If we wasn't so original then we'd be criminal

So Wale teamed up with Somalian rapper K'Naan and Dave Sitek of TV on the Radio to make this wicked tune -"wittily" called TV in the Radio. They basically just rap about how original they are - but the horns and beats elevate some pretty good lyrics into an absolutely awesome tune, proving once again that TVOTR are absolute legends and can do no wrong. As if you didn't know that already.

Never mind what anybody else done

I know I've been a little MIA recently... hopefully you've been tuning into my radio show, Pet Sounds on Pulse, (Tuesdays 2-4pm GMT) as most of my energies musically have been going into that.

Aside from that however, the one thing you can't do very easily on the radio is videos, and one video that defnintely been garnering some serious blog-inches is the vid for the new Yeasayer song, Ambling Alp. Yeasayer, you may remember, are the perpetrators of the fabulous, new-year themed 2080, but if anything, they've topped themselves with Ambling Alp. Heartfelt, joyous, dance-able, but with some awesome Middle-Eastern/African inspired beats, this is sure to make many best-ofs for this year

Their video, however, is something else. Utterly bizarre... but really really good I think, combining face-melting with cults with horses with deserts. Check it out below - but be warned, if you're watching it in a public place, there's some pretty interesting naked dancing going on at the end, so you may get some odd looks, I know I did...

Download Ambling Alp here.

London

Sorry for neglecting Tricks of late, I just started at the LSE and things have been a bit hectic! I'm still rambling on about music though, but this time on Pulse, the LSE student radio. You can listen to my show, Pet Sounds, Tuesdays 2-4pm here, or for a week after on demand online. I'm also writing reviews for Pulse, so keep an eye out for that too!

{Photo courtesy of markhillary on flickr}

Have you seen this?

Quite possibly one of the most shocking videos I've seen in a long long time, Matt and Kim's Lessons Learned is a truly original piece of work. It won the MTV Breakthrough Video Award at the VMAs this year, beating off some pretty serious competition from the likes of Major Lazer and Bat for Lashes. Yet, while it's undoubtedly a breathtaking video, after watching it, I literally couldn't remember the song it was promoting - surely that's a sign of a terrible video?



Perhaps that's because whenever I think of Matt and Kim, their song Daylight springs to mind. Above is the video for it - quite a bit less controversial I think you'll agree. The tune's been kicking around for a while now - I first heard it in January of this year, then it popped up in a Bacardi commercial (thanks Ashley!), and now I keep it hearing it on the soundtrack for Fifa '10, my flatmate's new obsession. It's lovely - all jangly keyboards, yelping vocals, with a bit of a hip-hop vibe to the drumbeat. It's also available for download as a lovely freebie on their record label Greensounds. I get the impression that it's a case of "lightning doesn't strike twice" with this song - I don't think Matt and Kim have anything else as good as this up their sleeves - and all the incessant promoting is a little tiring. But the song itself is great, and that's what matters.

The most beautiful colours chase the sun

Local Natives are officially the next big thing. Compared by some to Vampire Weekend, Arcade Fire and Fleet Foxes with good reason, they combine the interesting African drum rhythms of Vampire Weekend, the folky harmonies of Fleet Foxes and the overarching heart-aching melodies of Arcade Fire to powerful and infectious effect. Airplanes, the first song I heard by Local Natives, didn't immediately blow me away I have to admit; it sounded too much like a dozen other indie bands. But the plaintive refrain of the chorus (I love it all/So much I call/I want you back) stayed with me, and when I heard Sun Hands, a slightly darker, more percussive track, I knew that Local Natives were ones to watch. The five guys are clearly intelligent and passionate about what they do - you can see evidence of this in their blog - but you also get the impression that this is a band driven to achieve success and recognition, especially after checking out their slick myspace. This isn't necessarily a bad thing because the songs are worthy of success and recognition, but get ready for them to be name-checked a thousand times in the next year!

Local Natives are currently on the NME Radar tour along with Golden Silvers, Marina & the Diamonds and Yes Giantess - a pretty stellar line up! Debut album, Gorilla Manor is released on the 2nd November.

