Singled Out - Hey Marseilles' True Love Will Find You in The End

The boys from Hey Marseilles (one of our favorite bands), turns in a lovely Valentine's Day present for us all.

This sweet and gentle cover of Daniel Johnston's True Love Will Find You In The End is infused with hopefully lyrics and a gorgeous chamber folk sound (drumbourine and trumpets anyone?).

It's free (no email sign up or anything), but why not drop the band some cash and pick up their most excellent To Travels and Trunks or the equally fantastic 7-inch Elegy?

Soundtracks for novels?

When you're a semi-important music blogger, you get all kinds of crap in your email inbox. Mashups you don't care to hear, DJ remixes that was a good idea to someone apprently.

But amid the crap, there is often a little bit of gold.

Today's gold was the free sountrack to a novel.

That's right. A novel.

It's 'How to Break Bad News,' the debut work of Tim Molloy. According to Amazon, it's about a the collapse of the news industry and one mans struggle to... zzzzzzzz.

You didn't come here to read about a book.

The album is alright. You gotta set the bar lower for free stuff, and this sails over it. It's a collection of a bunch of RCRD LBL artists I have only mildly heard of (Coco B's...), and it's pretty good.

Eseentially you have a RCRD LBL sampler. But they call it an album. It's got a lot of energy.

The book got good reviews too. So maybe I'll give up this music thing and read a little bit.

Download "How To Break Bad News" Soundtrack from RCRD LBL

What I'm Listening To - Griffin House "Fly Upside Down" (and a contest!!!)

Have I told you about Shifted Sound, the best damn indie music podcast on the planet?

I'm sure I have. This past week's episode (No. 142 for you people keeping count), brought some really solid music. Sweet Water, Tiny Animals, Now Now Every Children. Really good stuff.

But he also had an in studio guest, singer/songwriter Griffin House. And wow. This is the first time I had ever heard Griffin's music (I know, I've been under a rock), but I was floored. He has a few albums out, but his latest "Flying Upside Down" is a real winner.

You've probably heard his music on various soundtracks or TV shows. "Better Than Love" might be the song your daughter gets married to. He's a storyteller at heart, writing really simple but lyrically strong stories woven into amazing melodies ("I Remember", "Hanging On"). The tempo never really changes, but it's perfect where it is. "Live to be Free" is like something off "Easy Tiger"The standout on this album without a doubt is "The Guy That Says Goodbye to You is Out of His Mind." You should get this album for that song alone.

If you like early Ryan Adams and if you like later Conor Oberst, but wish the both of them wrote more about love and less about, well, themselves, you will LOVE Griffin House and you will LOVE this album.

And since I know you like free stuff, Shifted Sound is giving away an autographed copy of Flying Upside Down. Email your name, address and phone to shelbyATshiftedsound.com with Griffin House in the subject line. I believe the contest ends Feb 22, so hop to it!

Valentines Day

First off, have you entered to win a free CD from Kristin Andreassen yet?

It's pretty simple. Leave a comment at the above entry with some way to contact you, and we'll draw names this Friday.

Second, I put together a mix CD of some really nice songs for Valentines Day last year, and gave them out as presents. I updated it for this year, so if you're interested in having one, leave a comment or email me your address and I'll send them out at the end of the week. That's it. You want a CD, you get one.

Warning: I'm going to try and do my damnedest to send them out, but I'm A)sometimes horrible about these kind of things, and B) expecting a new baby in the next two weeks. So, I'm off Friday, if I have your request by then, I'll put them in the mail.