tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43061157739775161002024-02-21T15:50:04.958+00:00It Was All One StreamJournalism, music and misc.Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07283672080957904620noreply@blogger.comBlogger96125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4306115773977516100.post-18573273217366396262012-09-11T14:02:00.001+01:002012-09-11T14:42:25.098+01:00Festival review – Bestival<span style="color: #45818e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">My tent has barely been away 24 hours and the post-festival blues have hit me hard...so it's the perfect time to ponder whether Bestival 2012 was best of all. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">With a whopping great Glastonbury-shaped hole in our summers, my group of festival-loving friends and I decided to turn our attention to Bestival – the last of the big names in the festival calendar. It couldn't have gotten off to a better start as we arrived on the Isle of Wight on Thursday to find that holy grail of all festival trips – sunshine! The glorious September rays made for an especially joyful atmosphere and the site with its giant stars, love hearts, glowing swans, wishing tree and enchanted forest looked amazing. Not forgetting that 80% of the crowd were in permanent animal mode (the theme for this year was Wildlife). We were ready for everything the line up could throw at us. Here are just a few of my personal highlights.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Florence + The Machine never really disappoint but there was something especially brilliant about Florence when she headlined the main stage on Friday night. Maybe it was her </span><a href="https://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=erte&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&biw=1385&bih=672&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=EiFPUNGYOOH80QXHkYDwAw#um=1&hl=en&tbm=isch&q=pre+raphaelite+paintings&revid=1878865145&sa=X&ei=WyFPUIyeD4e20QWE94CoBg&ved=0CE8QgxY&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&fp=33c9f95ceb44bcb1&biw=1385&bih=672" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">pre raphaelite</a><span style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> inspired look and staging but the whole thing felt as if Mother Nature herself had landed on the stage and bought with her strings, harps and a choir to teach us how to "just keep following the heartlines on your hand." It was completely magical. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In contrast to the extravagance of Flo in full flow Daughter, made up of Elena Tonra and chums, sort of stumbled through their first couple of songs but by the time we hit the midway point I knew this was going to be one to remember. The band were completely dumbfounded that they'd managed to pack out the awesomely named Psychedelic Worm tent and the friends that I'd dragged along left converted to the Daughter cause (one even cried – </span><i style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">that's</i><span style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> how good it was.) </span><br />
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<span style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Ryan Keen played a super set to a modest crowd </span><span style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">(he was on exactly the same time as Ben Howard) </span><span style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">and was the only act I saw at the festival to indulge the audience in a bit of a singsong (we love singsongs!). Yes, he's a friend of mine, but he's also a genius on guitar and with 25 festivals under his belt this summer he knows exactly how to give everyone a good time. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In an all too familiar scenario the hype band of the moment</span><span style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Alt-J, </span><span style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">were too big for the small stage on the outskirts of the arena on which they found themselves late on Friday afternoon. But that didn't stop heaps of us from sticking around outside to hear what all the fuss is about. They wisely got radio favourite Tessellate out of the way early on and impressed with the amount of really great tracks they have.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And then there was Miike Snow. Having seen them do their thing at Brixton Academy recently I knew their upbeat 90s dance vibe and pop lyrics would be a great start to the final night of the festival and I wasn't wrong. We all enjoyed the last few hours of the festival with their track Pretender stuck in our head and with smiles on our faces. </span></div>
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Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07283672080957904620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4306115773977516100.post-8793289617683259552012-06-08T13:37:00.000+01:002012-06-10T03:28:54.954+01:00Interview – Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros<span style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Written for and published by the awesome <a href="http://thefourohfive.com/news/article/the-405-meets-edward-sharpe-the-magnetic-zeros">The 405.</a></span><br />
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<span style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Alex Ebert portrait by Natasha Thompson, see her blog, <a href="http://www.thesecretteaparty.co.uk/">here</a></span><br />
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<span style="color: #45818e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It's no secret that I love Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros – I've even blogged about them a couple of <a href="http://itwasallonestream.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Edward%20Sharpe%20And%20The%20Magnetic%20Zeros">times before.</a> So when the lovely guys at The 405 asked if I would like to have a chat with lead singer Alex Ebert I jumped at the chance: </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: #45818e;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Before you guys were Up from Below and now
you’re Here – does that mean Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros have
arrived?</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">You’ve put it together, right? You’re the
first one! I mean that’s exactly how I describe it – the first album was
reaching towards something and this album is sort of speaking from somewhere.
The first album is moving towards someplace it wants to be and it’s sort of
chaotic in that sense, it’s sort of desperate. But this album is speaking from
a place that’s arrived and yeah…you’re exactly right. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: #45818e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">How do you even make an album – there’s so
many of you? There was a nice video going round of you all in the studio making
some amazing sounds</span><span style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Well yeah, that’s basically how some of it
happens. I think writing is still very often a very intimate experience but
sometimes it happens on a group level and all at once. The thing that we really
all did together consistently was work out arrangements and put the time in and
be present to play our instruments over and over again and work out what was
what and what goes where. That’s something that we didn’t really do on the
first album – the first album was all like demo’d up before we recorded it so…<span style="font-size: x-small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: #45818e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">So there is kind of a more relaxed feel to
this album maybe? </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Yeah it’s a bit more relaxed and I gotta
keep reminding people that it’s one part of a double album and the second part
is coming out in November. And the second part is definitely a lot more
rambunctious! It’s not necessarily that the end of this chapter has been
reached and that’s where we stand, but this album is just part of what we
wanted to express and it’s where we’re coming from right now.<span style="font-size: x-small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: #45818e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And what’s the message you’re trying to
spread with this first half of the double album?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I think to me, it’s defiance. That is the
biggest theme to me, and that sort of commitment to joy and transcendence –
even in the face of realism or pessimism and all that kind of thing. We get
called a very joyful, celebratory band and I think that’s true but I don’t
think we ignore, or that there would be any benefit of trying to ignore, all of
the sort of more painful sides of life, we just like to be about transcending
that stuff into something else. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: #45818e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Audiences really connected with the last
album and loved those songs, what’s the reaction been to the new tracks when
you’ve played them live?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Oh it’s amazing! Man On Fire is amazing
live and we’re starting to play that really well and that’s been amazing. Child
is amazing and Fiya Wata – we’ve been playing that for a long time, but Man On
Fire has become this very frothy experience where everyone just starts going
bananas and it’s really wild. It’s so fun… so fun.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: #45818e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">You’re getting bigger and bigger though,
have you lost some of ability to connect with audiences now you’re playing to
bigger audiences?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">No, we’re playing bigger venues and the
thing is that it gets stranger and stranger that we’re not changing and making
it a suddenly “professional show”. The juxtaposition gets greater and greater
between who we are and what the venue assumes you’re supposed to be. But
realising that I felt that pressure on myself just by being in these venues and
what these venues sort of expect from you as structures – they sort of ask you
to be regal and sort of a bit more highfalutin – and rebelling intentionally
against that has been a really interesting experiencing. We sort of just break
down those walls and fly into the audience, and hang out, and do our thing, without
a setlist and all that – it’s pretty wild. And I think for some people, to be
in one of those larger venues, and for it to still feel somewhat chaotic is a
pretty jarring but hopefully liberating experience. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: #45818e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">You played a very theatrical show at the Old
Vic Tunnels in London last year. Any plans for more of that?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">You know, a lot of effort goes into that
kind of thing and a lot of people and a lot of time. We would love to something
like that again but I think the closest we will come to that is when we come to
play at Latitude Festival. But other than that we’re mostly just going to bring
our bodies not bring a whole giant show. But what we might try and do is to
involve local artists and local people who want to participate in something and
wrap our heads around something. But for the most part, right now, we’re just
concentrating on playing shows and making the music.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Here</i> is out on Rough Trade now. </span></div>
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<br /></div>Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07283672080957904620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4306115773977516100.post-44929602485917510802012-01-27T13:08:00.000+00:002012-01-27T13:10:37.207+00:00Something for the weekend<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #45818e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We all look forward to the weekend, right? And after five days of screen staring, strip lighting and decidedly below-par coffee who can blame us. Those last few hours of keyboard bashing can really feel like they last forever (no offence intended workmates). Well. Here are three of the very twinkliest indie pop records to ease us all through that difficult transition period between work and weekend. Nothing particularly new or challenging on the ears - just what the music doctor ordered for a Friday afternoon...</span></div>
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</div>Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07283672080957904620noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4306115773977516100.post-26126321116778680872011-12-22T17:01:00.000+00:002011-12-22T17:10:34.369+00:00A very indie Christmas...<div class="p1">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #76a5af; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In a time when pop groups claiming to have the 'we can make Simon Cowell a lot of money' factor dominate the charts, it's easy to feel a bit cheated that Christmas no longer means a congregation of new festive themed songs. But fear not, the trend for covering old favourites and releasing original Christmas tracks seems to be on the up among folk and indie bands. Hurrah!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #76a5af; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Unfortunately these songs will never be Christmas number one, so you do need to know where to look to get your Christmassy fix these days. I've pulled together six of the best from the last couple of years to get you feeling all festive again...</span><br />
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</div>Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07283672080957904620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4306115773977516100.post-62221258813409464372011-12-18T14:39:00.001+00:002011-12-19T21:26:57.970+00:00This year was brought to you by the letter B<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, I can hardly
believe it but somehow </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">it’s </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the end of yet another year, and that means (among
other, more important things) writing about a few of my favourite albums for my seriously
neglected blog! Instead of last year’s rather lazy </span><a href="http://itwasallonestream.blogspot.com/2010/12/my-very-lazy-top-3-albums-of-2010.html" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">approach</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, I’ve
actually put a bit of thought into selecting this year’s top three. It was
tough though, because I think it’s been an amazing year for music. In fact,
this should probably be a top 11, because the albums listed at the end of this
post are also bloody brilliant.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Some of the albums
have probably missed out on being in the top three simply because they were
released later in the year. And it’s also telling, that the top three are all
bands that I managed to catch live – perhaps if I’d seen some of the other
bands with new releases this year I would have picked them. Anyway, this is a
run through of my top three albums this year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And weirdly, my
favourite artists of this year all begin with the letter B…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This whole album is
just kind of magical, and despite its short length (I think the running time is
just over 30 minutes) I could listen to it over and over again, and still enjoy
it as much as I did on the first listen. I mean, I defy anyone not to crack a
smile at some point during Santa Fe. And if, like me, you’re someone who’s
borderline obsessed with musical instruments of various shapes and sizes, then
this band will never disappoint you. Afterall, it’s not often you get to see a
guy performing a sousaphone solo, but Zach Condon’s bandmate pulls it off.</span></div>
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Different Kind Of Fix</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This was the
soundtrack to my summer. Well, actually this was the soundtrack to my ‘summer
holiday’… to Cornwall… in October. Me and eight or so friends packed our bags
with boardgames, CDs and, in my case, a ukulele and left the big smoke for a
beautiful house on the cliff’s edge in Port Isaac. We spent a week just hanging
out and drinking (and eating, the boys even caught us some fish), but this
album was often on in the background. The increasing and decreasing energy of
the tracks mirrored our own (yeah, drink-induced) highs and lows... much like
the ebb and flow of the tide outside the window.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This is an album that crept
in as one of my favourite listens while I wasn’t really paying attention (I was
probably busy avoiding haircuts, or wondering if flowery Doc Martens were
acceptable for work). Plus, Bon Iver’s gig at the Hammersmith Apollo in October
was one of the most emotional I’ve ever been to. The title of <i>most</i> emotional
belongs to Blur at Glastonbury 2009. Just ask my friends – blubbering wreck
doesn’t even cover it, I'm surprised they still speak to me. Anyway, the girls
sitting in front of us back in October sobbed all the way through, and although
