Empty again? Twas ever thus — and God bless you for it! Every month, the culture vulture in you grows weak and is forced to fly low, searching for fresh flesh. Now, as the dawn of 2007 turns to morning, you spot something moving in the wasteland below. Yes, it’s your friendly Drag City representative, bringing out the dead for you!

Hmmm...not digging the metaphor? Okay, then how about this — you’re sick, you need something to stave off that wave of rhinovirus enveloping your community at large. You’re growing weaker by the moment — but here comes Doctor Drag City with an elixir for you! Once a month, the good doctor rolls into town with one or two mostly-natural, preferably herbal, possibly alcoholic musical potions for you to try — all homemade by our staff of independent inventors and alchemists!

Sheeit, don’t like that one either? You know what to do, heavy-headed denizen of Drag City! Put your mind to it and you can imagine Drag City Records as just about anything: major league baseball team...astronauts...south-sea fishing tribe...religion cult...or even independent record label. Now ain’t that a stretch?

Enough already! It’s settled, we’re your favorite record label. We’re vanguardists, inviting the new century (the 22nd, of course), in from the cold. And we’ve got new releases for you: the crop of 2007 including such names as Ghost, Alasdair Roberts, Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, The High Llamas, P.G. Six, David Grubbs & Susan Howe, RTX, King Kong, The Red Crayola, Bill Callahan, The Fucking Champs, Joanna Newsom, Meg Baird and much more!

...think about it. Where does the future meet the past? The present, dolt! That’s where we stand today, taking it one day at a time, like some good books say. We’ll try anything once. But we digress Drag City today is about...well, today it’s about new releases from The High Llamas (Can Cladders LP/CD) and P.G. Six (Slightly Sorry LP/CD), as well as the new CD on Blue Chopsticks from David Grubbs and Susan Howe (Souls of the Labadie Tract). At the same time, Ghost’s In Stormy Nights and Alasdair Roberts’ The Amber Gatherers, both released in January, are very much on our radar. Recordings that come from the past, but look to the future — and they’re counting on us to get them there!

With your good grace, then...

2007, whotta year! Starting a year with a Ghost album is a real thrill, let me tell you because Ghost have a habit of taking the whole of experience and diluting it into their records, which inevitably take on an epic shape. This couldn’t be more true of In Stormy Nights, which tiptoes, trips and then marches through six songs in an expeditious hour and two minutes. Naturally, the songs are hung with exotic trim that melts and changes before your ears, underscoring shadow themes and condensing time. In Stormy Nights is a saga for these times, you owe it to future generations to take it in.

Paired with this deep and dramatic work was Alasdair Roberts' lithe work of popular song, The Amber Gatherers — a yin, if you will, to Ghost’s yang. Ah, if it were only that simple. Because The Amber Gatherers waters run deep as well. It’s been a few years since Alasdair has done an album of originals his previous record No Earthly Man was all traditional murder ballads — and it’s clear that to bring forth his own thoughts and words is a changing experience from songs such as “Waxwing” and “Riddle Me This.” Elsewhere, true Scotsman that he is, Alasdair muses on the folly of royalty, the folly of battle, and the power of history, among other heavy topics. It’s all in the saying, however — and Alasdair and his band say it with light and grace, delivering a timeless entertainment in the process.

...in which you’re currently finding yourself! Starting here, the world has new releases from The High Llamas and P.G. Six. P.G. Six we haven’t worked before, but The High Llamas are picking up the thread a couple years down the road from their last album, Beet Maize & Corn. The new album’s called Can Cladders and shares only obliquely in the style of the last record, which was stripped of rhythm and laden with strings (to quite pleasing effect). Here, the Llamas’ bounce is back with a full drum kit, adding sparkle to the new songs of Sean O’Hagan. Echoing his previous work, Sean has acoustic touches, such as strings and a full section of backing vocalists, filling out the harmonic body of the songs — and naturally the songs are filled with singalong hooks. Whether you’re a fan of the electronic Llamas of the late 90s or the acoustic new-millennium style, Can Cladders is a delight.

P.G. Six is Pat Gubler, making P.G. Six a delightful fit for Drag City, the home of one-man bands such as Palace Brothers, Smog, Silver Jews and lately, Six Organs Of Admittance. Sure, all these bands have had more than one man in them (and many talented contributors to boot), but they’re fronted by a single charismatic (and enigmatic!) soul. Mr. P.G. is another with charisma and enigma to burn, as those who’ve heard his previous handful of records can attest. He’s got a sound that combines folk fixations with folk-rock observations twisted experimentally together in his own fashion and delivered with a calm that is sometimes terrifying. Slightly Sorry takes all these things and expands on them in a streamlined production by Sue Garner — tunes and tunings for the new breed, all available to you today and from now on.