Check out their awesome cover of Simon & Garfunkel's Cecilia below:

You know it's real

This track is so incredible that I'm literally writing this post as I listen to it for the first time - it's that good. Regular readers may remember me raving about Florence and the Machine's cover of You've Got the Love - now hotly buzzed about London band the xx have done their own cover/remix of it. The xx's trademark sparse sound is in full force - in fact, only the harps and a looped vocal remain from Florence's original. The result is spell binding. I'd been reluctant to jump on the xx bandwagon, but having had their track Islands stuck in my head for about a week I have just bought the album, and I'm being won over. The tracks are all of a fairly similar melancholic, late-night vibe, but I like it - it's chilled out, it's urban and it's very modern.

Florence and the Machine - You've Got the Love (The xx remix)

The xx - Islands

{Artwork courtesy of ethoss on flickr}

Remember me?

Sorry for vanishing for so long there... Life took over for a while, not that I didn't have time to post, but I just got really frustrated feeling like I wasn't really finding any good new stuff to listen to.



Well, now that's changed, thanks mainly to the guys over at Neon Gold. Their blog has been my go-to place for fresh cuts for a while now, ever since their blog Good Weather for Airstrikes ceased production, and with alumni including Passion Pit, Marina & the Diamonds and Yes Giantess, they are excellent at discovering bands/artists who produce interesting sounds with a strong pop sensibility.

Their latest protege, Gotye, is someone I've heard about for a while, a good couple of years, but I've been reluctant to jump on the band wagon, until I heard his latest, Learnalilgivinanlovin. Perfect late summer stuff, fun and poppy, sounding fresh yet familiar, I love it!

Also, thanks to their rave review of Florence & the Machine's album, I picked it up a couple of days ago, and am really getting into it. My initial misgivings about her songwriting talents have been well and truly put to rest, as she seems to no longer rely on that booming voice as a crutch. My particular faves from the album, the aptly titled Lungs, are Cosmic Love and her latest single, Drumming Song.

Here is the video for Drumming Song - I think I like it, although, strangely, she seems be taking inspiration from Beyonce's Single Ladies video...



Check out the Jackbeats and Boy 8-Bit remixes of this track too, they're both pretty sweet.

I'll be posting about some more stuff I'm loving hopefully later in the week, but for now, enjoy the rest of the bank holiday!

I Can't Imagine Anything Better

Mash ups are a bit of a strange bag – sometimes it’s almost magical how seamlessly two songs combine to form a whole, but a bad mash up can ruin them forever. The Hood Internet is fast blowing up all over hypem for his creative, if unashamedly populist (in an indie kind of way) mash ups.

One of my favourite of his has to be the Dirty Projectors vs Major Lazer, Hold the Stillness mash up. This track seamlessly integrates two major tracks of the past couple of months to create a catchy, perfectly natural sounding tune.

The Dirty Projectors have been catching a lot of press recently, with their new album, Bitte Orca, receiving rave reviews. So far the only track I’ve heard off it is Stillness is your Move, but if that’s anything to go by, the rest of the album should be amazing. Stillness is your Move combines a hip hop sensibility with indie girl vocals to produce something that’s eerie, soulful yet also quite moving.

Here's the video for Stillness is your Move, featuring Siberian huskies and a rare llama (obviously).


Major Lazer have also been blog stars of late, being the collaboration project between Diplo (the man behind M.I.A., Santogold, and other greatness) and producer Switch. Hold the Line, their first single off the album features Santogold’s vocals on top of dancehalls beats and jittery electronic sounds.

Download Hold the Line here (right hand side of the page)

Out of the two, the Dirty Projectors are probably more my cup of tea than Major Lazer, but both tracks are excellent, and, surprisingly enough, the mash up matches the quality of its parts.

The Two Weeks of Hip-Hop mash up is also well worth your time, combining the new Grizzly Bear single Two Weeks with an old Dead Prez song.