I managed to keep it together, there is no denying the enchanting quality of
Justin Vernon’s almost otherworldly music. The band is one of the tightest I’ve
ever seen live too, and create sounds that can really transport the listener to
another place. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Special mentions:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Alexander – Alexander,
Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues, Florence and the Machine – Ceremonials, Metronomy
– The English Riviera, Other Lives – Tamer Animals, Primal Scream –
Screamadelica 20<sup>th</sup> Anniversary Edition, Slow Club – Paradise, The
Vaccines – What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?</span><o:p></o:p></div>Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07283672080957904620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4306115773977516100.post-70782699786335222602011-10-31T21:22:00.004+00:002011-10-31T21:23:01.528+00:00Live review - Bombay Bicycle Club, Brixton Academy, 19/10/11<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">Written for and published by the wonderful <a href="http://www.forfolkssake.com/gigs/12593/live-bombay-bicycle-club-brixton-academy-19102011">For Folk's Sake</a></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Bombay Bicycle Club gave the crowd at Brixton a real treat, rattling through the best of their material from the last couple of years as seamlessly as a band that has been together for decades.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">They opened with ‘Shuffle’ a track from new album <em>A Different Kind of Fix</em>, and immediately the energy was through the roof. ‘Your Eyes’, a standout from the album, was next and heralded the entrance of Lucy Rose (onstage for the second time that night after playing as support as well as band Dry The River). If, at this point, the crowd thought they were in for a ‘new stuff only’ type of gig, they were swiftly proved wrong. Jack Steadman and his pals then embarked on ‘Dust On The Ground’ from first album <em>I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose</em>. Given that this song is a quieter offering than many of the tracks on that album, the boys really rocked it on the night.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">They revisited a lot of their much-loved older material throughout the set, even stopping to admit just before launching into the raucous ‘Open House’, “We haven’t played this for a couple of years.” This bit of communication was unusual in itself as the band barely stopped for breath between songs (which kept the energy rising relentlessly). By the time we made a return to the most current album with ‘Leave It’ the crowd was well and truly warmed up. ‘Lights Out, Words Gone’ got perhaps the biggest reaction of the night, indicating that a large proportion of the crowd were recent converts.</span></div>
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<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">‘Always Like This’ was a true highlight and made us wonder whether the band hadn’t taken a (small) leaf out of Beirut’s book – the addition of some brass gave the track an almost Latin vibe.</span></div>
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<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Jack took to the stage alone for the first song of the encore and sang a beautiful, more than faintly Thom Yorke-tinged, version of ‘Still’ – the last track on ‘A Different Kind of Fix’. Just Steadman’s powerful yet vulnerable voice and the piano echoed through the Academy, bringing everyone down to earth a bit before ending on a storming version of ‘What If’. The contrast between these two tracks provided a great example of what Bombay Bicycle Club can do: in one instant write beautiful music that, at its best, rivals the likes of Radiohead, and in the next make a venue full of people jump around to what has become an indie rock standard.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07283672080957904620noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4306115773977516100.post-9283161219879920972011-10-25T12:41:00.002+01:002011-10-25T12:41:12.405+01:00EP Review - My Crooked Saint, To Kill A King<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">Written and published for The 405, <a href="http://thefourohfive.com/review/article/to-kill-a-king-my-crooked-saint-ep">here</a>.</span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/hlcSh0bCYoc" width="560"></iframe></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Having already made some small waves on the folk
scene, thanks largely to their signing to legendary London label Communion, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/tokillakinguk">To Kill A King</a> look set to make a name for
themselves with their extremely competent EP called My Crooked Saint.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Hailing from Leeds the band did some early gigs at
Communion and have since won praise from Zane Lowe among others. So what’s all
the fuss about? Well we begin with ‘Bloody Shirt’ a stomping and upbeat tune
that shows off the bands musicianship and the brooding voice of singer Ralph
Pellymounter, which incidentally has got to be one of the best names I’ve heard
in a while.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">‘Wrecking Crew’ runs with Pellymounter’s moodier
side and confirms this band have rock running through their veins as well as
the folksier stuff, which have lead to the inevitable comparisons with Mumfords and Sons, Noah and the Whale etc.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Perhaps what makes To Kill A King stand out though
is that they are keen not just to make a good song but to tell a story too. The
band have talked about releasing four music videos to go with each of the
tracks, where the same characters pop up and the narrative develops with each
video. This approach goes some way to proving the thoughtfulness behind
Pellymounter’s songwriting and how this band put songs together.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">To Kill A King aren’t all doom and gloom though,
’We Used To Protest/Gamble’ is a joyous and multilayered number, the jangly
piano really helping to lift this song to approaching anthemic territory. ‘Family’
is more stripped back but there’s still plenty of evidence of careful arranging
and orchestration, perhaps why the <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/jun/01/new-band-to-kill-a-king">Guardian</a> dubbed the band’s music
orch-folk.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">To Kill A King have all the tools they need to
carve out a name for themselves in the folk circuit as a band that offer little
of what we know and like about the genre already, but with perhaps a little
something extra.</span></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07283672080957904620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4306115773977516100.post-39799365380065434522011-09-19T21:51:00.003+01:002011-09-21T14:41:59.053+01:00Interview - Matthew Lawes<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://bbcmusicvideofestival.tumblr.com/">The BBC Music Video Festival</a> kicks off this week and runs until October 1st. It's the only dedicated music video festival in the UK and specialises in promoting talented, up and coming filmmakers.</span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://twitter.com/#!/mattylawes">Matthew Lawes</a> is one such filmmaker/ director, founder of <a href="http://citysessions.co.uk/">City Sessions</a> and all-round lovely man. His first film, a vibrant animated music video for Fyfe Dangerfield’s Faster Than The Setting Sun, is one of 30-odd shortlisted acts that will be shown on big BBC screens all around the country. IWAOS caught up with him to talk about the festival, his plans and the importance of live music.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="225" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/28586094?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="400"></iframe></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://vimeo.com/28586094">Fyfe Dangerfield - Faster Than The Setting Sun by Matthew Lawes</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/bbcmusicvideofestival">BBC Music Video Festival</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</span><br />
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</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">How did you get
involved in the music video festival?</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Ages ago I read about
it online and I wanted to do it because if you get selected they play
the videos on these huge screens all across the UK, apparently they go out to
1000s of people. And I chose the Fyfe video because it was the first thing I
ever did, it’s the most lof-fi and I thought it sort of represented what I'm
about.</span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">
</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So how did making a
video for Fyfe first come about?</span></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e;">I was
starting to do animation in my bedroom because I wanted to get into film. I
seemed to be listening to Fyfe’s song a lot, I had it on all the time and
I was thinking it would be so great if I could do something for him but I
wasn’t really thinking it could be a something that could actually
happen. But then Fyfe was playing in Rough Trade East, just a solo show and I
went up to him at the end of the
show and showed his some stills that I’d just done and I asked, ‘Do you fancy
maybe letting me make a video for you?’ And he went, ‘Yeah alright then!’</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">How did City Sessions start?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">
Well basically me and
Joe [Bulmer, sound engineer], were looking a lot at how to get into film and we
were wanting to focus on music, but more in a live sense and making it really
raw. I bought all the equipment, just totally ruined
my bank account and then we started filming – Kevin Tuffy, Marques
Toliver, then Kit Downes at the Royal Festival Hall. <o:p></o:p>Then Bea Kerlin came on board as producer and everything accelerated after that to where we are now.<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="225" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/19110841?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="400"></iframe></span></div>
</div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://vimeo.com/19110841">City Sessions_Film Four_Kit Downes</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user5564091">City Sessions</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">How did you get to
film at the Festival Hall?</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I got in touch with Kit,
and he said they couldn’t really do anything acoustically outside of a gig so
he asked if I wanted to do it at the Royal festival Hall. So we said yes, of
course! So I’m sitting down on the side of the stage, crouching out of the way
with my camera and I was trying to find the right song and then he kind of gave
me this look so I went in and filmed it in all in one go. A lot of the
sessions are really high pressure because the artists have got almost no time but that’s the other thing about what we’re trying to do with these music
videos – it’s easy for the artist to do, we only get them to do one or maybe two
takes and we choose the best take. The videos will only ever be as good as they
are so and I’m just trying to work with the talent rather than hiding behind
postproduction, mirrors and effects, all that kind of stuff.</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="225" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/29068864?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="400"></iframe></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://vimeo.com/29068864">City Session - Film Twenty - Rosey Chan</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user5564091">City Sessions</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">What do you hope comes across from your work?</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Well I want people to realise that it doesn’t have to be about going to film school and getting into film that way, I’m completely self-taught and I’m not saying that I completely know what I’m doing but I have learnt everything from scratch! It shouldn’t be about high production values it should be about the talent that’s there – not from me, from the musicians and I want to be able to film that. All these musicians are just amazing and as long as they do their thing, it doesn’t really matter.</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><u><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="225" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/25024458?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="400"></iframe></u></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><u><a href="http://vimeo.com/25024458">City Sessions - Film Ten - Michael Kiwanuka</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user5564091">City Sessions</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</u></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;"><u><br /></u></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Is there an ethos behind your films about supporting up and coming talent or is it just that you like them so you film them?</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We really want to push those acts who are up and coming and it is such a buzz to catch someone who is just on their way up. It’s amazing. It’s not like we’ve found them or anything but if we can help in anyway and put them out there and help their careers… that’s just such a buzz. And we’re in a same sort of place as them because we’re starting out too. But we also like having a go with more established artists, I think the main thing is that they have to be good live – if they’re not good live, we don’t do it.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">You've certainly worked with some great new talent, how does working with these acts come about?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I mean someone like Marques [Toliver], I actually saw him busking when we were getting started and, I hope he doesn’t mind me saying this, but he was basically busking for money for food because he was so broke. He was unsigned, I think he had just come over from America, and he was trying to make it. I saw him in the street and thought he was amazing. Fast forward three weeks when we did the session with him and he had been signed, he had been on Jools Holland and we just thought 'Wow!' So with all these acts, it’s just great if we can give them a platform. There are lot of other session websites and you know, you can look at it like we’re all competing but I think we’re all just promoting good music, which is so important. </span></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="225" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/18255344?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="400"></iframe></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://vimeo.com/18255344">City Sessions_Film Three_Marques Toliver</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user5564091">City Sessions</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And your films were shown at Latitude this year too?</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">We were selected to showcase a selection of our videos at the Festival by Tania Harrison who runs the Film & Music Arena at the Festival. We compiled a half hour edit with films including Michael Kiwanuka, Goldheart Assembly and The Turbans. It was shown to 500-odd people, which was such a buzz. We would love to do more festival slots in the future</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">.</span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How do you come up with location</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">s?</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Well sometimes it’s not really up to us. Like when we filmed We Are Scientists we caught them just on the back of their tour so we filmed them in their dressing room because it was literally the only place they could do it, which was a bit of a shame because really I like to do something different, do it on a boat, for example! Location-wise I just really want to explore – there are so many amazing locations in London and people are so generous, there is no money changing hands in any of this at all. So we’ve had churches, where they’ve given it to us for two hours and then the Royal Festival Hall. The thing is people are so nice and supportive of the whole thing.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="225" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/23066275?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="400"></iframe></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://vimeo.com/23066275">City Sessions - Film Seven - We Are Scientists</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user5564091">City Sessions</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We do a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=226401710744978">monthly night</a> at the Wheelbarrow in Camden but we are also going to do some residencies with Goldheart Assembly so there’s four nights at the end of October and beginning of November at the Spice of Life in Leicester Square. Joe is actually building a studio at the moment which will be the <a href="http://citysessions.co.uk/">City Session</a> studio and on the back of that we really want to start a record label. It’s really about promoting live music, that’s the real buzz for us and people seem to enjoy it.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">There’s a band called <a href="http://www.myspace.com/otherlives">Other Lives</a> who we did recently who are going to be massive, I just think they are absolutely amazing. Just after we filmed them they confirmed a support slot for Bon Iver so they are just going to be huge. They’ve got a real Fleet Foxes/ My Morning Jacket appeal to them and it’s all stripped back. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://vimeo.com/28028332">City Sessions - Film Seventeen - Fishing</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user5564091">City Sessions</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So what does the future hold for you?</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Well I'm working on some scripts and film music but with <a href="http://citysessions.co.uk/">City Sessions</a> there’s a couple of things we want to do. I really want to be making a music video a week just to keep really pushing that and learn as much as I can. And we’re looking to getting it out there to more people, widening the appeal and doing a hell of a lot more bands, playing all different kinds of music. I hope we are going to do a <a href="http://citysessions.co.uk/">City Sessions</a> roadtrip in the States and get a van and a projector and get round some events. And the studio with Joe and record label. And of course, film as much and show off as many amazing artists as possible. Its’really good getting to work with so many amazing people – I have to pinch myself sometimes.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Keep an eye out for the big screens all over the country that will be showing Matthew's and other new and talented filmmaker's videos over the next couple of weeks and don't forget to visit <a href="http://citysessions.co.uk/">City Sessions</a> for more live music videos.</span></div>
