New music for the masses

Two new tunes... I spoil you, don't I?

Breezy summer music.

Firstly: Freelance Whales

they're some cool cats from, Queens, NYC.

In my opinion, sounds a smidge like The Weepies meets The Postal Service.

What do you think?

Secondly: Summer Camp

If anyone's been wondering what our London folkster Jeremy Warmsley has been up to....

This is it.

A new project.

Hazy, whimsical, nostalgic electro pop.

The most wonderful thing about this new duo is that they emerged on myspace shrouded in mystery -

no pictures of them per sae, just some 70s camp kids and a few tunes.

They had everyone guessing at their identities until Jeremy finally piped up to tell the world he's behind it all..

Summer Camp - Ghost Train (viral) from Paddy Power on Vimeo.

Listen, love, dream of summer...

And tell me cool things to do new york! I leave at 5 AM tomorrow. Eek!!

gap yah

I'm back from Belgium, stopping off at home briefly for some sleep before I jet off to NY, I am growing more and more excited by the minute!! I am compiling a list of things to do... There is just so much, and in 5 days, I am wondering how on earth we will fit it all in. Maybe I just won't sleep while I'm there?

No, that's probably not sensible.

I don't have anything much to say this evening, just a very funny video for anyone who hasn't seen it.

Oh giggles. Now let's hit the KR, dahling.

HP and LM

Just got home from London - I'm now lying on my bed, reading harry potter.

I'm feeling a bit of h pottz this evening.

Alsoooo I am..

..listening to the new laura marling album, 'I speak because I can',

which I bought as soon as I could when it was released.

She's made the transition from a bleach-blonde pixie cut to brunette bob.

So I guess she's a woman now?

Frivolity has been set aside - it's time for that Let's-Get-Serious second album.

Laura's been making folk in a style far more mature than her years since she was a teenager - in fact, she started out playing in The Bosun's Locker, Fulham - a teeny venue-cum-underage drinking den (as Barry Nicolson so eloquently put it) that was run by dear Winston from Mumford & Sons - when she was a wee scrap of a lass. All the other lads of this establishment - a mess of jamming london folksters who are now better known as Noah and the Whale and Mumford & Sons - were about 17, whilst little Laura was a good few years younger.

Her first album, 'alas I cannot swim', was one of my favourite from 2008.

From what I have heard, 'I speak...' has lost none of Laura's charm, but she has shaken off some of the timid little girliness, which, I suppose, was what we were all expecting when her hair changed. Hair can tell us a lot, eh...

Aaand is that the telling strum of banjo I can hear, Laura?

Miss Marling is now to be seen on the arm of Marcus Mumford,

cue a folkmance-induced *awww* from anyone that cares.

The Sons have been doing some backing for her on most tracks in this new album, and, being a Mumford obsessive, I love this new country twinge. She needed this, I reckon; it's still acoustic music, yet now it is a bit stronger, a bit more robust.

Anyway. It's lovely. Here's one for y'all.

I suppose one might say I'm excited...

because I have travels planned over the next couple of weeks.

First I am hitting Brussels, Belgium with deux amies

which will be, I'm sure, a laugh and a half

and then I am tripping over to N. Y. C.

which is rather rather rather rather rather exciting for little old moi, who has, as of yet, never ventured out of my native Europe.

so WOW, yay, !!!!, ahh, etc!

And who cares that I have to find time to revise for my exams...

I'm studying Fitzgerald and Frost, so technically heading stateside is... an educational trip?! heh....

please please anyone who has advice/cool places to go/anything AT ALL about either city then tell me!! I don't want to miss out on a thing... and I am only in NY for 5 days so I need to cram-pack my trip with anything and everything worth doing.

Aaaand here is a song I have currently got stuck in my head.

Right then, I'm about to watch Whip It, so, ta ta for now...

Late of the Pier

Late of the pier are pretty cool. They've supported the likes of Justice and Hadouken in the past. Punky-electro-indie, most of the time (my classifications making next to no sense, I am aware) but with some curveballs thrown in - I'll come back to that later.

I had heard their song 'space and the woods' a while back, but never actually dwelt on it for too long until was reminded of it when Marina (I'll stop going on about her soon I swear) covered it during her live festival sets over the summer.

In february they released a double A-side consisting of 'Blueberry' and 'Best in the class.'

Now the curveball I mentioned all of 10 lines ago was this first track, Blueberry - which is not so much electro-dance, but a positively Beatles-esque tune. Very, VERY lucy in the sky. When the first bit of vocals come in - after a clattery intro of what can only be described as noise - you would honestly swear it was Lennon. Or is that just me?

Here it is:

Late Of The Pier - Blueberry from Phantasy on Vimeo.

And the second song, 'Best in the Class,' is wicked too. Different, but no less good.

BUT

ok, I have been losing sleep recently over one aspect of this 'ere video for it.

If you pause it, or slow it down at certain places

THERE ARE FLASH FRAMES OF A CREEPY LAUGHING OLD MAN

He is terrifying. Properly properly gives me the heeby jeebies.

Par exemple...

41 seconds

48 seconds

1 min 1 second

2 mins 28 seconds

There are probably way more, watch it once, then watch it again and concentrate.

