Interview: Sky Larkin

Photo by Liam Henry www.liamhenry.co.uk

Sky Larkin

I was very kindly given the opportunity to interview the wonderful Sky Larkin. I was able to catch the 3 piece play an instore gig at Pure Groove records last October and was impressed by how good the sounded and the energy they put into their performance. The band have lots of tour dates lined up for next year as well as the release of full length The Golden Spike. Make sure you catch them live where you can. Questions:

A ‘challenge’! Can you think of two sentences that rhyme to describe your band?

KATIE: We make noise. A girl and two boys. 

You have a new record coming out in 2009, which you recorded in Seattle with John Goodmanson, what was the recording process like?

KATIE: We spent a week at Death Cab for Cutie’s studio (they kindly lent us drums and amps as we came over with just our baggage allowance of guitars) and a week at John’s place. The recording process involved lots of ice coffee (katie), Red Mountain Dew (Nestor) root beer (katie), PBR (Doug) and 35 cent ramen noodles.

Did you get up to anything exciting in Seattle? Did you get homesick?

KATIE: The recording process was pretty intense but we had a few days to wander around, we went to the aquarium and saw an octopus so big I thought it could read my mind. We went to the sci-fi museum which was possibly the most brilliant people-watching spot ever and drooled over everything in Sonic Boom records.

I’ve seen a few acoustic-y, stripped down videos of you playing on the internet, they sounded great. Is that something you enjoy doing/ would like to do more of?

KATIE: It’s definately out of our comfort zone- I’m used to singing with a wall of sound behind me! But its also fun to do in a mildly-terrifying way, I’m glad you enjoyed them.

You have a headline tour at the start of 2009! Are you excited? Eager? Nervous?

KATIE: All of the above, we’ve been on tour for the last tour months as a support band so have been the bridesmaid for a while so it’ll be fun to be the bride- though it is nice playing first as you can leave all your stuff set up after sound check! 

Where is your favourite place to play? Is there anywhere you’re particularly looking forward to playing?

KATIE: We’ve had fun all over but off the top of my head I can remember especially fun gigs in Munich, Brussels, Bradford, Edinburgh and Piano’s in NYC. The Brudenell Social Club in Leeds is definitely our homecoming venue though and has an extra special place in our hearts because of that.

If you could collaborate with anyone, anyone at all, who would it be?

KATIE: Collaborating is hard! It has to be the right person otherwise it just goes sour- so I’d maybe be afraid of working with someone I really loved in case we ended up butting heads. We have collaborated creatively with our friends in the realms of Sky Larkin; our friends the art collective Nous Vous have done our artwork and our friend Matt Maude lovingly crafted an animated video for Molten for us.

You’ve had some pretty cool watches made up for the Beeline single. Whose idea was that?

KATIE: I think watches was specifically my idea but I’d have to trawl through the gmail conversation before I told that to a judge, our managers Anna and Gareth are super-enthusiastic about keeping things interesting and it was one of those two that was like “LETS DO BEELINE DIFFERENTLY! WOO!” and we were like “TOTALLY!” and it kind of spiralled from that.

Nestor, you’re so fun to watch drumming! Your face is crazily expressive. Does it get tired after being so animated for prolonged periods of time? Do you have any control over it or does it just happen (like the Hulk)?

NESTOR: It does get tiring yes, but its too much fun to let it get in the way! I’d much rather enjoy myself and run the risk of wearing myself out instead of just sitting back and taking it easy. I think it would detract from the quality of our sound as well as not being as fun to look at. Yeah, I suppose I do have control over it, but I’ve got so used to playing that way now that it does just tend to happen. I find that if I don’t let myself go then I don’t really enjoy it… If only I could turn green at the same time, then that would be perfect!

5 things you’re excited about in 2009?

KATIE: 
1. Roaming over more of the world to see new and familiar faces and pastures.
2. The release of The Golden Spike so we finally have a document to share
3. Moving to the seaside (I’m moving house)
4. Reading and writing as much as possible
5. Root Beer

 

Be sure to check Sky Larkin’s website, they are also on Myspace and LastFm. The Golden Spike is out early next year on Witchita Records. And here is a photo of Nestor’s drumming face from the Pure Groove instore. The video for Beeline:

It Doesn’t Always Have To Be Beautiful

I like this video alot. You can listen to another live version of the song for free on Last Fm. I love Slow Club! I’m working on a part 6 to the girl vocals list, that seems to be never-ending. A few more artist features are also on the way. I’m looking forward to January so I can get back to going to gigs. Unfortunately I have 2 exams in January, and a couple of pieces of coursework due. I’ve done one of the courseworks, but seeing as how I don’t understand any economics it’s making my economics coursework pretty slow going. Because I only care to think about music, I’m doing it on the economics of the music download market. Anyone know anything about that? Me neither, yet! I’ve powered through 130 pages of textbook in 3 days. It’s a really hard text book to follow too. I also got a paper cut from it, so economics is both boring and dangerous. I bought myself a MacBook yesterday. Most expensive thing I ever bought. My old laptop would over-heat and shut itself down on an hourly basis, so I kind of needed a new computer anyway. So far I give the change from PC to Mac two thumbs up. Better get on with some textbook reading now.

Slow Club on Myspace. My new years resolution is to learn that chair dance thing that they do.

