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London Summer Festivals guide updated
I’ve updated my (probably not) groundbreaking London Summer Festivals guide, including details of the Offset line-up. It’s right over here.
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Bandstand Busking returns!
You know winter’s over when… Bandstand Busking returns! Yes, with sunnier Sundays has come the return of London’s premier outdoor musical shindig. Taking advantage of London’s little-used bandstands and showcasing folk bands and easy-on-the-ear popstrels, it’s an unbeatably relaxed affair that’s a million miles from the crash-bang-wallop of Saturday night. See this previous report. Promised this week are the slow soul of Liz Green (2pm) and mellow guitar-songs of Ed Harcourt (3pm), and the venue’s Northampton Square, close to Angel. Here’s the Facebook page. Recommended.
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Monday Music – 12 April 2010
Here’s my weekly collection of five, non London-related songs that I’m currently loving – hope you like them too:
Lissie – Everywhere I Go
I was in Newcastle this weekend for a ruinous stag weekend. That was terrific, despite my foreboding, but the journey back wasn’t: a hangover made worse by screaming babies, heat, delays, double-bookings and constantly-triggered passenger alarms. On top of which I feel a little sad, for reasons I’m still not sure of. Sometimes music can save you, though, and this was one of those times: soothing my ears, voicing my very own insecurities and nailing the slightly forlorn feeling in my heart as we sailed south, I owe a lot to Lissie, and this graceful number. More on her in this previous blog.
Egyptian Hip Hop – Heavenly
Egyptian Hip Hop are very cool at the moment, and I’m beginning to get why. The Manchester band’s songs aren’t immediately arresting, but the understated keyboards, lo-fi aura and quiet, sallow voices grow and grow on you until suddenly they’re on repeat and how did that happen? Heavenly’s particularly, well, heavenly, thanks to a central beat as soft and cheerful as bubble bath, and the occasional soars amidst Los Campesinos-style bedraggled lulls. Look out for these guys to make a big splash at festivals this summer.
Dee Edwards – Why Can’t There Be Love?
The arrival of warmer days brings renewed hope, cleavage, wedding invites and, in World Cup year, numerous celebrity-laden football adverts. Adidas has broken out a particularly dull one, with a motley mixture of famous folk and Joe Bloggs relishing a 24-hour rooftop party, but it does feature this perfectly summery slice of northern soul from the little-known Dee Edwards. The Pilooski remix is banging, but seems to suck a bit of joy out of the tune; my advice is stick to the original. If it ain’t broke…
Gayngs – The Gaudy Side Of Town (MP3 removed on request)
This song perfectly encapsulates the type of atmosphere I imagine when considering gaudy sides of town. I’m talking seedy motels, dark alleys filled with illicit deeds, intercourse in parked cars, empty lots, badly-lit subways, distant voices from uncertain directions, shadows, intrigue, hints of madness. The combination of morose, bleak lyrics with a languid style, exaggerated by a lonely sax and digital chants, renders Gayngs‘ gorgeous song equally unnerving. From Minneapolis and signed to Jagjaguwar, Gayngs is an indie supergroup comprising Ryan Olson plus Justin Vernon of Bon Iver and members of Megafaun and Solid Gold among others.
Pictureplane – Goth Star
I must have been in a dreamy mood this week, for here’s another sleepy slice of electronically-enhanced reverie. Hailing from Denver and friendly with Washed Out, Pictureplane (aka Travis Egedy) chops up layered and distorted female lyrics over a faintly classical keyboard hook and a rusty-sounding guitar. The cornucopia of vocal sounds, seemingly coming from all directions, should be conducive to chaos. But somehow the opposite occurs, and Goth Star brings on a contented, dubby daze.
MP3 links via song titles.
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Sunday Girl (and Diplo)
It’s easy to be cynical about Sunday Girl – and you’re probably right to be. Widely tipped for stardom, the 21-year-old London chanteuse is responsible for some stinkily polished pop music. She’s got lo0ks, catchy songs that perfectly showcase a high-pitched, Ellie Goulding-like voice over some buzzy electro cuts and ripples, and even (she hopes) urban cool - the lyrics of her debut single, Four Floors, tell of a lost love in a council towerblock (video below). Even her MySpace page reeks of marketing: it’s already full of clips and remixes, as opposed to other, actual songs.
Even Diplo likes her. While Four Floors gets boring after about 2½ listens, Diplo’s remix of the song has a much longer lasting appeal, all thanks to some horns, some staggers, some messed-up bass and a few more urgent-sounding loops.
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Disclosure
Sometimes when I’m dreaming, half-asleep and half-not, I hear distant squeals and cries, voices that float agonisingly on the edge of my earshot. They’re diluted and distorted, transmitted on a different frequency that I can only fleetingly tune into. But they’re comforting and magical, and I wish I could hear them more often. Now I can – via ethereal samples and bubbling two-step beats, the mellow garage songs of South London duo Disclosure evoke a similarly haunting soundscape. Not bad for 18- and 15-year-old brothers, right? (Thanks to Don’t Die Wondering for the tip-off)
The brothers are DJing at Proud Camden this Friday, 9 April.
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Monday Music – 5 April 2010
Here’s my weekly collection of five, non London-related songs that I’m currently loving – hope you like them too:
Hot Chip – I Feel Bonnie (Feat. Bonnie Prince Billy)
This is a song of such trancey gorgeousness that any headache, any personal demons or romantic concerns or debt or rainstorm outside can be briefly, blissfully forgotten. There are hints of Faithless via a combination of pounding electronica beats and silky female voice. But ultimately all is very Hot Chip: a myriad structure, oddball lyrics, unlikely, random touches, the catchiest rhythm and a truly madcap contrast between house beats and the deadpan guest vocals of Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, aka Will Oldham.
