White Life is something of a departure for Jon Ehrens, the prolific and chameleonic singer-songwriter previously best known for indie bands like the idiosyncratic Art Department and the lo-fi Repelican. For one of the first times in his career, Ehrens is sharing vocal and production duties on White Life’s self-titled debut, which was recorded with Chris and Mickey Freeland at Beat Babies, and features several lead vocal performances by his sister Emily Ehrens. But more significantly, White Life is a big stylistic left turn for Ehrens into the world of synths, drum machines and unabashedly pop vocal performances.

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I had the pleasure of working with Bryson Dudley‘s first solo release a few weeks ago. We had a great time mastering this record together. Bryson has worked with Jason & The Butchers, June Star and Beard. Cold Summer Brew’s recording was completed by Chris Freeland at Beat Babies Studio with the aid of a wah-wah pedal and beer. Michael Harris donated some guitar leads and Jason “The Butcher” Butcher mutilated the drums on the song Memories Of The Street. Like the title explicitly expresses, this record is in fact a great record to listen to on a sunny summer afternoon drinking a fine Natty Boh.

Here are two of my favorite tracks.

Cold Summer Brew

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Memories Of The Street

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Civilian is Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack’s third full-length album for Merge Records. But it feels more than anything like the continuation of a collaboration between Wye Oak and another duo, brothers Chris and Mickey Freeland of Beat Babies Studio, who began producing the band on last year’s My Neighbor / My Creator EP. The four songs debuted on that EP pointed toward possible new directions for the band, including a wider variety of instrumentation and some of their most lively and upbeat songs to date. Ultimately, however, the ten new songs on Civilian are closer in sound and mood to 2009′s The Knot, another dark and subtle album that gradually unfolds and reveals its charms over several listens.

Holy Holy

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Baltimore-based folk-rockers Midway Fair (Jon Patton, Jen Parde, and Tim Taormino) spent 11 months crafting their newest release, The Distance of the Moon at Daybreak with engineer Chris Freeland (Wye Oak, Sri Aurobindo). With marked influences from artists like Mark Knopfler, Richard Thompson, Tom Waits, The Waterboys and a touch of Bruce Springsteen and R.E.M., it showcases the band’s seamless synthesis of British and American traditional styles with indie rock. Jon recently came in to have his record mastered here at Mobtown. Look out for the release in 2011!

Here are two of my favorite tracks:

Blue Eyes

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At the Dawn of the Day

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Small Sur’s last record We Live in Houses Made of Wood was in heavy rotation in my household last year. So when Bob Keal came by the studio to have his next record Bare Black mastered, I was honored.

Small Sur is a collective run by songwriter Bob Keal. Bob writes beautifully haunting songs that remind me of being outside and traveling, of the feeling of moving from one place to another. Or simply leaning back against a tree staring at the stars. This newest record takes you to a place with insanely crafted melodies, occasionally droney textures, and haunting minimalist arrangements. Multi-instrumentalists Austin Stahl and Andy Abelow join Bob on this record.

Bare Black was released last week for Aural Slates Records. The sample song below is a complete reworking of a track recorded for the 2008 Friends and Friends of Friends Compilation on their former label Tender Loving Empire.

Other guests include Geoff Graham (bass; member of Lower Dens/Jana Hunter), Susan Alcorn (pedal steel) and Natasha Tylea-Cooke (vocals). Engineered by Chris Freeland and mixed by Adam Cooke, whose collective credits include Beach House (Sub Pop), Double Dagger (Thrill Jockey), Lower Dens/Jana Hunter (Gnomonsong), Oxes (Monitor), and Wye Oak (Merge).

Please enjoy my favorite track below.

Weeds

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DC’s Caverns will be releasing their new EP next week. This record is a progression in both dynamics and layers from their previous efforts. And if you listen carefully, you’ll hear some vocoder!

Our neighbors, J. Robbins and Chris Freeland recorded it and I mastered it. This record will be the first of many EPs on the Aural Slate Recordings imprint. In a time when the record label seems more and more irrelevant, I feel like what Greg is doing with his label actually makes sense. Small, easily digestible slices of music. There you have it. The record drops next Friday ($5 CD and $4 digital download). And there’s also a Frodus cover that rips.

Enjoy these two samples. I had a great time working with these guys – band and label alike. Listen to the snare in Arctic Phantoms. It’s incredible.

Arctic Phantoms

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I. Fight. Vampires

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