Artist Feature #3: Francois Virot

Francois Virot

I first came across Francois Virot’s music when I saw the videos of his Take Away Shows with La Blogotheque. I was drawn to his unusual, yet captivating, vocal style. Francois is from Lyon and plays wonderful folky songs. You can listen to and download alot of Francois’ songs here for free. On the Covers album Francois tackles some classics, including ABBA’s Dancing Queen. I love it, more than the original. He also does a cover of my favourite Elliott Smith song, Between the Bars. Click here to go to hear the songs. Francois has alot of French tour dates lined up for January/February, you can see the full list on his myspace. Make sure you go see him if you can, I’m sure he is fantastic live. Francois kindly answered the 10 questions, here they are:

What was your first musical instrument and where did you get it?

It was a guitar, I was seven… I get from my ma… actually she didn’t give it to me, it was hers. I just borrow it first, then keep it, then leave it, and finally take it back. 

Do you download music or buy hard copies? Or both?

Hmm… I mainly got music from friends who both download and buy music…

Favourite music venue to play and why?

Zedosbois, in Lisboa, Portugal, because I love Lisboa, the sea, ahhh, everything there! 

Last book read:

My book, David Shrigley (because there are big pictures) 

Last movie watched:

Vivre sa vie, jl godard

Current favourite thing on TV:

No tv

Best moment on tour?

I met my actual girlfriend more than a year ago on tour. The best moment ever. 

If you could play anywhere in the world, where would it be?

Home! in Lyon! He he he! 

Favourite band/singer/album you discovered recently?

Dixie Cups 

If you could get any two musicians to collaborate with each other, who would they be and why?

Kate Bush and the Beach Boys 

Above is a video from Francois’ Take Away Shows. You can see more on youtube, and don’t forget to check his myspace for tour dates and songs. Thanks to Francois for taking part and answering the 10 questions!

 

If You Make It

Best Friends Forever on the Pink Couch

I hope a nice holiday break was had by all. I have 2 exams and a piece of coursework due in January, so I have lots of work to do already (boooo). Anyway, this post is about a great website I found while browsing the interwebs called If You Make It.

If You Make It

IYMI was set up by 25 year old Dave Garwacke, who lives in Brooklyn. The website is full of great videos. There are lots of videos of bands performing live, as well as the awesome Pink Couch Sessions. It does pretty much what it says on the tin. Great bands go and play a song on a pink couch. Some of the bands that have played: Vivian Girls, Matty Pop Chart, Ghost Mice and my personal favourites Best Friends Forever. You can also download the MP3s from the sessions.

I haven’t had time to check out the bands I don’t know (yet) but here are some videos I’d recommend:

Best Friends Forever play Circus Song on the Pink Couch: Seriously, you need to click that link. BFF are so fantastic. I really love this band and I’m crossing my fingers and toes and hoping they come over to London in 2009.

Best Friends Forever play Handpocket live: Handpocket is my favourite song from BFF’s record Romance Conflict Adventure. It’s just so bouncy and fun.

Matty Pop Chart plays Under The Sea on the Pink Couch: Yes, that Under The Sea. This is the best version of a Disney Classic that I’ve ever witnessed. Semi Related: Have you ever seen the kids movie The Secret of Nimh? The one with the cute mice and the creepy owl? He does a good cover of the song from that, Flying Dreams. His album is FREE from Plan-It-X, click here.

Vivian Girls play I Can’t Stay on the Pink Couch: Vivian Girls playing acoustically!

Bomb the Music Industry! play Holland 1945 Live: It looks alot of fun. When I go to shows and bands say they’re going to do a cover I always hope it’s a cover I know. I’d love to go to a show and a band play this song, because it’s the type of song most people know the words to and it would just be a big fun sing along.

The Good Old War one is good too. I’m sure there are lots of other gems on there. Here is the website: IfYouMakeIt.com

Terrible Love Songs Interview

My friend Chalky who runs the blog Terrible Love Songs asked me some interview questions for her feature ‘Music Lives On The Internet’. You can read the interview here. In the past she’s done interviews with the folks behind great blogs such as Danish Poet Blog, and You Ain’t No Picasso. Take a look.

Artist Feature #2: Sharon Van Etten

Photo By Eric Martin For MetroPop Magazine

I think this will be my last post before Christmas (unless I stumble upon anything terribly exciting), so I hope you enjoy this wonderful musician and all have happy holidays!

SHARON VAN ETTEN

 Recently while browsing through the crazy world of youtube I actually found something good. Great even. I think it is safe to say that for every pearl you find on youtube there are about a dozen empty clams. The artist that I found is called Sharon Van Etten and she comes from Brooklyn, New York. She has a really beautiful, stunning voice and plays lovely folk music. Among her influences she lists Vashti Bunyan, Neil Young, Diane Cluck and M Ward. She actually came over to the UK last January to play some shows with Meg Baird, including a show at the lovely lovely Luminaire. This was pre-me moving to London, but I’m still always made sad when I find out about all the wonderful shows I missed out on. But, fear not, Sharon tells me she had a great time in London and will hopefully be back early next year to promote her first official album. This is another reason to add to the list of seemingly endless reasons why 2009 is going to be a great year. I’m so excited! She also has a CD of home recordings available on her myspace and some beautiful posters available from her website.

 Sharon very very kindly took time out of her vacation to answer 10 questions for the blog, here they are:

What was your first musical instrument and where did you get it?

