(Monday Music’s the one weekly blog where SOIWT abandons its London-only focus, and goes global)
RM Hubbert – Sunbeam Melts the Hour (Feat. Marion Kenny & Hanna Tuulikki)
Kicking off with swaggering, staggering plucks of a rusty ol’ guitar, this could easily be the soundtrack to a violent, slow-motion section in a western, the scene where we see a portrait of domestic happiness which will inevitably get smashed up. The punch-drunk, whiskeyed feel is spellbinding – and appropriate, since Hubbert is a bleary Scot.
White Ring – Hey Hey, My My
A witch-house cover of Neil Young? Why didn’t I think of that? (via SEXBEAT)
Poliça – Lay Your Cards Out (mp3)
On the train home on Saturday night, I had one of those moments where the mental smoke clears, when you suddenly see the answer to a problem with absolute clarity, and you wonder how it took you so long, why you never figured it out before. That’s what this utterly gorgeous, RnB-meets-electronica song sounds like: blissful certainty. Poliça is the new project for Gayngs maestro Ryan Olson, with vocals by Channy Leaneagh, and it already has a celebrity fan-club including Jay Z (see his blog) and Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon, who told Rolling Stone that “they’re the best band I’ve ever heard.” Then again he, and bandmate Mike Noyce have contributed to the album – so they aren’t to be trusted. It’s best that you decide for yourself.
MeDo’s Little Trap – Medicine Sound (mp3)
Here’s how best to enjoy this slice of minimalist wonder from a new Rome band: dim the lights, play it loud… and just listen – do nothing but listen. No distractions, just you and the song. I did that, and it made me cry, the prettiness of it made me cry. Once I’d manned up I realised there was a whole free album to relish over on Bandcamp.
Alireza Eftekhari – Serr-e ‘eshq
I risk looking really pretentious here – under the logic that any blogger who posts a 20-minute Iranian classical song simply must be a) showing off and b) a total tosser – but bear with me. Firstly, it’s a fabulous, stunning and absurdly powerful piece of music, spanning several phases and all sorts of emotion, and worth inclusion on that basis alone. But I also am including it by way of advertising the Almeida Theatre‘s current production of The House of Bernarda Alba, in which Lorca’s play is relocated to rural Iran. The show, atmospheric and taut, features lots of traditional Iranian music known widely as Dastgah. None of it is online, of course, but this brooding brilliance, performed by renowned Iranian singer Eftekhari, could easily have made the play’s soundtrack. You’ve got under three weeks to get to the Almeida – tickets here.
