Slow
Hale Sunrise
Big City
Brass Ring

• The Broken West | Brass Ring (live on KCRW)

Related:
The Broken West: Live at SXSW

I am so glad Richard Buckner has a beard again.

If any man’s face belongs behind a beard, it’s Buckner’s. For starters, he’s a large man. Not overweight or anything, just burly. And he’s got that voice – husky and full. (Though it sounds far less imposing in conversation, actually.) Judging by the picture (perhaps not the most flattering), his gray, unruly whiskers just fit a man whose music connotes all the sorrow and depression of a back-country dive bar. This, my friends, is the stuff beards are made of.

Everyone has their reasons to grow a beard. I let mine go a few years ago when I went on a fantasy football winning streak (probably not why Buckner grew his), and I haven’t shaved it since. Mine comes in a little brown, a little red and with a serious cowlick near my right upper jaw if I go awhile without trimming.

At this point, I’m hesitant to get rid of it. I remember once when I was young and my dad, whose mustache I simply recognized as an inherent part of his face, shaved. It sort of freaked me out.

Facial hair just belongs on some people. As My Morning Jacket’s Jim James told Filter for its fall issue, “Every man looks best with his God-given beard. God gave us beards for a reason. End of story.”

Richard Buckner, live on MPR’s the Current, 2/28/07:

• Richard Buckner | Invitation
• Richard Buckner | The Tether and the Tie
• Richard Buckner | Figure

Note: Thanks to Largehearted Boy for the reminder of this set.

Previously:
Richard Buckner on Friday Night Lights.
Richard Buckner and Jon Langford
Richard Buckner/Anders Parker.

Kudos to Pitchfork’s Forkcast (whose links, by the way, absolutely do not click through in my RSS reader) for posting today about the Walkmen’s appearance on WNYC’s Soundcheck, where Hamilton and Co. previewed two new songs.

I’m guessing the distant, cave-like sound effect is not intended but merely a part of the mix. Nevertheless, I did my best to capture the stream and boost the sound a bit. If indeed the Walkmen get a new album out this year, I’d be one happy camper. Not that I’ve tired of A Hundred Miles Off, which I was just listening to the other day; I’m telling you, All Hands and the Cook is one of the group’s best.

This new one carries on the best parts of the Walkmen: fuzzy nostalgia in the writing, boozy vocals and the almost-eerie Dylan-like inflections in Hamilton Leithauser’s voice.

• The Walkmen | I Lost You

It was a fascinating discussion of that point where war and music cross, political protest through song. Ritter spoke of being wary of writing anything that sounded like a traditional anti-war anthem. Instead, he said, “most of the things I write are about confusion.” It’s an interesting view, a less obvious and more thoughtful approach: “All of Animal Years is about America. … I love this place, but I do belive it’s important to question it. … How do you respect those sacrifices while at the same time questioning the necessity of them?”

Ricks apparently is a huge fan of Ritter and listened to the Animal Years while writing the final two chapters of his book. He also outed Ritter by saying that Ritter listens to Shakespeare while he runs.

Anyway, Ritter performed Girl in the War and Thin Blue Flame. I captured Girl in the War via streaming audio. But I’d recommend listening to the whole interview.

Josh Ritter | Girl in the War (on Talk of the Nation)

By the way, I have Bows + Arrows to thank for introducing me to the greatness of Josh Ritter.