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Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07283672080957904620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4306115773977516100.post-63460825442702387032011-08-31T22:29:00.011+01:002011-12-21T22:59:40.683+00:003 new bands making 'old' music<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">If you've visited IWAOS before you might know I like new music and that I love tracking down new bands but what you may not know about me is that I also love old music. In fact nothing makes me happier than if Shirley Ellis' '<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgnCB7oni8o">The Clapping Song</a>' comes on while I'm on the dance floor. So in some ways this is a post on two of my favourite things - new bands who make 'old' music. One I have followed for a while and two are brand new to me but all of them have blown me away with their new take on an 'old' sound.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">First up is the <a href="http://www.myspace.com/allahlas">Allah-las</a>, who must be pretty new as they only have two songs out, this one 'Catamaran' and the equally jangly and brilliant 'Long Journey'. According to one of my favourite music blogs <a href="http://www.aquariumdrunkard.com/">Aquarium Drunkard </a>(the reading of which makes me want to move to California immediately) the Allah-las are resident band at the Echo club in San Francisco where they play a free gig every month - it's just the getting there that will set me back then.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Then a band which I have sort of tried to follow for ages. I say tried to because every time I go to check them out they've changed their name. I think at this stage they were called Jack Lewis and the Cutoffs but now they're named <a href="http://www.myspace.com/jacklewisband">Jack Lewis and Awkward Enemy</a>. Anyway, I love the low-fi sound of this track 'Shadow Party' and the video is cool too.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And finally to <a href="http://soundcloud.com/nick-waterhouse">Nick Waterhouse</a> who I get the impression is something of a dude in his hometown of San Francisco, and with a soul sound like this you wouldn't expect anything less.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It's got me thinking that soul and rhythm and blues could well be on the up, perhaps the genre might even enjoy a massive revival a la folk music. American acts like Janelle Monae and Aloe Blacc have already made an impression on the charts in the UK and drew impressive crowds at Glastonbury. But if not I'll have to continue tracking down retro nights and the best of the new 'old' stuff coming out of the USA's west coast.</span></div>
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<br /></div>Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07283672080957904620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4306115773977516100.post-16914834419434070652011-08-09T20:14:00.020+01:002011-08-09T23:35:56.124+01:00When twitter goes bad: London riots rumours<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEJKvtkyej8t3-Ggo4Qa1tCPgB2qq2V_k78phMqh3ZKHV7HJQKJyzxPBJ6n88YZne4n8HeDuclhlf-z_MdYnahSgb0wvZAiVTH7FeVgindSIL5VmHQoQwKCe3Wu6f04y4H96F1VAADqys/s1600/riots.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEJKvtkyej8t3-Ggo4Qa1tCPgB2qq2V_k78phMqh3ZKHV7HJQKJyzxPBJ6n88YZne4n8HeDuclhlf-z_MdYnahSgb0wvZAiVTH7FeVgindSIL5VmHQoQwKCe3Wu6f04y4H96F1VAADqys/s400/riots.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638951304726645602" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">
<br /></span></span></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I joined twitter all the way back in January 2009 and ever since then I've been keen to champion the network to anyone and everyone. I truly do believe that twitter is a force for good but as I followed the ongoing dramas of the London riots last night and today, I couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy. I was especially keen to keep tabs on Camberwell where I live and which thankfully escaped the brunt of the terrible riots on Monday night. But what I couldn't have known was that Camberwell was to become central to some very quick spreading rumours.</span></span></span></div><div><div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">
<br /></span></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "></span></span></span></span><div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Camberwell is where I have lived since moving to London two years ago and, as well as wanting to know if I'd be able to make my way home OK from my job in King's Cross, I wanted to make sure my sister, who was at home in our flat, would be alright. This is where it all began to go wrong.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family:Georgia, serif;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL7hhELaZKLvey92avPyo-S-Ngb0OxsFH4CSh8uloPaaztLLD4nk_HmNnjgSxGNSSFK2q6Kjo_Ex7MCJ0F1hx5QQ3BNaEGWiSMM23BjLrrIzY_haPoBCaRmVbYBaNJXJqMmwmuF2QXg-8/s400/Screen+shot+2011-08-09+at+19.55.46.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638946731439099154" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 382px; height: 254px; " /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Keeping half an eye on twitter at work, I was staggered to read mid-morning that rioting and fires appeared to be kicking off in Camberwell. </span></span></span></div></div></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">
<br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqDPPk1XzX_YYipfMZFqDjLlHkUkptYsHRs1i6j1CypdnEeXq_fUaeuMGyv5gDVB8j6ya8Tyi8OTLIhnJK-8yZcCcPhhM8jikuDczQnDXcOFIX-QZCtckmF-yBXfuVCnjcmtfgi4OIK1M/s400/Screen+shot+2011-08-09+at+19.52.32.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638946064222914050" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></span></div><div><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/8691406/London-and-UK-riots-August-9-morning-as-it-happened.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><i>The Telegraph reported disturbances in Camberwell, and included a report from an eye witness</i></span></span></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">
<br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">As I glanced at my computer just before I headed out for a sandwich it appeared that the Guardian and the </span></span></span><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/8691406/London-and-UK-riots-August-9-morning-as-it-happened.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Telegraph</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> were also reporting early signs of trouble in Camberwell. I gave my sister a call but she was blissfully unaware of the apparent mayhem that was happening just couple of hundred metres away.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">
<br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I continued to find tweets that were reporting that the local McDonalds was on fire, just as the Guardian described in their live blog (these early entries have since disappeared from the website). </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">
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<br /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Soon though a number of people started tweeting contradicting the reports of riots and fires. In fact, lots of people were saying that everything was normal in SE5.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">
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<br /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Still the tweets announcing trouble in Camberwell piled up - ranging from the very believable: groups gathering on the Green, British Transport Police warning they were diverting public transport away from Camberwell and Co-op being set alight - to the downright bonkers: King's College Hospital being evacuated. </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">
<br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibu1t73_p4vCRdN8ph09BT8vOxrnEikotXaydkXOmjQ1tmp6cysL-Z04R__imKANSWOR6r4ZrF7tV3-hAnQkVobrF33BCAVjKqyn2OIpOaTni1OFZOsWHASbVZSQCCovoEYGJlQJjv0es/s400/camb.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638948618851741778" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 384px; height: 256px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">
<br /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Thankfully out of all the madness a couple of very sensible tweeters emerged, </span></span></span><a href="http://www.twitter.com/camberwellblog"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">@Camberwellblog</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> and </span></span></span><a href="http://www.twitter.com/Sephora_Monroe"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">@Sephora_Monroe</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">. Sephora even appeared to go on a one-woman mission to quash every Camberwell rumour in the twittersphere and dear @Camberwellblog was clearly getting infuriated with the rumour-mongering and very carefully directed people to the local businesses and people who were actually on the scene. </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">
<br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvWRta63WmEyGxLb9P1OfgdyUV6_NVl6EAvwglNzbuJk5lYI0GvNPZZxOkepgK6Up-iT2DHjGmpucs_femqlDsMevZ9syr7lzhBvPUu8bFU2WmVIPAlZDMB-Thp92XKUn9N4JMiSNAyTA/s400/Screen+shot+2011-08-09+at+20.07.58.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638946269211191314" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">
<br /></span></span></span></span></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">In the end King's College and the Police had to tweet denying the rumours - proof of how widespread they were and how serious people were taking them.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">
<br /></span></span></span></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg8tCibqwW2CxJOdfV6YWFX-vw_7tTlIow3exdm-AXlxepqNVOHwSHmflQ1w4DbRwebkwfGzlFtRTW7RsweHlIbys9TcW7Ry5XbropxfaYYy2s_bYj5vr5y1IlEhNTHwZ23DUB_E9jG88/s400/Screen+shot+2011-08-09+at+19.55.53.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638946165042637442" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px; " /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I left work a little early, still unsure of what was going to meet me when I got back and of course, it was obvious straight away that everything was indeed fine. I set off for a little walk around Camberwell - partly so I could see for myself that Camberwell remained untouched and partly because I didn't want to feel like I was being forced to stay at home. I even took some pictures: </span></span></span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">
<br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3iNQ-hcJ-b7MY8MNGqB4pO38hrr4Q8bt6wUN-zJm13dlSujYc_BzUyzrd0tG8noZQoGaPxkAvZy28j3949mb_IzdxLG7pMpDinBzNLnFx_RyShR-tSPo_QT2_O2uEpNUt49LCGpc9ETE/s400/mcdon.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638950571451224930" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><i>McDonald's, definitely not on fire. </i></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">
<br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGEx2fsmSGERBJseX6kJJgfQm_lIMfSb6TjEJaCwVHHIiFP47frsAkRDcivWBzTO3IM8ZqXUyAoOcJMWv0oKTMnzCJMOil3Ai6g4FYSHT71n0L-BQ7khvtxhC9QGUOlPCq6Aww3_wNxqo/s400/IMG_1274.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638950879794906178" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><i>Co-op, not a victim of rioting or arson but perhaps of some panic buying. </i></span></span></span></div><div>
<br /></div></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">The Camberwell rumours are probably just one example of what has been happening across the capital and the entire country today, but regardless of location it's the ease at which these chinese whispers were spread that's most worrying. Especially because the rumours were picked up by the national press, perhaps without proper confirmation.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">
<br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Making people feel afraid for no reason is definitely not what twitter is about, and the people who began tweeting the rumours probably didn't do so in malice. Twitter can be an extremely useful tool in times like this, so we should all make an effort to keep twitter rumour free.</span></span></div>Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07283672080957904620noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4306115773977516100.post-9635335657274410062011-07-28T20:47:00.015+01:002011-07-28T21:08:53.854+01:00Album Review -For Each a Future Tethered, Butcher The Bar<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#339999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Originally written and published for Amelia's Magazine, <a href="http://www.ameliasmagazine.com/music/album-review-butcher-the-bar-for-each-a-future-tethered/2011/07/26/">here</a>.</span></span></div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 283px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYSzRwTc_O5KyJ46NuiP26E67TwxWv_Fmv16Jw0RlMjr5bMC6va-2pk3LOIcfvHLNggHZxO8LdsaycEynMyHcqGftWQ_zroTPf7Q1TQw_gBZE1KH_4lnuJOO1A00W66dJr-D20QF1fB0I/s400/Butcher-the-Bar-by-Cheryl-Windahl3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634492894547894114" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYSzRwTc_O5KyJ46NuiP26E67TwxWv_Fmv16Jw0RlMjr5bMC6va-2pk3LOIcfvHLNggHZxO8LdsaycEynMyHcqGftWQ_zroTPf7Q1TQw_gBZE1KH_4lnuJOO1A00W66dJr-D20QF1fB0I/s1600/Butcher-the-Bar-by-Cheryl-Windahl3.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#339999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span></a><!--StartFragment--><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="text-decoration: none; "><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYSzRwTc_O5KyJ46NuiP26E67TwxWv_Fmv16Jw0RlMjr5bMC6va-2pk3LOIcfvHLNggHZxO8LdsaycEynMyHcqGftWQ_zroTPf7Q1TQw_gBZE1KH_4lnuJOO1A00W66dJr-D20QF1fB0I/s1600/Butcher-the-Bar-by-Cheryl-Windahl3.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#339999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Butcher the Bar by </span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#339999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><a href="http://www.cherylwindahl.com/">Cheryl Windahl </a></span></span></span></span></p> <!--EndFragment--> <div><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#339999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Butcher the Bar's album For Each A Future Tethered is Joel Nicholson's second stab at this album malarky and if, as I suspect, this time he set out to create a collection of sweet and sunny folk-pop songs then he has succeeded.</span></span></span></span></span></p> <!--EndFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#339999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:small;">There are a few artists that Nicholson in his</span></span><a href="http://www.myspace.com/butcherthebarband"><span style=" text-decoration:none;text-underline:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#339999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> Butcher The Bar</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#339999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> incarnation brings to mind and many come from across the pond. His sweetly sung, breathy songs definitely evoke </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elliott_Smith"><span style=" text-decoration:none;text-underline:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#339999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Elliot Smith</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#339999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> but perhaps without the darker edge – from the amount of sunshine that comes bursting through the songs on this album it’s certainly difficult to believe that Nicholson is of a similar disposition to the late Smith.