Today marks the first official album release by Matthew Loiacono, performing under the name Matthew Carefully. His new album is called Community Balloon, and is made up of ten songs that were built out of suggestions from Matthew’s email list.

In November 2008, Matthew started a brand new email list to keep in touch with those folks who are interested in his solo music. After sharing new music and music from his unreleased archive for nearly forty weeks, Matthew had an idea to solicit folks on the list for ideas which would be fodder for songs.

The content that came back after the initial call for entries was nothing short of excellent. Matthew received ideas, lyric snippets, poems, sound samples, challenges, and much more. He began to create songs from this material and delivered them to the list each week.

Seven weeks went by and judging by the feedback he received from list members, he realized that the songs were some of the best compositions he’d written to date.

Thus, Community Balloon was born.

Click here to listen to four songs from the album. While you are there, you’ve got a quick opportunity to pick up one of the last remaining “Community Bundles” which include posters, postcards and the brand new Music To Fall Asleep To Vol. 1 CD from Matthew!

If you’d simply like to order the CD with no bundle, click here.
If you’d like to purchase the album from iTunes, click here.
If you’d like to purchase the album from Amazon MP3, click here.
If you’d like to procure the album from eMusic, click here.

Another surprise release from a shamefully under-recorded Capital Region artist comes from George Muscatello today.

This album is a glorious dissection and reassembly of guitar music; forms and styles are explored, torn apart, abandoned and launched from, carving out a distinct world that clearly encapsulates every disparate element of George’s musical existence.

Metal? Jazz? Doom? Funk? Languid Balladry?

It’s all there.

Read Josh Potter’s excellent profile of George and Angel Dust in Metroland Magazine today.

Then, listen to the first two songs from Angel Dust.

Finally, head to the Collar City Records store to purchase your copy of this monumental album.

The physical manifestation of this album features a gorgeous silk-screened tab-n-slot sleeve designed by Phil Pascuzzo and printed by Sire Press.

All proceeds (after shipping and PayPal charges) go to feeding the hungry.

After years of playing under-the-radar art gallery performances, sprawling library derailments and genius fits of beauty, the four members of Swamp Baby set their minds to commit their music to recorded form. Nick, Frank, Mike and Meg spent a few days in August 2009 holed up in a multi-faith temple just outside of their Albany homes and returned with a recording of epic proportions.

All Fours exists in its own space, where the surroundings played a dominant role in shaping what you hear in the final mixes. Buzzing crickets, natural reverb, quiet whispers as to not disturb other meetings in the temple and other wonders await you on the first of what we hope will be many recordings.

The album is now available in physical form housed in a gorgeous 6-panel EcoWallet designed by Phil Pascuzzo for PepCo Studio.

Click here to purchase the album directly from the band, which will then give you an immediate download of the album while you wait for the physical copy along with three bonus tracks and a slideshow of images set to one of the songs on the album!

If digital is your thing, head to the band’s Bandcamp storefront,
or you can procure it at iTunes,
or you can grab it at Amazon,
or possibly even eMusic (link coming soon), if you’d like!

Oh, “What does it sound like?”, you ask. Stream away!

Check out the free Digital 7″ of “Little Eyes” b/w “Off the Handle (4x4mix)“!

Then, grab the Limited Edition Two-Color Silkscreened Arigato Pack CD version for $5 in the Collar City Records store – while they last!

If you prefer buying digitally, click:
here for iTunes,
here for Amazon mp3,
here for eMusic!

This music is for fans of New Order, Galaxie 500, Sebadoh, the Album Leaf and many more.

Since MMX‘s completion, Paul has been cranking out a series of “Lunch Hour Recordings” that range from strange video game music, to COPS-like reggae jams. Bizarre, but unfolding in a great way.

Stay tuned for more from Mount Mole…

What’s that you say?

Win EVERY single release from Collar City Records in 2010?

How can I do that?

Easy.

