Terrible Love Songs

Simon & Garfunkel

2012-01-25T15:23:00.003Z

I've recently slipped into a Simon & Garfunkel phase. I think I was rearranging my wardrobe and I had a sudden urge to put on Bookends, I blame my wooly cardigans. Any way it got me thinking about which of their songs I like the most and so I put together this list.

In no particular order:

The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)
Flowers Never Bend in the Rainfall
Homeward Bound
Sound of Silence
I am a Rock
El Condor Pasa
A Hazy Shade of Winter
Bridge Over Troubled Water

I always feel that Elmo or Big Bird should have joined them in this video for Feelin' Groovy.

The Phenomenal Handclap Band - 'The Right One'

2012-01-25T14:32:00.003Z

I like this! The Right One is the latest disco-tastic offering taken from The Phenomenal Handclap Band's new album, Form and Control, due out on February 13th.

NPR explains the background of the song here. Think Logan's Run.

[February and March tour dates]

Peter Broderick - http://itstartshear.com (spoiler alert! video feat. cute cats & ten pin bowling)

2012-01-25T13:41:00.002Z

The soothing tones of Peter Broderick will be caressing our ears once again with the release of his second album on February 20th. He's called it http://www.itstartshear.com and it will have a physical release even though the name of the album might suggest otherwise. Peter explains why on http://www.peterbroderick.net/:

"How do you feel about music downloading?

It is a common question addressed to musicians and one that I have been asked several times in interviews. My response has always been that it doesn’t bother me. It is unavoidable. And in the best case someone who downloads an album and likes it might consider buying it at some point, or they might come to a concert and buy it directly from me at the merchandise table.

What does bother me about downloading is how most of the time the listener doesn’t have access to the artwork and/or text that comes along with a physical copy. Perhaps for many people this doesn’t even matter, but personally I have always felt a great satisfaction from having an image and some words by the artist to accompany and enhance the sounds. To take in the full picture as the artist intended, which in my mind includes all the liner notes and artwork as well as the music .

So, http://www.itstartshear.com was designed simply to be a place where all listeners, no matter what format they obtain the music in, can easily access all the lyrics and notes and visuals which are meant go along with the songs. And as a title, http://www.itstartshear.com serves the music well by automatically becoming a link any time the album is written about. A link to the place where people can learn all about the album, directly from the source. A link that is the album."

What a good idea. Peter talks a lot of sense.

It Starts Here (the song) I find very relaxing, that is when I can manage to zone out of thinking about work every time I hear h-t-t-p colon slash slash... Peter might be the only musician who I can forgive for including such a lyric in a song. It helps that the video features cats, throwing stones in rivers and ten pin bowling which pretty much describes my perfect kind of day. Very much looking forward to hearing the whole album.

[http://www.peterbroderick.net/]

Nick Mulvey - 'The Trellis'

2012-01-17T14:44:00.001Z

If you ever want to hear beautiful guitar music, I can't recommend Nick Mulvey highly enough, the guy is so talented. Check out this interview I did with him a few years back.

Nick has been playing with the London based modern jazz group, Portico Quartet, and is now focusing on his solo career. Thanks to the thelittlestmojo.com for pointing out this lovely song of his called The Trellis.

Everyone should see this guy play at least once, amazing.

[The Trellis]

'Copper Blue' 20 years on

2012-01-17T14:05:00.002Z

On hearing the news that Sugar will be performing Copper Blue in it's entirety at the San Francisco's noise pop festival next month, I just had to find my copy and give it a whirl. It's been 20 years since the album was released hence the special show and hopefully an International tour of the special show (please??). I still have my brother's CD copy but I think it's high time I committed this album to my vinyl collection.

Copper Blue is an excellent example of an album in the original definition. It flows. It works. There's a special driving timeless energy that I find so refreshing every time I listen. I used to find a similar quality in some of the early REM albums such as Automatic for the People and Out of Time. If I had to take one or two songs off the album and put them in a play list they would still sound good but if you listen to them as an album they somehow hold more power. It's almost as if you have to go to planet 'Copper Blue' to get the full experience. Instead of just having one or two great tracks there's an overall standard carefully crafted into every one of these songs. From the spine tingling chord changes of Hoover Dam (my favourite), to the feel good groove (and tribute to the Pixies) of A Good Idea to The Man on the Moon "saying Goodnight to you" bringing the album to a close. It's crammed full of so many little intricacies, subtleties and layers and yet it can still sound so simple.

I really hope to be able to see this show.

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBqZHPTCV58]

'In this World'

2012-01-16T20:27:00.002Z

[Listen here]

London Short Film Festival - 'Severed Dreams' & 'I Don't Have A Lot To Say'

2012-01-13T11:22:00.003Z

Here is a lovely little short film about a imaginary robot friend. Directed by Ian Bucknole, it's the official video for Severed Dreams taken from the album Shoulder to the Wheel by Ruarri Joseph.

I saw this short yesterday evening at the Roxy Bar and Screen as part of the London Short Film Festival. Among a good three hours of high quality shorts they also showed the new Esben and the Witch video for Marching Song. The video features all the band members staring intently into the camera while become gradually more bruised and dishevelled looking. It's pretty gruesome stuff and fits the intensity of the music to a tee (T?). Other favourites included the incredibly complex Szofita Land by Szofita and the cute (and somewhat vicious) animated forest creatures of I Don't Have A Lot To Say directed by my friend Tony Johnson.

The London Short Film Festival comes to a close on January 15th.

Ruarri Joseph - 'Severed Dreams'

Benbo - I don't have a lot to say from Tony Johnson on Vimeo.

Dear Royal Festival Hall...

2012-01-13T10:32:00.001Z

...I think you're awesome.

I like to use this place to write. I love the sense of space and they also do a mean hot chocolate and amazing concerts (sometimes free), what more could you want? I think I might have accidentally moved in.

'Wuthering Heights' - Why does Kate Bush sing "Heathcliff" in that way?

2012-01-11T16:32:00.002Z

A had an interesting conversation about music with a lady in my office the other day and I've been thinking about it ever since. It all started with her asking me whether I'd read Wuthering Heights. I replied "Yes, which is more than can be said for Kate Bush when she wrote her hit song." This led to the inevitable comical renditions of the song and then onto a conversation about Kate Bush's pronunciation of "Heathcliff" or as she sings it, "Heath-Cleef".

The lady said that when she used to take classical singing lessons her teacher would encourage her to sing her i's so they sounded more like ee's. She said the i in Heathcliff is sung as more of an ee because it sounds better, i's are better avoided if possible because they don't sound as good when sung. This does sort of make sense and is the only plausable explanation I've heard so far for Kate's pronunciation but I can't find anything about it anywhere on the internet. Can anyone verify this?

In the meantime, here's Kate in that red dress singing her 1978 classic.

Baby Huey - 'Hard Times'

2012-01-10T17:54:00.003Z

Baby Huey, your song Hard Times breaks my heart. You sound so worldly and yet you were dead by 26.

Hard Times is from his only album, The Baby Huey Story: The Living Legend. It was released in 1971, a year after he suffered a fatal heart attack.

This song still sounds so fresh, sometimes it's hard to believe it's 41 years old.

Colin Stetson

2012-01-10T13:55:00.007Z

Colin Stetson is a genius and I love this Take Away show he did at the beginning of last year. If you're looking for a cheerful little jazzy number then you've come to wrong place. This is hardcore extreme bass saxophone that is especially amazing just after about 3 mins in and builds and builds all the way to the end by which point he looks as wrecked from playing it as I felt from watching it. I actually forgot to breathe. Eat his shorts Lisa Simpson.

Colin Stetson is also responsible for this biting cover of gospel blues guitar legend Blind Willie Johnson's Lord I Just Can't Keep From Crying Sometimes which features on his 2011 album New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges. Shara Worden from My Brightest Diamond is on vocals. It's serious stuff and a lot smoother in comparison to Blind Willie's much grittier original version. I like them both although after just hearing Colin Stetson's version, Blind Willie's makes me feel somewhat less like crying but just as moved. Make sense?

[http://colinstetson.com/]

Coachella 2012: Are you going?

2012-01-10T11:31:00.008Z

Coachella, a festival I dutifully mention on here every year but have never actually attended. I guess there are two main reasons for this, I'm not good with intense heat (it's located in the Californian desert), and at $285 for a weekend ticket (plus flights from London and food etc), I'd struggle to justify the cost.

There's also the added quandary of buying tickets for a festival before any of the acts are announced, it's just not something I like doing and especially at that price. It feels a bit like an expensive lucky dip but if you don't do it you run the risk of not being able to get a ticket in the mad rush once the acts have finally been announced, as is happening this week.

Having said all that, the Coachella line up is usually pretty good with this year being no exception. M83, Jeff Mangum, St. Vincent, tUnE-yArDs, Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg, Beirut, Metronomy, M Ward & Pulp are just some of the many acts playing I'd love to see. Also, At The Drive-In and Refused have just announced they have reformed and will be playing.

Maybe if I can have my own personal climate bubble to move around in I could go one year, until then I'll just stick to the temperature I function at best, well below 100F.

