Cleft Music: Store
Tim Chad and Sherry, "Baby We Can Work It Out"
Cleft Music is proud to offer this first pressing of Tim Chad and Sherry's super tight and DANCEY studio debut, Baby We Can Work It Out, on cd and delicious 150gram vinyl! When local group Silver Jews "buried the band", drummer Brian Kotzur decided to take T.C.&S to a new level. Inspired by previous d.i.y. releases, the band revisits familiar favorites LIVE like "The Love I Make" and "Rocket Tonight" while exploring more electronic territory with "Come On Down" and "Love On the Dance Floor." This album is an instant party! Check out what the Nashville Scene had to say this spring in a preview of the record! Until the fall, you can ONLY GET IT HERE or in Nashville record stores! For international orders, please add $15USD.
Ham1, "Let's Go On and On and On With Ham1"
While you were blinking, Ham1 finished their 4th LP, Let's Go On and On and On With Ham1. We here at Cleft Music are still firm believers they're the best band in Athens, GA. Of course, we're slightly biased, but we feel this as fans of years of great psyche rock folk pop hurrah from this bed of music's fertile grounds. With this current release, Ham1 follow their signature style of instrumental guitar driven surf like oddities married with double take simplicity and unassumingly sincere lyrics driven by captain, Jim Willingham. If tracks like "Chief Broom" or "Escape Hatch" don't get you flying out of your recliner into outer space, then you either have no spirit of adventure or don't own a recliner. if you like artists like Olivia Tremor Control or Neutral Milk Hotel, you may very well fall in love with Ham1 like we have. Let's Go On and On and On With Ham1 is a perfect starting point. Their unique sound moves in every direction. We've pressed 500 copies on 12" vinyl and also have it available as cd and download.
Chelsea Crowell, Self Titled, Debut Album
Chelsea's beautiful debut album is available on digipak CD and luscious, 150gram vinyl (with digital download card, naturally)! Choose one of the options below. For international orders, please order here. If you wish to buy vinyl outside the U.S. please add $15 to your total below. We thank your ears!
Jane Only, "Jane Only"
We are now taking orders on Jane Only's full length album, Jane Only. The band was formed by Chelsea Crowell and Stephen Braren in the mid-00's. The album was originally planned to be a six song ep as far back as 2008 but when Braren joined up with group, Cheap Time, Crowell went on to record her self titled, solo debut. Having enjoyed such a warm reception on this first outing, we went back through the mountain of material Jane Only recorded and put this full length album together. It is a mix of produced and lo fi, dipping in many wells, from country noir to gritty rockers to lo fi folksiness and fly on the wall, living room bluegrass. It will be available on CD and download. Will ship at the end of May!
Cleft Outtakes, Demos, Odds and Ends: Volume 1
We're really excited to be releasing our first compilation of unreleased material! Through the holidays and the beginning of the new year, we'll be donating a large portion of these sales to Nashville's 2nd Harvest Food Bank! This comp is 80 MINUTES of odds and ends spanning the past decade, featuring some of Nashville's most unique and eclectic bands and songwriters. What do the Louvin Brothers, George Michael, and Miss Teen South Carolina all have in common??? You'll have to listen to this collection to know! We'd dare say this is the most diverse comp to come out of Music City's independent music scene ever. Seriously! Okay... so maybe there's a couple of friends from Athens Ga on there as well. This album is a full disc of outtakes, demos, and sometimes just plain oddball "throw aways" from the following artists: The Corndawg, Tim Chad and Sherry, LYLAS, Spiritual Family Reunion, Jacob Morris, Chelsea Crowell, William Tyler, The Mattoid, Carey Kotsionis, Randall Wade Wyatt, Ham1, Loney Hutchins (Sr. and Jr.), Paul Booker and the Dynamite Operators, and Monsters On Television.
LYLAS "Do You Believe In Blood?" 12" LP
Staying sweet as ever yet, diving deeper into the gentle, macabre world of LYLAS, "Do You Believe In Blood?" tip toes between tender lament and meticulous dance. This go around finds the group employing a tighter thematic consistency where they meet their muses head on to waltz in an even more focused album than the understated sophistication of their debut LP, "Lessons For Lovers". At times sounding more chamber ensemble than pop- folk group, LYLAS expands their members on this second outing but remains as intimate and compelling as ever with a sound that is more 'live' and immediate while delicate in its expression. Read the Nashville Scene's REVIEW. Purchase this beautiful sounding 12" vinyl LP directly from Cleft! Of course, it is also available digitally.
