This band is incredible

Lately whenever I get talking about music I can’t help but get super swoony over the Antlers. I think Hospice is a masterpiece. From the bottom of my heart I really feel that something amazing has been created and I really want everyone to hear this band.

Here they are playing Two from Hospice. The sound quality is brilliant. So enticing! How can you not want to watch this!? Watch the video. Their Myspace is here.

Anika’s August Assembly

I made a mix tape for my friends over at the lovely record label Trash Aesthetics. 

I picked some lovely songs by lovely musicians, I hope you like it. Go here to download it. I hope you like the cover too, I wouldn’t want you to be put off by that unexpectedly creepy rabbit.

Recent listens!

Owwww, it’s been quiet in my blog this week. I’ve been super busy drawing all the time. Plus I work all day. So I have the evenings only, in comparison to when I was a ’student’ and could have blogathons all day. Darn it. I feel so exhausted. Would anyone like to take me on holiday? Ideal holiday would encompass the following things: Scary Mansion, ice cream, Nando’s. Apparently there is only one Nando’s in America and it’s in Washington DC. So. Come on, Scary Mansion in Washington DC. Then I am 2/3rds of the way there, and I figure I can sort ice cream out somewhere along the line (!). 

Anyway, the good thing about working full time, besides the monies, is that I get to listen to music all day long while I write about music venues and check photos of Cat Power are actually of Cat Power. My job is pretty good. So, yeah, I get to listen to music all day long with the occasional break. Here are the albums that I’ve listened to since Monday:

The Antlers- Hospice: DAILY! I love this masterpiece.

Soap&Skin- Lovetune For Vacuum: LOVE.

Alessi’s Ark- Notes From The Treehouse: I listen to this every day. It reminds me of Alessi and I like being reminded of Alessi.

Marissa Nadler- Little Hells: I listen to this most days, sometimes several times a day. Sometimes I just get stuck on Rosary for a kazillion plays. But besides that, the whole album is so beautiful.

Fever Ray- Fever Ray: I listened to this before I saw them live and I liked it, but now I love it. I love the ‘we talk about love, we talk about dishwasher tablets‘ line. I hardly imagine Karin, donned in spooky attire, talking about dishwasher tablets.

She Keeps Bees- Nests: Short and sweet! I love them!

A Magical Touch Of Class- Guilty Pleasure: This is also super short, and super sweet. Leah’s voice kills me. It’s good when you find someone who has a voice that does that. The songs are lullaby-esque. I love these songs. I can listen to this over and over and over. 

Neva Dinova- Neva Dinova: This is an old favourite that I feel like listening to alot lately. It’s so easy to listen to because every song is brilliant.

Andrew Bird- Noble Beast: LOVE.

Beach House- Devotion: Beach House at Union Chapel. Be ready for something amazing, right there.

Beach House-Beach House

Handsome Furs- Face Control: rockin’.

Marissa Nadler- Songs III: Bird on the Water

Heartless Bastards- The Mountain: I like this alot. More so each time I listen. And it reminds me of Alessi, yay.

Scary Mansion- Every Joke Is Half The Truth: THE NEW SCARY MANSION IS GOING TO BE SO KILLER!

of Montreal- Cherry Peel

Sharon Van Etten- Because I Was In Love

Wildbirds & Peacedrums- The Snake: I miss their rhythm alot lately.

Bowerbirds- Upper Air

Whispertown2000- Swim

Bishop Allen- The Broken String

Elliott Smith- Either/Or: I went through a giant Elliott Smith thing a few years ago. I still love these songs so much.

I’m sure I could listen to much more if I wasn’t so hooked on my favourites so hard.

Spiracle

Oh, wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. I think you will either watch this and think it’s terrible or you’ll think she’s absolutely incredible. The screaming is unnerving but also completely hypnotic…

The song is Spiracle from Soap&Skin’s debut album Lovetune For Vacuum, which is one of my favourite records of the year. It’s absolutely beautiful, consistently brilliant. What a talent. She’s playing in the Purcell Room at Southbank Centre in October, get your tickets. I missed her in April, I went to Alessi instead that night. Dirty Projectors played that night too. It was a clashy headache. Listen to her songs on Myspace.

Chris Garneau on the Guest Apartment

Watch. I can’t wait for him to come back to London. Interview here too. 

He plays Winter Song #1, Hands On The Radio and old song Try Me. 

I saw Chris play three times last year, he was consistently wonderful and I would recommend his live show to anyone. He released his second record El Radio this year, as a follow up to 2007’s beautiful Music For Tourists. If you don’t know him yet, I recommend hearing his sweet songs. Here is his Myspace.

Alessi’s Handmade Exhibition

My favourite creative entity from London has an exhibition in Hammersmith running for a month throughout August. You should go. I am! It will be lovely. She is a swoon-worthy talent, someone very amazing. The Riverside Studios website is here, for more information. Her drawings are the sweetest. I have a lovely ‘true understanding’ drawing she drew in my sketch pad. It’s next to my drawing of the DANGER TRAIN. I think I am incapable of drawing nice things. Alessi isn’t. Her drawings are wonderful, so fine and detailed. The exhibition is free. You have no reason not to go, don’t miss out. What a talent! 

*and don’t let that ‘Boyzone Broke Up’ thingy put you off. The dinosaur was my doing. I’m pretty sure the rest of her work is dino-free. Phew!

Leah Hayes.

I really like her drawings, go look. I really like her band, go listen. The new album is probably going to be the best thing….. EVER.

My Heart

My Heart. My Heart. My Heart. 

Anyone who knows anything about me will know I am a bit in love with My Heart. Wildbirds & Peacedrums are releasing the best live song EVER, My Heart, on 7″ on the 7th of September, backed by a bluesy Deerhoof remix. I dig that. Visit the lovely Leaf label for more information.

I also dig this amazing video session of the band playing My Heart in Copenhagen earlier this year. I’ve been missing Wildbirds alot lately. I think it’s perhaps good that I haven’t seen them in almost two months, because it’s going to make the next time I see them extra sweet.

Sweeter still, it’ll be at Union Chapel- my favourite music venue, with Whispertown2000, one of the best live bands I’ve seen this year. Loney, Dear is headlining. It’s a swoon-overload situation waiting to happen. Ah!

Love Song 2

Listen to this beautiful song! Marissa Nadler! The lady has a voice of pure gold. I think ‘dreamy’ would be an understatement. It’s the type of song that makes me want to buy a train ticket just so I can sit by the window and listen to this.

The song is an unreleased demo of a new song, titled Love Song 2. Marissa has put it up for free download here. It’s worth being her friend on Twitter. Incase she posts any more heart-breaking-ly beautiful songs, n’all. 

Also, I absolutely, from the bottom of my heart, recommend Little Hells. Even if you don’t love it instantly, just keep listening. You’ll fall in love with it sooner or later. It’s one of my favourite records of the year. Completely brilliant.

Check Out Lofty Heights

A few months ago I got to see this charming gentleman play at the Duke Of Uke. His name is Greg/Lofty Heights and he has a debut single called Eye Contact on the way soon. He has a sweet voice and his folk pop is lovely. Lovely lovely lovely. 

He’s playing on board the Tamesis Dock on the 13th with Mary Hampton. I suspect it will be a tasty show and I’ll be there if my calendar allows it.

Hear Eye Contact and a few others on the Lofty Heights Myspace.