The last batch of tickets go on sale for the two Coachella weekends this Friday. For more details read here and check out the Coachella Website if you can get on it, it's been down every time I've tried today.

Abbey Road Live Webcam

2012-01-08T18:37:00.000Z

[Thanks to LargeHeartedBoy for bringing this to my attention.]

This is quite entertaining.

If you're a hardcore fan of The Beatles and have ever visited/lived in London, there's a good chance you'll have convinced a friend to take your photo walking over the pedestrian crossing outside Abbey Road Studios.

Fans re-enacting the front cover of The Beatles' 11th album, Abbey Road, (and risking their lives) happens without fail on a very regular basis. To see what I mean take a look at this live webcam on the Abbey Road studios website. I've spotted loads of people doing 'the walk' in the space of just 5 mins. I can only imagine how frustrating it must be to live and drive around there!

Music fans eh?

[Abbey Road Live Webcam]

The Musicians Guide to Google +

2012-01-04T13:59:00.006Z

I've been reading a few 'Guides To...' over the past couple of days including one calledThe Musicians Guide to Google + on musicthinktank.com.

I signed up to Google + a while ago and in all honesty hadn't really found much of a use for it until a few days ago when I googled my own name. Now usually I'm googling myself to make sure no-one is doing anything untoward with my identity and I also like to check up on what my namesakes are doing in the world (any one else do this?). On this occasion my Google + profile popped up as the #1 result ahead of the Brighton based dog photographer, the nurse, the doctor, the ceramist, my Linkedin profile and a photo I took of some heather in North Wales that made it to the BBC News website 5 years ago. Google +, for the moment, seems to push you to the top of the results list which is great if that is where you want to be. The Musicians Guide to Google + highlights this point along with a few other useful ideas such as the 'Band Pages' functionality and suggestions on how to use 'Circles'.

The long and short of it is, if you're a musician/band you will always need publicity. I recommend you read this article, get yourself an account and set up a band page even if that's all you do with it.

[Read the article here]

[Source: Largeheartedboy ]

Father John Misty & Phosphorescent - 'I Would Love You'

2012-01-04T12:49:00.003Z

There's a great little track called I Would Love You by Father John Misty & Phosphorescent over on the Aquarium Drunkard site.

Father John Misty is otherwise known as J. Tillman, the drummer from the Fleet Foxes. The reverend will apparently be releasing his very own album in May on Sub-Pop.

[Hear I Would Love You]

You can also see some photos of the rev and Matthew Houck recording this song along with the lyrics and other bits and bobs here.

Roy Orbison: 23/04/36 – 06/12/88

2012-01-03T14:57:00.000Z

Last month Roy Orbisons' widow, Barbara Orbison, died on the 23rd anniversary of the star's death. Reading about it prompted me to re-visit my Roy Orbison collection reminding me of just how great his music is.

You Got It is from his 1989 album Mystery Girl and reached number 3 in the UK heralding quite a come back for Roy after a 24 year hiatus from the charts. Sadly he had already died of a heart attack in December of the previous year, he was just 52. He only performed the song live once at the Diamond Awards Festival in Antwerp, Belgium. He was dead just a few days later. Such a shame. Here's the video.

Cant - 'Dreams Come True'

2012-01-01T14:18:00.001Z

Cant is basically Chris Taylor (Grizzly Bear) releasing his solo material on his own label, Terrible Records (that would have made a great record label name spin off for this website but I guess they beat me to it!)

Cant released Dreams Come True back in September last year and Too Late, Too Far is by far one of my favourite tracks on the record.

Listen here. (2 min onwards is simply delicious).

Vinyl Revival

2012-01-01T12:38:00.001Z

ohhhhh, I meant to remind you of 6 Music's all day vinyl revival. They're only playing vinyl all day today. Most radio stations phased out the use of vinyl records in favour of CDs in the early 1990s. This retro knees up is currently sound checking my kitchen and my garden as I let the smell of bacon out of our house.

Happy New Year!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/

2012

2011-12-31T17:44:00.001Z

Thank you to all the lovely people who have checked out this site and to the musicians for giving me something to write about. Here's hoping 2012 is a bumper year for finding more of the good stuff. I'm not really into making New Years resolutions but I am going to try and write on here a little more often and as always I'm going to try and listen to as much new music as possible. I'll leave you with a great article I read recently called 'Music journalism is the new boring' and bid you a wonderful 2012.

Chalky x

2011-12-26T14:14:00.000Z

I hope you are having a wonderful Christmas holiday.

I haven't made any 'best of' lists this year, maybe I'll make one in the next week once I've stopped eating turkey and watching movies.

Here's a festive song that has the raw soul and sheer awesomeness that I love about Southern gospel music. This is one of the songs that came on the radio while we prepared out Christmas meal. The foot shuffling rhythm and the conviction in Viola James' voice gets me every time. Whatever your belief, enjoy x

Is There Anybody Here That Love My Jesus by Viola James & Co

Talking Heads 1975 CBGB's Performance

2011-12-14T14:39:00.003Z

Ever wanted to see Talking Head's perform an acoustic version of Psycho Killer at the infamous CBGB's back in 1975? I thought so. Well here it is.

In the audience that night watching the band for the first time was one Seymour Stein who went on to be their manager and the co-founder of Sire records. Headlining the bill that night was The Ramones who Seymour had just signed. What a night that must have been.

The footage has been released as part of a new DVD documentary called Chronology featuring classic performances, interviews and commentary from original band members David Byrne, Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth, as well as keyboardist and guitarist Jerry Harrison. For the more hardcore fans with cash to burn there is a deluxe edition which features a 48-page hardcover book that includes an essay review of Fear of Music by the late great music journalist Lester Bangs.

[Source: npr]

SoundCloud Dropbox

2011-12-14T13:56:00.001Z

You may or may not have noticed that I have added a Soundcloud dropbox to the far right hand column of this site. This is for you to send me any music you think I should be listening to. I will listen to it all but this doesn't mean I'll be giving everyone feedback. Show me wotcha got!

Apparat Organ Quartet - 123 Forever

2011-12-13T16:04:00.003Z

Featured in npr's '5 Artists You Should Know In 2011' list, Apparat Organ Quartet's 123 Forever is a little gem of electronic joy with a neat little video to match.

Icelanders Apparat Organ Quartet aren't really a new band, they've been around since 1999 releasing their first album in 2002 and then the follow up Pólýfónía some 8 years later. Unlike the rest of us, artists don't have to explain gaps in their CV!

123 Forver is taken from this latest album and is in their own words, "Machine Rock'n'Roll". There's a definite Daft Punk influence in there. Take a listen.

http://www.apparatorganquartet.com/

Mister Heavenly @ Cargo 12/12/11

2011-12-13T15:15:00.001Z

Here are a few of my slightly blurry photos from last night's Mister Heavenly concert at Cargo. When I booked the ticket a month or so ago, I had no idea Michael Cera (star of Juno and Scott Pilgrim etc) was their touring bass player. His presence did attract quite a few female fans which was funny to observe. I ended up standing right in front of him which in a weird way made me feel quite awkward because I didn't want to stare. OK, I did stare a bit but more out of intrigue than anything fan girlish...;)

So if you're unaware of Mister Heavenly they're what you might call an indie rock super group with members including Honus Honus of Man Man, Nicholas Thorburn of Islands and The Unicorns, and Joe Plummer of Modest Mouse and The Shins.

They covered all of the songs from their one and only album so far, Out of Love with the foot stomping Bronx Sniper sounding amazing as did more laid back Reggae Pie and rocking Mister Heavenly. Honus Honus jumping into the crowd and hammering away at his keyboard in a poncho added a nice colourful flair to the set. I did have a little chuckle when I saw the band leave the stage and then could see them trying to get into their backstage room and I don't think anyone could remember the code for the door. They ended up crouching in the doorway and then returning to the stage for a final few songs.

I must also mention the support act Wet Nuns (the names!) whose sound was something in between Nirvana's Bleach and Insecticide (think Stain) only a lot louder and a bit more incomprehensible. Probably not a sound I'd normally listen to but they did rock out live.

All in all a very enjoyable night and who cares who is in the band as long as they sound good.

Michael Cera

Mister Heavenly

Wet Nuns

End of the Road Festival 2012

2011-12-08T13:40:00.002Z

Best small festival winners of 2011 (and personal favourite) End of the Road have just announced their head liners and first artists for 2012.

Drummmm Durrummm....

Grizzly Bear have pole position with Tindersticks confirmed as co-headliners.

Beach House will play a UK festival exclusive as part of Bella Union's 15th Anniversary celebrations. The bill will also be joined by The Antlers, Jeffrey Lewis and the Junkyard, Mountain Man, Frank Fairfield, The Strange Boys, I Break Horses, Justin Townes Earle, Richard Buckner, First Aid Kit, Doug Paisley, Robyn Hitchcock, Stranded Horse, Outfit, Moulettes, Driver Drive Faster, Robert Ellis, Delicate Steve and Sleep Party People.

Bands I've seen, bands I've been wanting to see and bands I've never heard of!