I Once Was a Kid

I love MGMT's Kids, but man is that shit overplayed. Here's a fresh (better?) take on it.

Chiddy Bang - Kids [hypem]

Summer Rain; Praying Someone Feels the Same

And so the Summer comes to an end… apparently.

Summer rain, for all it's frustrations and faults, still provides us with some classic music. There's something rather poetic about rain in Summer - the wistfulness that attends as thoughts of hazy sunny days fade away, replaced by drizzly grey reality. The first track here, Blind Melon's No Rain [youtube] captures this perfectly - so used do we get to rain in the Summer that it seems strange and bewildering when we are faced with bright sunshine. Indeed, after weeks of sweltering heat, the release of a Summer storm is often more than welcome, as in Pain Killer (Summer Rain) [last.fm], by Turin Brakes.

Image courtesy of pftburger on flickr.

The Come-back Kids pt. 3

Once again, an artist that I had somewhat written off a couple of year ago has come back with a great new single - this time it's Jamie T. His new single Sticks 'N' Stones covers similar ground to his earlier stuff like Sheila and If You Got The Money - i.e. boozing, girls and some more boozing - and while his sound remains distinctive, he is infectiously cheeky and warm-hearted. I defy anyone to listen to that rambunctious chorus without yelling along, 'Let's find some TROUBLE!'.

(It helps that I think he's really hot!)

On the glory afternoons in June I need you...

I know, I know, I haven't posted in aaages. Blame... me. I'm lazy.

Anyways, the epic Summer playlist-making continues as blissful June weather makes having a job a painful experience.

Basement Jaxx - Raindrops [7digital]

The brand-new single from dance geniuses Basement Jaxx echoes through my head all day at work until I can get in my car and blast it out. The lyrics are probably hopelessly prophetic for the wash-out that the British Summer often turns out to be, but this track is a top contender for THE song of Summer 2009 (helped by the fact that the Jaxx KILLED IT when performing at my graduation ball!). The track can be streamed from Basement Jaxx's website, and is out now for just 50p from 7digital.com.

Passion Pit - Sleepyhead [youtube]
Passion Pit continue to be the blog darlings of 2009, remaining all over hypem et al. This song is actually one of their older ones - the more observant of you will have noticed that it made my best of 2008 list. Yet the sunny weather has made me realise how utterly perfect it is. For the hungover mornings I prefer the Landau 'Wake Up' Mix (available as part of their Chunk of Change EP)- a bit less squeaky, but still as feel-good. Their debut album, Manners, is out now, and actually lives up to the hype, get it now from wherever you buy music from.

[Artwork courtesy of jspad on flickr.com]

Cover Me in Roses

So it's not the most original idea for a post, but I was listening to my iPod on shuffle the other day, and I realised just how many cover versions of songs I have. On my old radio show we used to do a feature where we would get the listeners to vote between two versions of the same song, and I always used to struggle to think of cover versions. However, now I'm not doing the radio show, I can, of course, think of many.

This may become a regular post on Tricks, but I'm reluctant to post cover versions unless they're something really special. A good cover can totally transform a song, taking it in a new direction, exposing something different about the song. It's pretty standard indie fare to cover a well known song in an acoustic fashion, highlighting the 'meaning' behind a pop song, singing it in a conciously detached, ironic sense. While the best of these can be great, others remind you that, actually, production can make a track.



One of my favourite covers of the moment is the Flaming Lips' version of Borderline, originally by Madonna. The zany Lips take what was a decent 80s pop tune and turn it into an indie epic, with fuzzy bass lines, organs, and a soaring, pulsing guitar solo. along with an underlying sense of dread. It was for the Covered: A Revolution in Sound compliation that Warner Bros have put together to celebrate 50 years in the business. I have a feeling that the Michelle Branch version of A Case of You, also on the record, won't be making this post, however, if the compliation proves to be as good as this Flaming Lips cover, then I shall eat my words. You can watch the psychedelic video here, and listen to the track on hypem here.

[Artwork courtesy of Papa Goiba on flickr.]

Here comes the sun...