- My first instrument was a violin.  I went to a public school in Nutley, NJ that highly encouraged music and the arts.  The school supplied instruments and had free lessons from 3rd grade on.  From 3rd grade through 6th grade I played violin, clairinet, and sang in the choir.

Do you download music or buy hard copies? Or both?

- I do both.  My favorite albums I try to find on vinyl.  I have a lot of CD’s… but yes, I buy things from i-tunes time to time when I can’t find it in a store and I need a quick fix.

Favourite music venue to play and why?

- Zebulon in Brooklyn because they were the first to encourage me, support, not judge me, invite me, be friendly to me, and in my surrounding community – the same with all of my friends.  They never charge and are open arms with any one that comes in.  That is very rare in that specific neighborhood.

 Last book read:
- Will You Please Be Quiet, Please by Raymond Carver

Last movie watched:
- Ingmar Bergman’s ‘ Thirst ‘

Current favourite thing on tv:

- I don’t have tv, but I saw an episode of ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ and it was HILARIOUS… but the British version of ‘The Office’ is still my favorite, I have it on DVD, and watch that all the time…

Best moment on tour?

- I must say, driving around with a bunch of british folk, hearing the accents with a bit of road rage, listening to great music, seeing the countryside of the UK, getting see Meg Baird every night (not to sound like a dork) but the whole experience was pretty amazing.  We kidnapped a ghost that glowed in the dark and he was our mascot… then we had an excursion to Stonehedge, where meg held up a sign that said fake or real.  Laughs nonstop really…

If you could play anywhere in the world, where would it be?

- That’s a tough one… I guess it would be kind of neat to sing in churches across europe.  Their architecture is all pretty amazing and the acoustics would be so perfect.  Prague, Italy, England, France… hmmm… I don’t know… that’s a good one.  I’ll have to think on that one more! 

Favourite band/singer/album you discovered recently?

- hmmm… well locally, I have been listening to She Keeps Bees.  One of the most amazing singers I have a heard in a very long time.  Also,  Glass Ghost. 
But one thing I can’t stop listening to that’s kind of old is Richard & Linda Thompson’s ‘Pour Down Like Silver’.  The song ‘Streets of Paradise’ has been my wake up song… giving me motivation in the morning.  I’m well known for being a night owl, so it’s hard for me to get up early – so this song does the trick.  So rad.  I’m a bit far behind in music from that era – so I thank my friend Michael Morley for introducing them to me!

If you could get any two musicians to collaborate with each other, who would they be and why?

-  Jess from She Keeps Bees and Shilpa Ray from Beat the Devil.  Two of the best singers I know.  Jess plays a dirty bluesy style guitar and Shilpa plays harmonium…. I think it could work…

 

Thanks a bunch to Sharon for answering the questions. Here is that video that entranced me so much when I saw it:

 

 

Sharon also sent me a photo of the ghost they kidnapped that became the tour mascot. The picture was taken by the photographer Cat Stevens. Sharon says: “we were sitting around a table with a teacup, pub glass, teabag with a cigarette put out in it, and the ghost we stole – and we said “this about sums up our trip in the UK” “

Beautiful music, wonderful voice, and she kidnaps glow in the dark ghosts. What a great find! Keep an eye out for her full length next year and some UK tour dates.

Here are some links:

Website.

Myspace.

The Times featured her song I Wish I Knew as their track of the day recently.

 

List: Albums from 2008

Well I finally finished this massive post, so I decided to post it now. Here are my thoughts on 50 records from 2008. I decided to do a top 8 of 2008 and write in detail about those, and then only do a bit about the others because it would take me AGES to write in detail about 50 records. The top 8 are in order, then the rest don’t follow any real order. Also, I am too lazy to proof read all of this, so please excuse any spelling and grammar errors, and anything else that doesn’t make any sense. 

FAVOURITES:

1. of Montreal- Skeletal Lamping

My favourite record without a doubt. It’s such a fulfiling, intricate, complex record that makes repeated listening really rewarding, which is why I’ve listened to it literally dozens of times. of Montreal certainly have come a long way since their simpler, more innocent Cherry Peel days. I remember exactly where I was when I first heard the record. I found out that it leaked right after I got back from the dentist (no fillings or anything required, yay). I listened to some at my desk and then went for a walk and listened to the rest. At first I was perhaps a little uncomfortable with some of the lyrics and song topics… some of the songs aren’t really the type you’d want to sing along with on the train. The album is so schizophrenic and jarring, it took me a few listens before I learnt all the lyrics. Now that I have, it’s so fun to sing to. All the changes in melodies, it’s like I’ve learnt the words to a hundred songs. I love Kevin Barnes’ way of saying things. Instead of saying “I like you and feel comfortable with you” he says “you’re the only one with whom I would role play Oedipus Rex“. True, some of the things he says just shouldn’t be said, but when he says them it’s funny, you can just roll your eyes and laugh. I’ve been through those “oh my god I love this song” moments with every song on the album apart from Death Is Not A Parellel Move, I’m kind of indifferent to that song. All the rest I love. Right from start to finish it’s a brilliant record. And the band pull it off live. Nice album art. It’s the full package. I can’t wait to see them play again in January.