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqj5viLxOIam4HLJnh7hSV6DfhPS-Q-KrRkynUpUd88-S36MpiOctzC4C9XlaaYSLnX9-496pz1nEd788WNTv5J0GEq6lXlN8OYbj00A-KtGJVJoA_z-3yTfGF6VVBONs_6OPDR_Zw55w/s400/Butcher-the-Bar-by-Emma-Carlisle.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634493000586787618" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 379px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; " /></span></p><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#339999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Butcher the Bar by </span></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.emmacarlisle.com"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#339999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Emma Carlisle</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#339999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#339999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Shoegazey ditties like Alpha Street West conjure </span></span><a href="http://www.myspace.com/joshuaradin"><span style=" text-decoration:none;text-underline:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#339999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Josh Radin</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#339999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> or Jason Schwartzman’s band </span></span><a href="http://www.myspace.com/coconutrecords"><span style="text-decoration:none;text-underline:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#339999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Coconut Record</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#339999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">s and there’s definitely something Eels-esque in the rousing Lullaby. As for a homegrown influence then you wouldn’t be far off if you imagined the best of </span></span><a href="http://www.myspace.com/badlydrawnboy"><span style="text-decoration:none;text-underline:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#339999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Badly Drawn Boy’</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#339999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">s back catalogue.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://www.myspace.com/butcherthebarband"><span style=" text-decoration:none;text-underline:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#339999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Butcher The Bar’s</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#339999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> sound is quite a full one – layers of clarinets, keyboards, glockenspiels, trumpets, and guitars all pile up to make for some pretty hefty choruses. It would definitely be interesting to check them out at a gig to see if they can translate this big sound into their lives shows.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#339999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Inspiration for most of the lyrics seem to be taken from the every day with many tracks recounting little stories – including walks with loved ones, imagined romances and teenaged mums – giving the album a really lovely, personal feel.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMBPPUvVh5QaV6yxD1Gdc1IRycDEPZnUP9fLnBXxhsYJXhxbOyCFeSKALYYXt9tNv-IHP21eWE7iApjzWJ7ghjP0fgonkVjPQeaTTz2jT8EBrKbEBH26vdR4lNGkg-jzq9Nml1BHDx_RM/s1600/Butcher-the-Bar-by-Natalie-Hughes-web.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMBPPUvVh5QaV6yxD1Gdc1IRycDEPZnUP9fLnBXxhsYJXhxbOyCFeSKALYYXt9tNv-IHP21eWE7iApjzWJ7ghjP0fgonkVjPQeaTTz2jT8EBrKbEBH26vdR4lNGkg-jzq9Nml1BHDx_RM/s400/Butcher-the-Bar-by-Natalie-Hughes-web.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634492717603722914" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 400px; " /></a></span></p><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#339999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Butcher the Bar by </span></span><a href="http://www.nataliehughes.co.uk/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#339999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Natasha Hughes</span></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#339999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#339999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Stand out tracks include Sign Your Name (“sign your name upon my heart for me”) and Silk Tilts, which will give anyone in need of a instant banjo hit a great deal of pleasure – just try not to continually misread and mishear the title, as I keep doing!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#339999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#339999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/zGKHZrOLcsU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></span></span></div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#339999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Giant with it’s refrain of “you’re my favourite, favourite one” is a good example of the material on offer here – it’s not complicated stuff, but it’s so sweet and backed-up by some pretty impressive musicianship. In fact most of the songs don’t surpass 3 and-a-half minutes so there is no hint that Nicholson is trying to do anything particularly wacky or experimental. For Each A Future Tethered is simply a collection of delightful indie-pop songs, and there is nothing wrong with that.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment--> </div>Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07283672080957904620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4306115773977516100.post-61269357929330016162011-05-25T10:57:00.006+01:002011-05-31T13:53:27.622+01:00Album Review - I Want That You Are Always Happy, The Middle East<!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><iframe width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/1-0Cfpvr7fY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(51, 102, 102); font-family:georgia;font-size:small;">Written for and published by <a href="http://thefourohfive.com/reviews/4278">The 405. </a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">In places this album hints at a change of track for Australian band The Middle East, and certainly there are more experimental sounds and sometimes just the bare bones of songs on I Want That You Are Always Happy, but just beneath the surface is a collection of achingly beautiful tracks. The sound might be simpler than their debut The Recordings of the Middle East, but this album will not disappoint fans of their previously more intricate acoustic sound.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">F</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">irst up and Black Death 1349 is a downbeat start but it’s a perfect introduction to Jordan Ireland’s voice, which is as bewitching a voice as I’ve heard in a long time and it’s this voice that still draws me to listen to Blood, perhaps their most well-known track to date, again and again.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">The decidedly more chart-friendly Jesus Came To My Birthday Party is a standard in indie pop. I don’t know if the inclusion of songs like Jesus is a deliberate attempt at creating something more commercial or just a new direction the band wanted to explore? But it works – the song topped the charts in Australia as soon as it was released.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">However, this </span></span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">is</span></span></span></i></span><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"> one of those albums that takes a few listens, perhaps because listened to together the tracks appear bitty and disconnected. At 14 songs, it’s quite a long album, which makes me think we could do without the more experimental tracks on the album – Mount Morgan and Sydney to Newcastle – that detract from the wonderful simplicity of the other tracks.</span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span lang="EN-US"></span>For those who are gagging for more of the pretty ditties that we heard on the first record, and it can’t be denied that this band can come up with the prettiest of ditties, there are plenty to choose from, including Land Of The Bloody Unknown, Dan’s Silverleaf, Months and the countrified Hunger Song and As I Go To See Janey.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">The move away from the more complex, multi-instrumental arrangements of their first album has definitely landed The Middle East with more of a country vibe and they pull it off well. Americana is a common thread – Deep Water with its slide guitar and Ninth Avenue Revenue brings to mind the bluesy Ray LaMontagne – with their lyrics, “You say you can’t stop crying/ it’s just the power of the song/ riding along the midnight grass again”, it’s a potent combination and may well move you with the power of the song.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">I hope The Middle East will find new fans with this release. Afterall since their debut in 2008 the folk scene has really exploded worldwide and anyone who is a fan of the likes of Fleet Foxes and their banjo touting and ethereal-voiced contemporaries should certainly feel happy that they’ve discovered The Middle East.</span></span></span></span><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"> </span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;color:#336666;">I Want That You Are Always Happy is released on May 30. </span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07283672080957904620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4306115773977516100.post-49649433017108352632011-05-19T21:15:00.006+01:002011-05-19T21:51:40.467+01:00Ear worms<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Here's a little post that I'm writing for no real reason, other than wanting to share what have been my latest musical addictions. I guess that's what so-called music blogs do, right? Well here we go.</span></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/KbJy1zeoDn4?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Bon Iver needs no real introduction, but this is the single from his latest record and it makes me desperate to see him play live again. He reduced a whole field of people to tears at Glastonbury a couple of years ago. This <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDj44n5bjWU">clip</a> of him and his buddies singing a beautiful a cappella rendition of For Emma will give you an idea of how.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><iframe width="560" height="450" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/WL3khEzSIXs?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">I've recently discovered Jon Ronson's (writer of fabulous The Men Who Stared At Goats) programme for Radio 4 called Jon Ronson On. I only really discovered the show because Adam Buxton of Adam and Joe recommended it and now I've discovered this track by Husky Rescue. I'm basically like some kind of cultural magpie. But do listen to Jon Ronson On, it's really fantastic, especially the one on Voices In Your Head, you can listen to them all, </span></span></span><a href="http://www.jonronson.com/ronsonon.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">here</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">. </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/pAOs73DBZvk?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">I just found this version of Alela Diane's wonderful Tatted Lace, I think it probably speaks for itself. It makes me wish I was better at better playing guitar. </span></span></span></div><div><br /></div>Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07283672080957904620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4306115773977516100.post-46501832375802666102011-05-18T22:07:00.008+01:002011-05-18T22:23:14.153+01:00Album Review - Screaming Is Something, The Travelling Band<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 20px; font-family:Georgia, Times, serif;font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:small;">Written for and published on </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:small;"><a href="http://www.ameliasmagazine.com/music/album-review-the-travelling-band-screaming-is-something/2011/05/18/">Amelia's Magazine.</a></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">The brand new album from </span></span></span><a target="_blank" href="http://www.thetravellingband.co.uk/ttbfairweathersplash/page.html" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; text-decoration: none; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">The Travelling Band</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> features all the trademarks of a good folk pop album, including introspective lyrics, fantastic harmonies and, as no self-respecting nu-folk band would be without, banjos a-plenty. </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">With their sound deeply rooted in rock, folk and country The Travelling Band’s second offering Screaming Is Something will please the ears of acoustic music lovers everywhere.</span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 18px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; color: rgb(51, 102, 102); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:16px;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAUPjlY_CZLFjV32BAvP_dprfDeYlUs9k-vwm6lvolNLEW3sJoUfyrMxaxAkRriYm4l9apEXbweqiJ1eCO2ltSCP13G1XHNxXAFiRqjWwCifXyrmXt0xwo4KQqXtWQo2aP9EosZ17x3Mw/s400/Natasha-Thompson-Travelling-Band.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608166997981346402" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px; " /></span></span></span></span></p><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; color: rgb(51, 102, 102); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 18px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Illustration by Natasha Thompson, you can see her blog, </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="http://www.thesecretteaparty.co.uk/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">here</span></a></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.thesecretteaparty.co.uk/">.</a></span></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.thesecretteaparty.co.uk/"></a></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Travellin</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">g Band hail f</span>rom Manchester, so the group are joining the ranks of some pretty impressive acts including </span></span></span><a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oasis_(band)" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; text-decoration: none; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Oasis</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">, </span></span></span><a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elbow_(band)" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; text-decoration: none; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Elbow</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"> and </span></span></span><a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doves_(band)" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; text-decoration: none; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Doves</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"> – although they much more closely resemble the latter two of that particular group. The first single from the record, Fairweather Friends could well have been inspired by their fellow Mancunians, the layering of instruments, shimmering guitars and affecting harmonies create a ‘big’ sound a la Elbow, perhaps even X&Y era Coldplay.</span></span></span></p></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">You’re reminded of their heritage every now and then too, when a Manc accent sneaks in, such as on Horizon Me And You. This is a fantastic folk pop song and shows real promise in their ability to create a catchy tune and yet make it their own.</span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">It’s Sundial that claims the prize for best track on the album though, and it’s a real highlight – anthemic but all the while remaining sweet, “If I had a home to call my own/ then I wouldn’t need a sun dial/ to stop me roaming around” – it’s calling out for a sunny afternoon at a music festival one day this summer, and it stayed on repeat for a long while before my housemates and neighbours tired of it. Just give it a listen and see how long you can go without humming the chorus.</span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Z-dhntGg5A0?