Now might be a good time to block out August 31st until September 2nd in your diary. I was going to go for Ringo Bingo anyway...

Low - Just Like Christmas

2011-12-06T16:36:00.000Z

It's that time of year again!

I love the way Alan sings the aw-woooooooo's live. This song made my saturday night. Amazing.

From Charles Dickens to Chopin

2011-12-06T16:16:00.001Z

I regularly walk along London's Southbank, infact I've got to know the place really well over the last month. I'm always intrigued by how quickly amazing works of graffiti art are sprayed over in the skate section. This Charles Dickens portrait has been there for well over a week, that must be some kind of record.

Also, I must have walked past this statue of Chopin so many times and never taken the time to look at it properly. To be fair, it is a bit tucked away near a side entrance to the Royal Festival Hall. I took a closer look the other day and was slightly surprised to read that Chopin was Polish. I never knew. I guess I only studied the German romantics at college so any finer details about Chopin have sort of passed me by. There are so many hidden secrets and new learnings in London, probably the best thing about living in this sometimes overly intense city.

"Simplicity is the highest goal achievable when you have overcome all difficulties"

"For your freedom and ours"

Around London

2011-12-01T20:42:00.000Z

Here are some photos taken with my phone from the last few weeks. I have a lot to catch up on. My studies finished yesterday so there's a little more time to spend on other things. I'm not going to put descriptions with the photos, I'll let you decide what they're about. They were all taken in London. Forgive the quality, my phone has a pretty awful camera.

Ólöf Arnalds - Swansea Town

2011-11-24T17:50:00.000Z

Tomorrow I'm going to see Ólöf Arnalds, a performer I know very little about apart she is from Iceland and has been a touring member of Múm since 2003. I heard her sing a cover of Bruce Springsteen's 'I'm On Fire' on Marc Riley's BBC6 Music show a few weeks back and booked a ticket to see her on a bit of a whim. The show is at the St. Pancras Old Church which is another unknown to me even though I work just around the corner from there.

ANYWAY, I found this video of Ólöf Arnalds singing an old song called 'Swansea town'. I'm not a 100% sure who sang the original but the thought of an Icelander singing about Swansea did make me smile. Part of my family is from Swansea which as the song would suggest is by the sea and used to be a major shipping port back in the day. If you ever go there, make sure you try a Joe's ice cream, I grew up on the stuff and my mum even more so. It's the best.

"Oh! Farewell to you, my Nancy, ten thousand times adieu,

I'm bound to cross the ocean, girl, once more to part with you;

Once more to part from you, fine girl, you're the girl that I adore,

But still I live in hopes to see old Swansea Town once more.

Oh! It's now that I am out to sea, and you are far behind,

Kind letters I will write to you of the secrets of my mind;

The secrets of my mind, fine, girl, you're the girl that I adore,

But still I live in hopes to see old Swansea Town once more."

John Maus @ Rough Trade East 16/11/11

2011-11-17T19:18:00.003Z

What a crazy amazing fella. A John Maus performance is a bit like when someone is at that point when they've just become mad but they haven't yet turned into the hulk with subtle Ian Curtis undertones mixed with a club MC who keeps saying muffled incomprehensible words over the music.

What more can I say, he's strangely compelling and completely mad.

FM Belfast: 'Underwear'

2011-11-15T09:58:00.000Z

Anyone who's grown up in a small town in the middle of nowhere can probably relate to the sentiment behind this song's lyrics. If you haven't yet heard FM Belfast's incredibly contagious 'Underwear' then you're in for a treat. Check out this video and watch for some of the guys near the end who take the song quite literally. All good fun.

http://www.fmbelfast.com/

"We come from a place where we count the days

Until nothing, until nothing, until nothing...

We come from a place where we count the days

Until nothing, until nothing, until nothing...

We are running down the street in our underwear

We are running up the hill, it's over there

We are running down the street in our underwear

We are running up the hill, it's over there

Cause nothing, ever, happens here.

Where everyone keeps of the grass

No littering, no loitering

No nothing, no nothing, no nothing..."

Where is the music hipster taking us?

2011-11-14T16:45:00.000Z

Is the future orchestras playing out folk classics and double denim?

Discuss.

Nicolas Jaar: space is only noise

2011-11-14T16:21:00.001Z

It's Rough Trade's number 2 album of 2011 and will most certainly be appearing on my 2011 list should I make one.

Feast your ears on the chilled out and outrageously slinky Nicolas Jaar's 'Keep Me There' taken from his latest album 'space is only noise'.

I'm appreciating the relaxed tone but if I'm completely honest, I only really fall for this song properly at about 3min 23 when the horns kick in. I'm such a sucker for new instruments being introduced towards the end of songs (think Metronomy :Some Written).

John Maus - 'Keep Pushing On' + Free Show

2011-11-09T18:02:00.000Z

'Keep Pushing On' is from John Maus's 2011 album We Must Become The Pitiless Censors Of Ourselves. I recommend. John will be playing a free instore at Rough Trade East in London on November 16th at 1pm. Definitely a date for the diary.

http://mausspace.com/

R.I.P. Heavy D

2011-11-08T23:09:00.001Z

"Now-that-we've-found-love-wada-we-gonna-do----with-id?"

R.I.P. Heavy D (1967 - 2011)

Another Low post...

2011-11-07T21:35:00.000Z

Low are back in the UK in December and I have two tickets to see them. This isn't a competition or a give away, I am actually going to see them and I might take someone else or lie across two seats, either way, I'm going to be there.

I can remember the time they toured the UK and the closest they got to London was Oxford. I pondered driving out there for the evening but decided against it. Silly me, what was I thinking? This time I shall drive to Brighton and see Low. If it snows then I will ski to see Low. You get the idea. I'm super excited, this will be the second time I'll have seen them this year. Since I'm currently self employed this is the equivalent of my Christmas party and what a cool Christmas party it shall be!

If you want to see them as well you can get tickets here.
Hello btw x

Fleet Foxes - Mykonos

2011-10-19T20:59:00.000+01:00

Mykonos is my favourite Fleet Foxes song by a country mile. I've heard it performed live a couple of times and it really is quite magical. In my humble opinion this song suits Robin Pecknold's voice the best out of all their songs. I hope they get to make lots more great music.

My visit to the home of Charles Darwin

2011-10-12T22:29:00.001+01:00

This is the chair in which Charles Darwin wrote his masterpiece On The Origin of Species in 1859. I like to look at this photo and listen to The Low Anthem's 'Charlie Darwin' song, it somehow brings the chair out of it's old age and helps me imagine Charles Darwin sitting right there pondering on his next line (which probably had something to do with beetles or pigeons).

The Low Anthem, Oh My God Charlie Darwin - Charlie Darwin by foundations

I've been slowing making my way through On The Origin of Species so a visit to the house in Downe where it was actually written was quite a special day for me. Here are some of my photos.

Darwin attached bed casters to the bottom of his chair so he could get around the room faster without standing up, smart thinking.

One of the trees Darwin planted.

Red and yellow chard growing in the huge vegetable garden.

Evolution at work?

In Darwin's greenhouse: Digestion takes about ten days...

In Darwin's garden: British Summer time made it an hour out.

The front of the house.

Inside the house.

Garden produce including Trombone Courgettes.

2011-10-12T19:19:00.000+01:00

Aurora seen from the ISS in Orbit

2011-09-27T22:44:00.000+01:00

This is awesome (in the the truest sense of the word). This video currently has no music, surely there must be some suitable tune out there? I bet Caribou could compose something.

Caribou - Sun

I used to live next door to The Knife's 'Marble House'

2011-09-25T22:24:00.003+01:00

I'm completely hooked on The Knife at the moment. They are simply the best study companions and they also make mean running friends. 'Marble House' is one of my favourite songs of theirs and earlier this evening I was looking around on line for live performances of this song. What followed was an incredibly intense hour of electro pop and then a suprise. The Marble House featured in the background of this performance in Gothenburg, Sweden, (April 12th 2006) is I'm pretty sure this 'Marble Hill House' in East Twickenham, London. I know this house because I used to live literally right next door to it. I think I've got this right, what do you think?

[http://theknife.net/]

Ketty Lester - 'Love Letters'

2011-09-21T21:47:00.000+01:00

Given to me by my Dad. Such a classic tune hitting number 4 in 1962 (UK). The vinyl crackles add something magical to this recording. Here's a sans crackle recording, if you want to hear it with crackles you need to invite me and my record over.

Warpaint Rough Trade Session - 'Billie Holiday'

2011-09-21T21:17:00.002+01:00

"Bee-eye-elle-elle-eye-e-haitch-oh-ell-eye-dee-aye-why"

Low Daytrotter Session

2011-09-19T22:00:00.000+01:00

There are days when I just can't get enough of Low's most recent album, C'mon. It's days like these when you want a Daytrotter session to come along and give you yet another angle to appreciate the awesomeness that is Low. Today is one of those days.

