Good Music is Good For You, Part VI

So I'm in kind of a weird mood today. I've been sick all week, which has been miserable. I missed a day and a half of work, mainly due to the one-two punch of my wife and my boss both berating me into staying home. It's been kind of a crappy week, it's rained a lot. Not much going well except for the Red Sox winning (note: I have been doing everything in my power not to write about the Sox because I know it annoys the hell out of some people, but sometimes shit slips through).

Anyway, that was a pointless introduction, especially since this is a music post. But I just wanted to set the mood a little, since this is one of those music posts where the two artists are radically different from each other.


First is a recent discovery, William Elliott Whitmore. Part blues, part country, this guy has a remarkable voice and some serious guitar and banjo skills. The banjo is an instrument I never really appreciated until a guitar playing friend of mine explained just how damn hard it is to play. He's an Iowa boy who's got the kind of whiskey-and-cigarettes voice that, when used properly, can really move you (very reminiscent of Tom Waits). What's perhaps the most surprising is that he's pretty young - I couldn't track down a birth date, but he's definitely still in his 20's, I'd guess. This is a live track (he doesn't have any videos), and it's sometimes dark and hard to make out... but hopefully you'll get the point. The song is called "Lift My Jug (Song for Hub Cale)", from his album Ashes to Dust.





Next is Lovage. Now, I've already spoken about my man-crush on Mike Patton, possibly one of the weirdest, and most talented, musicians alive today. Lovage is one in a long line of projects he's worked with, including but not limited to Faith No More, Tomahawk, Mr. Bungle, and The Dillinger Escape Plan.

Lovage is a trio of talents made up of Patton, singer Jennifer Charles, and Japanese-American hip-hop producer/DJ Dan the Automator. It is a singularly bizarre combination of talents, and what comes out is fascinating stuff - a weird, noir-ish mix of sultry vocals and scratchy, yet smooth beats and music. This is "Book of the Month", off the brilliantly titled album, Music To Make Love To Your Old Lady By.