Ben Sollee and Daniel Martin Moore - Dear Companion

"This is only a song. It can't change the world." The chorus from "Only A Song", a track off of the great album, Dear Companion (a collaboration between Ben Sollee, Daniel Martin Moore, and Yim Yames (My Morning Jacket, Monsters of Folk)), really sums up the gist of the album. The lyrics are real, the emotion is real, and I love this album for real. I've always been one to enjoy a good indie-folk album. Sufjan Stevens, Iron and Wine, Wilco, The Avett Brothers. All favorites. And in a lot of ways, this is similar. But its simplicity and meaningful vocals make this something special. I can't stop listening to it. Tempo changes, small yet unignorable builds, cool melody drop-offs. I just really appreciate the feel of it.

My favorite song on the album, "Try", is gorgeous. The pretty lyrics are easy to hear. And while it's not necessarily a happy song, it is incredibly uplifting. The song ends with, "Give, give, give. How to give it all to someone not yet born? It must be how we've learned to love." The song, along with the rest of the album, captures that desire to simplify everything in life into its beautiful essence. Life, death, birth, love, tragedy, struggle, achievement, the unknown. It's refreshing. I also really enjoy the tracks, "Something, Somewhere, Sometime" and "Sweet Marie".

Be sure to check out Dear Companion. The three Kentucky-based musicians created a truly real, simple, and lovable album. Also, a portion of proceeds go to Appalachian Voices, an organization trying to end mountain top removal coal mining. Be sure to check that out, and Ben Sollee's myspace page here. On Sub Pop Records, Ben Sollee and Daniel Martin Moore have definitely created something worth listening to.

Monsters of Folk @ The Academy of Music 11/9

It was fittingly titled, "An Evening with Monsters of Folk". Sitting on the balcony in antique red-velvet covered chairs looking down on My Morning Jacket's Jim James, M. Ward, and Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis, I couldn't help but be blown away by a spectacular performance. Not only was the concert unique and a ridiculous show of musicianship, but the crowd itself was unlike any I've ever been a part of.

Being in Philadelphia's Academy of Music, when I first sat down, I had to check myself that it was okay for me to be wearing a ratty corduroy jacket and sandals. The chandelier and cupids on the ceiling seemed to dictate otherwise. But amass the slew of skinny jeans and berets, I was reminded that this wasn't the symphony. Yet as the show began, the crowd treated it like it was - a modern symphony of new music and new arrangements of familiar favorites.

But even cooler than the aura of formality between cheers and jeers was the reality of incredibly mixed fan bases. With My Morning Jacket being a sort of psychedelic folk, M. Ward being a rocky folk, and Bright Eyes an indie/emo folk, Monsters of Folk brought in three huge and intense fan bases. And since each artist played some of their own songs (solo and as collaborations), virtually no one knew every song that was played - making for an awesome feeling of solidarity in not knowing what was coming next.

As for the show itself, Monsters of Folk played for two hours with an ever-growing energy that transitioned expertly from simplicity to piercing peaks. "Slow Down Jo" and "Dear God" were amazing (except for Oberst's part on "Dear God". I'm a little bias, but that guys voice seems to detract from how great Jim James and M. Ward sound together.). And on top of Jim James's haunting falsetto oo's, an ever-present slide guitar, and an infusion of percussive guitar, the group's live sound was original, refined, and consuming.

To feel the three folk-influenced acts separately and together in the same show was absolutely amazing. I felt myself going 'wow' after almost every song. And accompanied by a light show that projected stunning shadows on the curtains, it was all I could do but sit and stare. In fact, the one girl who stood up to sway to one of her beloved Conor Oberst's solo songs was told to "Sit down. Sit the Fuck down!" The only acceptable standing was for the unanimous and instant standing ovations.