Bruce Springsteen Releases New Single

Springsteen released "We Take Care Of Our Own"
as the first single off of "Wrecking Ball"
due out 03/06/12.

Earlier today, we reported on the slew of Leonard Cohen singles from his upcoming release. Now it seems The Boss is following suit. His new album, "Wrecking Ball," is apparently his "angriest" album ever, but you wouldn't know that from the freshly released single, "We Take Care Of Our Own." It's treads the familiar grounds of "Born In The USA," with thundering drums, a chugging rhythm and a superficially pro-America chorus (replete with strings) wherein Bruce howls "We take care of our own/wherever this flag's flown." Like "Born In The USA," the lyrics reach a little deeper than that, mentioning some recent instances where perhaps we haven't taken care of our own, "From the shotgun shack to the Super Dome/There ain't no help, the cavalry stayed home/Ain't nobody hearin' the bugle blowin'." There's a point of unintentional humor; the opening lyrics, "I've been knocking on the door that holds the throne," conjure up (to me) a scene where Bruce has been trying unsuccessfully to get into the bathroom. Regardless, it is a new Bruce Springsteen song that's been released on the heels of a new Bruce Springsteen album, which is cause enough for celebration. You have to figure that someone realized releasing the new "angrier" Springsteen as a single would not build sufficient buzz, whereas this song follows a tried-and-true model that will (theoretically) see to the success of the album, "Wrecking Ball" due out March 6th, 2012. The video for the single is posted below.

Leonard Cohen's Forthcoming Release, "Old Ideas"

Leonard Cohen's "Old Ideas" will be
released January 31st, 2012 on Columbia Records.

After seven years of studio silence, the master songwriter Leonard Cohen will return with a new batch of songs at the end of the month. My excitement hangs in the air like a veil (the type you'd have to draw aside to see the serpent eat its tail), as Leonard Cohen holds an eternal place in my personal pantheon of critically important musicians. To build buzz for the release (because "Leonard Cohen is releasing a new album," is, for some reason, not enough for people), there have been three tracks from the forthcoming album released. The first to hit the net was "Show Me The Place," a vocal/piano number with a slow string build and Cohen's trademark lyrical depth and raspy vocals.  That was followed by "Darkness," whose swirling organ perfectly counterpoints the depth and darkness of Cohen's sound, and, most recently, a thinly-veiled battle with mortality, streaming from the New Yorker's culture desk, "Going Home." Click the link at left to listen to "Going Home," the other songs and the complete track list are after the jump.

Album Review: "All That The Rain Promises" by Bombadil

All That the Rain Promises by Bombadil was released on
November 8, 2011 by Ramseur Records

If you've been with Myxem for a while, you may remember our coverage of the third day of the Hopscotch Music Festival in Raleigh, NC. We talked at length about Bombadil, a Durham-based band that we caught a glimpse of between sets from the Flaming Lips and Lost in the Trees. It takes a very special performance to stand out between two musical powerhouses such as those, but when the dust cleared and the copious glitter from the Flaming Lips show finally washed out of my hair, the memory of Bombadil's set at Fletcher Opera Hall still burned clearly in my mind. They completely took me by surprise with a display of sheer, raw talent that had me listening to their back-catalog (specifically 2009's epic Tarpits and Canyonlands) and nothing else for about a solid month.

Now, a full two months later, Bombadil has released their third album, All That the Rain Promises. I've been excited about this one for quite some time and can say with complete honesty that I am nowhere near disappointed. All of the key elements that drew me to Bombadil in the first place are present in full force; the album opens with "I Will Wait", an emotional dirge reminiscent of traditional Southern hymnals, before going into the elegant guitar work and slow build that comprise "The Pony Express." From there, we are treated to another admirable collection of tunes steeped in the band's quirky sort of charm, with the composition of each one managing to outshine its predecessor at first listen. Lyrically, the band doesn't stray too far from the eloquent pseudo-folk storytelling we've come to expect from them (with the notable exception of "A Question" which reads like a playground love-note), and I quite frankly have no problem with that. There are certainly attempts to get more ambitious vocally, such as the penultimate ballad "Short Side of the Wall", but for the most part Bombadil stick to what they know, and they seem it know it damn well.

After a brief hiatus brought on by vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Daniel Michalak's health issues, Bombadil has come roaring back into the North Carolina music scene, and with All That the Rain Promises, they have shown that they are anything but rusty. The album is a complete and seemingly effortless return to form that is impossible not to enjoy. I cannot recommend it highly enough and will be waiting patiently to hear what this incredibly talented group comes out with next.

Rating: 9.4/10
Standout Tracks: "The Pony Express", "One Whole Year", "Laundromat"

Van Music: Brian Warren of Weatherbox

Click above to listen on Spotify.

We at the Myxem staff are always interested to hear what other people are listening to; it's the easiest way to discover new music. We're especially curious to find out what tunes some of our favorite musicians enjoy when they're not out making their own. The life of a touring musician often consists of countless hours spent in the van, driving from city to city, so when we sat down with Brian Warren of Weatherbox, of course we had to ask what he's been jamming out to on the open road. Check out the first playlist in a series we're calling "Van Music" to hear some selections from the artists that keep Weatherbox company on tour, including The Locust, Michael Nyman, R. Kelly, Fugazi and more. Click the banner above to start listening!