2. Beach House- Devotion

I love every song on this record. I’ve only been listening to Beach House since the end of last year, so for this record to beat off Jenny Lewis and Whispertwon2000, who I’ve been listening to for alot longer, it just shows how great this record is to me. For me, it wasn’t immediately catchy. But the more I listened to it, the more addictive Victoria’s voice became, and the more I noticed how dreamy and fantastic Alex’s guitar is. It’s such a fantastic record. D.A.R.L.I.N.G spawned one of my favourite lyrics “In this harbour of a room/you’ll find your anchor soon“. When I moved to university in September and moved into my rectangular, plain room, and hated how hard and boring my course is, that lyric always came to my mind. It’s become quite special to me. The record is strong from start from finish, the instrumentation is perfect, Victoria has a fantastic voice, I love it lyrically… I just love the whole thing. The Used To Be single fits well with the record and is one of my favourite songs this year. I can’t wait until they make more music.

3. Jenny Lewis- Acid Tongue

I love Rabbit Fur Coat a ridiculous amount, so I had my expectations set pretty high for Jenny’s second solo jaunt. It would have been so easy for me to be disappointed, but I wasn’t. Granted, I don’t love it as much as Rabbit Fur Coat, but I do like it an awful lot (ALOT more than Under The Blacklight). Godspeed is such a beautiful song. I love lighthouses too, so when I first heard the song I loved it immediately. I have to say, if it wasn’t Jenny singing I don’t think I’d love it as much. Perhaps it’s because I’ve been a fan of hers for so long, I’ve got a loyalty of sorts to her. I just love her voice, I’m used to it, it’s great. She really does sing so well on the record, and she sings as good live. I loved Carpetbaggers since I first heard it ages ago when Jenny and Johnathan performed it on that puppet music show. When I heard the album version with Elvis Costello, I was like “What. The. Hell”. Costello sounds like he’s got some sort of problem, like he’s about to be sick or something. I wish he wasn’t on the record. Other than that, it’s all great. The title track is simple but very enjoyable, and Jack Killed Mom is a riot. Tryin’ My Best features Zooey Deschanel… as if the album couldn’t get any cooler. I’m so glad that Jenny put this out and I want her to come back to London, right now.

4. Whispertown2000- Swim

I was so excited for Swim. And I wasn’t disappointed. This year Whispertown2000 changed their name to “The Whispertown 2000″. I prefer the old name, it’s got less spaces and is easier to type, so I’m calling them by that. They also released Swim on limited (200 copies only!!!) vinyl, which was very exciting. I ordered my copy last week and the lady at Acony Records (Gillian Welch’s label) sent it out the same day, so it got here super quick. It’s very pretty and lovely, I got 51/200. I can’t believe that this band aren’t huge, they really are fantastic. Morgan has got a unique, earthy voice. They play folky pop songs. Vanessa chimes in for some pretty harmonies. Atlantis is an album highlight, it’s a slow simple piano song that lets Morgan’s voice shine, it also features fellow LA-er Jenny Lewis on back up vocals. More up tempo songs like From The Start/Jamboree are alot of fun and I can imagine they would be great live. Whispertown have never been to our shores, but I’m hoping that they’ll be here next year. Pushing Oars is another album highlight, and I loved Mountain right from when I first heard the Daytrotter Session version, a long time ago now. Time flies! I expect big things from Whispertown in he future. They’re just fantastic.

5.Bodies of Water- A Certain Feeling

Bodies of Water are so good live! Their really epic choral, gospel-esque songs really rise up and escalate and it’s such a pleasure to hear. It’s hard to believe that five people on a stage can make such big sounding songs. The group vocals are really powerful and fun. The album is made up of great songs. Gold, Tan, Peach and Grey kicks the album off. It starts fairly calmly, then BAM! The tempo picks up, group vocals come in and Meredith is wailaing “and all the colours! the colours are gold and tan! and they are peach and grey! and they are gold and tan and peach and grey!” over the chorus of “ohh ohh ohh“. The call and response “no more!” part is just superb. The band are all really friendly and lovely which makes me like them even more. David drew some sunglasses on the dog on mycopy of the vinyl. Songs like Water Here build up and build up to really epic endings. David’s guitar riffs are pretty catchy on tracks like Under The Pines and Darling Be Here. The Mud Gapes Open is the perfect ending to the album, I love the opening section… it makes me want to listen to the song over and over. Wonderful!

6. She and Him- Volume One

A beautifully produced album. I love Zooey’s voice. I’m usually pretty skeptical about actors/actresses turned singers (just look at that trainwreck of an album by Scarlett Johansson) but this turned out brilliantly. Perhaps because M Ward is a genius. I’ve never seen any of Zooey’s movies anyway, although I did watch five minutes of Tin Man on TV before I was bored/confused (I missed the start and it was near the end). Volume One is an album full of really catchy pop songs with a nostalgic feel. So lyrically the album is a little cliche on more than one occassion, but it works well. The cuteness of the whole thing is just so endearing. It’s got a nice playful feel and I don’t think it takes itself too seriously. Songs like Why Do You Let Me Stay Here? and This Is Not A Test are just so much fun, I can’t see why you wouldn’t like them. I Thought I Saw Your Face Today has a whistle solo. A really really catchy one. I love it so much, one of my favourite songs this year. The guitar on the album is great too. Zoeey and Matt duet on You Really Got A Hold On Me. It’s great to hear his voice. Will I ever get to see them play live? It looks unlikely. Oh well, I guess I can hope.

