Camphor and then some

I just realized that I never wrote about the wonderful song "The Sweetest Tooth" by Camphor before. The song has been on my list of staples that I listen to very frequently for a very long time and it's really odd that it should have slipped my mind to post about it on here. It's got all the hallmarks of my favorite kind of song: Strings and smoky vocals. If you like that kind of stuff too I suggest you find some good headphones or turn your stereo up really loud and have a listen.

Because I like the Camphor track above so much, I decided to see what similar tunes betterPropaganda would recommend to me. Turns out The Black Heart Procession is one of the bands it came up with. I'm glad too. "Not Just Words" isn't quite upbeat, but it's sweeping, which can be better. Someone over at the site aptly described their sound as "beautifully bleak and brooding indie rock with a dark side". If that sounds interesting to you, listen here.

There are several songs at the link above. I haven't listened to all of them. "Exit Out" came on randomly. It's an instrumental track and has some of the same qualities as "Not Just Words". Listen and download here. I think I like this one even better than "Not Just Words". When an instrumental track is done well, it's such a pleasure to listen to. I wasn't even really paying attention to the music that was playing on my computer when I heard to song the first time, but I suppose it was good enough to make me stop what I was doing and actually listen to it. There you go. I hope you concur with my feelings about "Exit Out".

I heard Califone for the first time while watching Stranger Than Fiction (which stars Will Ferrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Emma Thompson). The soundtrack included a song of theirs, whose name I can't recall currently, that was quite pleasant. I found "Wingbone" over at betterPropaganda and I like it even better. It's a very slow and soothing song. It almost feels like you're sitting around with a few good friends jamming. Listen and download here. Incidentally, there's another song available at the same spot, but I cannot report anything as to its quality, you'll have to listen yourselves.

"The Sweetest Tooth" by Camphor
Drawn to Dust, 2008

"Not Just Words" by The Black Heart Procession
The Spell, 2006

"Exit Out" by The Black Heart Procession
Badman Winter 2005 Sampler, 2005

"Wingbone" by Califone
Heron King Blues, 2004