AC Newman - Live at the Virgin Megastore

AC Newman pictured here with Nicole Atkins yesterday played an instore at the Virgin Megastore in NYC.

Lots of photos can be found over at Brooklyn Vegan

AC Newman - on Stereogum

From Get Guilty: The Changeling (Get Guilty)

AC Newman Like A Hitman, Like A Dancer (Pitchfork TV)

This is one of four tracks that will appear online in the next few weeks. This is the New York branch of the A.C Newman band. The tracks were recorded recently in a studio in Brooklyn.

AC Newman interview

Carl Newman has spoken to Pitchfork about his upcoming album "Get Guilty" & other pressing matters here

Plush - #19 in Uncut's top re-issues of 2008

Plush's Fed has made number 19 in Uncut's end of year best of list (re-issue section).

AC Newman Get Guilty

Up next on Broken Horse will be the terrific 2nd solo album by AC (aka Carl) Newman in early 2009. The album will be released on Matador in the US on January 20th and shortly after on Broken Horse in the UK/Europe. It really is a very special album and is more than an equal to his excellent debut album Slow Wonder and his work with the world conquering The New Pornographers.

Carl played his first show with his new band last Saturday at The Bell House in Brooklyn. He was accompanied by rising star Nicole Atkins who sings back up vocals on several tracks on Get Guilty.

Looks like it was a great night.

More write ups here, here and with a ton of photos here

Plush at Metacritic

At the time of writing, Metacritic has Fed at #3 in their list of the best reviewed albums of 2008, (ahead of Fleet Foxes, Bon Iver and Nick Cave...). Don't just take our word for it, check it out here.

(UPDATE: 20th Nov Fed is currently #2!)

Record collector have also given Fed a glowing four star review.

Patrick Cleandenim - Orange Moonbeam Floorshow

Patrick's 2nd album Orange Moonbeam Floorshow will land in early 2009. In the meantime, Patrick is currently living, performing and DJ-ing in Berlin. You can catch him on the following dates.


Nov 12 Dr Pong (DJ Set), Berlin
Nov 15 Madame Claude, Berlin
Nov 20 Madness, Dresden
Nov 22 Offenes Jugendhaus, Riesa
Nov 26 Dr Pong (DJ Set), Berlin
Dec 6 Dr Pong (DJ Set), Berlin

silver ray - reunion video

Filmed by Brett Poliness and Michelangelo Russo, edited by Michelangelo Russo. Reunion is taken from the latest Silver Ray album "Homes For Everyone".

Andrew Morgan on illegal downloading

Andrew Morgan whose debut album Misadventures in Radiology was released on Broken Horse has just made his 2nd self titled album available for download via his website. He has also written some words on how he sees the issue of illegal downloading from his perspective as an artist who is constantly struggling to raise the funds to record his songs.

Whether you like Andrew's music or not it's a great piece that hits the nail on the head as far as Broken Horse is concerned. Please feel free to pass this on to anyone you may be interested or to post the article on any relevent message boards you may frequent.


A Plea

Stealing music hurts musicians. When you appropriate music for
personal use without compensating its creator, you devalue the work,
the process which engenders it, and the role occupied by artists
within communities.

Goods are worth what consumers are willing to pay for them. If
consumers are willing to pay nothing for a particular good, then its
value is nothing. While there is still a market for the sale of music,
more and more people are electing, whether selectively or exclusively,
to bypass the market and obtain music illegally through torrents,
file-sharing, and the like. People don't steal music in this way
because they deserve to be able to. They do it simply because they
can. It's a sense of entitlement that considers its own morality
purely as an afterthought, if at all.

What Radiohead did in the fall of 2007 with the release of In Rainbows
was thrilling, but don't forget for one second that when they did it,
they were already middle-aged millionaires made rich by the very
industry model they now condemn with cavalier ease. They exist within
the system they deconstruct & destruct. They consider their songs to
be "public works," yet they continue to sell them. It's a complete
contradiction.