[Low Daytrotter Session]

From ATP - four short films by Vincent Moon (Kickstarter)

2011-09-17T12:18:00.002+01:00

I've mentioned Kickstarter on here a few times before. It's basically a crowd funding platform for creative projects. If the project reaches it's target amount then it flies, if it doesn't then the project receives zero of the pledged funding. You are rewarded for your donation depending on how much you pledge.

So Vincent Moon, the brains and genius behind the blogotheque 'take away' shows (Les Concerts à Emporter) has set up a Kickstarter project called 'From ATP'.

Here are details of the project from the ATP website:

"Vincent Moon (the Take Away Shows) went to ATP as a fan on numerous occasions documenting his experiences each time. Some of his footage was used in the fan-sourced feature documentary All Tomorrow’s Parties (directed by All Tomorrow’s People and Jonathan Caouette - http://warp.net/films/atp). That film was completed and released in 2009 but Vincent continued to return to the festival and shoot as a fan, running around the site capturing the unique atmosphere and some incredible performances in his own inimitable style.

The edit for his first stand-alone short film was completed last year and the footage for the next 3 short films is in the can. Please help us complete post-production so we can get the films out into the world for free (after an exclusive 3 month period where they’ll be available for contributors only).

With your help we will edit a further trilogy of short films (each one approximately 30 minutes) in order to complete this unique project. Bands documented, and intended for the final films (subject to clearance) include Broken Social Scene, Explosions In The Sky, Four Tet, Animal Collective, The National, Saul Williams, Monotonix, Fantomas, Taraf De Haidouks, Teenage Jesus And The Jerks, Rahzel, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Afrirampo, Sleepy Sun and many others.

The four films will be:

From Smoke - Portishead’s Nightmare Before Christmas, narrated by Damo Suzuki.
From Hybrid - Explosions in the Sky’s ATP, narrated by Saul Williams.
The Melvins/Mike Patton curated Nightmare Before Christmas, narrated by Lydia Lunch
10 Years of All Tomorrow’s Parties festival, narrated by Josh Pearson.

Your contributions will help us pay for:

Film editing fees (an editor, the rental of an edit machine, and color grading)
Legal work, permissions and clearances for music and artists included in the films.
Sound mixing and post production.
Hard drives for the footage and web hosting fees for the eventual video.
If you want to get involved in helping to get these films finished and released, check out the Kickstarter page now to see a trailer and get more info. You can pledge anywhere from $1 to $5000, and you will receive special rewards for your contribution - from CD’s, DVD’s & Posters to film credits, festival tickets and your own personal film, made for you by Vincent Moon, anywhere in the world. "

If you have any spare cashetos and are a fan of music and movie making then this would be such a good project to support. I've been a huge fan of Vincent's take away shows for years. His 'one take' guerilla style of filming is such a pleasure to watch, there's a certain signature rough yet finished feel that means you can immediately tell you're watching his work. I could go on....
If you interested you can get involved here.

[La blogotheque]
[Kickstarter]

Little Scream

2011-09-13T20:43:00.000+01:00

This is lovely. I think Little Scream is probably on stage supporting Handsome Furs at The Hoxton B&G right now. If you know me, you'll know why I'm not there!

Here's a lovely Little Scream blogotheque show published today:

Little Scream | A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.

[http://littlescream.com/]

International PARK(ing) Day - 16th September 2011

2011-09-13T11:46:00.004+01:00

Friday September 16th (this week) will be PARK(ing) day's 5th annual celebration. If you haven't heard of it before, PARK(ing) Day is a one-day, global event, where the public, artists and activists collaborate to transform metered parking spaces into “PARK(ing)” spaces - temporary parks for the public good and enhancement of the urban built environment.

Many cities around the world including NYC, LA and London will be taking part with the shared mission of:

- drawing attention to the need for more urban open spaces
- generating dialogue in relation to how public space is created and allocated
- improving the quality of the urban human habitat

One of my favourite London charities Trees for Cities is getting involved working with key artists, charities, designers and creative's to launch this international event in London this week, to coincide with the start of London Fashion Week and London Design Week.

By getting involved Trees for Cities is hoping to provoke thought, spark reactions and bring a little humour to unsuspecting Londoners and visitors that stumble across the PARK(ing) bays. In addition to the PARK(ing) bay installations there will be live music and street theatre/ performers to bring the space alive.

They will be on Concert Hall Approach, London SE1 on Friday 16th September from 10am - 6pm. This is a busy area near Waterloo and the South Bank Centre so it should be quite a hit.

The PARK(ing) bay installations will include:

'Class(ic) cliché - An interpretation of a formal Italianate garden - Will Sandy Landscape Architecture

The Green Carpet Runway - a catwalk featuring ethical fashion designers. Two salon style fashion shows will see models from the leading UK model agency -Premier Model Management, model sustainable and upcycled clothing and accessories. The shows will be accompanied by musician Joe Cang providing a live acoustic set.

The Parking Bay - An interpretation on reclaiming the urban environment with a humourous take on the term 'parking bay' – using a bay tree. To endorse this concept we are inviting a number of London's finest artists to join us on the day with sculptures and site-specific pieces.

The Portable Woodland - a moveable woodland space created in collaboration with Trees for Cities. Highlighting the need for more trees in cities, this exhibit will bring verdant woodland into the heart of London for a day.

The Edible Container Garden - an area illustrating the simplicity of growing your own food in whatever space you may have available regardless of the limitations - from a window box, or roof terrace to a small patio. This is a collaboration with the Edible Bus Stop Community Garden Project.

In addition to all of these attractions there will be mischievous artistic installations, and a festival theatre troop doing street performances. It will be a creative, design led event with a quirky feel promising a day to remember.

Here are some photos from past events from all over the world so you can get an idea of what it might look like. Should be a super fun day!

[www.parkingday.org]
[www.treesforcities.org]

Album Release Week

2011-09-13T10:21:00.002+01:00

Autumn seems to mark the start of a barrage of new album releases. This year's round might not be all your cups of tea but I'm fairly confident there's something in there for everyone. Most of these albums are streaming somewhere on line and I've tracked them down for your listening pleasure!

Laura Marling - A Creature I Don't Know [stream here]

St Vincent - Strange Mercy [stream here]

You Aint No Picasso is currently featuring 14 downloadable St Vincent covers. Check it out here.

Peggy Sue - Acrobats [stream here]

Girls - Father, Son, Holy Ghost [stream here]

And as if all this isn't enough to keep you busy, Kate Bush has announced a new album. Yes the album rumours were true. It's called 50 Words For Snow and will be released on 21 November 2011. This album will be the second release from Kate’s own label Fish People. Read all about it here.

In the spirit of album releases I think it's also worth a mention that it is 20 years since Nirvana's Nevermind album was released. Last week's Sunday Times ran a feature called 20 'did you knows' about the album. One of the facts was how Chad Channing, Nirvana's first drummer gets royalties for three barely audible cymbal crashes heard at the beginning of 'Polly'. Being as Nevermind went on to sell over 30 million copies I'd imagine Chad Channing is happy he got up and made some noise that day!

Enjoy.

The Peckham Rat

2011-09-09T20:55:00.003+01:00

Not sure where I'm going with this photo...
Basically I walked past this huge inflatable rat in an art exhibition/unused car park in Peckham (London) today. It did have music blasting out from it but I couldn't recognise the tune, sounded 70's-ish. I guess I'm posting this because I can't help but think it's strange that I can stand next to this and not be freaked out, yet I turn into a scared-e-cat mess when I watch The Muppets/Fraggle Rock and have people around me wearing masks. I know....I don't know either...

Also, the building you can just about see in the background is the Bussey building. Not only is it where Dan Deacon did a show earlier this year, it's also where one of England's legendary cricketers, WG Grace used to have his cricket bats made a long time ago. Incidentally WG Grace is the great grandad of a close friend of mine who shares the impressive hair gene. Here's lots more info if you're interested.

Girls - 'Father, Son, Holy Ghost' Album Stream

2011-09-07T16:48:00.001+01:00

San Franciscan band Girls will be releasing their second album 'Father, Son, Holy Ghost' on September 13th and in the spirit of listen before you buy, they're released a stream of the entire album a whole week early. Looking forward to seeing them at The Electric Ballroom on November 9th, tickets here.

End of the Road Festival 2011 Quick Notes

2011-09-07T14:24:00.006+01:00

As the wind and rain lashes against my London flat, the heady days of last weekends End of the Road festival already seem like distant memories, but very good ones at that.

The performances I enjoyed the most were tUne-yArDs, M Ward, Midlake and Austra.

Midlake had a huge banner with the cover from their latest album 'The Courage of Others' as their stage backdrop on the newly added and very big Woods stage, this created a great visual point for those of us stuck right at the back. 'Acts of Man' and 'Roscoe' sounded sublime.

Merrill Garbus of tUne-yArDs is just over and over again crazily good. The audience predictably loved her and her amazing yodels - always wonder how she discovered she could do that.

tUne-yArDs

M Ward is possibly one the most impressive singer/songwriter musicians around right now. His solo rendition of 'Poor Boy, Minor Key' and 'Hello Stranger' (with Jolie Holland) left me jaw a-gaping. That man really is a grand master of his tools.

