Madeline

Yesterday, Sean alluded to what's going on with Orange Twin down in Athens, GA, so I figured I'd elaborate on that a bit. Folks from the band Elf Power have, in addition to setting up their own record label, begun organizing, as they call it, "a pedestrian-based eco-village" with 100 acres of preserved woodlands five miles from downtown Athens. On the website, you can see pictures of the community house they're fixing up, and the approval they've received from local government. Neat stuff. Also neat — and totally receiving less attention in this post than she deserves — is Madeline Adams. She's been singing her songs in Athens since she was a teenager, and already has two full-length albums under her belt. Check out the tracks from her most recent release, The Slow Bang, for a sampling of her sparse, warm, intimiate acoustic offerings; more downloads and a very pretty crayon drawing can be found at Madeline's website.

from The Slow Bang:
To Hell and Back [MP3, 3.1MB, 192kbps]
Sleeping Dogs [MP3, 3.6MB, 192kbps]

from self-titled 2003 split EP:
I Do What I'm Told [MP3, 2.2MB, 192kbps]
Agaisnt the World and Losing the Battle (Faith) [MP3, 2.9MB, 192kbps]

from Kissing and Dancing:
I Left the Light On [MP3, 2MB, 160kbps]
Seeing Double [MP3, 3.3MB, 160kbps]

www.orangetwin.com
www.madelinesongs.com

Ham1

Seriously, my sincerest apologies to Jim and his posse for shellin' out their new songs while rehashing an old review of the band. They deserve better. They deserve so much more. But, alas, this is all I could muster in the middle of night when I should only be doing ONE thing: sleeping. Besides, you can read up on the band and their label and all the good things they got going on down there in Athens, GA right here.

Hare Lipped Bust [MP3, 3.4MB, 192kbps]
I Had a Good Idea [MP3, 3.9MB, 192kbps]
White Rat [MP3, 5.6MB, 192kbps]

Original post 10/18/2005:
First thing you should know about Jim Willingham is he prefers not to sell his records. That alone's worth some ink on these pages, especially when you're able to spin a yarn that sounds like Roger Miller on Robitussin (the old animated version of Robin Hood's been in heavy rotation around my house lately; Miller narrates and soundtracks). "Alice's Call," a lazy, dusty, western instrumental, lends itself to being picked apart for its samples (I can imagine an RJD2 remix used in a Taratino western). "Pop Song for a Funeral" could be an outtake from R.E.M.'s outtake LP Dead Letter Office. Which makes sense seeing as Willingham's from Athens, GA, and has tapped the local scene for his back-up band. Members of Olivia Tremor Control, the Rock*A*Teens, Japancake, and the Glands all lend a musical hand.

Alice's Call [MP3, 3.1MB, 128kbps]
Pop Song for a Funeral [MP3, 1.3MB, 128kbps]
Broken Crown [MP3, 2.4MB, 128kbps]
Swan Dive [MP3, 1.9MB, 128kbps]
Floorida [MP3, 2.6MB, 128kbps]

www.orangetwin.com
www.ham1.org