Aidan Coughlan- Finn Found Findhorn (In-Progress, 2011)

A slow-burning acoustic song-cycle recorded on dictaphone by Aidan Coughlan in 2011. This collection stands as a work in progress- Here are the first five songs. Additions will be upped, in edits to this post, just as quickly as they come in. My sister Kendall thinks that most of these sound like lullabies, which makes sense: They have all been written and cut in Aidan's living room after his young ones have been put to bed. He feels that most of what he's writing betrays a current sense of new-parental exhaustion & intellectual atrophy. As for the chosen process: He'd say he's taking his cues from Finnegan's Wake, and publishing these "fragments from a Work in Progress" as the songs are developed. And, as for the final product: Aidan's looking toward collections like Leadbelly's Library of Congress Recordings, for example, in offering a simply recorded document of the songs he's writing & playing at this given moment. No more, and no less.

You can download these songs individually via soundcloud (limit 100 per song), or by the batch via multiupload, here: Aidan Coughlan- Finn Found Findhorn: Tracks 1-5. (Work-in-Progress, 2011)




1. Greyskull's Fables Are Mine
2. A Fairer Thing Than That
3. I Never Had a Rovin' Eye
4. The Bells of St. Anthony
5. Please

Aidan Coughlan- III (Self-released, 2002?)

Unreleased is more like it. This recently rediscovered collection of bedroom tracks is yet another reminder of the near maddening brilliance of Aidan Coughlan. I'd imagine we all have that friend who's seemingly boundless creative capabilities manage to shame and inspire you all at once. Well, Aidan is that friend for me. I don't think I've heard better music anywhere than in a 5-person living room when someone hands Aidan the guitar. No hyperbole. Aidan writes songs that I swear I've heard before. They can kill me. I call it maddening because I just can't seem to resign myself to his profound aversion to self-promotion. He's just too great not to make it, but he is no doubt a serious hermit (and also now, a family-man), and maybe that is that. I am dating this collection at 2002, but that is a guess. He lived in Harrisonburg, VA at the time that he recorded this. I'm sure this will be an exciting find for all our friends & peoples from that time & place. Aidan & I have both since settled down in Portland, OR. I am still entertaining the hope that one day Aidan will be ready again to write & record more music. Hopefully some fans of this blog will enjoy this heretofore unknown morsel from one of Portland's best kept secrets. Many thanks to Mr. Nicklaus Combs for pulling this one from the vaults. Even Aidan thought this was lost forever.



Download Link: Aidan Coughlan- III (Self-released, 2002?)

1. Intro
2. Wed to Another
3. Pull the Rider Down
4. Not So Long Ago
5. Until the fire consumes us all
6. I am your only son
7. They Sent a Girl to Comfort me
8. Morning Song
9. I am a machine
10. All Down the Waterside
11. Staines Morris
12. Oh my true Love
13. You don't love me anymore
14. All on another day
15. David's lamentation
16. Three Gold rings
17. The Seasons Round
18. Dame Durden
19. Untitled Piano Piece

Aidan Coughlan- Auburn Eternally

I am basically an acolyte for the music of Portland, OR's Aidan Coughlan. His surrealist folk ballads are easily some of the best songs being written today. His most recent collection was recorded in '08 on reel to reel by The Graves' Greg Olin.


"Mrs. Jones"


Mediafire Download Link: Aidan Coughlan- Auburn Eternally

Dando Shaft- S/T (1971)

Dando Shaft were a righteous 70's British psych-folk group in the vein of Pentangle, or an acoustic Fairport Convention. Thanks to Aidan for the tip. Thanks to Time Has Told Me for the rip. (192)




Download Link: Dando Shaft- S/T (1971)

1. Coming Home To Me
2. Railway
3. Whispering Ned
4. Sometimes
5. River Boat
6. Kalyope Driver
7. Waves Upon The Ether
8. Dewet
9. Till The Morning Comes
10. Pass It On
11. Prayer
12. Lullaby (Bonus Track)
13. Thruxton (Bonus Track)
14. Spring Clog Dance (Bonus Track)
15. Sun Clog Dance (Bonus Track)

Lal & Mike Waterson- Bright Phoebus (1972)

I've long loved The Watersons' Bright Phoebus, thanks in large part to my buddy Aidan. Its an outright mystery to me why this album hasn't been given the deluxe reissue treatment, with liner notes by Devendra Banhardt, or some such other "freak folk" luminary. Looks like the download link over at Time Has Told Me appears to be defunct, so I've decided to repost. In case you're interested in reading up, here's the THTM rap about this album.
"Bright Phoebus"

"Fine Horseman"

"Magical Man"


Mediafire Download Link: Lal & Mike Waterson- Bright Phoebus 1972

Aidan Coughlan- Observe The Sky/ Rhiannon

This blog is fast becoming a digital archive for the as-yet unreleased works of Aidan Coughlan. These songs are all from the Brigg Fair years. Anyone have footage of these songs being performed?
Mediafire Download Link: Observe The Sky, Rhiannon

Observe The Sky
Bonny Kate
Canny Fettle
Deadside
Lullay
No other young girl
Observe the sky
Rest in peace
To you on the otherside

Rhiannon
All down the waterside
Pull the Rider Down
Rhiannon
Come tell to me
Wed to another
I know you're going to leave me

Aidan James- An Ocean Of Widows (Slight/Hangman, 2005)

Aidan Coughlan might've changed his name yo Aidan James. An Ocean of Widows is the alternate Mystery's Mist- with extra and reordered tracks. This might be is his very best work, thusfar. A lo-fi psychedelic masterpiece from the year 2525. Know ye the secrets herein.

Mystery's Mist

Wetter Than Pigs Blood

In My Youth


Mediafire Download Link: Aidan James- An Ocean of Widows
Tracklist:
1. In the begetting
2. Will she think of me
3. Surfacing
4. Mysterys mist
5. In another age
6. Wetter than pigs blood
7. The nights on absillian sea
8. Mother chameleon
9. Arose but in june
10. Down falls the day
11. You asked to exist now you exist
12. Falling on trees
13. Jennifer loses touch with her boyfriend
14. We are but rats unto its bone
15. Never again and ever after
16. Still meadow
17. China white
18. Witch of the white night
19. Ella alijah
20. Wilderness castle
21. It is your wish
22. Angelina
23. A ghost!
24. You have not run the gauntlet
25. Where were you when i was there
26. In my youth
27. In heavan or in hell
28. Christian, please believe me
29. The End

*FYI, this entire album was recorded on a microphone not unlike this: