We/Or/Me, the songwriting name of Bahhaj Taherzadeh, was kind enough to curate a mix tape just for our loyal MAGNET readers. Once you check out a few of Taherzadeh’s favorite songs, be sure to download his wonderful track “The Dusty Roads.” We/Or/Me will release Everything Behind Us Is A Dream on January 29.
“The Dusty Roads” (download):
Sam Amidon “Way Go Lily”
The dark soul of American folk music lives in Sam Amidon. His music is ancient and of our time all at once. His plaintive voice is raw and unaffected and carries so much history. He takes old songs and bends them to fit his own purposes. It’s a grand old tradition, but he somehow makes it feel as though he is doing something new. It helps that he is surrounded by the likes of Thomas Bartlett and Nico Muhly. I could pick any song from recent records, but this one is a favorite. So simple, so plain-spoken, but so elegant and beautiful. Video
Nina Nastasia “Oh, My Stars”
I worry about artists like Nina Nastasia. I worry that the industry no longer makes it possible for her to carve out a living. She hasn’t made a record in six years. The Blackened Air is one of my favorite records of all time. It is raw and electrifying, but so fragile and delicate at the same time. In the wrong hands, these songs could have been turned into polished, lush recordings, but instead they are kept real, haunted and broken. Video
Nina Simone “To Love Somebody”
If there is a better musician than Nina Simone to have ever lived, I haven’t heard him or her. There is something about this song, this recording, the sound of the drums and the shrill backing singers and the way Nina’s voice glides through it all so effortlessly. They don’t make records like this anymore. People try, but it always sounds contrived and watered down. Nina recorded many far more meaningful songs than this one, but there is something about this recording that, to me, is pure magic. Video
Smog “Rock Bottom Riser”
Bill Callahan is a master craftsman. There is not a single unnecessary word on this record, not a single unnecessary note played. Everything is reduced to its essence, to its core. It is an exercise in minimalism. “Rock Bottom Riser” is a story conveyed in such a way that the pauses in between words and the inflections used convey as much meaning as the words themselves. It is something that demands the full attention of the listener. Video
The War On Drugs “Under The Pressure”
Lost In The Dream is one of the records I have been hooked on in recent years. The atmosphere that runs through it, the songwriting, the spacious arrangements. It transcends the sum of its parts. “Under The Pressure” is such a brilliant song for a headphone walk. It washes over you, but it propels you forward and puts a bounce in your step at the same time. Video
Nick Drake “Blues Run The Game”
I used to have a tape years ago with the home recordings of Nick Drake on it, and it felt like a treasure, a window into the internal life of someone who existed in the shadows. His studio albums are pristine and unapproachable in their perfection, but this was just a guy in his bedroom playing other people’s songs. It was rough and muddy. “Blues Run The Game,” which was originally by Jackson C. Frank, another dark and tragic folk singer, was one of the standout songs for me. It was the atmosphere of those songs and recordings that inspired me to write and record a song of my own called “Time,” which Vashti Bunyan lent her voice to, giving me a tangible link to an era of music that otherwise feels far removed from my life. Video
Angel Olsen “The Tiniest Seed”
Sometimes you hear a voice that just stops you in your tracks. A lot of the time those voices seem to belong to another era, and they come from artists who have risen to mythical status over the years. Angel Olsen is of the here and now. She is an indie kid who started self-releasing cassette tapes on MySpace, but she has a voice that transcends all of that and she writes songs that I return to again and again. This one is a real beauty. Video
The Frames “In The Deep Shade”
It’s a cliche to say that an album changed your life but sometimes cliches come with a little truth. The Frames were the soundtrack to my youth in Dublin, and their album For The Birds was the highpoint of their life as a band. It is gorgeous and pastoral but rendered in the fizz and crackle of electricity. It was a huge inspiration when it came out, and it led to a conversation and subsequent friendship with its chief architect, Glen Hansard, who would become pivotal in encouraging me to forge ahead with my own songs. “In The Deep Shade” is one of the great opening tracks. Video
Mississippi John Hurt “Monday Morning Blues”
Mississippi John Hurt is one of the all-time greats. He will soothe and blow your mind at the same time. He will make you think you are listening to two guitar players when there is only one. He was “discovered” in the ‘20s, lost to time, then discovered again in the ‘60s. They took him to New York, put a microphone in front of him, and he played them everything he had. After that, everyone had to relearn how to play the guitar. Video
Niall Connolly “Places I Promised I’d Go”
Niall Connolly is a real warrior of the road. I have shared a few stages with him, and I am always bowled over by his beautifully crafted songs. There is something about this one that gets me every time. The reference to yhe National, the imagery of weary travel, the line, “Hey, Gav, are you awake, man/I’m afraid to go home.” So, so good. Video