7. Mates of State- Re-Arrange Us

This is a really uplifting album. It’s so fun and poppy and brilliant. WHYYYYY haven’t they been here since 2006? At first I only really liked the first half of the album and thought that it tailed off a bit towards the end, but the end half has grown on me too now. I still think that the first four songs all flow really well and the first half of the record is stronger than the second. Now and the Re-Arranger are really fun and remind me of riding my bike around in the summer. You Are Free is another really sweet song. Kori and Jason’s voices work really well together. They’re both a bit quirky and weird but that’s what makes them so addictive and loveable. The whole album is really so catchy and it’s impossible to listen to withouut taping your feet or nodding your head. The album cover is a little creepy, don’t you think? Maybe I’m morbid, but it reminds me of heads on pikes.

8. Langhorne Slim- Langhorne Slim

I didn’t like this album as much as I do now until I heard it live. I love Sean’s voice and accent. I love the album lyrically too. Some of the songs are really catchy. There’s great songs all the way through the album. When I first heard the line in Collette that goes “Collette, I know the second we met/you’d go to my head/I took a breath and leapt into the atmosphere” I thought it was pretty cheesy, but after hearing him sing it live it’s my favourite part of the song. Restless and Diamonds and Gold are real stand out tracks. I love when in Diamonds and Gold the song builds up and Sean shouts “a tough day at the office, and a worse night at home!”, that part is great. Hummingbird is a ridiculously beautiful closer, all the hammer-ons and lovely piano, it’s really wondefully arranged, and I love the line “Now I’m dreaming of leaving my demons/and the first one I’m leaving is you“. Great album, you’ll probably like it if you like stuff like the Avett Brothers.

REALLY REALLY GOOD:

Okkervil River- The Stand Ins: I loved this album a whole lot more after I saw them live. Lost Coastlines is one of my favourite songs of the year. You can’t go wrong with that chord progression! The acoustic version Will does with AC Newman is ridiculously good and has caused me to sit on youtube watching it on repeat for more time than I should admit to.

The Dodos- Visiter: At first I didn’t really understand what all the fuss about the Dodos was about, but the album’s a ‘grower’. Atleast for me anyway. It becomes more and more catchy the more you listen to it.

Thao with the Get Down Stay Down- We Brave Be Stings And All: Folk pop fun! I love Thao’s voice too. Swimming Pools is so catchy and upbeat and is one of my favourite songs of the year.

Fleet Foxes- Fleet Foxes: I think everything that you could ever want to say about Fleet Foxes has already been said, they’ve been blogged about and talked about so much this year, and deservedly so. Great album. Your Protector is one of my favourite songs this year. I also really love the album artwork, this Wikipedia page about the original painting is really interesting.

Human Highway-Moody Motorcycle: Catchy, mellow, laid back songs. It’s a simple record, nothing ground breaking or out of this world, but I do like it alot. It’s a real summer-time record, you have to listen to it in the summer. The duo consist of Jim Guthrie and Nick Thorburn (Islands). Their voices work well together.

Cat Power- Jukebox: Why so much hate for Chan’s releases this year? Blogs don’t seem to like Jukebox or the ‘left overs’ EP, Dark End Of The Street. I love Chan’s voice so I would probably listen to anything she sings. I love the way Chan performs Lost Someone, she does it so well! The version she did on Jools Holland was stunning.

Scary Mansion- Every Joke Is Half The Truth: A really beautiful record, I love it alot. The band name is apt, when you listen to it you can imagine it being recorded in a big, empty, scary mansion. Leah Hayes has a beautiful, sometimes haunting voice that works really well over the sparse music. Go To Hell is a fantastic track, I would love to hear them play it live some day.

Conor Oberst- Conor Oberst: A ’solo’ release from Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes fame, put out on Merge Records. It’s pretty poppy and fun, I like it alot. NYC-Gone, Gone, is like a barn dance on your ear drums. Sausalito is probably my favourite on the record, and I love the video for Souled Out!!! It all has a great, fun, light-hearted feel and doesn’t take itself seriously, which is nice to see. Conor has come a long way since his whiney “I’m done feelin’ like a skeleton, no more sleeeep walkin’ dead!” days. I kind of miss the whiney days.

White Hinterland- Phylactery Factory: Brilliant record. Calliope is my favourite song on the record, the beautiful piano, strings, thumping bass, Casey’s beautiful vocals… it’s perfect. When the song picks up tempo at the end it’s fantastic. There’s a nice warm, jazzy feel to the record. I love it.

Frida Hyvonen- Silence Is Wild: SO catchy! Such a brilliantly fun, poppy, wonderful album from this Swedish singer. London! and Birds, and Dirty Dancing are my favourites. It feels a bit like a musical. I really love this record, it’s just so much fun.

Coeur De Pirate- Coeur De Pirate: Such a beautiful album. I love it. Beatrice has such a beautiful voice and the fact that she sings in French just makes me love this album even more. She’s only 18! That’s my age. She’s such a talent, I would love for her to come play over here. Comme Des Enfants, Berceuse and Printemps are my favourites. Such a wonderful record! The more I listen to it the more I love it. I could easily include it in the top 8 I did up there.

Woodpigeon- Songbook: Well, this came out in Canada in 2006, but didn’t come out here until this year. I usually just go on the date stuff is first released (otherwise some of the stuff that made my list last year would be in this year’s list) but I’m making an exception for Songbook. Such a fantastic record. I love Mark’s soft voice. Great album from start to finish.