I'd really wanted to see Austra for a while, love their debut album 'Feel It Break' so was a little suprised by how some people left the audience after they started playing. I thought it was great although I do think the twins who sing backing vocals definitely bring a necessary extra dimension to the show, it would have been a bit flat without them. 'Beat and the Pulse' was an obvious favourite, you just know some songs are going to sound brilliant live.

Other great moments included hearing Treefight for Sunlight cover 'Wuthering Heights' from inside my tent (sounded like this), catching Jim Bob from Carter USM playing 'The Only Living Boy In New Cross' acoustically on the comedy stage, the cider bus, baby peacocks and Okkervil River playing a secret show on a boat in the woods.

I also enjoyed Beirut, Micah P Hinson, Lykke Li, Phosphorescent (although he needed his band to make the show complete), Timber Timbre and Kurt Vile and the Violators.

This was my third time at this festival and although it was noticeably bigger this year both from a people and lay out perspective, the general feeling was that the organisers pulled it off successfully, just don't let it get any bigger. The new large Woods stage is an excellent addition and although perhaps somewhat less intimate than the Garden stage, at least its position at the bottom of a slight incline gives you a chance of actually seeing the performers from wherever you are standing even if it's right at the back.

Same again next year?

Apologies to those of you who I tried and failed to meet up with, my phone failed miserably at finding a reception. Hopefully we can meet at a London show sometime.

Living Room stage where anyone can perform

Houses in a tree

Okkervil River secret set in a boat

Me lounging in a nearby field :)

Confession Time

2011-08-30T21:22:00.000+01:00

When I was a little girl I believed that the Fine Young Cannibals were actual cannibals and they were trying to get Johnny to come home after he'd try to run away (obviously the rest of the band had been trying to eat him). This is a true story. My brother had an active imagination and managed to mess with his little sister's head quite successfully. There's another story involving Cliff Richard but I don't think I'm ready to share that one just yet.

Bodies of Water - 'Everybody Hurts'

2011-08-29T17:47:00.001+01:00

This cover of REM's 'Everybody Hurt's' by Bodies of Water is really lovely. I particularly like the "hold on's". Really hope Bodies of Water tour Europe some time soon, they're great.

[Bodies of Water]

The Growlers - 'Empty Bones'

2011-08-27T09:45:00.000+01:00

Here's another band I'm super excited about seeing at End of the Road next weekend. Really like this video/song combination for their song 'Empty Bones', you might recognise the Disney animation as 'The Skeleton Dance'. My favourite part is at about 2min 45 in, love how the music goes all slinky as the skeletons change their shape, works perfectly. Disney was pretty dark on times hey!

Micah P. Hinson - 'Diggin A Grave"

2011-08-26T19:27:00.002+01:00

Love this track by Micah P. Hinson, can imagine it being used as a soundtrack for a comedy zombie flick.Very excited about seeing them play next weekend.

The audio takes a good 15 seconds to get started.

Crème Brûlée

2011-08-23T07:39:00.000+01:00

How did I not know M Ward and Jim James have a crème brûlée review website? They actually have a website where they review crème brûlée! I wonder if any other musicians do something similar. This would combine two of my most favourite things, Music + Food! I might explode!

Here's their description of "The standard to which all other brulee shall be held." WARNING - They really do take their crème brûlée's super seriously!

"i am in a forest of cream. my feet sink into sopping wet puddles of deliciousness with every step forward…all around me are trees of sugared caramel all covered in sweet lace burnt amber leaves…i see a volcano explode from afar-at first i am frozen with terror but then i remember that i am a magic child and i have the ability to freeze the lava flames and turn them into sugar! i walk across the creamy forest up to the frozen lava flame and crack off a piece, popping it onto my tongue- sublime! i notice at the bottom of the sugar flame a melted pool of caramel connects it to the earth…i dip my finger in for a taste and i am at the county fair now eating the greatest caramel apple on a stick- perfection! i notice two hummingbirds sitting on the shoulders of a younger mark twain as he licks the caramel off the bottom of his brulee… (IF YOU'VE MADE IT THIS FAR WELL DONE) and for the first time the idea of huckleberry finn pops into his mind and he smiles with the knowledge of future success. he notices me and holds up his brulee in a “cheers” gesture- which i return- thrusting my brulee high into the air in mutual celebration. ladies and gentleman we have found the standard to which all brulee shall be held up to and judged against- the fabulous creation of pastry chef angela reynolds at nashville’s miel restaurant."

http://www.cremebrulog.com/

Not a fan of them personally, more of a chocolate gateau kinda lady.

'Brilliant Mind' - Furniture

2011-08-21T10:28:00.002+01:00

Continuing with my 80's kick, I woke up with the excellent 'Brilliant Mind' by Furniture in my head this morning. Their one hit single, it only surprisingly made it to number 21 back in 1986. After the band disbanded, lead singer Jim Irvin went on to become a music journo working at Melody Maker and then Mojo. He also produced the first demos by the band Gay Dad, their single, "Oh Jim" was apparently dedicated to him.

Thanks to my brilliant brother for his encyclopedic knowledge of 80's music, he was able to tell me straight away without any help from the Internet Brilliant Mind's highest chart position. If you ever need to know anything about 80's music he's your guy, more reliable than the entire Internets!

My Teeny Weeny Strawberry

2011-08-20T22:13:00.000+01:00

Wye Oak

2011-08-20T14:09:00.002+01:00

Love 'Civilian' by Wye Oak. Jenn's strong vocals are perfect for this song.

I've just bought my ticket to see them at XOYO (London) in November. I used We Got Tickets (£11 with booking fee included) and I think they had 8 or so left. Should be a great show.

Pause on the music blog stuff...

2011-08-19T19:52:00.000+01:00

...here's a photo of one of my Californian Poppies. Suddenly my garden comes to life just as Summer is coming to an end. C'mon broccoli, show me something I can eat!

Old Top 40's

2011-08-19T08:20:00.001+01:00

I have lots of childhood memories of my and my brother doing the Sunday lunch roast dishes while listening to the top 40 countdown on the radio. By the time the countdown had finished our youthful metabolisms would have us polishing off any leftovers usually intended for dinner driving my mum mad. Anyway, I had the great pleasure of accidentally stumbling across an 80's chart show on Radio Jersey the other day. Listening to it is not quite the same without my brother's ad lib and my mum's cooking but it still pretty good in a comfort blanket/educational kind of a way. Here's one of the songs that caught my attention, forgot how good the 80's were.

To listen go here and look for the 'Sunday Vintage Chart Show' on every Sunday at 5pm.

New Low Video - 'Especially Me'

2011-08-18T17:57:00.007+01:00

Yes! Low have released a video for 'Especially Me'. I am particularly happy because it is one of my favourite songs off their latest album C'mon.

Mimi is on singing duties and pretty much the focus of the video with it all turning particularly epic at 3 mins in with a crescendo of Mimi's, some guitar riff strut faces from Alan and a steady solid show from Steve. Did I mention I love this song? Heaven. Thank you Mimi/Low, please keep making music forever.

Summer and a great M Ward video

2011-08-16T14:08:00.000+01:00

Okay, okay, enough of this frolicking around enjoying the summer, I am forcing myself to sit down and write for whoever out there reads this blog. This might also stop me eating my own body weight in potato salad.

As you might have guessed I am starting to get very excited about the End of the Road festival happening at the beginning of September. We're toying with the idea of taking a van instead of a tent this year, not sure if we'll actually run with this because of the significant extra costs. Basically if we get a good deal on a van then we'll do it.

If you're a late comer to End of the Road and are stuck without a ticket then it's worth checking http://www.thetickettrust.com/Store/ for returns. The festival sold out in record time this year so I'm guessing the returns will go just as quickly. If you want more info try https://twitter.com/EOTR and http://www.endoftheroadfestival.com/.

Can't wait to see this guy - also check out his mad fingers, it's like they're made out of jelly! Not sure why this video only has just under 3000 views.

Snoop Doggy Dawg

2011-08-11T22:34:00.000+01:00

Love this! via Reddit... [link here]

"I played one damn snoop album for my dog last night and she's been like this ever since..."

Uncanny!

Postcard from Italy

2011-08-11T22:26:00.000+01:00

So our holidays are over and my nose is already firmly back on the grindstone ...BUT I do have 9 days of awesome memories that involved spending time with loads of wonderful friends and family, my Sicilian friend's wedding, seeing a volcano erupt from my hotel balcony, swimming in the sea 8 times (in Sicily and Jersey), a beach bbq, building sand boats, being trapped in a 15 course feast and making it out alive before the 16th course, ice creams... the list goes on. Admittedly I could have done without falling down a stairs but a few dips in the freezing cold English Channel quickly cancelled out any pain and general feeling I had left in my body so all was good.

I haven't really got up to speed with the music world yet, been too busy polishing off the kilo of Sicilian biscuits we picked up on our last day in Sicily. Buying them involved me standing on my own in a little bakery infront of a whole family who didn't speak a word of English while I tried to rein-act an aeroplane. Very awkward at the time, fun to think back on.

