Sunday Music Blog

Thanks to Dan and the Prawfs for having me back.  I'm glad to be here.

It's Sunday, let's talk music.  I'd like to start things off with two recent obsessions.  The first is Matt Costa, whose second full-length album, Unfamiliar Faces, was released in late January.  I really recommend it.  I fell in love with Costa's melodic hooks after listening to the first seconds of his new single, "Mr. Pitiful"--you can listen to it here.  Costa was training to be a professional skateboarder until he suffered a cereer-ending injury.  Now he's a songwriter, and he's written a really catchy record.  You can read more about Matt Costa here.  Check it out.

The second is Pete Doherty's band Babyshambles, which he formed after he was booted out of the Libertines for the second time.  I realize that Pete Doherty is not the best citizen of the world--he drinks, he drugs, he causes a ruckus wherever he goes.  But the man can really write a song when he wants to (not that that in any way justifies his seemingly endless criminal energies).  And the group's second album, Shotters Nation, is a fascinating record.  There are some songs on it that are truly wonderful (for instance, "Deft Left Hand") and others that just miss the mark.  But I can't help but be amazed by Doherty's abilities as a songwriter.  I didn't much care for the Libertines; their music tended to make me anxious, and not in a good way.  But Babyshambles can be much softer and more purposeful than the Libertines, and it's in those moments where Doherty's songwriting skills shine through.  You can listen to a couple of tracks here.

Enjoy!