Now, to the real future. March is fast upon us and features the return of mighty King Kong, sounding swarthy and mighty like yer King Kong ought to. We’ve loved the stomping sounds of Kong since the late 80s, loved ‘em through the through the funky 90s, loved the retro-space-funk-pop of The Big Bang back in 2002. But time goes on and people change. And sometimes people change back. Buncha Beans reminds us of the earliest days of King Kong, when the sound of Kong was Ethan Buckler’s toast ‘n boast over top of a bluesy rhythm trio. Ethan’s new trio features long-time bassist Willy MacLean and the debut of Louisville veteran Peter Townsend on drums. Ethan’s tuned more into coarse rock sounds for his inspiration this time, and in this way, King Kong also reconnects with the punkish outrage of its roots. There’s actual political protest on this record (check the “Bulldozers” song preview on our front page) as well as the requisite animal adventures, a few allegorical human stories and so forth. A fine and furious return.They’ll be touring too, for the first time in a couple years — fortify yourselves for the return of Kong!

RTX is the band that’s laying the new release Western Xterminator on you. Now, if you’re steeped in rock, the title is gonna tell you something — a little echo of later ZZ Top, perhaps? Or perhaps not. Once you hear the heavy processing of Western Xterminator, you’ll feel the 'Top in the mix — but you’ll also hear a lot of other things, all of which is in the domain of Jennifer Herrema’s addled brain. A rock-and-roller through and through, Jennifer has assembled a band in her own image and Western Xterminator cranks out the heaviest rock Drag City has ever known itself to endorse. Thick and ripping, RTX are a liver act than the crew that put together their debut Transmaniacon. Here, you can feel the songs happening live — and then being twisted irresistibly in the mix! We’ve got a thing called “Black Bananas” posted right now, as a case in point. Totally fucked is the sound of Western Xterminator — and totally rock, as well.

You know, we didn’t mention one of January’s kin, the Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy single “Lay and Love.” That’s because we were fixing to tie it in with March’s Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy release! See, we know where we’re doing, if you’d just let us! Ahem... along with RTX and King Kong in March is the final installment of The Letting Go’s offspring, this one an EP, unlike its three brethren (“Cursed Sleep,” “Cold & Wet” and “Lay and Love” for those of you with checklists). Like it’s two immediate predecessors, “Strange Form of Life” is enhanced to show video footage of it’s A-side material (and for all you “Lay and Love” CD customers, what about that video? Fucked up, right?) while the music side features three solo (but full-figured) reworkings done for the Daytrotter people, including Palace favorites “New Partner” and “The Sun Highlights the Lack In Each,” plus a semi-acoustic on “The Seedling” (from The Letting Go) that falls after the album version but before the album release. Headspinning, as always. Make sure you’re there in March, to grab the last of the Bonnie bunch! And then the letting go...until next time.

Over the past couple years, you’ve settled into a groove with your Howling Hex love. It comes from a madman’s laboratory somewhere deep in the country and amazes you every time you hear it’s unlikely alchemical combo. You hear the CD, can’t remove it from the player, wear it down to a nub and retire it, hearing the songs in your head until the next consumer opportunity for more. An audience with the coven seems unlikely, so you adjust yourself to a world where CDs (or — gasp! — other kinds of digital files) are the living end. But late last year, something different began to happen. The Howling Hex took to the road for more than a date or two. They transversed the lower 48, for crying out loud! And if you didn’t tour with them, you missed a constantly morphing living experience. But now it’s a whole new year, which means you’ve got a whole new chance with a whole new Howling Hex tour. Beginning and ending in Texas but taking up most of the merry month of March, The Howling Hex tour heads way out East via southern climes, looping up into several provinces of Canada before crashing down the spine of the great American Midwest. Featuring five or six pieces, The Howling Hex of this North American Expedition will deliver the stark funk that is their signature New Border Sound. Don’t you miss it, don’t you miss it!

As for our brother and sister continents, hang on — The Howling Hex have designs to take their real-life everyday traveling show to some of your faraway locales. Send a digital postcard to our offices if you think you can string a few Howling Hex shows together in country where you live they’d love for you to let them take you there.

Last time we mentioned that April was going to be unbelievable. This time, we’re telling you again. Next time, we’ll mention it a third time — and after that, you’ll have no excuse. You'll just be naked in your ignorance. So once again and let's pay attention this time: on April 24, 2007 we’ve got the debut of Bill Callahan, Woke On A Whaleheart on LP and CD and The Fucking Champs VI on 180gm LP and CD. They’re excellent!

Also, maybe we mentioned this last time, but there’s also going to be a little EP from little Joanna Newsom. We didn’t know much the last time and we don’t know much more this time — all I can tell you is, it’s three songs long; one new song, one reworked The Milk-Eyed Mender song and one Ys reconsideration. It’s all played with Joanna’s touring band and it’s called “Joanna Newsom and the Ys Street Band EP”. Get it? Got it? Goom.

May’s also going to be awesome. We’ve got Meg Baird, stepping out of the mists of Espers with her solo debut Dear Companion plus the Boris with Michio Kurihara CD entitled Rainbow that people have been talking so much about. Also debuting that month is an all-new label of world music sounds, Yaala Yaala. Prepare ye...

That’s it — we’ve done all we can do. The rest is up to you and yours. Take it!

Until again,

Rian Murphy
Drag City Inc.