The weather these past few days has been GORGEOUS - I spent a substantial proportion of last week's "studying" procrastinating by making the most awesome Summer playlist ever. Every year I do one half-heartedly, but this year I'm determined to get it down. Here's a couple of must-haves, more to come soon.

Groove Armada - Down at the River [youtube]

'If you're fond of sand dunes and salty air' - is there a more summery refrain than that? I think not. Perfect beach bliss.

Bell XI - Rocky Took a Lover (alt link) [both youtube]

This is a classic example of a good song made great by the addition of sunshine. Those shimmery harps and twinkling bells are simply gorgeous come summer time.

Almost there?

It's 11.08pm. I arrived at the library at 8.50am. I'm still here. FML.

Luckily, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel (End of finals! Graduation! London!) but for now, I'm knackered.

Simian Mobile Disco - Sleep Deprivation

DJ Shadow - Midnight in a Perfect World

Azure Ray - Sleep

(Sorry about the crappy youtube links. I hate having to do this for such great songs but I don't have the time/energy/decent web connection to upload the mp3s.)

Last Night a DJ Saved My Life...

... I wish. Instead I'm stuck studying. Oh well. Here's what I would have wanted to hear:

The Kills - Cheap and Cheerful (SebastiAn remix)

MGMT - Kids (Soulwax Remix)

Milke - Love Get Out of My Way (DESIGNER DRUGS remix)

A-Ha - Take on Me (Twelves Remix)

Justice vs. Kevin Rudolf - Just Let Us Rock (DJ BRAKE mashup)

Wrapped up in books

This past week has been really hectic for me - I have all my assessed essays due in on Wednesday so I've been working really hard to get them done. Such is my life that it seemed appropriate that I found some decent study-buddies - in the form of some great music.


Belle & Sebastian - Wrapped Up In Books [youtube]

This Belle & Sebastian track came up on shuffle yesterday, and it seemed so appropriate as I was sitting, literally, surrounded by books and papers and notes...

Camera Obscura - French Navy [youtube]

I defy you to not be entranced/ensnared by this new Camera Obscura song. It's pretty much in the same ilk as Belle & Sebastian; the first line is so catchy and beautiful: 'Spent a week in a dusty library/waiting for some words to jump at me'. I think it helps that I think libraries are essentially romantic places... I know that this is a little strange! Camera Obscura's new album, My Maudlin Career is out now.

The Notwist - Good Lies [hypem]

This song is perfect to study to - wistful, soft, but also reminding you that there's something else outside of books, that this is just pretend life. Real life is, I guess, waiting for me in 3 months time.

Chester French feat. Janelle Monae - Nerd Girl [hypem] {available to download here as part of Chester French's mixtape}

Because, really, if this post has achieved nothing else, it's shown that I am a massive nerd! Maybe I can find a nerd boy in the library...

Give yourself another chance

Brilliant new indie band combine funky cowbell disco with lush fairytale pop. Impossibly cool, they've been on tour with the Mystery Jets, and have some serious connections. Their debut album, True Romance, was released yesterday. I haven't had a chance to listen to it properly yet, but early signs suggest it's really rather good. You can stream it on their myspace (link below).

Golden Silvers - True No. 9 Blues (True Romance) [youtube]

NB: Since my last post got taken down for containing mp3s, I'm a little wary of posting them, it's difficult because not many youtube videos are available in the UK right now, so expect a strange combination of hypem, youtube, myspace and other blogs' links in the future.

They don't love you like I love you

Need I say anything more?

watch /buy

Busy busy busy

I am conscious of the fact that Tricks has been a bit neglected recently...

So just to let you all know I'm alive and still listening to music, here is my playlist of new music that is helping me get through the studying.

Mumford & Sons - White Blank Page

The Invisible - Ok

Little Boots - New In Town (Fred Falke remix)

La Roux - Fascination

New Villager - Rich Doors

Yes Giantess - Tuff 'n' Stuff

Riceboy Sleeps - Happiness

The National - So Far Around the Bend

--the last two track are part of the Dark Was The Night compilation that I mentioned before. I finally got around to buying it, and it's brilliant. You should do the same.