The day before we got back we had the horrible news that our local high street in Peckham was being smashed up, burnt and looted. We tried not to let this get to us but it's impossible not to worry when you see such scenes of carnage on the news. Luckily our home wasn't affected but it is unnerving to watch places you walk by, places you shop being smashed up on live tv. Things seem calm again for now, I hope they can stay this way.

All in all it's good to be back but I still wish I was on holiday.

Was thinking about doing some writing...

2011-08-05T14:37:00.000+01:00

...but the urge petered out right about here. #holidays #sunshine #ahhhh

Holidays

2011-08-03T22:52:00.004+01:00

Sorry for the lack of posts, I've been on holiday and am just about to embark on another one. This was the view from our hotel room in Sicily last Saturday. The bright orange flame is Mount Etna shooting lava into the night sky, it was amazing. We could also hear it booming, it sounded like distant rumbles of thunder.

Paste Streaming: Mathieu Santos & Musikanto

2011-07-29T20:37:00.004+01:00

The Paste Magazine website pretty much always has a new album streaming before it's release date which for those of us who aren't shacked up with a record labels is a great way to get a early listen in on lots of new music. Last year I heard Caribou's most recent and probably my favourite album of 2010 'Swim' there first.

Right now they have Ra Ra Riot's Mathieu Santos's 'Massachusetts 2010 album'. The record comes out next week on August 2nd via Barsuk, but you can listen to the entire album for the next week here. I'm really liking The Police feel to 'Wait To Get Up'

Musikanto’s upcoming record 'Sky Of Dresses' is also streaming and I highly recommend the song 'Take What You Need', it has a great and unexpected Beirut brassy feel to it. You can listen to full album here. 'Sky Of Dresses' also goes on sale on August 2nd.

Between Paste and NPR's First Listen you can hear quite a lot of new albums before their release dates, I wonder how much this helps stop leaks and the subsequent free downloads.

Justin Townes Earle @ Rough Trade East Instore

2011-07-25T22:12:00.003+01:00

Son of alt-country star Steve Earle and named after the 'musician's musician' Townes Van Zandt, you'd be forgiven for thinking Justin Townes Earle had every reason to not be there on merit. You're be so wrong. Not only does this guy play the meanest guitar I've heard in a while, his voice is just made for singing. Wow. I loved this performance, one of the best I've seen at Rough Trade East. What I heard tonight was raw JTE, no accompanying band, nothing but his acoustic guitar and wonderful distinctive voice. 'Mama's Eyes' and 'One More Night In Brooklyn' were highlights, actually it was all one big highlight. Amazing.

Justin Townes Earle- One More Night In Brooklyn

Justin Townes Earle - So Different Blues

Justin Townes Earle - Mama's Eyes

Free Beats in Union Square (NY)

2011-07-23T16:52:00.001+01:00

This is fun! A guy set himself up to do some beat boxing in Union Square (NY) and anyone could join in with a little rap.

My favourite is "Where My Dogs At! Where my Frogs At!" Go New York!

[Thanks to Reddit for the tip off]

Lucy Wainwright Roche and 'her Dad' perform at The Slaughtered Lamb

2011-07-23T10:32:00.002+01:00

I've just seen some footage from Wednesday's nights Lucy Wainwright Roche show which also featured a guest surprise appearance from her dad, Loudon Wainwright. I am so sick that I missed this.

Organiser Will who runs the superb Electro Acoustic Club nights at The Slaughtered Lamb in London and who ran this particular night said:

"A customer turning up late introduced himself as 'Lucy's Dad'. Now, we might have known about Jackson Browne coming to play but not even Lucy Wainwright was expecting LOUDON WAINWRIGHT to join her on stage to entertain us with stories about Rufus and Martha's new babies and a sing us a few songs. We had been well and truly tango'd."

Amazing. Here's the first of some video footage that's emerged, hopefully there will be more!

If this wasn't enough, only the night before Jackson Browne took to the very same stage along with Bella Union's Jonathon Wilson as backing to play the Eagles classics (which he wrote) 'Take It Easy' and 'These Days'. There are some great photos here and a video here. Two more shows that from the sound of it Will should be very very proud of, nicely done!

[http://www.electroacousticclub.com/]

The Low Anthem on World Cafe and Tour Announcement

2011-07-20T19:32:00.002+01:00

It feels like a lifetime ago since I went round and round the London Eye with The Low Anthem and what an amazing experience that was! I can't fail to think of them every time I see 'The Eye' which happens pretty frequently because I go past it on my train to work almost every day.

Anyway, NPR has a World Cafe recording of The Low Anthem performing three songs at Philadelphia's Kimmel Center as well as an interview with Ben and Jeff.

They play:

"Matter of Time"
"Boeing 737"
"This Goddamn House"

[Listen here]

In other Low Anthem news, they have been announced as the support for Iron & Wine's Terminal 5 ( NYC) show on October 13th. Iron & Wine's other T5 show the night before has Low supporting. Lucky New Yorkers! Also there is a pre sale on tickets for The Low Anthem's new tour and any one who purchases a ticket via their website by Friday will have access to a free download of two versions of a new song. Thanks to NPR for the tip off.

PJ Harvey - Potential Mercury Prize Winner? Twice?

2011-07-19T21:37:00.008+01:00

A bit like Bjork, PJ Harvey is one of those female artists that not only sound checked my teenage years, she was there for my student days and she is still making fresh sounding music many years later. With this in mind it is pretty awesome that her latest album 'Let England Shake' has today been shortlisted for the 2011 Mercury Prize. If she wins (and I believe she could) she will be the first artist to take the prize home twice, the first time being for 'Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea' in 2001.

Much to my embarrassment I have only ever seen PJ Harvey perform once and this was at the recently demolished Astoria 2 club in London back in 1996. She was going through her pink cat suit/long fake eye lashes phase touring her 'To Bring You My Love' album. I remember being totally impressed by how big a sound such a small framed person could make, it was a stella performance and I vowed to see her again. Somehow this just never happened and I am a little disappointed I'll be missing her yet again this weekend when she plays at Alexandra Palace. One day, one day!

To celebrate the lady who I regard as one of the best female musicians around, here are a couple of my favourite PJ Harvey songs. They all bring back memories from different times.

I owned a dodgy tape version of 'Dry'. The sound was slightly muffled and fluxuated randomly between loud and quiet before my tape player eventually chewed it.

Love the bass in this song, so sparse yet so powerful. My brother and I brought this CD ('To Bring You My Love' between us but it never left my CD collection. Sorry Jim!

[mercury prize nominations]

Beirut

2011-07-18T22:41:00.001+01:00

Love this band! Only just over a month to wait until their 3rd album 'Rip Tide' is released. Here's their first ever official video from the Elephant Gun EP (2007).

Also if you're a fan of Tune-Yards you'll be pleased to know they'll be supporting Beirut at the Brixton Academy on September 16th, a stellar line-up I'm sure you'll agree! Tickets here.

[http://beirutband.com/]

Festival Small Print: Lanterns On The Lake

2011-07-16T18:33:00.000+01:00

Lanterns On The Lake hail from Newcastle, England and are signed to the formidable Bella Union label.

They are on the line up for End of the Road 2011 and I will be checking them out on the steam of their song 'You're Almost There' alone, it's pretty stunning but perhaps a little depressing at the same time.

Looking forward to hearing more from their forthcoming album 'Gracious Tide Take Me Home' which will be released via Bella in September.

Lanterns on the Lake - You're Almost There from Bella Union on Vimeo.

Stream and download 'You're Almost There' here:

Hear more of their songs at http://www.lanternsonthelake.com/

'Let's Go Surfing' - The Drums

2011-07-15T21:37:00.000+01:00

Yesterday I sat on the beach all day with my family eating sandwiches and reading the newspaper, it was awesome. Occasionally I would cool my feet off in the sea and then retreat to the shade and my folks would cool off with a nice cup of tea. I noted they packed china cups for their tea, we don't mess about when it comes to picnics (and tea).

All this summer beach time made me think of The Drums song 'Let's Go Surfing' and what happens the next day? They announce 3 intimate gigs in London for September. Now I'm not claiming to be a clairvoyant or anything otherwise I wouldn't be blogging, I'd be setting up my own record company and building elaborate tree houses with my lottery winnings, but it was a little quinky dinky. Here are the details, the Lexington show sold out in 15 mins.

Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen - Monday, 05 Sep 2011 at 9:30PM
The Lexington - Tuesday, 06 Sep 2011 at 7:30PM
XOYO - Wednesday, 07 Sep 2011 at 8:00PM

[The Drums]

Well done if you got a ticket, commiserations if you didn't. Here's 'Let's Go Surfing'.

Sound of Rum - 6 Music Session

2011-07-13T23:19:00.001+01:00

I first encountered Sound of Rum's lead singer Kate Tempest at a mini festival in a Kings Cross pub a few years back. That evening she delivered the most amazing spoken word I've ever heard, anyone who has ever witnessed a Kate Tempest performance will agree the girl has passion and writes some slamming poetry. Sound of Rum is basically Kate delivering her hip-hop style poetry to music and you can hear a session she did for Cerys Matthews 6 Music Sunday show here.