Ham1 "The Underground Stream"
Athens, Ga's psyche folk rockers return for their third LP, "The Underground Stream." Scaling back from the epic size of their 2nd release, "The Captain's Table," the group gets back to basics with what they do best- infectious and quirky folk rock songs sandwiched between atmospheric and charming instrumentals. Available for download but we suggest trying this gem on cozy vinyl! Recommended tracks: "Will You Ever?" "Mel Bay," "I Wave Back."
Loney Hutchins "My Tennessee Hills"
Long awaited full length album from songwriter, Loney Hutchins (Sr.). Having been recorded by both Johnny and Tommy Cash and Mel McDaniel, as well as making sporadic appearances on the Opry over the years, "My Tennessee Hills" is a sort of retrospective, covering decades of songwriting. This record is stacked with classic country sounds, covering a wide spectrum, from Americana to bluegrass to honky tonk to country soul. Own a piece of Appalachian history. Recommended tracks: "My Tennessee Hills," "Whippoorwill," "Must Have Been Dreamin'," "Paradise."
The Corndawg "I'm Not Ready To Be a Daddy"
Jonny Fritz serves up his finest work yet on glorious vinyl with the help of Cleft Music and his friends at Ozone Kids/Barcelona, Turd Werd/Maine and, Natrix Natrix/Austin. The Corndawg himself screenprinted the GLOW IN THE DARK jackets! These will certainly be collectors items. Get your copy here before they run out!
Carey Kotsionis "The Magic Cowboy Boots ep"
Nashville's best kept secret is Carey Kotsionis. See why in this sugary sweet ep of country lounge. Having started The Sways with husband, Adam Landry, Kotsionis gained fans as part of Bobby Bare Jr's Young Criminals Starvation League. Recommended tracks: "Long Long Time," "Makes Me So," "Magic Cowboy Boots."
LYLAS "Lessons For Lovers"
The first full length album by LYLAS is a treasure trove of sharp and nimble melodies, intricate folk picking and, sincere musings on love. Recommended tracks: "Tiny Echoes," "Darling Do You?", "His Master's Merriment."
LYLAS "Makes a Friend" ep
The 2003 debut ep from LYLAS. It is comprised of their earliest recordings from '00-'02. A delicate and promising beginning to a very understated band. Recommended tracks: "Tall Blonde House," "Hello Iceland."
The Mattoid "Hello"
Debut album from Helsinki transplant, THE MATTOID. This is the release that started it all. As a live performer, Mattoid has remained a polarizing figure. Recorded, he offers refined musings and tasteful lounge rock production. "Hello" is a must own for those already a fan and those newly curious about The Mattoid's own brand of music he calls SANGO. Recommended tracks: "Slacker's Pain," "Happiness," "Party Time."
The Mattoid "Eternifinity"
This is a companion piece to The Mattoid's wildly successful debut, "Hello." It includes outtakes such as, "Joy," and "Tinkli Vinkli" while also offering new sounds like the net-dating "Little Surfer" and, a fiercely grooving revamp of "Happiness."
The Mattoid "Glory Holy the EP"
The Mattoid returns with this teaser EP for his 2nd LP "The Glory Holy." This EP contains outtakes from the album that we couldn't legally put on there. Containing his opus of crassness, this is the EP for the serious Mattoid fan. Recommended tracks: "The C*#k Suckers," "Could You Please?"
The Mattoid "The Glory Holy"
His second LP, "The Glory Holy," finds The Mattoid rocking with his most solid lineup to date. This is the 'toids best attempt at becoming a Christian artist in Nashville. While not possessing any songs like "Party Time" this go around, Mattoid covers similar irreverent territory on numbers like "Burn and Rob," a Paleface cover, and offers a more focused thematic approach than his debut, "Hello." "The Glory Holy" was recorded in San Francisco at Tiny Telephone studios and is a leap forward in sophistication of sound for Mattoid's derranged gothic, lounge- rock! Recommended tracks: "Mrs. Fisherman," "Hey Dude," "Suicide."