Slumdog takes over the world!!

The Original:



The Remix: Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny) - A. R. Rahman with Nicole Scherzinger (her from the Pussycat Dolls)

The Dub-step version: Snoop Dogg Millionaire - Snoop Dogg

Complete TUNE: Paper Planes (DFA Remix) - M.I.A.

The Comeback Kids Pt. 2

About a week ago I remembered another comeback single that I totally meant to include with the previous post, but completely forgot about: Just Jack with Embers. Just Jack was a cheeky chappy who had a hit with Starz in their Eyes back in 2007. It was a perky, catchy pop song that poked fun at our celebrity-obsessed culture - any more serious ambitions were surely thwarted by the z in Starz. Once again, he showed little in the way of depth, fading away after that single, and many more expected that fading process to continue. However, upon his return he presented us with the thoughtful, string-laden single Embers. There was little in his previous oeuvre to suggest such a pensive track, and with the hand-claps, overlapping vocals, Embers is the perfect soundtrack for lazy sunny days.

The Comeback Kids

Calvin Harris



Back in 2007, Calvin Harris was one of the hottest kids making fun, quirky music to dance to - Acceptable in the 80s spawned a bunch of 80s themed t-shirts and parties as everyone was desperate for some day-glo. Yet now the look is a bit old, and as it seemed that Calvin Harris was a bit of a one-trick pony, it was difficult to see where he would go. Instead, he returned with an absolute tune, I'm Not Alone. Combining an introspective indie opening with classic dance-synth chords, I'm Not Alone sounds simultaneously fresh and old-school, less knowing and ironic than Calvin's older material, more open and honest and mad-for-it. It's released on April 8th; you can watch the video for it above.

Jack Penate



Jack Penate, while coming from a different music scene, is similar kettle of fish to Calvin Harris. He achieved a certain amount of success with his early singles, Torn on the Platform, Spit at Stars, Have I Been A Fool, but I think it's fair to say he didn't exactly establish a reputation for diversity with these singles - he cornered the market in cheeky, non-offensive, indie-boy pop. I don't think anyone was really expecting him to produce anything different - or even if he could produce anything different, but his latest single, Tonight's Today, has proved the detractors wrong. The full version is a 7 minute epic, and in it he eschews quirky, cheery lyrics for a more introspective vibe, complete with a lusher, more electronic sound. I will be very sad if this does not get him the recognition and success that he deserves, it's a brilliant track, and a real step forward for him. You can download Tonight's Today here.

California Waiting...

...every little thing's going to be alright.

Kings of Leon - California Waiting

We're half-awake, in a Fake Empire

So you may have noticed that activity has stepped up a gear around here recently - well that's mainly because I have a lot of studying/essay-writing/dissertation research to do, and writing a blog post somehow feels less like time-wasting than going on facebook...



One of my favourite bands to listen to while studying (or actually at any time) is The National. They are basically perfect. I first heard their song Fake Empire (see video above) about 16 months ago, and for the longest time I was too afraid to buy their album Boxer, despite the excellent reviews it got, because I didn't want to be disappointed. Then, having been anything but disappointed, I was reluctant to investigate their back catalogue until my cousin's drunken friend raved about Alligator. He was spot on (despite the inebriation). Boxer and Alligator feature Springsteen-esque melodies and intimate, meaningful lyrics. The lead singer Matt Berninger has the most sincere, deep baritone I have heard in a long time. Every line he sings sounds more poignant for it.

Don't expect to instantly love these albums - they need time and space to breathe. But, trust me, the wait is well worth it.

And if you're after more, a couple of band members have recently curated a charity compliation album, Dark was the Night, which is getting a lot of press. I haven't heard it yet, but as soon as I have money I will be buying it!

Fly-er than the rest of 'em...

