Damien Jurado - "Unknown demo". And Now That I'm Your Shadow is a blog maintained by one of my favourite singer-songwriters, Damien Jurado. To date he has posted three "new, rare" songs, "done over the phone". This is one of these. It's a song about loneliness, yes, over almost as soon as it begins. It's lovely. Like the last coat, your coat, lying on the bed at the end of the party. All by itself.

Jurado's new album is due in October, but his first EP, Gathered in Song, has just been rereleased by Made in Mexico. Autographed copies are a mere $15.

Harry Nilsson - "Many Rivers to Cross". Nilsson's version of Jimmy Cliff's "Many Rivers to Cross" appears on Pussy Cats, recorded in 1974 with John Lennon. And the strain of the main guitar part is enough to carry me straight across a room, a city, a country, an ocean. It's such longing, friends, a longing as long as a man's heart. Violins and drums are there too, stretched-out cymbal shudders, a bassline - but it's only Nilsson who tries with his broken vocal cords to really sing the sound of that guitar; to say the same thing. "Maaaaaany rivers to croooooooss." The whole band takes a break, a breath, as they launch into each verse: they know how much this takes out of you. The bridge is strange, filled with bowed upright bass, almost bouncy, but then you see it's an introduction for the guitar solo the colour of a lover's token.

You could play this song in the rain but that might be a little much; play it when it's dry, everything so dry, too dry for words. You'll still find yourself washed-up, drowning - but, I hope, struggling to shore.

[buy]

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Elsewhere:

Spanish musicblog Buffet Libre has an amazing contest going on - remix songs by Datarock, Spank Rock and others (with full multiple tracks available to download). Winners get prizes, attention, and pride of place on a special CD.

Best news of the day: an Exploding Hearts reissue on its way, along with a CD of rarities and some live footage! One such rare tracks available here... RIP.

And finally, there are still (somehow?!) prints available from Kit Malo's edition of 100 for Tiny Showcase. It's beautiful, beautiful, tender and beautiful - and $20. Don't be a fool.