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Indeed the band are no strangers to music festivals and actually got their break by winning the Glastonbury </span></span></span><a target="_blank" href="http://www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk/news/emerging-talent-competition-opens-for-one-week" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; text-decoration: none; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Emerging Talent Competition</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"> in 2008 where they then performed – I for one, am sorry to have missed them. A homemade video shows the boys hanging out, enjoying the sunshine, and performing Horizon Me and You at The Park at </span></span></span><a href="http://www.ameliasmagazine.com/music/glastonbury-2010-climate-camp-tripod-stage-review-thursday/2010/07/01/" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; text-decoration: none; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Glastonbury</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"> last year (above). And what an idyllic scene, boys performing their pretty music in the pretty countryside, makes you proud to be British.</span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Tracks Under the Pavement and Hindsight are perhaps a bit confused – the folksier sound definitely suits this band more than rocking out to guitars, but perhaps live this would actually work better. All-in-all this album passes in a hazy stream of sunny guitars and lilting harmonies, the slower songs are perhaps slightly less successful than the more upbeat tunes, which is where the band appear to really flourish, but if you’re looking for a soundtrack to kick off your summer then </span></span></span><a target="_blank" href="http://www.twitter.com/TravellingBand" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; text-decoration: none; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">The Travelling Band</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">’s new album Screaming Is Something could very well be the record you’re looking for.</span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); line-height: normal; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:16px;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO7FKu_O4kf9ftlAWc2Rz3XBUmwENxsZYqct5VKkdFmpTRh7ucNkIDKQLwuiBoCMFzA-GNc95hEfGs4X0cizpFYV3dK85bRljYmVoWde1ScZZL7eDu_rkJApRh-se_o4alizGLlm6TV54/s400/Traveling_Band_by_Melissa_Dow.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608167593191397698" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 328px; " /></span></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Illustration by Melissa Dow, you can see her website</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal; font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">, </span></span><a href="http://www.melissadowillustration.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">here</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">. </span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">The album is released on the 30th May 2011 on </span></span></span><a target="_blank" href="http://cookingvinyl.com/" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; text-decoration: none; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Cooking Vinyl</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">. The band kicked off a UK wide tour this summer with a gig last night at The Nest in London. </span></span></span><a target="_blank" href="http://www.thetravellingband.co.uk/?page_id=9" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; text-decoration: none; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Details of further dates can be found here</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">.</span></span></span></p><p></p></div></span>Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07283672080957904620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4306115773977516100.post-18158261385242991242011-05-12T20:08:00.001+01:002011-05-18T22:43:55.569+01:00Album Review - In Love With Oblivion, Crystal Stilts<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(51, 102, 102); line-height: 20px; font-family:Georgia, Times, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Written for and published on the ever so amazing </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><a href="http://www.ameliasmagazine.com/music/album-review-crystal-stilts-in-love-with-oblivion/2011/05/10/">Amelia's Magazine.</a></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(51, 102, 102); line-height: 20px; font-family:Georgia, Times, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">The new album from Brooklyn based Crystal Stilts is out now on Fortuna POP! The Joy Division comparisons are impossible to shake off, but we're still impressed by this second outing.<br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></span><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><iframe width="640" height="510" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/frvlSkqorYM?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></span></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">I was hoping to be able to stay away from the Joy Division comparisons while writing this review of New York band </span></span></span><a href="http://www.myspace.com/crystalstilts"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Crystal Stilt’s</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"> new album In Love With Oblivion, but like many before me I’ve found it basically impossible – the influence of Ian Curtis flows through the band’s second album like a vein of precious metal. It’s singer Brad Hargett’s drone-like vocal that does it, strongly recalling Curtis as well as the similarly enigmatic Jim Reid of </span></span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jesus_and_Mary_Chain"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">The Jesus and Mary Chain</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">. (And now I won’t mention the J D words ever again…promise.)</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica; min-height: 17.0px"><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><br /></span></span></span></u></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">In fact quite a lot has been written about Hargett’s singing style, sometimes scathingly, and his vocals </span></span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">are</span></span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"> a little monotonous. There are points on this record when I really wanted him to surprise me by stepping out of the echo chamber to give some these songs a bit of extra punch. On Silver Sun for instance, the whole band are doing some pretty great stuff – the guitars and the organs and the jangle of the tambourine but Hargett maintains his monotonal drawl. There are few upbeat tracks on this record and if Hargett switched his style up a bit on some of them, it would lift the whole album. </span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica; min-height: 17.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><br /></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">But perhaps I’m missing the point, this appears to be an album that is more concerned with creating atmospheres or feelings than totally nailing each individual track. Hargett’s obvious attachment to the echo effect and the whole lo-fi approach towards recording and production makes this album sound dreamlike, almost as if you could be listening to it underwater, and to over-produce or clean up the sound would mean losing some of this otherworldly charm.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica; min-height: 17.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><br /></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">There’s also a kind of filmic side to the album, thanks to the murky sound and doom-laden lyrics, not forgetting the use of sound effects. Songs open and end with gusts of wind, car crashes, and crickets – it’s totally atmospheric and a big hint that Crystal Stilts aren’t your average Brooklyn-based hipster garage band.</span></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:16px;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDffE2DDyG-we0gxdhDjyl9e5-s1tb-gfnZtvHGTZ2tp7_zLcnkocs4S7KpuHf9rf4udrIwPJC8h3KtnSoasPja02kUnNO5NBP2lrMyprHN5nXFIpwwh41sijKC8orOL9c9I9Leu3FOqE/s400/Crystal+Stilts.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605908602194501266" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 280px; " /></span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica; min-height: 17.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Illustration by </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><a target="_blank" href="http://www.thieuvite.com/" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; text-decoration: none; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Stephanie Thieullent</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">, see more of her amazing work on her blog, </span></span></span><a href="http://www.thieuvite.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">here</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">.</span></span></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica; min-height: 17.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><br /></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">The band clearly includes some skilful musicians, the </span></span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Cash"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Johnny Cash</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">-inspired guitar licks of opening track Sycamore Tree provides as good an introduction as any – this is a track that sounds like it’s been around for the last 50 years. In fact there are clear 1960s influences throughout and pretty convincing in places, like the band went to sleep in 1964 and woke up in 2011 and continued making music like nothing had changed, which for someone like me, who happens to love the music of the 1960s, makes this album a really interesting prospect.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica; min-height: 17.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><br /></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">There are peaks and troughs with this record though, the seven minute Alien Rivers is a needless addition but those that follow like stand-out track Flying Into the Sun is a fantastic listen and includes the inspired lyrics “There’s a black hole/ behind these eyes/ takes everything with it/ when it dies.” Like the album title suggests there is a bit of an emo vibe running through much of Hargett’s songwriting.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica; min-height: 17.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><br /></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">This is the kind of album then, that may well find itself providing the soundtrack to a whole host of late night gatherings and post-party hangouts, and I suspect could sound even better when you’re burnt out but not ready to go to bed just yet. </span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica; min-height: 17.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><br /></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica"><a href="http://www.myspace.com/crystalstilts"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Crystal Stilts</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"> are playing in XOYO in London on June 21 – their only UK date and by the sounds of it, well worth getting down to. </span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica; min-height: 17.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#1738F5;"><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><br /></span></u></span></p>Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07283672080957904620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4306115773977516100.post-71102344538473682922011-03-13T23:57:00.011+00:002011-03-14T11:52:50.368+00:00Live Review - Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Old Vic Tunnels, 12/03/11<div><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><iframe title="YouTube video player" width="640" height="510" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/rjFaenf1T-Y" frameborder="0"></iframe></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">I’d been desperate to see this band of beautiful hippies as soon as I heard their magnificent track ‘Home’ and I admit, I immediately bought into the barefooted, long haired, guitar-strumming-round-the-camp-fire universe of Edward Sharpe (actually Alexander Ebert) and his Magnetic Zeros (see, </span></span><a href="http://itwasallonestream.blogspot.com/search/label/Edward%20Sharpe%20And%20The%20Magnetic%20Zeros"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">here</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">).</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The venue for the night, the Old Vic Tunnels, is one of the most magical places I’ve ever visited. Bursting with an eerie, Ripper-tinged atmosphere – I’d already been exposed to the maze of cavernous tunnels near Waterloo station when I went to the premier of Banky’s film </span><a href="http://itwasallonestream.blogspot.com/search?q=banksy"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Exit Through The Gift Shop</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> so I knew it was going to be a special night.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">It didn’t disappoint! A beautiful giant moon hung in the void of one of the tunnels (below); burlesque dancers winked in the pop-up Texan Tavern, and all kinds of performers mingled with the crowd. One guy dressed as a cowboy pressed a suspicious cling-filmed brown square into my palm, that got me in trouble with the Mars police and meant I had to be searched, “is you brain organic?” he said before popping a sweet in my mouth.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><iframe title="YouTube video player" width="853" height="510" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/v3o2stT9Z30" frameborder="0"></iframe></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Among the band’s ‘proper’ support acts were a harpist and two amazing beatboxers but the best of the bunch was Rocco DeLuca. He stood alone on the main stage – highlighted by just single light, his trademark silver Dobro glinting – and completely mesmerised the small audience with his Jeff Buckley-esque vocals that echoed around the arches.</span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Then the time came for Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros to take to the stage. The distant echo of chanting and bells announced their arrival and soon they were pushing their way through from the back of the crowd in a long line of beards and smiles. ‘40 Day Dream’ got us off to a good start and the excitement didn’t dwindle throughout the lengthy set. In the crowd we were squeezed together to within an inch of our lives, but we bellowed along to every track from the album ‘Up From Below’ and stood trance-like for the tracks that were new. I felt as if I'd finally been let into their</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(51, 102, 102); font-family:georgia;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(51, 102, 102); font-family:georgia;">1960s </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(51, 102, 102); font-family:georgia;">throwback</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(51, 102, 102); font-family:georgia;"> universe and the undeniable charisma of Alexander Ebert (or at least, in his guise of alter ego Edward Sharpe) pulsed through the underground audience. At midnight exactly it spilled out onto the street and into the night…</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></p> <!--EndFragment--> </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtUs3tg2roVFek4svTV_ebfaWpu5yj1kxkZTqwZixGCbk4NGGt7eH1jDxTC5enQQYOm4_h-KpovNySjKnAQudH8DaAAizWtseESHJUJwzeKpGM-BDMhddJo8X7FaO4NZnjt1KdnqHVe-g/s1600/IMG_0961.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtUs3tg2roVFek4svTV_ebfaWpu5yj1kxkZTqwZixGCbk4NGGt7eH1jDxTC5enQQYOm4_h-KpovNySjKnAQudH8DaAAizWtseESHJUJwzeKpGM-BDMhddJo8X7FaO4NZnjt1KdnqHVe-g/s400/IMG_0961.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583718936451494962" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span>Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07283672080957904620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4306115773977516100.post-26924568736213974092011-03-13T23:37:00.005+00:002011-04-05T10:29:24.226+01:00Album Review - Skin & Bones, David J Roch<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/18260957" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/18260957">City Sessions_Film Two_David J Roch</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user5564091">City Sessions</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">I was lucky enough to see David J Roch at the launch of exciting film/music venture City Sessions, which has been set up by the lovely Matthew Lawes (@mattylawes if you’re on twitter.) The video I’ve included is one of the installments from Matt and co’s City Sessions, check the rest out, </span></span></span><a href="http://www.citysessions.co.uk/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">here</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">. Anyway, more about that another time, what follows is my review of Roch’s album, originally written for The 405, published <a href="http://thefourohfive.com/reviews/3964">here</a>.<br /></span></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Say what you want about David J Roch but one thing is for sure; he possesses a pretty impressive set of pipes. Pretty outstanding actually, he can switch from bluesy baritone to soaring falsetto with not so much as a second thought – making his debut album one that can’t fail to make you sit up and listen.