I'm not sure that it's really come across on here how partial I am to good hip hop. Being the white middle-class home counties girl that I am, it's hard for me to get into hip hop lyrics without the slightest bit of irony... however one rapper that I can wholeheartedly endorse is Wale - that is Wah-LAY. He's been floating around for a while, popping up in little cameos... for instance, check out the Amy Winehouse video for Valerie - the guy rapping at the beginning? That's Wale. And in Daniel Merriweather's current single, Change - the guy doing the rap break? Wale. He's also done some pretty awesome reworking/remixing/been mashed up with some indie/electro dance anthems, from Justice's D.A.N.C.E., Justice vs. Simian, We are your Friends, and Danger's 11h30, all of which are really rather banging.

His 100 Miles and Running (U.K. / U.S.) mixtape, was released last year, if not earlier than that (my memory/internet search skills have failed me), but the track that I really thought was going to explode was Nike Boots.



Wale "Nike Boots" video (Directed by Chris Robinson) from Elitaste on Vimeo.

It would appear that this is still the single he is pushing... it's got a pretty awesome beat to it, is definitely catchy, but I just can't help but feel that in order to take it to the next level and really capitalise upon his success, he needs to do more.

It appears that a collaboration with currently-shit-hot KiD CuDi is on the cards for Wale - perhaps that will bring it for him? Here's hoping.

The South African TV on the Radio - I told you so...

UPDATE: BLK JKS's E.P. Mystery is released today - you can buy it on emusic now, or from their record company, Secretly Canadian fairly imminently I would imagine. Well worth it!

BLK JKS (pronouced 'black jacks' apparently) hail from Johannesburg, South Africa, and again, have that blend of African music, jazz, and general goodness that makes all this cross-cultural stuff that's floating around sound so good. I have to admit, to call them the South African TVOTR is a bit harsh, because it sounds as if they have quite a few more tricks up their sleeves (pun unintentional) Their new E.P. Mystery is due to be released in the States on the 10th March. Not too sure when it will make its way over to this side of the pond, but I will be definitely keeping an eye out, because their track Lakeside sounds amazing!

"I know this girl from London town..."

The Invisible - London Girl

Get ready for this to become the sound of Summer 2009.

I'm pretty certain I've expressed my undying love for TV on the Radio on this blog before - they definitely made the 'Top 20 of 2008' post I did. The Invisible are being touted as the British version, and while I'm reluctant to resort to such easy categorisation, that's a pretty accurate description. London Girl is going to sound amazing played on a rooftop in London, on a sticky hot Summer's night. If it ever gets warm here...

Coming up soon: the South-African TVOTR. No, really.

Here Come the Girls

So it's been written about all over the blogs, but basically 2009 is set to be the year of fabulous femmes doing their stuff and generally being massive. I could not agree more, there definitely has been something of a proliferation of cool, little-bit-kooky women making some pretty awesome tunes of late. Here's is GTYT's guide to the best three.

The one that's already pretty big - LADYHAWKE

I know when a song is getting big when my housemates have heard of it and ask me who it's by. Ladyhawke's My Delirium has just reached that stage, and her next single, Paris is Burning, my own favourite is doing pretty well now too. I've recently gone back and relistened to her self-titled debut album and it's better than I remember, with a couple of tracks sounding like an electro Stevie Nicks. It's not the most diverse album, but it's poppy and promising.

The one that's about to be really very big - LA ROUX

La Roux is probably the female I would place bets on to explode in 2009 (not literally, obviously). They're actually a two piece, but Elly Jackson is a pretty arresting front woman so I imagine the guy will stay pretty anonymous. They sound like the Eurythmics all synthed up. That's a good thing. The new single Quicksand is pretty awesome.

The one that's likely to be criminally ignored - MARINA AND THE DIAMONDS



Marina (and her elusive diamonds) produces eclectic pop - think Regina Spektor crossed with the Jungle Book, or at least that's the vibe on the B-side to her current single, Mowgli's Road, which you can download from her US record label here. The A-Side, Obsessions, is a little more straight forward "women singing about relationship angst with a piano", but it's also a very good tune. Both definitely take a bit of getting used to, and sadly I think that's going to be put a lot of people off. But while Marina's not exactly marketable, she is VERY hummable, and that's what matters really.

