Page France - "Everybody Knows (Live)"

Page France posted a new live song today called "Everybody Knows" from a performance in Austin, Tex. It's a delicate little number that is a near duet between a trumpet and lead singer Michael Nau. It's very pretty. To hear it, just click on over to their MySpace page here.

(Ian Anderson)

The Cotton Jones Basket Ride - "Had Not A Body"

Download: The Cotton Jones Basket Ride - "Had Not A Body"

Page France frontman Michael Nau has taken a step back from his two years of paging duties to focus on his side project The Cotton Jones Basket Ride. With the support of indie label Quite Scientific, his new album "Paranoid Cocoon" will be out next Spring. Here is "Had Not A Body," a slow jam for the ladies off of that album.

MySpace Page

(Ian Anderson)

Page France and the Family Telephone

Page France
...and the Family Telephone (Suicide Squeeze, 2007)
Grade: A

Download: Page France - "The Ruby Ringman"
Download: Page France - "Hat and Rabbit"

I caught Page France opening for Headlights at the 7th St. Entry last month and fell in love. There's nothing I enjoy more than good, smart pop songs, and the Family Telephone fits that description perfectly.

Michael Nau, at the age of 23, is something of a prodigy. His adorably reedy voice and heartfelt lyrics front the gentle accompaniment of twangy acoustic guitar, moving bass lines, a strong commitment to the floor tom, and a soft decor of bells, tamborine, and rhodes-ish synths when there isn't light piano.

Nau's lyrics have shifted away from the theological references we heard on Page France's first album Hello, Dear Wind (Fall Records, 2005), and moved to the subjects of family and love with the frequent use animal imagery. Throughout the record, Nau appears to be a poet at heart who just happened to stumble upon some great songs, some really great songs, creating a mess that is both endearing and disarming.

The band will not escape comparisons to Sufjan Stevens or to the Decemberists, but I actually like these guys quite a bit more. In fact, I will go as far as to say this record will make by Top 5 List (yes, 5, not 10) this year - it's that good.

Furthermore, Page France will be performing at the 7th St. Entry on June 30th.

Buy the record here.

MySpace Page

(Ian Anderson)

Headlights/Page France at the 7th St. Entry

Headlights played at the 7th St. Entry last night and I was fortunate to catch it. All of the excessive touring Headlights has been doing has definitely paid off. They own their instruments and their performance - their live act has definitely become something bigger than just playing to sound like their record.

I was also super impressed by Page France. The Maryland-natives really caught me by surprise - expect a review in the near future.

Headlights - "Put Us Back Together"
Page France - "Mr. Violin and Dancing Bear"

Headlights - MySpace Page



Page France - MySpace Page


(Ian Anderson, photos too!)