<br /></span></span><br />The first track, ‘The Lost Child’ is as good a showcase of this as any. It starts quietly, just an electric guitar and Roch’s voice residing very much at the higher end of the scales – almost piercing, but as instruments join in so Roch’s voice warms up, leading to an impassioned chorus of “all I’ve got is love.”<br /><br />Roch definitely appears to have adopted the wear-your-heart-on-your-sleeve approach to songwriting. For example, in ‘Hour of Need’ he sings, “I’m so ashamed of what I’ve done and yet so afraid of what’s to come, you gave me up to be lonely with another boy” – making for a heartwarming and honest listen.<br /><br />The comparisons are many and varied; Damien Rice is one, and there’s something Michael Stipe-esque about his delivery in songs like ‘Bones’. British Sea Power also come to mind, so it’s unsurprising then that Roch provided support for British Sea Power on their most recent tour and I can only imagine won himself a few fans in the process.<br /><br />‘Lonely Unfinished’ is especially atmospheric mainly because of the use of a church organ, “love is splendid agony” goes the refrain, like a tortured medieval lullaby, and Roch uses his higher range to perfection on this track.<br /><br />‘Dew’ is reminiscent of some of the more recent sounds of say, Zola Jesus or Hurts both of whom manage to make current music with clear 80s and 90s influences – proof that Roch has more than one string to his bow. ‘Devil Don’t Mind’ harks to a southern gospel sound and Roch has admitted he is a fan of this style of music and indeed jazz. Of course, he has put his own slightly macabre spin on proceedings here as everywhere, which results in the killer line, “there’s no point in being well behaved, when you’re stood in your own grave.”<br /><br />These gothic undertones are common throughout the album and Roch is clearly a bit preoccupied by thoughts and ideas surrounding mortality – ‘Bones’, ‘Skin and Bones’, ‘Devil’ – all are darkly romantic and yet thrillingly uplifting. ‘Skin and Bones’ has single written all over it – close enough to anthemic folk to perhaps permit it some serious radio time ala Mumford & Sons.<br /></span></span></span>Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07283672080957904620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4306115773977516100.post-85337788024597960682011-02-21T19:28:00.003+00:002011-02-22T16:40:29.351+00:00Album Review - The King of Limbs, Radiohead<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 10px; font-family:Helvetica, Verdana, Arial;font-size:10px;"><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.3; "><iframe title="YouTube video player" width="640" height="510" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/o5c9w6uWBOI?rel=0" frameborder="0"></iframe></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.3; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Published originally over </span></span><a href="http://thefourohfive.com/reviews/3678"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">here</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> by The 405.</span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.3; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">This album, to me, is one of two halves, although the use of echo, and the decision to let Thom Yorke’s lyrics almost take a back seat, creates a relationship between each and every track.</span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.3; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">The first half of the album is characterised by its agitated rhythms – a slightly aggressive tone even, such as on second track ‘Morning Mr Blackbird’ where Yorke asserts, "you’ve got some nerve coming here.” This section of the album seems to be where the band is really stretching the limits and experimenting with their sound.</span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.3; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">The second half, especially the last three tracks, is easier to listen to and perhaps picks up where </span></span></span><span style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">In Rainbows</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"> left off. ‘Codex’ is my personal favourite, cool and ethereal and including a really beautiful use of brass. This mellow vibe continues on ‘Give Up The Ghost’ and on ‘Separator’. The last song on the album, ‘Separator’s’ refrain of “wake me up” is fitting because when </span></span></span><span style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">The King of Limbs </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px; font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">finished</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">you almost feel as if you’ve woken up from a deep and wonderful dream.</span></span></span></p></span>Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07283672080957904620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4306115773977516100.post-18791820160780847932010-12-29T15:52:00.014+00:002010-12-30T00:22:06.590+00:00My very lazy top 3 albums of 2010<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Time for the obligatory 'my best albums of the year' post. Usually I don't bother, and yet the world manages to remain spinning on its axis, so why this year? Well, actually I was a bit intrigued. And I'm more than a bit lazy. So I just checked out my 'most played' on itunes and it yielded quite a good representation of my favourite 2010 albums and my year in general. Also a lot of favourites that had nothing to do with 2010, but I'll stick to the brief.</span></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Yeasayer's album Odd Blood came top. And just to keep things super neat their track 'ONE' was my number one most played track, which makes me think that deep down maybe I'm not an 'organised chaos' kinda girl but actually more psychotically OCD than anyone could imagine. Now, it would have been at this point that I'd have pointed out that the video below was one of the weirdest music videos of the year, but since Klaxons came along with their 'Twin Flames' </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9j6bAFcHF8U"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><b>video</b></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><b>,</b> Yeasayer's efforts may as well be an episode of Playdays. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">I got to enjoy seeing Yeasayer perform earlier in the year and tracks 'ONE', 'Ambling Alp', and 'I Remember', still make me hop about excitedly if they come on in a bar. All-in-all a worthy choice for the top spot.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><object width="640" height="505"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-mpqHi9RFew?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-mpqHi9RFew?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="505"></embed></object></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Arcade Fire is up next with their spectacular album The Suburbs. In contrast to Yeasayer, this was definitely not an album that got me throwing shapes all over London, but rather one that helped put my brain back together after all the shape throwing (and sometimes, throwing up) was done. In fact the lilting melodies and shimmering instrumentation of this Canadian band are partly responsible for getting me through the final stretch of my Masters. Having just been annouced as the winner of HMV's album of the year I'm ready to admit that I might not be alone in cherishing this particular release. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><br /></span></div><div><object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/XAitZuh4ueg?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/XAitZuh4ueg?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Finally, Stornoway and their debut Beachcombers Windowsill have snuck in as my third most played 2010 album. Not surprising that there should be a folksy entry but I think one word can sum up it's inclusion in the top 3, Glastonbury. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">The Park, Saturday afternoon, glorious sunshine - the stage is set for what would be some of the best moments of this year's festival. Stornoway kicked off proceedings, and then having swayed in the sun for a little too long already that day, we retreated to the shade where we heard Biffy Clyro do a storming secret gig, had a groove to Candi Staton and the original 'You've Got The Love', and regained our strength in time for Laura Marling and a night of mischief. Clearly I've been trying to recreate that afternoon ever since as 'Boats and Trains' has racked up over 100 listens.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><object width="640" height="505"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/576xwl317QQ?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/576xwl317QQ?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="505"></embed></object></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><br /></span></div>Right, and that's it. My very lazy top 3 albums of the year. For someone as indecisive as me that was a winning formula - letting my itunes do all the hard work. </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">I think I'm going to go and download a Lucky Number 8 Ball app and let it choose what I'm doing in 2011.</span></div>Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07283672080957904620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4306115773977516100.post-49263544968846998712010-11-09T12:27:00.005+00:002010-11-09T12:36:30.396+00:00Album Review - Long Live, Snowblink<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 10px; font-family:Helvetica, Verdana, Arial;font-size:10px;"><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.3; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 23px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: normal; white-space: pre-wrap; font-family:monospace, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:12px;"><object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ooRxh6xCEK4?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ooRxh6xCEK4?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object></span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.3; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 23px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: normal; white-space: pre-wrap; font-family:monospace, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:12px;"></span>Written for and published on </span></span><a href="http://thefourohfive.com/reviews/3010"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The 405.</span></span></a></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.3; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Having already become firm favourites among hundreds of music bloggers everywhere, </span></span></span><span style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Snowblink’s</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> full album is finally being released.</span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.3; font-size:1.3em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Snowblink, made up of San Franciscans Daniela Gesundheit and bandmate Dan Goldman, have produced a beautiful album in ‘Long Live’ that brings a touch of the ethereal to the increasingly popular folk genre. Providing a link between the nature-inspired lyrics of Fleet Foxes and the pretty vocals of Leslie Feist of Feist and Broken Social Scene, Snowblink are very ‘now’ but manage to be wonderfully nostalgic at the same time.</span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.3; font-size:1.3em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Gesundheit’s voice is really quite mesmerising and thankfully this voice is allowed to be the focus of every song on the album, indeed in parts like ‘Divining Rod’ it is all you hear. The songs might deviate in style – a hint of gospel in ‘Sea Change’, indie pop vibes on ‘Heckling the Afterglow’ and country on ‘The Tired Bees’ - but Gesundheit’s voice forges a close relationship between each and every one. </span></span><i style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Long Live</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"> is very much one whole rather than simply a showcase of fifteen disconnected but well written tracks.</span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.3; font-size:1.3em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">'Ambergris' is the highlight of the album, finger-picked guitars and layers of lovely instrumentation make this song quite anthemic but in the most understated way. The song has enjoyed some popularity thanks to the internet’s capacity for sharing and helped along some way by the 70’s inspired music video, which shows the band in a hippy utopia, walking among wildflowers, complete with floaty dresses and frolicking children…sounds pretty good to me! By the time ‘Ambergris’ is nearing its end with the nonsensical refrain of “I hope you find your ambergris” it has crept all the way up to spine-tingling territory.</span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.3; font-size:1.3em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Snowblink’s first full album is essential listening for anyone enjoying the present folk music take over, especially those who like their folk with a country twist. Twinkling melodies and understated it truly makes ears happy, ‘Long Live’ Snowblink.</span></span></p></span>Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07283672080957904620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4306115773977516100.post-41073819717593962722010-11-07T10:02:00.005+00:002010-11-25T15:53:19.880+00:00Live Review - Lissie/ Ramona, Heaven<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1-YPi_RnpHfkFAVUJksqMhiigTC8nxaQx4tVtNYea_qnShnaHuHRuI5ulTR2W15qj9n6_247BKQw91wAAABi8H_RXyFQAWPnClVTbclb3FZq74zyKSQs7WUursO5MZRc1GSIECUniBFQ/s1600/lissie.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 332px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1-YPi_RnpHfkFAVUJksqMhiigTC8nxaQx4tVtNYea_qnShnaHuHRuI5ulTR2W15qj9n6_247BKQw91wAAABi8H_RXyFQAWPnClVTbclb3FZq74zyKSQs7WUursO5MZRc1GSIECUniBFQ/s400/lissie.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536746922908506946" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(68, 68, 68); line-height: 18px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:14px;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Written for and published on </span></span><a href="http://www.forfolkssake.com/reviews/7203/live-lissie-heaven-london"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">For Folk's Sake</span></span></a></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; "><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Lissie</span></span></span></strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> played a sold out gig at London’s Heaven, but not without the help of her trusty superglue. She followed a storming set from Brighton four piece </span></span></span><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Ramona, </span></span></span></strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">who were first to take to the venue’s lofty stage and provided a more than satisfactory warm-up for the powerful lungs of Lissie that were to follow.</span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">It might be a lazy comparison, but the punk-influenced musical stylings, the blonde hair, and the pouty attitude of Ramona’s lead singer Karen Anne brought a young Debbie Harry to mind. Single ‘How Long’ was another nod to a punk era gone by: a perfectly modern take on the punk-rock sounds of the late 70s, it reminded me of the Undertones’ ‘Teenage Kicks’. With the addition of 90s classic Blue Boy’s ‘Remember Me’, the highlight of the set, Ramona proved that they are a group with many strings to their musical bow.</span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Then it was Lissie’s turn. The atmosphere was buzzing as this much-talked about musician opened up with ‘Wedding Bells.’ It’s often a worry that a much-hyped act will struggle to live up to expectations. This was certainly not the case with Lissie. Her powerful and soulful voice – whether she’s singing softly on ‘Bully’ or belting it out on her first single, ‘When I’m Alone’ – changed my cynical mind right from the start.</span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Appearing totally comfortable on stage, she told a bemused audience that she had to briefly stop the gig to get some superglue. “I don’t play with a pick, I guess I should learn. I actually have this long nail…” she explained to the thoroughly disgusted crowd. But after covering her fingertip with super glue, and as if to prove her method certainly works, she played a truly magnificent and heartfelt rendition of ‘Everywhere I Go’.</span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">The band had chosen to cover Led Zeppelin’s ‘Stairway To Heaven’, as performed on Radio 2 recently, as the ultimate finale (especially appropriate at a venue named Heaven). Lissie and her band produced a particularly magical rendition of the rock anthem, that would have brought a smile to even the most hardcore of Led Zep fans.