Click here to subscribe to the new Collar City Records Email List. (Or sign up in the sidebar to the lower right of this page…)

That’s all you have to do.

Subscribe.

• You’ll get first-hand knowledge about all of our releases planned for this year.

• You’ll get exclusive downloads which will be for email list members only.

• You’ll get the first opportunities to purchase very limited-edition physical copies of our albums before anyone else even knows about them.

• Most importantly, you’ll be entered in the drawing which will award TWO winners every single album we will be releasing this year! (Current count = 6 confirmed, with many more on the way!)

And of course, our undying love and gratitude.

We will be picking the winners on Wednesday, March 3rd – so please subscribe now! All subscribers between Sunday, February 21st and Tuesday, March 2nd at 11:59PM will be entered!

Winners have been notified!

Collar City Records 2010 First Season is ON.

Thank you very much!

Photo above:

Follow along with Sean on his blog and Twitter account as he weaves and bobs through a hectic few weeks!

See also: Nippertown

It is happening. The resurrection of the one night only show of the band Pumped for Dumplin. Five years ago at Valentine’s in Albany NY you may or may not have seen the four um, folks in the following picture do things that delighted, horrified, mystified and confused you.

If not, you have a second chance. The P for D revival will take place this Friday, August 7th at Valentine’s once again. The Restys will join the bill and The Mission Control of… will be opening the show. Show starts at 9PM, $5 cover.

Congratulations to the folks named in Metroland Magazine‘s BEST OF 2009 edition! We have plenty of friends all over this thing, but first, our own artists!

SEAN ROWE :: “Best Solo Artist”
Sure, this guy once ate a chipmunk so as not to starve, but he also opened for Boz Scaggs and the Doobie Brothers, so cut him some slack. Better yet, give his recent album Magic a spin and then try to tell us Rowe ain’t the bee’s knees. This survivalist has pretty much the best baritone around and certainly knows his way around a six-string, backing band be damned.

MATTHEW LOIACONO :: “Best Songwriter (Project-Oriented)”
Loiacono has proven to be an ace songwriter (in addition to label honcho and musician-about-town), particularly when he puts himself to task. Last year’s excellent Kentucky, recorded for the RPM Challenge in just 22 days, found the artist limiting himself to just mandolin and voice. For this summer’s Penny Riddle he used different constraints: Each of its eight songs is just a minute long. We can’t wait to see what he puts his mind—and talent—to next.

Check the rest of the listings here! Thanks Metroland!

Congrats to our favorite local radio station, WEXT for making it past the 2 year mark! Tomorrow (7/7) marks the 2 year anniversary of the launch of this excellent addition to our local community. We look forward to their giant birthday party at Valentine’s in Albany on Wednesday, featuring CCR’s own Sean Rowe, Railbird, Sgt. Dunbar & the Hobo Banned and Davy Knowles / Back Door Slam! Doors at 7PM, show at 8PM!

Here’s what Martha has to say about I lived in Brooklyn too: Summer 2007:

I wrote the songs for this little collection while living in The Big City for the summer of 2007 (mostly, 1 1/2 tunes were older); you know, the main city you hear about sometimes. The songs are all more or less about that whole thing, if you know what I mean. Then the songs were recorded in one big streaming gesture on The Four Track, all by my/herself, with the exception of Frank playing the drums on the “You’re So Pretty” out-tro, about 4 months later. Frank absolutely did not set up any mics for me, so yeah. Then times were busy, and it took a while to mix, which I also did all by myself. Take that, Equipment. These songs are about the usual stuff, love and fear and loneliness and capitalism. Please to enjoy. Love, me.

Tracklist:
1. Platform
2. Private Jet
3. You’re So Pretty
4. VCR
5. Nowhere
6. You’ll Move

Download (.zip file – 31MB – 320kbps mp3s)
Martha Kronholm – I lived in Brooklyn too: Summer 2007

If you enjoy this, please tell a friend.

Princess Mabel’s Listen Quick (cuz I don’t know much) is available in the Collar City Records Store.