They'll be playing loads of festivals this summer, I highly recommend you check them out.

15th July – Latitude Festival
23rd July – Ben & Jerry’s Festival – Manchester
24th July – Ben & Jerry’s Festival – London Clapham Common
31st July – Camp Bestival
5th August – The Nest – Dalston
6th August – Fieldview Festival
14th August – Standon Calling
18th August – Hoxton Bar and Kitchen
25th August – Clapham Grand – Bookslam
9th September – Bestival

[Sound of Rum]

'Love Will Tear Us Apart'

2011-07-12T20:02:00.006+01:00

As seen just off Cremer street across the road from Hoxton overground station in London's east end. This amazing piece uses the words from Joy Division's 1980's song 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' and is the creation of a graffiti artist called Cept. The same words are also inscribed on lead singer Ian Curtis's memorial stone.

[See more of Cept's work here]

[Listen to 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' here.]

The Dirty Beggers

2011-07-10T20:46:00.008+01:00

MrChalky and I had a lovely time strolling along London's Southbank this afternoon. We ate chocolate sundaes, saw some cheeky sand sculptures and happened across a Glaswegian band called The Dirty Beggers playing an excellent little impromptu busking set. Their sound is bluegrass and if I hadn't have been feeling sick from too much chocolate sundae I would have felt obliged to put in a little jig. Mumford & Sons eat your hearts out!

The Dirty Beggers are currently touring London and if you fancy a bit of a hoedown I highly recommend. Here are the dates:

July 11th Owlsworld: The Old Barn
July 12th The Windmill, Brixton
July 13th + support from Ely Plains @ The Betsey Trotwood (upstairs)
July 14th What's Cookin: The North Star

[The Dirty Beggers]

The Dirty Beggars - Hey Hey by The Dirty Beggars

I can make chocolate sundaes vanish!

Cheeky Sand Sculpture - the other 2 guys were singing Space Oddity by David Bowie.

Previously Unreleased Elliott Smith Song

2011-07-10T20:02:00.004+01:00

Pitchfork have posted a previously unreleased Elliott Smith song on their website. The song is called 'The Real Estate' and is a track from the homeless benefit compilation Live From Nowhere Near You: Volume Two. Hear it here.

Sometimes I forget how good Elliott Smith's voice sounds, this is an excellent fairly upbeat reminder.

You can pre-order all three discs of Live From Nowhere Near You with the proceeds from the album going to benefit Portland Oregon's homeless youth organisation Outside In.

I might keep bees

2011-07-09T21:11:00.003+01:00

Today I took a course on bee keeping and learnt about how they have their own special dance called the waggle dance. I think I could get obsessed with bees. This Men Without Hats 80's classic has been going round in my head ever since.

.. and I couldn't write about Bees without including these guys:

Atlantis, the end of an era

2011-07-08T16:17:00.005+01:00

Space shuttle Atlantis will hopefully have successfully made it into space (and back depending on when you read this). This mission marks the end of NASA's space shuttle program and the end of an era in space travel. In it's 25 year history, Atlantis was the first shuttle to send a probe to another planet and to dock with a space station. This will have been it's 33rd mission.

I've always been impressed with NASA and was so jealous of the guy from my university physics course who went to work there. Isn't it amazing to think we put a man on the moon using about the same computer power as a game boy?!

I always wanted to be an astronaut but dodgy ears and a distinct lack in some of the qualities necessary meant this was never to be. After declaring that I was going to be an astronaut at the age of 7 I can remember my Mum and Dad saying "We'd worry about you out there in space". I think it's awesome they took me seriously, this always makes me smile when I think back on it.

I hope we don't wait too long before getting people into space again. These photos are from the newspaper my Dad saved from the first moon landing in 1969 when manned space exploration was new and pretty much everyone was excited or at least interested. I'm still just as excited as the first time I saw a shuttle launch on our little tv at home and since seeing the Challenger disaster I'm still as nervous in case something goes wrong. Those astronauts are some brave people.

For me this Arthur Russell song captures the feeling surrounding the amazing achievements human beings have made possible in space.

Jacob Golden

2011-07-07T21:19:00.000+01:00

Miss this guy.

Such a privilege to have him play at my house a few years back, will never forget it.

Please please please make some more music. So so talented.

Unknown Mortal Orchestra @ The Lexington 06/07/11

2011-07-06T19:44:00.004+01:00

Fresh off a flight from Portland, this was Unknown Mortal Orchestra's first ever UK show and a sold out one at that. Having been converted to their fascinating blend of indie psychedelia via their debut album released only last month I was super excited about this show and had a feeling it was going to be a bit special. The songs sounded tight, the guys looked and sounded pleased to be there and the audience was lapping it up, what more could you want? Well maybe a few more songs but I guess it is their first album so how many was I realistically expecting. All they need now is a few more female fans and maybe Joshua's Light Show to work on their stage backdrop. Catch them in a small venue while you still can, they're not going to be playing them for long.

[Sorry for the bad photos, the lighting is always a bit of a challenge at The Lexington, a challenge I didn't accept on this occasion...]

London

2011-07-05T15:09:00.001+01:00

Festival Small Print: Lightning Dust

2011-07-04T10:40:00.001+01:00

Lightning Dust are yet another band billed in the End of the Road festival smaller print who have caught my ear.

The Canadian band is a side project of Amber Webber and Joshua Wells who are both members of Black Mountain. If you're thinking rock then you'd be wrong. Lightning Dust's music has a much softer minimalistic feel with fragile sounding vocals that bring a slightly haunted/distant dimension to even their more poppier sounding songs. 'Antonia Jane' is my favourite song so far. They have released 2 albums, the first was self titled in 2007 and the second called 'Infinite Light' in 2009.

I'm hoping they play in one of the more intimate stages at the festival, I'm not sure a large stage would suit their sound.

Lightning Dust - Antonia Jane by carloscouto

LOLDinos and The Crystal Palace Bowl

2011-07-03T19:28:00.001+01:00

There's something a bit LOLDino about this photo I took yesterday in Crystal Palace Park. There are loads of dinosaurs in the park and they were all created in 1854, yes 1854!!!! This really is an awesome park. All those ruins from The former Crystal Palace and the Crystal Palace Bowl with it's natural amphitheatre and awesome rusty futuristic looking stage plus speakers. It was home to the great summer garden parties of the 70's where artists such as Pink Floyd, Beach Boys and Lou Reed played. The stage has now changed but the pond in front is still the same.

Here's a famous photo of Bob Marley playing the Crystal Palace Bowl in what was to be his last ever UK show. Look at all those fans in the pond!

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bob-marley-wailers-crystal-palace.jpg)

The Floyd show had an inflatable octopus (see here) in the pond in front of the stage and other bands such as Journey added inflatable dinosaurs. Maybe The Flaming Lips should have played here instead of Alexandra Palace this week so we could have seen Wayne Coyne do his hamster impression on the pond. I'm going to write more about the Crystal Palace Bowl and how I think it is such a shame the space isn't really used much any more, maybe I should start a #bringbackthebowl hashtag. Why oh why is this place not hosting loads of concerts? I think the Crystal Palace Bowl needs to have it's time again, there's even an overground station next to the park that could train all the hipsters from East London fast enough for them not to notice they're not in East London any more. This all makes a lot of sense.

'Treeshouses of the World'

2011-07-01T10:27:00.001+01:00

This book about Treehouses is amazing! I want to visit so many of them. It makes me want to design and build a treehouse and arrange for musicians to perform in and/or make it into a recording studio.

Back in the real world I'll just enjoy reading the book and try to arrange to see at least one of them at some point in my life. Pretty cool though!

'Tree Hugger' by Antsy Pants and Kimya Dawson along with the lovely Treetop Flyers' 'Is It All Worth It' seemed right for this post.

[http://kimyadawson.tumblr.com/]
[http://treetopflyers.co.uk/]

Short Video: Independent Label Market on Berwick Street, London

2011-06-30T14:43:00.002+01:00

Angular Records have uploaded a short video about the Independent Label Market held on Berwick Street earlier this year.

In their words:

"On Saturday 21st May 2011, as dawn broke in Soho, crates were unpacked, awnings stretched out and Independent Label Market breathed life into its lungs for the very first time. Something very special was about to take place in Soho's Berwick St. Never before had a load of the UK's great indie record label bosses joined together to pitch stalls and sell their own records themselves at their own unique brand of farmers market. As the label bosses acquainted themselves with the fruit and veg guys and figured out which way round to put the tarpaulin, a slight uncertainty gave way to beaming smiles from everyone as the sun shone and A LOT of fresh record label produce was sold..."

As a masked Mark Jones of Wall of Sound records puts it "This is what's it's all about, it's about giving our artists a platform to do what they do and representing them in the way we can represent them." Keep an eye out for Jarvis Cocker signing a copy of JG Ballard's 'Hello America' about half way through.

If like me you couldn't make it to the market this time around I'm guessing with it having been such a success there will be more.

