Paste, 55 and counting

Folks who follow the occasional nonsense on this blog know that I’m a fan of Paste Magazine.

It’s a great publication. Each month it gathers what its staff thinks are some of the more interesting new songs, mainly from Indie artists, and packages them in a sampler.

As a subscriber, I used to get the sampler as a CD in each issue. Now I get it as a download – Paste’s way of saving money.

Paste, in fact, has been forced to be a bit creative as it wrestles with the economic downturn. Advertising is way down, so Paste reduced the dimension of its magazine while also asking its fans to donate small sums so it could weather its cash-flow crisis.

I donated … and I think Paste will make it. I, and thousands of other subscribers, hope so.

But Paste is a topic today because Sampler No. 55 just arrived. It’s really good.

I’ve subscribed now for 13 issues – so 13 samplers. The first sampler I received remains the most magical for me, because it helped me learn about a range of music I’d been oblivious to for years. It also came at a time when I was just being taught how to share music.

But No. 55 has to be one of my favorites since. On it are 21 songs, most of which are simply great. Economists talk about “little green shoots” popping up here or there … economic statistics that show a slow rebirth of the economy. I liken this song collection to Paste’s own springtime -- a resurgence of spirit timed with a surge of fresh material, just when we thought Paste’s dark nights were going to continue.

So what’s on No. 55? A rich mix of rock, blues, country, folk.

Some favorites:

- “Highs and Lows” by Mindy Smith: Nashville has created a lot of female country artists who are so twangy it hurts, but Mindy leaves twang at the door. This is from her new album, “Stupid Love.”

- "To Kingdom Come” by Passion Pit: Ah, youth. Okay, the music video’s kind of hokey – love those mustaches! – but the music is solid and original. The keyboard work is, well, key.

- “The Walls Are Coming Down” by Fanfarlo: This United Kingdom band is full of fun … besides the usual guitar, drums, etc., you’ll hear horns, chimes, glokenspiels and more. But the lead vocalist is notable. A mature voice in a young lad.

- “Days Like This” by Kim Taylor: This Ohio artist calls her stuff country/soul. It is. What makes it work is her slight, just-a-bit rough voice and beautiful guitar work.

- “Coal War” by Joshua James: James is from Lincoln, Neb. – heartland boy! -- but resides now in Utah. He credits his folk style to something between Dylan and Neil Young. Paste swoons over this guy’s new album. As it should. Coal War has a negro-spiritual quality to it.

- “Song Up in Her Head” by Sarah Jarosz: No. 55 seems replete with country influences, this one included. But Sarah’s a young 18, a product of the Austin, Texas, scene. She learned the piano at 6 and the mandolin at 10; her voice, though, belies her youth – confident and rich

- “Ancestors” by Throw Me the Statue: This Seattle group got its name from a mix tape that band leader Scott Reitherman created for a friend. What’s fun in this tune is the lead guitar – a flipped-out backdrop to some good vocals.

- “Three Days in Bed” by Holly Williams: More country, but in this case a Paris fantasy involving a little danger and risk-taking, as she describes it. The lyrics are haunting; the tune also.

And there are a bunch of others in this mix, including Shawn Colvin doing a version of “Crazy.” Folks know Gnarls Barkley’s take on this tune best, but Colvin’s live version takes it in a different direction.

Paste – good for what ails you!