Live: Cotton Jones at Doug Fir

There's something almost religious about seeing Cotton Jones in concert—like going to church, but without any talk of god. The hymns are to the silver morning light, the flowers in the park, rolling hills and rushing rivers, hazy half dreams, and chiming bells. The songs are all personal moments and portraits—sipping tea, looking out the window—shared by the soulful and honey-voiced Michael Nau and his band of country folk from Cumberland, Maryland. The seven-piece group filled the stage at Doug Fir Lounge on Friday night with the standard folk-rock instrumentation of drums, bass, and electric guitar, plus a few more colorful treats like an amplified accordion, trombone, and tuba. Despite the band's size, the songs sounded as if they were being played in your own living room next to a quietly popping fireplace—warm and intimate at every turn. As always, Nau was aided by his husky-voiced singing partner and wife Whitney McGraw, who looks about six-months pregnant and as radiant as ever. The two have an incredible onstage rapport, never trading more than a look or nod during their vibrant duets and harmonies, and as an audience member, it often feels as if you've stumbled onto a couple's private, hushed conversations.

Streaming/Fondling: Futurebirds, Cass McCombs, Timbre Timbre, Cotton Jones

I don't like streaming. As an avid consumer of all things music, when I really dig something I want to keep it: whether it's by downloading it, preordering it, or running down the street to the record shop and searching for it in the non-alphabetized "general letter" section. The dangling of desirable ear-tingling goods within reach to sample but not take home is like going to the supermarket, fondling all of the best produce, and then leaving them for the next shopper to rifle through all over again. When I find a good grapefruit, I want to it take home. However, this blogger's streaming bin is piling up and am therefore left with no choice but to share these fine gems on a fondle-only basis.

New Cotton Jones - "Egg On A Sea"

The dreamy retro-fitted folk-rock tidings of Cotton Jones return February 22 with the new EP, Sit Beside Your Vegetables. You can preview the goods with the Whitney McGraw-led, downbeat electric piano chime of “Egg On A Sea.” Make sure to catch the band on their upcoming tour, which kicks off next week. (via)

Cotton Jones - "Egg On A Sea" (from Sit Beside Your Vegatables)

Cotton Jones - "Glorylight and Christie"

It's easy to forget Michael Nau and Whitney McGraw played in Page France together before forming Cotton Jones. Mostly because with Paranoid Cocoon and the Rio Ranger EP, they've created a persona and sound so unbelievably raw and pure that it's hard to imagine any other music possible. Tall Hours In The Glowstream, the group's next full-length, is scheduled to be released August 24.

Cotton Jones - "Glorylight and Christie" (from Tall Hours In The Glowstream)