The reason that it is necessary for music to be sold rather than given
away is because the costs of making music are real and unavoidable.
Instrument purchase and maintenance, practice space, recording,
mixing, mastering, and manufacturing are but a few of the many costs
involved. The belief that digital technology has evolved to a point
where anyone can produce high quality recordings is a myth. While it
is true that anyone can make recordings inexpensively, the gear and
expertise necessary to yield exceptional results cost thousands and
thousands of dollars. The financial fate of the music industry will
affect everyone involved in the making of music -- artists, studios,
engineers, labels, publicists, graphic designers, manufacturing
houses, and more. Our relationships are mutually dependent. If, for
example, artists and labels can't afford to compensate engineers and
studios at a rate which ensures their continued existence, the entire
system becomes threatened.

It is a sad fact that those within the music industry are often the
most likely to excuse the theft of music. It is a symptom emerging
from perceptions of insider status. To be clear, it is not OK to steal
music just because you make music, sell music, or write about music.
The only acceptable means of obtaining an artist's music without
compensation is with explicit permission from the artist or legally
recognized copyright holder.

Please don't steal music. It's utterly humiliating to even have to ask
that it not be stolen in the first place. When you purchase music,
it's at a tiny fraction of the cost at which it was made. And it's
yours forever. The number of other goods that can be legally obtained
so far below cost within the market are very few. Go through iTunes
and delete any music you have not paid for. Gather up any CDRs that
contain any music you have not paid for and throw them away. When you
steal music, you break hearts.

Silver Ray - Homes For Everyone

Next up on Broken Horse. The 4th and finest Silver Ray album to date, "Homes For Everyone". It somewhat of a departure for the band as it features 10 tracks as opposed to the usual 4 or 5 and also features writing contributions from all three members.

The album will be released on Broken Horse in the UK/Europe on June 30th.

You can hear four of the tracks from the album here

The Autumn Defense - Americana UK review

"if you love your soft-rock lush and beautiful this will be one of your records of the year"

Americana UK have given The Autumn Defense album a great review - you can read it here

Liam Hayes and Plush

Take A Chance is a new song by Liam Hayes and Plush from their forthcoming album "Bright Penny". No real Broken Horse connection here except we've been fans since their classic debut 7" Found A Little Baby/Three Quarters Blind Eyes and the video was directed by Jim Newberry who took some snaps of Kevin Tihista a couple of years back.

Patrick Cleandenim - The Scurimobile & Interview

Patrick Cleandenim's The Scurimobile will be given a rare showing next month.

"The film will be screened in its entirety on Tuesday, March 11th at 9:00 pm at The Cooper Union (7 E. 7th Street, New York City). Admission is free and open to the public."







Also, you can read a new interview with Patrick from The New Mexico Daily Lobo here

The Autumn Defense - out now

We are extremley proud to be releasing the self titled (& 3rd) album by The Autumn Defense which is John Stirratt & Pat Sansone of Wilco. They are joined on the album by Nels Cline, Brad Jones and Greg Wieczorek.

The artwork has been specially re-designed by Pat Sansone himself for the Broken Horse issue and if we say so ourselves, looks great.

The album has already picked up a handful of great reviews and more we hope are on the horizon. At the moment, we are hoping Pat & John will be over for a few select live dates in April (more info as we have it).

Also look out for "Winterlight" on the covermount CD accompanying the current issue of The Word.

"reference points include Nick Drake and CSN, Bread, Big Star and the essence of Love, Steely Dan and a dozen others" MOJO ****

"never less than utterly gorgeous" THE WORD

"wilco offshoot spins gorgeous soft rock" Q ****

"edifying and beautifully textured third out from Wilco men John Stirratt and Pat Sansone" DAILY MIRROR ****

"soft rock at it's most elegant." TIME OUT

Patrick Cleandenim - T-Sides album of 2007

New York music blog T-Sides have chosen Patrick Cleandenim's Baby Comes Home as the album of the year for 2007. Baby Comes Home comes above the likes of Feist, Dirty Projectors, Panda Bear, St Vincent in their end of year round round up.