Also worth a shout out: Florence & the Machine, Janelle Monae, Yelle, Terry Lynn, and Ellie Goulding.

In addition, you may notice that the links are now for hypem.com, youtube or for emusic rather than to an mp3. After having my Valentine's Day Post taken down without any warning I'm a bit wary of posting mp3s. Sorry!

The Rileys

'Kaiser Chiefs mixed with the Kooks' is how I've heard new London band The Rileys be described, and that seems to be fairly accurate to me. While they're not exactly the next [insert important indie band here], they don't aspire to be either, and their tunes are deliciously catchy. They came into my radio show, Audio Pleasure, last Thursday for an interview and session, and if I could work out how to separate their songs from the rest of the 2 hour mp3 I have of the show I would (if anyone knows how, please let me know!!). In the meantime, I'm not going to give you the mp3 of their single, Do you feel me?, because you should frankly go buy it on emusic, Amazon, iTunes or wherever you buy music from. One thing - be prepared to get the song STUCK IN YOUR HEAD. They're currently on tour across the U.K., I'm off to see them on Wednesday, which I'm very excited about!

Here is the video for Do you feel me?


It's not exactly the slickest production I've seen, but at least you now know how good/catchy/fun the song is so you can buy it!


In other news, apparently my Valentine's Day post has disappeared... Sad times. Oh well, I have been doing lots of catching up with new music this week and have some pretty nice licks coming your way very soon.

It's Snow Joke...

OK, admittedly lame title, but the wintry weather here in the UK has inspired me to create something of snowy playlist. Enjoy.

1. February Snow - Fell City Girl
- Utterly appropriate in name and theme, is there a more perfect song to listen to when all goes white during February?

(I can't find the mp3 for this, so it'll have to be the video)


2. A Winter's Sky - The Pipettes
- The girls clarion-clear harmonies are icy-cool. You can almost see their breaths curling through the winter sky as they sing this track. Or whatever.

3. A Hazy Shade of Winter - Simon & Garfunkel
- Every playlist is a bit better for some S & G, and this song sounds like when it's really bitterly cold and windy and you're trying to make your way through it all, and getting really angry with it.

4. Cold Wind - Arcade Fire
- A great song for travelling through snow. Plus it's about San Francisco. :)

5. The Cold Swedish Winter - Jens Lekman
- OK, it never gets quite this cold consistently in England, but this song is bound to warm the cockles.

6. In the Cold, Cold Night - The White Stripes
- I've taken to sleeping wearing sweats and a hoodie in bed. I'm sure having someone to snuggle up would be a better solution...

7. La Ritournelle (Mr Dan's Magic Wand Mix) - Sebastien Tellier
- Something about those bells just says winter to me, perfect for snuggling up with scarves and hats during the cold months.

8. Waiting for the 7.18- Bloc Party
- Having waited in the cold for a train many times this week, I can vouch that it is not fun. February really does seem endless...

9. Blood Bank- Bon Iver
- Bon Iver's chilly tracks always seem appropriate, and this song from his most recent E.P. of the same title (which I would heartily recommend) is great in this weather.

10. Weather to Fly - Elbow
- A little ironic, given that most airports have been closed, but somehow I don't think the line 'The days were shaping up/Frosty and bright' would work quite so well in warm weather.

[If you're wondering where Fleet Foxes' White Winter Hymnal is, look further down the page... I don't like repeating myself!]

Hope you enjoyed these tracks, I'm taking a break for the next few days but I'll see you soon.

Miri Ben-Ari

So almost two weeks ago now I went to the One World Music Concert held at the Warwick Arts Centre, with the headlining act being Miri Ben-Ari, the self-styled 'Hip-Hop Violinist'.

Miri is an Israeli now living in New York who has played with many of the big names in hip hop of late - Kanye, Common, John Legend, etc. Her schtick is that she plays violin, accompanied with hip hop beats, and I have to say, she's really not half bad.

