Inclusivity, not just for the in crowd.
Here are a small selection of songs that should be well known within the Zimmerman Institute's hallowed halls but probably aren’t, what with all the Dylan stuff.
To me they have a lineage to the man, an aching to how they are sung, lyrical content and how they feel; sparkly fresh and modern with amazing production values. This makes them my take on modern Americana. However, Songs for the Institute made for a better title.
Stanley Franc
Alabama Shakes - Sound & Color
Starting with the first song off the second album by Alabama Shakes - Sound and Color - spelt wrong cuz they are American. Fronted by Brittany Howard who has the most sacred voice and can absolutely belt out a lead vocal line. Slightly more restrained at the start of this album with the lushness of the production delightful on your ear holes.
Beck - Blue Moon
Secondly Beck and 'Blue Moon'. Very much an acoustic type ballad but demonstrating a range to the man I definitely didn’t know he had. He started so much with that gibberish, big beat, sample cut up type music that led to this style switch really surprising me, some great tunes on this album but this is the highlight.
The Gaslight Anthem - The '59 Sound
Third - The Gaslight Anthem with 'The ’59 Sound'. Modern Americana defined, could easily be a Springsteen song, great story telling, soaring chorus, gravelly voice, awesome. I saw them at Latitude festival one year when I worked a bar there, were the only act I swapped a shift to make sure I saw, loads of energy but haven’t written a better song that this and it was joyous that evening.
The Hold Steady - South Town Girls
Moving on to 'South Town Girls' by The Hold Steady. I was playing in some bands around London Town and we had a gig in a trendy bar in Hoxton, I spotted a review of an American band that played there the previous week, the review was ecstatic in its praises. Working class blues rock and roll band with a front man who can’t really sing but tell stories. I thought I would give the album a go and was impressed, is consistently good throughout. This is the last song on the album, the acapella start still gives me goosebumps. Saw them at Glastonbury and I shouted myself hoarse for them to play this song thinking they might not, they then played it as their last song, I almost cried.
Molly Tuttle - Olympia, WA
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