“Lord have mercy on my rough and rowdy ways…”
The Seattle six-piece The Head and the Heart has absolutely floored me with its endless wallops of poignant lyrical punches in one single five minute song. “Down in the Valley” is perfectly reminiscent of that Northwestern indie-folk sound that’s been well harvested over the past five years (think: Fleet Foxes, Mimicking Birds). This is a song that atones for its rough and rambling ways, and never before have I been so eager to forgive. Just it a listen below.
“Down in the Valley”
So, more to the point of this post. Awesome news! The band just (officially) announced last week its recent signing with Sub Pop, and the label plans to rerelease its self-titled debut on April 16th to celebrate Record Store Day. That’s when you’ll be able to get it in both CD and vinyl formats, but you can digitally scoop it up now. Per the Fuel/Friends blog, “the new 2011 version of the album includes a studio recording of ‘Rivers and Roads’ and a re-recorded version of ‘Sounds Like Hallelujah.'” Giggity.
If you overlooked this band in 2010, there is still time to rectify this dire situation. First, breathe a sigh of relief. Second, give ’em your e-mail address to test drive two downloads: “Down in the Valley” and the never-before-released “No One To Let You Down.” Third, buy the album.