While she's nowhere near as revolutionary as she thinks she is, her finest moment in the concert was not one of her own compositions but instead when she played through a montage of some of the biggest tunes from hip hop of recent years - from Ne-Yo's Miss Independent to Dirt Off Your Shoulder by Jay-Z. It's certainly entertaining stuff, and certainly the enthusiastic, mainly student crowd thought so last week.

Her most recent single that has been attracting attention was Symphony of Brotherhood, a track in which she plays the violin to hip hop beats, with samples from Martin Luther King's 'I Have A Dream' speech woven through. It's a heartfelt, if not especially original opinion of the subject of race, (she has her own foundation to raise awareness and education about the Holocaust) and is fairly affable to listen to. If it sounds like I'm damning this with faint praise... it's probably because I am a tad.

To be fair to the girl, in my view she had some stiff competition from the World Music Group, a selection of Warwick students put together to play the breaks in between all the other acts, and were absolute class, they were worth the ticket price alone.

Here is a video of her performing live the Apollo in 2007 (perhaps that explains the awful outfit!). Not bad stuff, but just not as groundbreaking as she thinks she is. Also, it's worth mentioning she didn't have a DJ with her doing live mixes, but a pre-recorded backing track, which I think meant she kind of lost something.



Here is the video for Symphony of Brotherhood.

More fun stuff to come soon!

Return of the Real Deal

Sorry for the break there, I've been ridiculously busy taking part in One World Week, the largest student international festival in the world held at the University of Warwick...





Now I've just about caught up on my sleep there will be a nice bit coming about Miri Ben-Ari, who I saw performing as part of OWW, but first here is a little ditty that I really quite like, Bruises, by Chairlift. A little bit shamefully I got the name and artist from watching The Hills, but I'm convinced I've heard it somewhere else. Any ideas? Answers on a stamped addressed envelope please!

(PS - I know the picture is of an actual chairlift rather than of the band, but it's so cool I wanted to include it anyways!)

Update - I just twigged that the song is featured in the iPod nano advert. Bummer.

Andrew Bird

I'm a little disappointed in myself that it took me quite so long to cotton on to Andrew Bird's greatness. Whenever I'd heard descriptions of him they'd always been vaguely unconvincing - pizzicato violin playing, strange instrumentals, an other-worldly voice. However, to me, his music sounds less strange than beautiful - more like a one-man Arcade Fire. His album, Armchair Apocrypha was released in 2007, and is a real treat, from start to finish. Each track has its own distinct sound, rather than them merging all together, but the album has a beautiful overall feel to it. I first listened to it the whole way through whilst driving through the grey streets of Vancouver on my way to the airport to head home, and it fitted my mood perfectly: a little wistful, more than a touch disoriented, but still ultimately, hopeful. My favourite track from the album is probably Heretics, though it's hard to choose!

The first thing I'd heard of him was not an original track but the Four Tet remix of Imitosis. I still absolutely love this track, the way it continues the haunting, yet almost funky violin thread throughout the entire song, and mixes it up with some very cool, glitchy beats.

Bird's next album, Noble Beast, is released on the 20th January in the U.S./Canada and the 2nd February in Europe. You can stream a track from it on his website and it's just as sublime as everything else.

Janelle Monáe

"I- I- I- I'm an alien from outer space" stutters Janelle Monáe at the start of her first single, Violet Stars Happy Hunting. It's a bold statement to begin a music career with, and boldness is something that defines Monáe's music as a whole. At turns cyber-funky, others eerily soulful, Monáe's unique sound is guaranteed to provide lushly-orchestrated space-chills. She's been compared to a female Andre 3000 (of Outkast), and though they are big shoes to fill, it would appear that Monáe's space boots do the job nicely. Her debut album, Metropolis, is released on on Sean 'Diddy' Combs' record label Bad Boy Entertainment and she's featured right at the front of their website, yet this girl has a bit more talent, and shedloads more originality than the other artists she's featured with.

The girl has a talent for the visual too - check out her video/short film for Many Moons below.