</span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Having listened to Lissie’s album I wasn’t quite so sure what made her stand apart from the veritable gaggle of girly singer/songwriters currently in vogue. Actually her album </span></span></span><em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Catching A Tiger</span></span></span></em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"> just doesn’t do her justice, her powerful and soulful voice is totally unique and definitely one to see live. Lissie is one of the best singers around at the moment.</span></span></span></p><div><br /></div></span>Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07283672080957904620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4306115773977516100.post-7428119327543145522010-10-28T16:58:00.005+01:002010-11-25T15:53:54.466+00:00Exhibition Review - The Museum of Everything<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuoL20CBExmGY9E9rw0gZ0XchSA3wESk5uhrA0-GpLuSOxuXZ6HTL78JpIeaiHCBGc9uhLpF3TVkfByRmG1BvpXseQrbDz4OwwkXBg9zgvkXSuJrTXfAfkAKGQI1YdXDGH3Hp4tEL7Np4/s1600/themuseumofeverythingbyEmmelinePidgen.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 287px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuoL20CBExmGY9E9rw0gZ0XchSA3wESk5uhrA0-GpLuSOxuXZ6HTL78JpIeaiHCBGc9uhLpF3TVkfByRmG1BvpXseQrbDz4OwwkXBg9zgvkXSuJrTXfAfkAKGQI1YdXDGH3Hp4tEL7Np4/s400/themuseumofeverythingbyEmmelinePidgen.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533128945121908498" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "></span></a><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuoL20CBExmGY9E9rw0gZ0XchSA3wESk5uhrA0-GpLuSOxuXZ6HTL78JpIeaiHCBGc9uhLpF3TVkfByRmG1BvpXseQrbDz4OwwkXBg9zgvkXSuJrTXfAfkAKGQI1YdXDGH3Hp4tEL7Np4/s1600/themuseumofeverythingbyEmmelinePidgen.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "></span></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuoL20CBExmGY9E9rw0gZ0XchSA3wESk5uhrA0-GpLuSOxuXZ6HTL78JpIeaiHCBGc9uhLpF3TVkfByRmG1BvpXseQrbDz4OwwkXBg9zgvkXSuJrTXfAfkAKGQI1YdXDGH3Hp4tEL7Np4/s1600/themuseumofeverythingbyEmmelinePidgen.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">Illustration by </span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;"><a href="http://www.emmelineillustration.com/">Emmeline Pidge</a>n</span></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><a href="http://www.emmelineillustration.com/"></a><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Published on the ever so amazing </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><a href="http://www.ameliasmagazine.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Amelia's Magazine.</span></a></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">It’s back but not for long. The Museum of Everything has once again put on one of the most intriguing and eccentric exhibitions in all of London and one not to be missed.</span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Returning for the third time the </span></span></span><a href="http://www.museumofeverything.com/exhibition3.php"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Museum of Everything’s</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"> simply named Exhibition #3 has been put together with the help of British pop artist </span></span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Blake_(artist)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Sir Peter Blake</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">. It only opened on the 13</span></span></span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">th</span></span></span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"> October to coincide with the </span></span></span><a href="http://www.friezeartfair.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Frieze art fair</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"> and is due to close again at Christmas so get down there quick before it’s gone, I promise you’d be sorry to miss it.</span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">A strange little place, the Museum of Everything can be found tucked away down a back street in Primose Hill next to the local library. However, although small in stature this curious museum will still require a good portion of your morning or afternoon to get round because every little space, spot, and shelf is covered with intriguing things to peer at.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Entering through the colourful striped doorway and paying a voluntary donation to a lady in a small kitsch ticket booth and you may be well on your way to guessing that the circus is the theme this time round. Indeed circus mirrors greet you, transforming you into a giant, a dwarf and…God forbid! someone wider than they are tall! Apt then that round the corner is the ‘gallery of unusual people’ and the beginning of an interesting peek into the world of the carnival and the freak show. The gallery is a selection of historic sideshow memorabilia depicting everyone from bearded ladies and dwarves to a man with the completely smooth appearance (yes! including ‘downstairs’) and webbed feet of a frog. This vast collection of posters and postcards are a “celebration of difference” because “nobody’s perfect”, or at least that’s the idea as Sir Peter Blake himself explains in a video later on.</span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilMB5rCBc93egFkgT_EwFIgWw9zD-rZsK57fVtyrGJ_JlM-cU58Mpf8c7xWI1eQKwyYMA3Z__UQPVj0LcP0_wHlVc2Rc0FhFeAmWxHEMlRtMxTAwaQrBAzSZAcKhclJiyA7xmtdJe5Svo/s400/museumofeverythingbyemmelinepidgen.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533129169811606738" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 344px; height: 400px; " /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">By </span><a href="http://www.emmelineillustration.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">Emmeline Pidgen</span></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Giant banners advertising, among other things, “strange little people”, and “the world’s most grotesque creature” are strewn all over the walls in the main hall. Painted by the so-called ‘king of the sideshow banner’, Fred Johnson, his is just one among the many all but defunct crafts that are revered at the Museum of Everything. There’s even a wardrobe door emblazoned with a leopard painted by sign painter </span></span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Ephgrave"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Joe Ephgrave</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">, who also painted the iconic drum skin on the award-winning cover of the Beatles’ Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album that Sir Peter Blake designed.</span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">In fact that’s the really lovely thing about the Museum of Everything, iconic artworks are mixed in without fanfare among work from less known, brilliant, and usually eccentric artists’ - like the embroidery of Ted Willcox. Ted was taught to sew in hospital while recovering from injuries incurred in WW2. He then went on to spend the rest of his life indoors finding inspiration in everything from Alice in Wonderland to pictures of reclining bare-chested beauties, recreating them all in needle and thread.</span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOo4Eeqshd_xo1RIWVNwi0FVyg2HVqlLcUsdZsxbqXX8kF3nKMVm4TNIUWAPXNmirXQYgOOCAOASxcnVqGsIkeqLBuxvu8IJRjz3xe9ICnyfcRNbzEuw6glRSlCDscwtUp_HQKimn9pqs/s400/Natasha-Thompson-Museum-of-Everything-Boxing-Squirrels.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533129330066603938" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px; " /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">By </span><a href="http://www.thesecretteaparty.co.uk/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">Natasha Thompson </span></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">In many ways the Museum can be viewed as a potted history of Great Britain, though told from a thoroughly left field point of view. Nothing sums this up better than the </span></span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Potter"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Walter Potte</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">r section, an example of Victoriana at its most bizarre if ever there was one. Cleary no relation to animal lover Beatrix, Walter Potter’s tableaux are made up of stuffed rabbits, a variety of birds, squirrels, rats, frogs, puppies and kittens - all in a surprising range of poses. They are completely grotesque but also fascinating, and of course, today taxidermy is very much back in vogue with artists like </span></span></span><a href="http://pollymorgan.co.uk/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Polly Morgan</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"> picking up and popularising the ancient craft once again.</span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">The Museum of Everything managed to impart on me the same kinds of feelings that I imagine may have flashed through the minds of the archaic freak show audience. A mix of morbid curiosity, delight in viewing the strange, and a childish excitement over being reminded what a beautiful and odd world we live in. Catch it while the circus is still in town!</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"> </span></span></span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Open Wednesday – Sunday, 10.30 am – 6.30 pm until Christmas</span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"> </span></span></span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"> </span></span></span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Helvetica, serif;font-size:6;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:19px;"><br /></span></span></p> <!--EndFragment--> </div>Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07283672080957904620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4306115773977516100.post-28885291321786021952010-09-30T20:10:00.007+01:002010-10-06T22:51:44.729+01:00Album Review - Timber Timbre, Timber Timbre<object width="640" height="505"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-Tfw8SqeFEE?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-Tfw8SqeFEE?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="505"></embed></object><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 10px; font-family:Helvetica, Verdana, Arial;font-size:10px;"><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.3; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia, Verdana, Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px;font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.3; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia, Verdana, Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Written for and published by the ever so amazing music site </span></span><a href="http://www.thefourohfive.com/reviews/2684"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The 405.</span></span></a></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.3; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Album opener ‘Demon Host’ had already been around a good while before the recent release of Timber Timbre's debut album and had earned the band a number of fans among those who like all things American and blusey. </span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.3; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">And 'Demon Host' did appear to be about as American as it could get. In fact the official music video (above) showed the man behind </span></span></span><b style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Timber Timbre</span></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">, Taylor Kirk, sitting in a large countrified barn, picking his guitar, singing about God and repentance, and all in his finest Southern drawl.</span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.3; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">So convincing is this stateside charade that it might be a surprise to find that Kirk is actually Canadian. Nevertheless Timber Timbre’s self-titled UK debut (Kirk has released two albums previously in the States) provides a journey through some of the best musical influences that America has offer. From the hillbilly ode of ‘Demon Host’ to gospel number ‘Trouble Comes Knocking’, where you don’t have to make a huge mental leap and you could be listening to the American-influenced rhythm and blues bands of the 1960s - we’re talking The Animals’ ‘House Of The Rising Sun’ in particular.</span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.3; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">‘We’ll Find Out’ continues the decidedly gospel vibe, this time with Kirk’s deep and rich voice barely singing but instead talking, preaching even, “Do your actions mention your heart’s intentions? We’ll find out. Is your mind mistaken? Is your conscience not at ease? We’ll find out.” Indeed, although the musical styles vary from one track to the next, the common thread throughout are the dark and mysterious lyrics. There’s always an underlying threat of some sort, like in ‘Lay Down In The Tall Grass’, “In a late basement séance that brought us to tears, dreaming every night of you, I’ll be shaking at the sight,” there’s something very film noir about the overall feel of the album.</span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.3; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Other parts of the album, such as ‘I Get Low’ and ‘Lay Down’ sees the addition of some seriously gothic sounding organ chords that work well with the generally macabre tone. The pairing of this TV horror organ with twinkly piano notes and strings also immediately bring to mind the soul standards of legendary crooners such as Al Green.</span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.3; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">‘Magic Arrow’ brings us up to date with an ‘almost pop’ feel – if you squint your ears you can imagine the likes of Brandon Flowers having a hit with this song. But with Kirk at the helm we have dirty bass riffs punctuating this track making it, well, pretty epic really. As in the rest of the album it is coloured with a feeling of menace - there is too much darkness for it to be a radio hit but it’s all the more interesting for it.</span></span></span></p></span>Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07283672080957904620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4306115773977516100.post-55581417269596217282010-09-27T21:07:00.005+01:002010-09-27T21:18:49.977+01:00Interview - Jamie Ley<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/12322583" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/12322583">Jamie Ley - 'Goodbye'</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user3202730">Tommy Leigh</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</p><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(51, 102, 102); line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Written for and published by fabulous folk blog </span></span><a href="http://www.forfolkssake.com/interviews/6958/interview-jamie-ley"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">For Folk's Sake</span></span></a></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;color:#444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: -webkit-xxx-large; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(51, 102, 102); line-height: 18px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:-webkit-xxx-large;"><a href="http://www.forfolkssake.com/interviews/6958/interview-jamie-ley"></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(68, 68, 68); line-height: 18px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102); font-family: arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Emerging from London’s seemingly never-ending and ever-talented pool of wonderful folksy-types, </span><a href="http://www.myspace.com/jamieleymusic"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Jamie Ley</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> has been packing out a variety of the capital’s venues with people, all eager to hear his soulful and timeless tunes. Emma Barlow caught up with him to talk about the rise and rise of folk, his inspirations, and what the future holds.</span></span><p><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">FFS: Do you describe your music as folk? Or is it a label that has been somewhat thrust on you?</span></span></span></strong></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">JL: I guess it is folk, but I don’t really think we are this or we are that. We usually get described as folk or nu-folk, it’s always got some folk in there somewhere. I don’t consider it anything I just consider it my songs played as best as we can play them!</span></span></span></p><p><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">London has become something of a haven for up-and-coming folk acts, who do you most admire?</span></span></span></strong></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Most admire…I dunno. I like what’s happening with folk and it’s exciting to be in anyway involved in it. I admire how massive and how mainstream Mumford & Sons are now. Like I still cant really believe it. Usually bands takes like 5 years to get that big. I’ve played with them in Cardiff and I know them. That gig in Cardiff – about 2 years ago, there were about 20 people in a room and now they’re headlining Reading or whatever. So I admire what they’ve done for folk – the fact that they’ve made people more aware and bought this kind of music to people’s attention. And they’re great musicians, really great.