OTHER GOOD STUFF:

Neva Dinova- You May Already Be Dreaming: Neva Dinova are so depressing! But in the best possible way. Depressing pop.

Port O’Brien- All We Could Do Was Sing: All they could do was sing and play music and put on a great show. Port O’Brien are wonderful, they really involved the audience when I saw them live and it made the songs and show super fun and created a lovely atmosphere. The album is great, full of folky sing a-long goodness.

Flowers Forever- Flowers Forever: Derek from Tilly and the Wall’s side project. This is the type of record that makes you want to rise up with fists. It’s alot of fun. Strange that I enjoyed this but didn’t like the new Tilly. I wish Flowers Forever would play some shows here, American Dream would be so awesome live.

Destroyer- Trouble In Dreams: This is quite old now. I remember it caused alot of buzz when it leaked, but I haven’t seen it in that many year end lists. Destroyer is fronted by Dan Bejar. He has kind of a weird vocal style that sometimes reminds me of Torquil Campbell.

Jason Collett- Here’s To Being Here: I like Jason’s voice alot. I don’t like this record as much as Idols Of Exile (Idols of Exile is really great though) but I still like it. I’m pretty sure it’s one of those albums (for me atleast) that you really start to love when you hear it performed live.

Beatbeat Whisper- Wonder Continental: A beautiful, folky album from the brother/sister duo. I got copy 143 out of 150, I don’t know if there’s any left. If there are you should get one, it comes with a really pretty lyric booklet. I did an interview with the band, you can read more about the album and the pretty artwork there. It’s in the interview section.

A Weather- Cove: Some dreamy, whispery goodness from this Team Love band. My favourite song is Spiders, Snakes. I love the lyrics. “Do you read when you go to bed? Do you lie there shaking instead“. The dual whispered vocals over that beating drum, it’s really beautiful. I remember when I first heard it. It was in A-Level business studies. My teacher was rubbish and missed loads of our lessons. So I first heard this while I was doing my coursework in a lesson that she missed. I remember just thinking “Wow. this is wonderful.” It reminds me of those times. Ah nostalgia!

I’m From Barcelona- Who Killed Harry Houdini?: I originally put off listening to this record, because I was silly and did that whole judging a book by it’s cover thing. I saw the album cover and thought “that looks depressing and serious”. But then I saw them live and listened to it, and, while it is darker than the band’s other material, it’s still fun. Mingus is my favourite track.

Pierre De Reeder- The Way That It Was: A nice simple pop album from the Rilo Kiley bassist. It’s nice to see him take the spotlight. As the title suggests, there’s a nostalgic feeling across the album. Nice poppy songs for lazy days.

Chad VanGaalen- Soft Airplane: I would have liked to have gone to the London show, I was at I’m From Barcelona instead though. Instrumentally lovely, lots going on. I hear some interesting percussion. Layered vocals. Banjo. Running Water. I like Chad’s voice, I like when he sings high notes. I like the more folky parts, some parts sound a bit like crazy video games.

Nik Frietas- Sun Down: A warm, poppy album from the multi talented instrumentalist

Martha Wainwright- I Know You’re Married But I Have Feelings Too: That’s quite an album title, and cover (why would you want to have a picture of yourself upside down on a sofa  as the artwork foryour album?). I almost got to see her play a show in NY this summer. I did the hard part of convincing my family to want to see her, then it turned out we couldn’t go anyway because we’d be leaving during that day to go up to Rhode Island. I also missed out on seeing Beach House by 1 day and Feist by 2 days, darn it. Bad timings aside, it’s a good record. I love Martha’s voice.

My Brightest Diamond- A Thousand Shark’s Teeth: Shara Worden has a really beautiful voice. A wonderfully detailed and intricate record. I sometimes forget I’m listening to My Brightest Diamond, at times it’s like I’m listening to Annie Clark/St Vincent. They sound so similar, especially on tracks like If I Were Queen.

Dutchess and the Duke-She’s the Dutchess,  He’s The Duke: Punchy, upbeat folk with nice guitar parts. They supported Fleet Foxes across the States, be nice to see them over here next year. I really recommend them. Listen to Strangers, it’s great. They did a Daytrotter Session too, listen to Scorpio. It’s from a 7″ I think, it’s not on the record, but it’s one of my favourite songs from 2008.

Peter and the Wolf-Mellow Owl: I really recommend this. As the title suggests, it’s really mellow, folky goodness. I think there are 2 groups called Peter and the Wolf, there’s this one from Austin, TX and another from the UK I think. PATW is the project of Red Hunter. I know he came over here for a few shows earlier this year, but that was pre-me living in London. It’s a shame I missed them.

Chairlift- Does You Inspire You? : Besides the annoyingly grammatically incorrect album title, great catchy album. Caroline has a great voice. Don’t Give A Damn is beautiful and Bruises will get in your head whether you like it or not.

O’Death- Broken Hymns, Limbs and Skin: A foot stomping punky, folk-rock jaunt. I’ve only listened to the record a couple of times. It’s more fun live. Angeline is my favourite.

The Felice Brothers- The Felice Brothers: The band’s first outing on Team Love Records. They make folk rock kind of music, you’d probably like them if you like O’Death/Langhorne Slim/The Avett Brothers. Rube Mae is my favourite track on the record, nothing beats a good murder ballad!

