Laura Marling - A Creature I Don't Know
Laura Marling’s debut was one of an artist still learning her craft and developing her talents, on her second she was finding her footing and used the album as a platform for an exploration of stern femininity. If she was learning to swim and speaking because she could, respectively, with those earlier efforts it’s not too hard to suppose that she is the creature we don’t know on her third album. … Continue Reading
It’s only a few days until 2011 Barclaycard Mercury Prize, now entering a third decade of awards and with Mystic Meg’s News of The World hotline not being picked up we call upon Mitchell Stirling to gaze into a crystal ball or hack into the judges phones to find out who come Tuesday could be celebrating too. … Continue Reading
16 April, 2011
It is fitting that on the weekend of the FA Cup Semi-Finals the Pewsey locals hanging on the boughs of branches on the other side of the fence to hear some of the acts at the inaugural Honeyfest remind us of those doing the same at the famous Hereford vs. Newcastle game some 39 years ago. … Continue Reading
Since 2008’s debut, Youth Novels, Lykke Li has given us two clear pointers to what the subject and sound of her follow up might be. In terms of themes and lyrical content, appearing on the The Twilight Saga: New Moon soundtrack with ‘Possibility’ was a hint that there would be thoughts on transformation, explicitly mentioned in that song and key to the franchise, as well as the gap between youth and young adulthood, another big theme behind Stephenie Meyer’s novels. … Continue Reading
A lot has already been said about whether the eight tracks in front of us today are all we can expect from Radiohead in the next six months, surely they are up to something, three plus years for less than 40 minutes etc etc. For now, let’s eat what’s on the plate and then deal with what’s for dessert or seconds if/when that comes. … Continue Reading
British Sea Power’s Valhalla Dancehall rides into town just shy of a decade into their career. Over that time they’ve developed a devoted following and a reputation as one of the best live bands in the country. Part of their charm has been that they’ve not followed anyone’s template for a career arc. When they hit the top ten with their Mercury nominated Do You Like Rock Music? they followed it up by recording a soundtrack album to a 75 year old fictional documentary on the everyday struggles of fisherman off Western Ireland (2009’s excellent, lesser heard Man of Aran). They exist on the outskirts of the mainstream and the very things that make them unique and truly special paradoxically push them forwards and hold them back. Given the themes the band have explored before and here on ages modern and past, it’s a fitting place for them. … Continue Reading
Warpaint - The Fool
For those of us that heard Warpaint’s sparse and chilling take on Bowie’s ‘Ashes To Ashes’ earlier this year as well as their EP in late 2009, it can come as no surprise that their debut proper has surfaced fully formed through the veneer and fug of LA chronic that dominates the stoned, hazy outlook of contemporaries Wavves and Best Coast. While those bands’ music exudes a summery naivety, Warpaint come from a colder, darker place. It’s not gothic though, it feels like they are as dark as say New Order were in 1982/3, on the way from being Joy Division but not quite arrived at the band they would be c. Low-Life and beyond. … Continue Reading
Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
Strangely, considering the amount of American cinema and TV dedicated to the white picket fences of the suburbs and feeling of inertia within (Blue Velvet, American Beauty, Desperate Housewives to name but three examples), there’s very little music from across the Atlantic on the subject. In the UK the gravitational pull of cities mean we have the outsider’s perspective of Suede or Blur peering into London, Pulp’s seedy tales of suburbia or even The Pet Shop Boys ‘Suburbia’. Now, Arcade Fire shed some light on the geographical gap in the US between Springsteen and the cool kids in the city on their highly anticipated third album. … Continue Reading
The xx - xx
As Paul The Octopus isn’t returning our calls we’ll have to make do with our own physic cephalopod, Mitchell Stirling as he casts his tentacles over the elite 12 British and N. Irish records that might be receiving nods next week.
Last year I, like most people felt that Doves winning would be to similar to the Elbow win the previous year but didn’t think that would prevent them getting a nod (nor did the bookies, they were favourites). Similarly we all thought that Portishead’s Third was a lock the year before and it didn’t make it. This year we can’t even find odds before the nominations but you can pick up a vibe on a few releases. … Continue Reading
Summer Camp
After coming across the superbly excellent Summer Camp (Elizabeth Sankey and Jeremy Warmsley) back in December last year with an ‘introducing Summer Camp‘ feature – back when we didn’t even know their identities – and giving them a glowing live review supporting The Drums, the time has now finally come for a one-on-one with the band. It’s taken a long time! … Continue Reading
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