"Perhaps the greatest asset that Patrick Cleandenim has is that so few people are doing what he’s doing anymore. What is he doing, exactly? He’s playing updated standards type of music, nodding back to days of big bands and swing and other early forms of jazz and pop. Sure, there are a few who do this - Jens Lenkman, for example, who you’ll likely find of plenty of this year’s top lists. Where Cleandenim exceeds his contemporaries, however, is his ability to do it without sounding gimmicky or gaudy. Too many artists who tread into this territory end up feeling insincere or over the top, like they thought “let’s try something new!” and one-offed it, bleeding perky pop song into perky pop song. Baby Comes Home has a very natural feel to it, as though there is no other way he knows how to make music. It has, well, everything. It’s sensual, flirty, relaxing, engaging, confident, glamorous, humble, sentimental, bitter - name an emotion, and it’s probably in here somewhere. It also has “Days Without Rain,” which is easily my favorite song of the year, a song I could (and often do) listen to for days and never tire of. A sumptuous plea for a lover’s return, he’s seductive, cheerful, commanding and pleading, all in the course of four minutes and 42 seconds. It’s the strings, the high-hat, the piano, each part so artfully played. There is no moment in a song this year that tops the moments where Cleandenim cries, “won’t you come home in the morning / before our love beings to dry the rain” (though that second bit changes throughout the song). Ultimately, though, what made this album so sure in its #1 placement is that this is the album that had me the most excited about music this year, the album that I made everyone listen to, the album that I came back to month after month. While Baby Comes Home is not as grand on an influential scale as something like In Rainbows, it deserves its accolades, too - and I’m more than pleased to give them. "

You can read the original article here

Patrick Cleandenim - Live at the Apartment

Recorded live in New York, Christmas 2007.

Best of 2007

Top albums (in no particular order)

Patrick Cleandenim Baby Comes Home (Broken Horse)
The Broken Family Band Hello Love (Track & Field)
Rilo Kiley Under The Blacklight (Warner Brothers)
The Autumn Defense S/T (Broadmoor)
Silver Ray Homes For Everyone (Silver Ray)
Prefab Sprout Steve Mcqueen (acoustic versions) (Kitchenware - bonus disc with the remastered version of their 1985 album)
The Decemberists The Crane Wife (Rough Trade)
Proud Simon Shoestring Universe (Proud Simon)
Wilco Sky Blue Sky (Nonesuch)
Glenn Mercer Wheels in Motion (Pravda)

followed by (also in no patricular order)

OK Jones Elephantoms (Centropolis)
The Clientele God Save The Clientele (Merge)
Benjy Feree Leaving The Nest (Domino)
Dinosaur Jr Beyond (PIAS)
Candidate Oxengate (Snowstorm)
Band of Horses Cease To Begin (Sub Pop)
Beirut The Flying Club Cup (4AD)
Bishop Allen & The Broken String (Dead Meadows)
Iron & Wine The Shepherd's Dog (Sub Pop)
Miracle Fortress Five Roses (Rough Trade)
UK States Psychogeography (Hitback)
Okkervill River The Stage Names (Jagjaguwar)
Bill Callahan Woke on a Whaleheart (Drag City)
Cam Butler Healing Feelings (Pharmacy)
The White Stripes Icky Thump (XL)
David Vandervelde The Moonstation House Band (Secretly Canadian)

Some of 2007's best tracks

Rilo Kiley Silver Lining
The Broken Family Band Give and Take
OK Jones Deep Sea Divers
Proud Simon American Caskets
LCD Soundsystem All My Friends
The Autumn Defense About To Change
Patrick Cleandenim Days Without Rain
The Yellow Moon Band Entangled
Wilco Impossible Germany
Andrew Bird Heretics
Prefab Sprout Bonny
Bishop Allen Rain
Candidate Furlough
David Vandervelde Nothin' No
The Decemberists When The War Came
Wilco On and On and On
Glenn Mercer Another Last Time
Dylan Mondegreen Girl in Grass
The Autumn Defense We Would Never Die
The Living Image The Show
Tegan and Sara The Con
Bill Callahan Diamond Dancer
Okkervill River Unless It's Kicks
Beirut Un Dernier Verre (Pour La Route)
The Clientele Bookshop Casanova
Patrick Cleandenim Rocket To The Moon
Silver Ray The Streets of Melbourne
Rilo Kiley Close Call
Glenn Mercer Morning Lights
Wilco You Are My Face


