LISTEN TO OUR LIBRARY: THE UTNE READER SAMPLER

Here at Utne Reader, we get almost as many music releases as we get magazines: You can listen to our library as well as read it. And just as we do in the print world, we have a preference for small, scrappy, independently owned but creatively vibrant outlets. Each month, I’ll present a cross-section of music gleaned from current releases that are catching my ear. Just like Utne Reader, the Utne Reader Music Sampler will be diverse and out of the ordinary, curated by us for you. The best part: All the tracks are downloadable for the month.

—Senior editor Keith Goetzman

The tracks for the September 2009 sampler have expired. Please visit the latest sampler for more tracks.

Utne Reader Sampler September 2009

James Blackshaw 

This young 12-string guitarist has been turning heads with his prodigious playing, which combines folk, classical, and experimental elements. On The Glass Bead Game (Young God), Blackshaw dazzles with hypnotic grace.

Slaraffenland

The Danish quintet makes edgy, horn-tinged music that’s tense but not tortured, often building into angularly elegant climaxes. Ever-changing rhythmic textures keep the songs on We’re on Your Side (Hometapes) pulsing with surprise.

 The Duke and the King 

The heartfelt, soulful music of Simone Felice is a balm for troubled minds. Written in response to tragedy, the songs on Nothing Gold Can Stay (Ramseur) soothe with direct and beguiling melodies.

David Bazan

Formerly the lead singer for Pedro the Lion, Bazan wrestles with large questions in his intelligent pop on Curse Your Branches (Barsuk). There’s a little heaven, a little hell, and everything in between in his emotional music.

Buffy Sainte-Marie 

One of the leading lights of the ’60s folk scene, Sainte-Marie is back with her first album in 13 years, Running for the Drum (Appleseed). With sounds ranging from wispy and mellow to fiery and rhythmic, she is as inspirational and as vital as ever.

Frank Turner 

Like Billy Bragg before him, Frank Turner plays acoustic music with punk-rock fervor on Poetry of the Deed (Epitaph). His catchy songs are anthemic in feel but organic in execution.

Chris Potter 

This saxophonist leads his lean, muscular Underground ensemble through invigorating jazz on Ultrahang (ArtistShare), tugging the genre in adventurous new directions.

Image of the record player by Knipsermann, licensed under Creative Commons.