Gregory and the Hawk- Moenie and Kitchi: Gregory and the Hawk is the name of  NY singer Meredith Godreau. I finally listened to this after seeing her play a couple of times. She has a fantastic voice, and she sings that well live too. Keep your eyes peeled to Bandstand Busking to see her busking session.

Those Dancing Days- In Our Space Hero Suits: Indie pop fun from the Swedish all girl group on Wichita. Catchy, fun stuff. I saw them do a Pure Groove instore a few months ago, they were great and I really enjoyed their set. I look forward to seeing them again sometime.

Flowers From The Man Who Shot Your Cousin-Hapless: Phew, after writing out that ridiculous name of his I feel less inclined to write any more. FFTMWSYC is Morgan Caris from Canada/France. It’s a sparse, folky record. At times he really, really reminds me of Leonard Cohen.

The Tallest Man On Earth- Shallow Graves: Folky goodness from Sweden. Kristian has a very strong voice, and the finger picked guitar and banjo parts are beautiful. You’ll like him if you like Langhorne Slim/Felice Brothers.

Man Man- Rabbit Habbits: A really fun record! Frontman Honus Honus has a deep, husky voice that is actually quite pretty at times. Maybe ‘pretty’ is the wrong word. It’s like listening to a weird, demented circus let loose in a musical instrument shop. The result is a record of pure fun. I can only imagine how fun Man Man must be live.

The Watson Twins- Fire Songs: They have beautiful voices that really shine on this record. It’s very folky and wonderful.

Mirah- The Old Days Feeling: A collection of old and unreleased songs. The songs are all very short. Lyrically some of them are a bit bizarre. It’s brief but catchy and lovely. Mirah’s voice is sugary. That’s the only way I can think to describe it. It’s sweet and poppy and therefore sugary.

Vivian Girls- Vivian Girls: A nice debut from these three NY/NJ girls with a great lo-fi feel. It’s actually quite catchy, especially tracks like Where Do You Run To. I’d really like to hear them play live again.

Women- Women: This album is too short! I guess they decided to keep it short and sweet. It’s quite catchy, in the sense that once you finish listening you want to listen again. Music to nod your head to. Group Transport Hall is my favourite song on the record.

Ane Brun- Changing of the Seasons: Some nice chord changes and violins make for a really beautiful record that pulls on your heartstrings. Ane Brun is originally from Norway, but now resides in Sweden. She has a lovely voice, and it’s quite unique. It’s quite folky.

Hello Saferide- More Modern Short Stories From Hello Saferide: The Scandinavians are making alot of appearances in this list. This album is fantastic, so poppy and brilliant. I like Annika Norlin’s accent and voice. 2008 (the song) has a warm, nostalgic feel. I’m hoping she comes and plays London in the first half of next year so I can go see her, but she’s got alot of Swedish shows lined up. Those lucky Swedes.

SAD TIMES:

Tilly and the Wall- O: I couldn’t just ignore this record off of my list, it’s released by one of my favourite bands. I tried so hard to like it, but was really disappointed. I remember getting the CD and Beat Control 7″ in the mail from Saddle Creek. It was right in the middle of my summer exams. I listened to it a few times but I just felt it lacked the specialness of Wild Like Children and Bottoms Of Barrels. I love Cacophony, but I had heard that before as it was the B-Side to Beat Control. I think the name of the record is silly too. And I didn’t like my piece of slot in ‘artwork’. It was just some blue metallic colour with scratches in. It’s so ugly compared to the lovely beautiful covers for WLC and BoB. I tried to like Pot Kettle Black, but I just can’t. I don’t mind Alligator Skin. I thought perhaps I’d like it more if I heard them do some of the songs live, but after seeing them live again I can safely say all the set highlights were oldies. Nevermind, hopefully I’ll like their next one better. I still think they put on a great show.

 

And there you have it! My thoughts on more records than anyone would (or should!) care to read. That’s practically a novel up there. Next year I’ll review stuff as we go through the year so my 2009 list will be more organised (maybe, but probably not). After I made that list up there I realised I had totalled about 58 so I cut some of the ones I like a bit less from the list (Mountain Goats, Margot etc etc). I wanted there to be a nice square 50 records. I wonder how many times I wrote the words “beautiful”, “folky” and “lovely”. Probably too many times. I almost had the patience to put the list in alphabetical order, but decided against it. Too much unnecessary effort! So… please do enlighten me to what I’ve missed out. I’m so excited about 2009.

Sufjan “Stove-Top” Stevens presents..

A belated post about the new Sufjan Christmas special… Astral Inter Planet Space Captain Infinity Voyage. It made it’s way onto the internet a couple of days ago, and I listened to it yesterday.

Every year Sufjan makes a Christmas album and gives it out to his friends and family. He released Volumes 1-5 to the public, 6 and 7 are still not available. One of his ‘friends’ decided to put Volume 8 on the internet to share with us.

It’s quite electronic, kind of like how Christmas would sound if you were a Space Captain on an inter planet infinity voyage. It makes me wish Sufjan would stop being so secretive and release something new. If he did it would cause quite a storm. Which state will it be? etc etc. I’m hoping that it’s a state I’ve been to.

You can see the back cover here. Tracklist on Pitchfork.