Independent Label Market : Berwick Street

[Youtube link]

[http://independentlabelmarket.tumblr.com/]

Rough Trade instore: Underground Railroad 29/06/11

2011-06-29T22:08:00.000+01:00

Just a quick update: French band Underground Railroad did a superb job of clearing out some indie post-punk cobwebs at Rough Trade this evening.

Vocal duties are shared between guitarist Marion Andrau and drummer Raphael Mura with JB Ganivet on bass guitar and backing vocals.

Would definitely watch them again although I did feel some of the subtleties of the recorded songs were lost in the heaviness of the live performance, saying that I really did enjoy the heaviness and it looked like the band did too. If they can marry the two they are really onto something.

Kid Koala on Daytrotter

2011-06-28T12:31:00.000+01:00

Multi tasking extraordinaire turntablist and DJ Kid Koala has recorded a Daytrotter session and it sounds great. He performs 'Moon River', 'Spanky Panky' and 'A Dub Thing'. I really recommend this session, such a talented man with a great ear for working a tune, best Daytrotter I've heard in a while.

[Download or stream the performances here.]

I also really like Daytrotter's writer Sean Moeller's description of a typical DJ/ turntablist concert:

"They're up there in their grand geekdom, twiddling and thinking about a thousand things at once, manipulating and rifling through their prized vinyl collections, matching up starting arrows and ending arrows and being as intellectually, physically and emotionally stimulated as they can be while a bunch of raging strangers on drugs are staring at them like they want to eat them."

Festival Small Print: This Frontier Needs Heroes

2011-06-27T13:31:00.000+01:00

Hi, if you're a regular reader of this blog you'll know I'm a fan of the End of the Road festival. To be fair I probably go on about it a bit too much but I get a little excited about music and it is a wonderful festival so I think I'm justified.

For me, festivals are not only about seeing the bands you already love, they're also about discovering new bands, the small print bands with unfamiliar names* that play afternoon sets on the smaller stages etc. I'm going to investigate as many of these bands on this year's line-up as is possible to try to get a feel for some of the sounds I think I might enjoy.

Today I'm starting with This Frontier Needs Heroes. The songs 'Firefly' and 'Space Baby' (which has a super cosmic video that appeals to my geeky tendencies) stand out as my favourites.

Space Baby- This Frontier Needs Heroes from olivia wyatt on Vimeo.

Band Info:
This Frontier Needs Heroes are brother and sister duo Brad and Jessica Lauretti from Brooklyn, NY.Their music has a very intimate quality conveying stories of heartbreak and love. They have released two albums, the first was back in 2009 called 'This Frontier Needs Heroes' with a follow up called 'The Future' released in May of this year. Incidentally they used Kickstarter donations to fund their second album which was recorded in an old school house in Wassaic, NY.

Some of you will already be familiar with this band having seen them support Kath Bloom, She Keeps Bees, Arbouretum, Tallest Man on Earth, and The Handsome Family and they have already played several UK festivals. I've never seen them play live but they already have extra points from me for having released their last album with album art in 3D complete with 3D glasses. Maybe I'm too easily pleased.

If the line up isn't crazily clashy I'll be checking these guys out or at least try to catch some of their set.

http://www.thisfrontierneedsheroes.com/

Photo by Benjy Russell

*unless you're a big fan of course.

End of the Road Festival 2011

2011-06-26T17:30:00.001+01:00

--Update: End of the Road 2011 is now sold out. 28/06/11. If you wanted to go I hope you managed to get a ticket.

Here's a message from The End of the Road Organisers today:

"Dear All, Yes folks, you heard it correctly - Adult tickets to the festival are now running low! In fact, we've only got 300 tickets left and once they're gone - that's it! Sold out! So, if you would like to join us in September - don't delay! Go get your tickets now! Lots of happy wishes, The End of the Road Festival Team"

If you're thinking about going I'd say you'd do well to pick up a ticket quick smart, after Glastonbury people might be looking for more festivals or they might never want to go to one again! Anyway, snooze and lose as they say.

Get your tickets here.

Line up here.

Pure Groove - It's been almost a year.

2011-06-26T17:13:00.002+01:00

Musée Mécanique's 'Hold This Ghost' album seemed in my humble opinion to be wrongfully missing from most of the 'Best Albums of 2010' lists. I loved seeing them perform at Pure Groove Records and then getting the chance to chat with them afterwards.

Almost a year after it's closure I still really miss the Pure Groove store and I know I'm not the only one. It's such a shame it had to close, it still feels like there's a gap in London's music scene that hasn't really been filled properly. Getting the chance to hear lots of new music and fairly often have a quick chat with the band in your lunch hour was just the best way to perk up an otherwise boring work day.

Here are some of the awesome artists I've been introduced to thanks to instores:

Caribou
Mumford & Sons
Emmy The Great
Women
Dengue Fever
Revolver
Vetiver
Musée Mécanique
Kate Tempest
Cymbals Eat Guitars
Chairlift

I do realise living in London I'm more spoilt for live music than most but I just miss Pure Groove, that's all. I should add that they are still spreading the word about excellent new music to the world via their online store at http://puregroove.co.uk/. Check it out.

New Release: Unknown Mortal Orchestra + Stream

2011-06-24T08:42:00.001+01:00

Until yesterday I'd never heard of Unknown Mortal Orchestra but since then I've been listening to their eponymous debut album (released June 21st) pretty much non stop, it's really good!

They hail from Portland, Oregon and play a loose style of psych rock which apart from Tame Impala isn't really my usual cup of tea. There are so many intricate grooves and subtle sounds on this album that work so well. The bass on songs such as 'Jello and the Juggernauts' and 'How Can U Luv Me' makes a solid yet at the same time light playful foundation for the overall sound. Every time I listen I hear something new I like. This is a very exciting album.

I've booked tickets to see them play at The Lexington in London (promoted by Rockfeedback). I'd love to hear from anyone who's heard them play live - please leave a comment. I'm very excited about this show. They're also supporting The Wave Pictures at The Royal Albert Hall's Elgar Room on July 7th and playing the Lounge on the Farm festival in Kent on July 10th.

[Spin has the album streaming here]

Yourstru.ly Presents: UMO "How Can You Luv Me" from Yours Truly on Vimeo.

Yo La Tengo in Musicwood Documentary

2011-06-23T09:08:00.004+01:00

A week or so ago I mentioned Yo La Tengo would be appearing in a documentary about how the special wood that is used to make acoustic guitars is at risk as a result of rapid deforestation. The documentary is called Musicwood and first came to my attention initially in the form of a Kickstarter project.

A short clip of the Yo La Tengo performance and a little interview with the guys from the band has been posted online.

To find out more about the Musicwood project click here and follow them on @MUSICWOODDoc.

Yo La Tengo in the Musicwood Documentary from Helpman Productions on Vimeo.

Explosions In The Sky - First Music Video

2011-06-23T08:39:00.002+01:00

The first official Explosions In The Sky video has been premiered by one of my favourite magazines, Wired. This seems to be a new direction for the band who have released 6 albums over the last decade or so but have never released a video until now.

The track is called 'Last Known Surroundings' and is taken from their latest album 'Take Care, Take Care, Take Care'. The video apparently took "months and months of solid work" by close friends of the band at Austin design studio Ptarmak. The video features illustrations from Sissy Emmons and animation from David Hobizal and apparently could just be the start of many more Explosions In The Sky music videos to come. Great news!

This is one of those videos where I wish I had a home projector and a large white wall to watch it on. Can't wait to see more.

[QUOTE SOURCE - WIRED]

'Me Talk Pretty One Day' - David Sedaris

2011-06-21T20:42:00.002+01:00

I don't usually veer away from writing about my favourite subject, music, on this website but I'm enjoying this book so much I thought I'd share it with you. It's really not very often a book makes me laugh but this one has had me smirking on my commute into work pretty much every morning for the past week and believe me, a smile on a London commuter train is pretty rare. The book 'Me Talk Pretty One Day' is a collection of essays written by David Sedaris covering his life before and after moving to Normandy, France and is possibly the most witty text I've read in years.

I can't remember whether I heard about this book via Largehearted boy or @jenshenton - both are great for book recommendations.

Download Bodies of Water latest album 'Twist Again' for FREE

2011-06-21T19:53:00.000+01:00

Hot on the heels of yesterday's blog post, Bodies of Water are offering the opportunity to download their latest album 'Twist Again' (released today) for free. This option will only be available for a few days and in their words "We want the stuff we’ve been working on to find its way into as many hands as it can, and we figure this may be a good way for that to happen. If you end up listening to it much, and have the means, please buy it!"

BUY IT! BUY IT!

[Download Twist Again here]

In other news, hasn't Bon Iver released an album or something?

btw If you're not a fan of Bodies of Water then first of all, why not? And secondly, I will start blogging about something else tomorrow, I promise.

Bodies of Water New Album 'Twist Again' Stream

2011-06-20T18:50:00.002+01:00

Here's a stream of Bodies of Water's latest album 'Twist Again' a day before its official release (June 21st). Thank you Bodies of Water!

Love 'Open Rhythms', love these guys.

[STREAM TWIST AGAIN HERE]