Hard Mix – King Of The Stars
A mash up of Martha and the Vandellas’ Jimmy Mack and the Temptations’ I’ll Love You Till I Die, this is lazy, synthy heaven, an journey-home pudding to go with your Hot Chip dancefloor main course. The distorted 80s vocals float over bleached out, slumberous keyboards and brooding drums like a lilo in an eternal, heated plunge pool. Get the barbecues out: summer’s officially here. Hard Mix hails from South Carolina, and is here courtesy of Cyana Trendland.
My Gold Mask – Violet Eyes
Complete with Bjork-like high notes, “aah-aah”s in the background and lines about shooting arrows and nails, Violet Eyes is like a witches’ brew: wicked and intoxicating. I particularly like how the tune stops every now for a summary-like drum crash, like a judge thwacking his hammer for order. Sort of like a more kitsch, trashier version of Veronica Falls, Chicago’s My Gold Mask made a big noise at SXSW and are a duo well worth watching.
Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Round & Round
There’s so much going on during this piece of strange fabulousness that, in an effort to meet my 100-word limit, I’m going with a list. Loosely in this order, Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti‘s latest has: a na-na-na intro, murmurous chanted vocals straight out of a Cohen film, neo-boyband male solos, someone answering a phone, a Borderline-style explosion for a chorus, fecked-up lyrics, some lovely guitar work, whooshes, twangs, bangs and bouncy keys. And a kick-ass beat and spooky aura. And god knows what else. Phew.
Shilpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers – Beating St. Louis
Hailing from the hotbed of Brooklyn, Shilpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers offer a slightly old-fashioned,60s/70s-traditional rock sound. Shilpa has a frog-throated voice akin to Florence Welch, with the same velvet coating to her high notes. Previously I loved her tenor on the rapid-fire Filthy & Free, but this slowburn lullaby suits her still better. On and on it sleepily goes, an ode to a city, full of swooning guitars, accordion and a hotel bar or last-song-of-the-night kinda feel.
Downloads via song titles.
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Fighting Kites
Fighting Kites are an East London threepiece who produce instrumental music that fuses guitar, bass, drum loops and electronica. Very much mood music, there’s a dash of post-rock about it all, and a likeable, intermittent air of Shuggie Otis-style improv. In fact, such is Fighting Kites’ eclectica in general, I imagine them jamming in an extravagantly-decorated studio, and uttering super-cool sentences like “why don’t you use that velvet glockenspiel by the armadillo’s cage?” at regular intervals. In reality, they probably record methodically in a Clapton bedsit, and talk about loop pedals.
Fighting Kites haven’t any gigs coming up, although they did recently play the Spatchcock warehouse party in Manor House. A four track CD is available. Incidentally, kite-fighting is an actual sport – I think it sounds way fun!
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Scarletmist
Scarletmist is a new website to me, and one worth shouting about. It’s an ethical ticket exchange, which is greenspeak for a place to buy or sell concert tix from/to nice people who you never meet. Instead of a tout, Scarletmist becomes the middleman, and it doesn’t even change commission. Neat, huh?
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Allo Darlin’
Smorgasbord – it’s a good word for Allo Darlin’ and their variety of sounds. Check out their many different songs… The hearty Dreaming sees a duet of McGowan-MacColl levels of unlikeliness between singer Elizabeth Morris and coarse guest warbler Monster Bobby. More of an alt-pop cabaret, Henry Rollins Don’t Dance namechecks Dirty Dancing and finishes with a couplet from Grease. As for The Polaroid Song (video below), it’s the sort of soft-centred folk gem found on the soundtrack of a hundred cool indie flicks. And then there’s I Wanna Be Sedated: a slow and darn pretty cover of the Ramones’ classic belter. From this eclectic catalogue, one recurrent theme emerges: a charming, determined sense of fun. And hooray to that.
If you fancy sharing the good times, Allo Darlin’ are playing Borderline on Thurs 15 April. Together only since January 2009, they’re now signed to Fortuna Pop! and have had much acclaim. A debut album will be released in May 2010.
MySpace | Website | Buy
MP3: Allo Darlin’ – Dreaming -
Chew Lips
Firstly, apologies for the lack of blogs in recent days – o2 decided to cut my internet for reasons as yet unclarified.
Do you ever stare at someone from a window on the top deck of a slow-moving bus, stuck in traffic perhaps, and imagine intricacies of their lives? You give them a name, a job, a tragic love story, an imminent deadline. You lend them character and make vivid assumptions based on their shoes, based on the purpose of their walk. It’s a warm, detached pastime, made so by the window pane that separates their world from yours, and by the atmospheric stupor of Chew Lips‘ edgy synthpop in your ears. These being mostly stark, gently droning tunes, pairing the shrill voice of singer Tigs with sparkly electro rhythms, and perfect for watching the world go by.
Despite their debut album only just appearing, Chew Lips have been on the blog scene for a while. Their momentum seems to be growing, though - check out this recent SXSW praise from the Evening Standard. The London band are playing Cargo on Friday 30 April if you want to be ahead of the game. Tickets here.
MySpace | Website | Buy
MP3: Chew Lips – Play Together
Archive: April, 2010