Favourite (non 2007) album of the year

Camper Van Beethoven Tusk (Cooking Vinyl 2002) DBL CD

The Autumn Defense on Broken Horse

The Autumn Defense's 3rd & self titled album will be released on Broken Horse for the UK/Europe on January 28th 2008. The core of the band is John Stirratt & Pat Sansone from Wilco. The Broken Horse issue will feature brand new artwork and photos and has been re-designed by Pat Sansone himself (is there nothing this guy can't do?)

"After the release of their second album in 2003, The Autumn Defense, multi-instrumentalists John Stirratt and Pat Sansone, realized that there was indeed an audience for their Simon & Garfunkel/Bread influenced soft-rock that they hadn’t truly appreciated, and like most things took some time to develop.

"We’ve known each other for a long time. We just all knew each other from being around the Mississippi music scene back in the late 80’s and early 90’s," Sansone said. "I reconnected with John when I moved to New Orleans around 97. John was living in New Orleans as well, so we just started hanging out and listening to records and we realized we had the same tastes at the time and we started strumming and singing and realized we had a real great vocal blend, which was really the reason we started the band."

“I loved the way that [2003's Circles] had this sort of gestation period...that it took a while for people to find it, but when they did, they really dug it”, according to Stirratt. Circles earned high praise from critics like David Fricke of Rolling Stone who called it, "warm, gorgeous, and delightful," and picked up 4 stars from both Mojo and Uncut.

In the meantime, Pat Sansone joined Wilco as a full time member just before the release of 2004’s A Ghost is Born. A necessary move from New York to Chicago for Sansone allowed them to work together as often as possible and to record at their leisure in Wilco’s sprawling musical Aladdin’s cave-like loft studio.

Pat Sansone "I think that Chicago kind of lends itself, especially if you’re recording in the winter time, which we did; it lends itself to locking yourself inside because it’s so cold outside. It’s kind of easy to focus and concentrate because you want to be inside. I think that probably did influence this record in trying to make it warm sounding."

Once the songs were in place, they recovened with their rhythm section of the last six years: drummer Greg Wieczorek, and producer/ session man Brad Jones, as well as other Autumn Defense regulars like pedal steel player John Pirruccello and horn player Steve Tyska.

“We’ve worked with them for so long now, that there’s a certain intuitiveness about the track as it’s going down... that they know the possibilities as well as we do,” says Stirratt. And through Brad Jones they were also able to work with new friends Chris Carmichael and Jim Hoke, whose string and flute performances brought Sansone’s light orchestral arrangements to life, and to helped provide a truly organic feel to the recordings.

The result of a long winter’s work is the self-titled release, The Autumn Defense. It is the culmination and continuation of what the band has reached for in the last two records, from the Philly-soul of "Feel You Now", to the baroque "Estate Remains", the bossa "City Bells" to the classic Southern- California sound of "We Would Never Die.” (also featuring Wilco’s Nels Cline). Playing this album next to Wilco’s Sky Blue Sky which followed “The Autumn Defense” a few months later (The Autumn Defense was released in the U.S in early 2007), it becomes clear how integral both Stirratt and Sansone are to the current Wilco sound in what is looking likely to be it’s most successful and enduring line up."

November listening

Nick Drake Heaven in a Wild Flower (1985 best of) (Island) CD
Camper Van Beethoven Tusk (Cooking Vinyl) DBL CD
Fire Engines Hungry Beat (Acute) CD
Living Image The Show (demo) MP3
Andrew Morgan S/T (tbc) forthcoming CD
The Railway Children Brighter (Factory) 12"
Fleetwood Mac Rumours (Warner Brothers) DBL CD
The Specials Singles (2 Tone) CD
Bobb Trimble Iron Curtain Innocence (Secretly Canadian) CD
Dave Kusworth In Some Life Let Gone (Troubador) DBL CD
Edwyn Collins Home Again (Heavenly) CD