Travis Morrison

After nearly three years(!) of correspondence, Travis Morrison (formerly of one of my absolute favorite bands, the Dismemberment Plan, and currently of his own Hellfighters and several gospel choirs) phones it in from his office in midtown Manhattan, NY. The man Pitchfork couldn't kill weighs in with three unexpected covers and a great one of his own.

As he puts it:

"I feel like I'm a Radiohead video: there's nobody around except cleaning people and I'm singing into a phone. I just feel like Thom Yorke should know, people do win, it really does happen. So that's my situation. I'm under fluorescent lights on West 57th Street in New York. It's crazy. Through two windows I actually have a beautiful view of downtown New York City while I sing. So this is an unusual gig."

Songs:

Love Is A Stranger (Eurythmics) / Found A Job (The Talking Heads) / Song For The Orca / Up On The Roof (The Drifters)

Magic Magic

John Murphy and Brendan Hughes of Magic Magic, one of the best new bands in Boston, phone it in from Dedham, MA. Live or on recording, ask five different people who Magic Magic recall, and you'll get at least five different answers- the Arcade Fire, Band of Horses, the Walkmen, the French Kicks, even, um, Mazzy Star. And yet they still sound completely their own. Over the phone you don't get the benefit of their dual drummer attack, but you do get a sense of the exuberance these guys bring.

Songs:

Over Your Heart / French Song / Washington Or Bust / Savage / Aiming Guns, Drawing Lines

Toby Goodshank

Man about town Toby Goodshank and Yellow Fever-er Dizzy Spells Martian (aka Isabel Martin) phone it in from Brooklyn, NY.

Playing with Double Deuce, the Tri-Lambs, the Christian Pirate Puppets, Moldy Peaches, Bearded Witness, Huggabroomstik,and his own damn self, there's no stopping this guy.

Awesome songs:

Pray to You / The Sixth / Babylon Molehill / Dad Blame Anything a Man Can't Quit [Roger Miller cover] / Eclipse [Baby Skins cover] / My Uncle Used to Love Me But She Died [Roger Miller cover] / Dean's Dream [Dead Milkmen cover] / Closed Casket

Adam Green!

Once and future Moldy Peach Adam Green phones it in from the offices of Wiz Kid Management in Manhattan, NY.

"For now, Adam Green is a solo artist. Let's get that out of the way, because those words seems to have become a synonym for bland. There have been moments of beauty and inspiration, true, but far more common has been a slew of staid safe songs, as solo, so-called singer-songwriters rattle around music's ribcage like a stone heart. Where once the visions of artists like Dylan or Bowie led to musical innovation, now being a soloist seems like free therapy for a bunch of acoustic guitar-toting saps. Adam Green is a solo artist- but he doesn't spew his pain. Rather, Adam's songs are unique, funny, and carefully crafted, rallying against the predictable and obvious."

Songs (* = new):

Be My Man* / Drugs / Her Father And Her / Tropical Island* / I Wanna Die / Morning After Midnight* / We're Not Supposed To Be Lovers

Brook Pridemore

Brook Pridemore phones it in from Lompoc, CA, combining Michigan folk-punk with New York antifolk in the most awesome way possible. We guarantee you'll have 'Chocolate Cake City' stuck in your head all damn day.

Songs:

Black Spot / Store In A Cool, Dry Place [Toby Goodshank cover] / The Baptist Crutch / The Last Time > A Brighter Light / Facial Epithet / Endlessly (Endlessly) / John Darnielle / Chocolate Cake City

Yoni Gordon & a Good

Yoni Gordon and drummer Scott Eisenberg phone it in from right across town in Somerville, MA.

"Yoni Gordon is a singer/songwriter in the same way that Chuck Berry is a singer/songwriter. He believes in the spiritually rejuvenating properties of punk rock. He is a solo performer who wants his lone electric guitar to sound like the Clash."

Songs:

Up the Punks / The Spell / I Dreamed I Saw Billy Bragg Last Night / Motorhead / Dead But Not Forgotten / November Put a Chill in My Heart

Last song cuts off, but is featured in its entirety at the beginning of this mp3.

Chriss Sutherland (Cerberus Shoal/Fire on Fire)

Cerberus Shoal, Fire on Fire, and Threads 'Maine man' (ha!) Chriss Sutherland phones it in from his parents' home in Santa Rosa Beach, FL. As moving as a bulldozer, but as pretty as a Picasso.

"Many people might not be directly familiar with the name Chriss Sutherland, but most know Cerberus Shoal, of which Sutherland is a founding member. Me in a 'Field' marks his solo debut and shows why Cerberus Shoal is so revered. He's also a current member of Fire on Fire, who will release their debut on Michael Gira's Young God label. Here, Sutherland presents simple, wonderfully crafted songs in their barest form, but backed by the same heart that has made his previous efforts so great."

Songs:

Grumblin' / Fadin' Out / El Calor De La Noche / Pretenders [Colleen Kinsella (Asian Mae)]

Griffin & the True Believers

Burnt Oak Records' Griffin Epstein, Andrew Epstein, and Aaron Burns phone it in from Manhattan, NY. "Granola pop or doo wop folk punk or something. Something!" Whatever they are, we love 'em. Total poppy anti-folky goodness. Visit them here.

Songs:

No Sun / Ants & Spiders / Frog Noises / Lullaby #3 / Ocean Song