</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">I think that’s what people like because it’s less of the kind of manufactured pop music and more people on stage with cool instruments like the banjo and the mandolin making honest music and that’s what appeals, that’s what appealed to me about it forever and that’s what I think people are starting to see. And I’ve always admired Johnny Flynn, he was one of my favourite artists while I was at uni and now I’ve had the privilege to like play with him. Bands like that – I always thought they were cool are suddenly much cooler, which is good for me, so I’m a bit cooler now too!</span></span></span></p><p><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">So that’s you’re more recent influences what are some of your older ones?</span></span></span></strong></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Bloody hell! Well, obviously The Beatles, so boring! Have you heard of the band Love? Arthur Lee, he’s a bit of a legend, Bob Dylan. But my true greatest hero of all time is Johnny Cash. Yeah I love Johnny Cash. And also songwriters like him, I kind of aspire to be like Leonard Cohen. As a lyricist he’s incredible and his poetry… even the way he sings them…he sings them as the poems they are, which really appeals.</span></span></span></p><p><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Okay, so what about the poets that inspire you?</span></span></span></strong></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Well I used to be into the Romantics, you know the Shelley’s of this world and the Dylan Thomas’s but I’ve recently kind of moved away from that, just because, you know, it’s healthy! I’m into a few German poets and writers – they have a theory about pure imagery and it’s less about words and more about telling things like straight to the point. It’s all about writing in a purist way rather than using fanciful words so yeah: I’m trying to do that with my songs.</span></span></span></p><p><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Is songwriting something that comes easily to you then or is it really hard work?</span></span></span></strong></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Um…sometimes I can sit there for like a week and nothing will come out! Or even a month! And I’ll just be banging my head against the wall. But other times I can write three in a day so it just depends. It’s cliché but if you’re sitting there with your guitar and you just feel you’re in the zone, you’ve got your music mojo or whatever so it just comes out. That’s the time you’ve got to sit there and make yourself keep working at it because that’s the time that’s going to be the most fruitful.</span></span></span></p><p><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Are you more at home with a band behind you on stage these days or do you miss going it alone?</span></span></span></strong></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Yeah at the moment we are doing kind of a mix. So we play three songs as a band and then I’ll do a few. Because there’s something really special and intimate when you’re on your own on stage with an audience. But personally I prefer having my pals around me on stage and I get more into it. Now I feel a bit naked when they leave!</span></span></span></p><p><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">And how did the current band line-up come to be?</span></span></span></strong></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">I played some gigs in Steeles in North London because my friend Rodney Fisher, who is an amazing musician, he runs a folk night there. We used to have lock-ins and things and I got chatting with one of the barmen, Matt. We just got playing some stuff together and he ended up becoming my bass player and then he knows Jack our drummer from a former band. So we pinched Jack from his old band. Elena Tonra – we had played a lot of gigs together and got on well so she started singing and then we’ve got Bobby on piano, who is our newest sort of musical hero. So basically we just went pilfering from other people’s bands. But in a really charming way so no one seems to mind…yeah so, don’t tell anyone that!</span></span></span></p><p><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">So what can we expect from Jamie Ley, what are the big plans?</span></span></span></strong></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Well expect to see a release, quite soon. I’m doing my showcase on the 20</span></span></span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">th</span></span></span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"> October at the Flowerpot. So getting a lot of people down, lots of people that haven’t seen me who want to see me um….and hopefully that will be a great night and we’ll push on from there with a tour and a release and everything that follows.</span></span></span></p></span></div>Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07283672080957904620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4306115773977516100.post-54242083555149480512010-09-07T14:28:00.009+01:002010-09-07T14:51:05.804+01:00The Barclaycard Mercury Prize – A Preview<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:small;">Written for and published on </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:small;"><a href="http://www.ameliasmagazine.com/music/the-barclaycard-mercury-prize-a-preview/2010/09/07/">Amelia's Magazine</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:small;"><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:small;"></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiED5DHiDCGBMWxveqijcdo77ilUSq3fabCP29157jGn-9pSuITlK6P8NVd9Qg2zzcN55bT-D63NJp0CN0mnk9AAPO27h_WNwVLu0Js7lQT5i2hK7VmsgK8lk6sLDLYnxNtuiQCpsfXcx8/s1600/Natasha-Thompson-Laura-Marling-I-Speak-Because-I-Can-Illustration.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiED5DHiDCGBMWxveqijcdo77ilUSq3fabCP29157jGn-9pSuITlK6P8NVd9Qg2zzcN55bT-D63NJp0CN0mnk9AAPO27h_WNwVLu0Js7lQT5i2hK7VmsgK8lk6sLDLYnxNtuiQCpsfXcx8/s400/Natasha-Thompson-Laura-Marling-I-Speak-Because-I-Can-Illustration.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514165128084782322" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Laura Marling by Natasha Thompson, for more of her work click </span></span><a href="http://www.thesecretteaparty.co.uk/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">here</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">. </span></span></span></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(51, 102, 102); font-family:georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">S</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">tarted in 1992 during the height of Brit pop cool, the </span></span></span><a href="http://www.mercuryprize.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Mercury Prize</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> still exists to champion the best of British music. Judged by a range of musicians, journalists and executive muso types the winners get a massive cash prize and usually see their album sales soar. Unless of course, they are one of the unlucky ones who fall victim to the ‘Mercury curse’, which will see them become a distant musical memory - a fate suffered by last year’s winner </span></span></span><a href="http://www.speechdebelle.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Speech Debelle</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">. Or ‘Who?’ as you might know her.</span></span></span></span></span></div><div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">As the twelve nominated acts gear up for tonight’s awards we run through the shortlisted nominees. As usual some are well known, legends the likes of the ‘Modfather’ himself — </span></span></span><a href="http://www.paulweller.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Paul Weller</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">, some have burst onto the scene just this year such as the banjo-loving </span></span></span><a href="http://www.mumfordandsons.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Mumford & Sons</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">, and some are less well known such as experimental jazz outfit </span></span></span><a href="http://www.myspace.com/kitsmusic"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Kit Downes Trio</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">.</span></span></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFn919rvVA6teUz3pHQebpGZK2QgyUHJv6bEbTjPdSp8WP9GNIwqjEfQS7D4_URyPdVMFU8IK3mwTZXxhSgIWgmXDR6L6hQ56HDAiRpeO3wArniCKD7y_YDHbKrDj6h-EobEbDv4XQ_x8/s400/The-xx-Gareth-A-Hopkins.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514165361070631458" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 298px; " /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The xx by Gareth Hopkins</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><a href="http://thexx.info/">The xx</a></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"> and their debut album, the imaginatively named ‘xx’, are joint favourites along with </span></span></span><a href="http://www.dizzeerascal.co.uk/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Dizzee’s</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"> ‘Tongue N’ Cheek’. When you consider the young rapper has already claimed the prize once in 2003 for debut album ‘Boy in Da Corner’ it could be looking quite hopeful for the indie trio. The xx, infamous for their quiet unassuming indie anthems — a description that also fits the band’s demeanour – have enjoyed a brilliant first year. Winning fans on both sides of the Atlantic and among music stars and the public alike, they were perhaps a safe bet for a Mercury nomination. In fact much has been made of the rather impressive list of nominations this year. Important though the Mercury’s are to British music, there is usually criticism that the list is perhaps not representative enough, or trying to be too representative, or, that the judges are guilty of tokenism. 2010, however, sees one of the strongest line-ups of recent years.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><a href="http://www.myspace.com/lauramarling"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Laura Marling</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"> and her beautiful second album ‘I Speak Because I Can’ will compete with boyfriend Marcus Mumford’s, of </span></span></span><a href="http://www.mumfordandsons.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Mumford & Sons</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">, debut ‘Sigh No More’. The boys have enjoyed a pretty meteoric rise to fame this year in contrast with Laura’s steady rise in popularity since she started winning over fans with her pretty folksy ditties as far back as 2007 — her album ‘Alas I Cannot Swim’ was shortlisted for the prize in 2008. And it could be argued that either Laura or the Mumfords would be deserving winners. After some thrilling performances at this summer’s festivals, 2010 really has seen folk rock re-enter the mainstream.</span></span></span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg27sCFMmJOnqBpw7z_4aMRi_4U8ejMSFgRYpUmSAqyn3gUFiRCALDqV3USeCwIKWCgW3JdfTz9M3hBcEeCcbTAHbFuHsXEN3xdg_nSCpWumZzZu_qXikc-KQ1pPk4PWoo5IqkGdfvz10I/s400/Natasha-Thompson-Mumford-and-Sons-Illustration.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514168469039037714" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px; " /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"></span></span></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Mumford & Sons by Natasha Thompson</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Nominees </span></span></span><a href="http://www.wearevillagers.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Villagers</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"> and I </span></span></span><a href="http://www.iamkloot.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Am Kloot</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"> also belong to the folksier side of British indie rock, the genre to which The Mercury’s remain the most faithful ever since the Brit pop days. Villagers enter the fray as total newbies with debut ‘Becoming A Jackal’. As beautiful as their songs are, eerie and driven by some powerful ‘80s pop influences, some critics argue that front man and chief songwriter Conor J O'Brien still has some scope for growth. I Am Kloot are definitely not newcomers; having come together from various bands in 200, Kloot are a mishmash of some of British music’s biggest names. Nominated album ‘Sky At Night’ was co-produced by former Mercury winner, </span></span></span><a href="http://www.elbow.co.uk/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Elbow</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"> front man, Guy Garvey.</span></span></span></span></div></span></span><p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"> Villagers friends — Conor and co. have been touring with the Cumbrian group — </span></span></span><a href="http://www.wild-beasts.co.uk/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Wild Beasts</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"> are next, with second album ‘Two Dancers’. It impressed fans and critics upon its release and is finding new fans all the time, possibly thanks to their sound belonging to a genre similar to a range of upcoming and forward thinking American outfits like Animal Collective, Yeasayer and Grizzly Bear.</span></span></span></o:p></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuux8t-2DDmfz5hRBR-7isfdJx21GdtqWbYJgvRKeFQ1JSojrZqD1kYM_mAxL6dYmt0paRVCZXbWORyEGXGTBxBbwAdBu4DzxupeVoSVYfUEvCrRjF_JmuOgORvfJn8K3aou3EeMIzxzw/s400/Natasha-Thompson-Biffy-Clyro-Illustration1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514165641733389746" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px; " /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:small;">Biffy Clyro by Natasha Thompson</span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><a href="http://www.biffyclyro.com/">Biffy Clyro</a></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"> have been around for the best part of a decade but it is this year’s ‘Only Revolutions’ that made an impact on the Mercury shortlisters. Perhaps their increase in sales and fan base is largely down to the securing of admirers among the Radio 1 playlist compilers and consequently listeners, but their Scottish slant on stadium rock certainly appears to have taken off this year. </span></span></span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"> Then to </span></span></span><a href="http://www.myspace.com/corinnebaileyrae"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Corinne Bailey Rae’s</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"> moving second album 'The Sea', Rae admitted that many of the songs are about her late husband and the album would probably be up there among the favourites if the list of nominees was not as strong as it is. The follow-up to her million-selling eponymous first album ‘The Sea’ sees a shift from upbeat lounge-friendly soul to songs packing a whole lot more emotional punch and meaning, understandable after the tough couple of years that punctuated the recording of the two albums. </span></span></span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Another Mercury act making a shift in styles between albums is, of course, </span></span></span><a href="http://www.foals.co.uk/entry/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Foals</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">. Where 2008’s ‘Antidotes’ was all about bounding in with all guns blazing; guitars on the attack and punctuated chant-like vocals, 2010’s ‘Total Life Forever’ showcased another side of the Oxford five piece’s musical talents. This time round it is about quieter melodies, hushed voices and layers of instrumentation that gradually build into something really beautiful like in stand out track ‘Spanish Sahara’. </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Since going solo in the early 1990s </span></span></span><a href="http://www.paulweller.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">Paul Weller</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"> has released an impressive ten albums, although always selling amazingly well none have particularly made much of an impact, apart from within the circles of his hardcore followers perhaps. His 2010 effort ‘Wake Up The Nation’, however, received some critical acclaim upon its release in April making the Modfather a deserving nominee for a Mercury. It’s the second time Weller has made the shortlist, 1993 album ‘Wild Wood’ made the cut in 1994 — the same year that saw M People controversially snatch the award from firm favourites Pulp.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;">And then to left-field nominees the Kit Downes Trio and their album ‘Golden’, perhaps proving that the Mercury’s can be guilty of a little tokenism after all? So maybe it was the case that someone on the panel felt the list was lacking an experimental jazz band, but actually the album is totally worthy of inclusion. Beautiful in its brave attempt to forge something different and new — it wouldn’t be that unusual for the Mercury’s if outsiders, the Trio, got the prize – unfortunately for them it could be the last we ever hear of them. </span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#336666;"> </span></span></span></o:p></p> <!--EndFragment--> </div>Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07283672080957904620noreply@blogger.com0