OK Fleet Foxes, you win

I got a ticket for the Roundhouse show in February, despite my initial reluctance due to the high ticket price. Shame I won’t be able to take my camera into that one. I also got a ticket for Emmy the Great at ULU because I’m probably going to love her record and want to see her. Also, I was listening to Woodpigeon today. It saddens me to my core that M Ward and Mark are playing the same day! WHY? WHYYYYY? I’m hoping Woodpigeon announce some more London shows. This means I have a spare Woodpigeon ticket to offload, for the show at ICA with Miserable Rich on Wednesday 25th of February. I’ll post about it again nearer the time but if you want it you can email me and I’ll give it to you. You just have to promise to go to the show and have alot of fun and enjoy Woodpigeon as much as I would have.

List: London Music Venues

Here are a list of my 7 favourite music venues in London. 7 is an weird number to have for a list, I hear you say. That’s because I originally thought of 5 but then thought of 2 more that I really like. I obviously haven’t been to all the venues in London so I may well be missing some goodens. When bands announce tour dates these are the venues I hope come up.

THE BORDERLINE 

The Borderline is conveniently located just off of Charing Cross Road. Handily, it’s opposite Foyles bookstore. Because I have a habbit of arriving unfashionably early to most gigs I usually take a look around Foyles before a show at the Borderline. Plus, it always seems to be raining when I see shows there so Foyles is good to escape the rain. The Borderline is small and cosy and underground and has a nice atmosphere. It’s pretty good for starting and finishing near enough on time too. The hand stamp people are always cheerful and friendly. My only complaint is the lighting! I find it so hard to take nice photos at the Borderline.

THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB

Ok ok, half the reason why I love this venue so much is because it’s literally across the road from me. Other reasons include the fact that shows there are usually pretty cheap, around £5. They had St Vincent and My Brightest Diamond play there before I moved to London, dammit. I wish I could have been at those shows. The venue is really, really tiny and intimate. It’s cosy and the sound man does a great job of getting the sound to be perfect. There are comfy sofas to sit on and candles on the tables, it would be quite easy to drift off to sleep in there.

ST GILES-IN THE FIELD’S CHURCH

Shows here are great! I wish more bands would play in St Giles. I love that they actually open the doors on time, because alot of venues don’t. The atmosphere is epic, and there’s a nice novelty of seeing a band you like play in a church, it feels special. The lighting is bright too which makes photos easy. The only downside is I fidget alot and the church pews are uncomfortable.

THE LUMINAIRE

Located way out in Kilburn (not in walking distance!), it had to be a pretty nice venue to make the list. I’ve only been there once but I’d love to go back there soon. They opened doors a little late but the staff were all very friendly. The venue inside is very pretty, there’s a big disco ball and velvet-y red curtains. The light was quite nice and the sound was good. Handily, there’s a little alcove type thing by the side of the stage, and because people are always like “ohnoes I don’t want to go stand up the front!” it makes a nice spot to sit in and be close and take photos in while the rest of the audience are being shy and hanging back.

CARGO

Cargo is nice! They don’t seem to like starting on time though. It’s not so bad because there’s a nice comfy seating area in the bar/restaurant area. Because I’m cheap I can’t afford the food, although it looks tasty. The sound is great and the light is nice too. I never, ever buy drinks at venues because it’s they’re always ridiculously expensive. I don’t understand why or how anyone can afford to buy drinks at these places, but when I fainted I thought I needed some sugar so I got a coke from the bar. If I remember correctly it was £1.60! For a little cup of coke, mostly full of ice. I could have gone to a newsagent’s and bought three cans of coke for that price! It’s the same everywhere though, so it’s not really Cargo’s fault. Cargo is also pretty close to me and not far from Old Street station for people travelling in.

BRIXTON WINDMILL

Another great venue way out of central London. You have to get the Victoria line to Brixton, and there’s not really any other lines you can take to get there. It’s about 10/15 minutes walk  from the tube station. Brixton is quite notorious, people say it’s a dangerous place but it seemed fine to me. The venue is nice and cosy, almost TOO cosy. Nah, nothing is too cosy, but it did get very very hot when I saw Jeff Lewis. The venue is tiny and I see it sells out it’s shows alot. The tickets are cheap and good value for your money. The lighing is great, nice atmosphere, great place.

THE OLD BLUE LAST

A pub owned by Vice Magazine. Small, intimate, nice light, good sound. The atmosphere is great. It’s handily in walking distance from my halls, not far from Old Street Tube station either. The lighting makes taking photos quite nice. I’ve only been there a couple of times but I look forward to seeing more (hopefully free) shows at the Old Blue Last.

That’s the end of the list. I haven’t been to Bush Hall yet but I hear it’s nice. It’ll probably make me sad to be there though, because I still think about that Emily Haines & the Soft Skeleton show that I missed there in June 2007 because of my exams. All the venues on my list are pretty small and allow cameras, two important criteria. I always get a nicer, more trusting vibe from venues that don’t feel the need to rifle through your bag before they let you in. I do like ULU and Scala, they have wonderful light and nice sound. Shame about their camera policies. Koko is big but is very pretty inside, it’s just a nightmare getting out of the venue. In terms of instores, Rough Trade and Pure Groove are so great; we’re lucky to have them here. Pure Groove are good for lunchtime instores, and Rough Trade for dinner time. That’s how it should always be, every day.