Late Of The Pier - Best In The Class from Phantasy on Vimeo.

Cool vid though, innit. Nice one LOTP. Apparently their frontman has gone off to work on something else, so we won't be hearing anything more from them this year... hmm . oh well!

Hurry Up

Summer, please hurry up. A lot.

So.

WE GOT OUR TICKETS FOR LATITUDE yesterday -

yay, yay, and thrice yay.

And for headliners.............

Pretty close to perfection!

Florence and the machine have their first ever festival headline slot (or 'Flozzers and the Mash' as Alice, Kate and I affectionately call her), followed by the mighty Belle and Sebastian, and Vampire Weekend to top it all off.

Also announced so far are The Maccabees - I can be reunited with my beloved Orlando! - The National, The XX, The horrors, marcus brigetocke for some chuckle-worthy middle class comedy ......

BASICALLY, EVERYONE SO FAR IS AMAZING.

But I have to get through a term of exams first.........

Here's a Belle and Sebastian track for y'all, in the spirit of their wondrous headliner spot... July ain't so far, I guess!

If you are not very careful...

If you are not very careful,

Your possessions will possess you,

TV taught me how to feel,

Now real life has no appeal

I said I'd chit-chat a bit about Marina and Ellie today, so I will now do so...

A few of you might already have realized that I have a bit of a Marina obsession going on, so obviously I nabbed a copy of 'The Family Jewels' as soon as it was released.

I was a bit worried it would be a bit overproduced and her awesomely unique voice would disappear into the backing, but I needn't have worried, as, although the production is very polished, her crazy vocals are still the selling point of each song. Quite a few of the best tracks are the ones I've had for a while anyway, but there are some great new ones too, like opener 'are you satisfied?' and this little gem (pun unintended) :

super catchy. VERY marina.

And, I, like, met her. On my birthday.

AND she pointed at me later that day during her set when she noticed me.

Thought I'd brag a little bit!!

So to end this section... top tracks from the album, in no particular order:

Oh No

Girls

Obsessions

Are You Satisfied?

I Am Not A Robot

The Outsider

Now onto Ellie Goulding. A while ago I said I wasn't sure if she'd live up to the hype.

I reckon she's proved me wrong... 'Lights' is number one in the itunes album chart right now. And I really like it.

Before I bought the album I had only the two singles - 'starry eyed' and 'under the sheets' - but also some acoustic songs of hers, 'the writer' and 'every time you go.' I also had the 'guns and horses' demo. I was worried about these, because, since I'd got to love them so much acoustically, I didn't think they'd work as well with all her synthyness. However, 'the writer' hasn't been changed much with it's electronic re-work, it's pretty much just been enhanced, and 'Every time you go' is pretty different, but I now love the upbeat version just as much as the acoustic. 'Guns and horses' is the only let-down, in my opinion - I much prefer the demo version. (Honestly check that out!) But one duff track on the album - which, in essence, is a brilliant song anyway - is not bad at all for such an anticipated debut.

This is my favourite song. I think. It's hard to choose!

Top (non single) tracks:

Your Biggest Mistake

Every Time You Go

The Writer

This Love will be your downfall

Salt Skin

Sooooooo. Currently yearning for summer + festival fun. Latitude tickets go on sale tuesday... So I'll be ready!

Bisous x

thank you for applauding cannibalism

gosh indeed.

life feels like such an effort right now!!

Times are tough for the family in the wood

They'd eat like kings if they only could

But hunger gnaws - famine stalks the land

Something quite wicked has the upper hand!

Poor mother and father must do "what is best"...

And Hansel and Gretel will be put to the test!

Armed with their very last slice of bread

Will they eat to survive

or

leave

a

trail

home

instead?

Went to go see this Kneehigh Production of Hansel and Gretel last week,

It was crazy fun.

Blimey it was funny. A very small cast, with most of them playing more than one part, which I always think proves the excellent quality of acting in these sort of plays. The set was amazing too, you can kind of tell in the youtube video above - it was pretty much a jumbled mess of ladders and things so that characters could clamber around if they needed too. It also helped with some of the crazy contraptions Gretel came up with...

Really effective use of music, played by two talented guys on the sidelines, switching instruments at least 5 times each. They also came in as actors from time to time as Wilhelm and Yohann, Hansel and Gretel's cheery neighbours from across the valley.

In my opinion they drew quite a bit of inspiration from The Mighty Boosh - the evil old woman seeming to me to be some sort of Eleanor/crack fox hybrid. If anyone here knows what I'm talking about. But hey, boosh inspiration is certainly alright with me!

Anywho

I really should be working right now.

But instead I am wasting time on the internet, blogging and perusing ebay.

Well, I also ordered some university prospectuses... so that's not a waste of time, I suppose?

Oxford, Cambridge, Durham, Bristol, Leeds, York, UCL. Hmmmmmm.......

I will post something interesting at the weekend, I promise! I have just bought Marina (and the diamonds, duh) 's new album and also Ellie Goulding's. Lets see how these ladies have done........ I'll get back to you. If anyone else has got 'em, what do you think so far??