Give A Fig

Today, I found this, under Arthur Russell’s Dinosaur...

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 10:46:18 -0400

Today, I found this, under Arthur Russell’s Dinosaur moniker, a pulsing disco track, not a millions miles away but certainly over the fence from his ethereal compositions I’m used to throughout his 1986 album World Of Echo, and particularly the incomparable This Is How We Walk On The Moon.

“The goal was simple: to erase the borders between interior and exterior by making a record that sounded like the whispers in someone’s head, refracted through the city.” Pitchfork review of 24->24, after its re-release in 2007

Russell’s biography makes for a bittersweet read; his life appeared tumultuous, lonely, and intense, plagued with the internal frustrations of a shy perfectionist, themselves likely key ingredients to competently eclectic and often stunning musical production. He was active in making music until his death in April 1992, at 40, although stalled by his deterioration.

“His recent performances had been so infrequent due to illness, his songs were so personal, that it seems as though he simply vanished into his music.” The Village Voice, 1992

Mix Of The Week

Wed, 13 Jun 2012 11:10:00 -0400

Santigold - I’m a Lady (Benny Blanco Remix) by AOAOBLOG

Song of the day: The Chain - Fleetwood Mac from the 1977 Rumours...

Wed, 13 Jun 2012 10:37:00 -0400

Song of the day: The Chain - Fleetwood Mac from the 1977 Rumours album.

Madelein Peyroux, Joan As Police Woman, Lia Ices, Feist, Cat Power, Nicole Atkins, Marina & The...

Tue, 12 Jun 2012 12:05:00 -0400

Madelein Peyroux, Joan As Police Woman, Lia Ices, Feist, Cat Power, Nicole Atkins, Marina & The Diamonds, Regina Spektor and anger meld together in my mind while I listen to this track and wish I was sitting in the corner of a den with soft, heavy headphones on and no one to disturb me.

god I love Frank Ocean

Tue, 12 Jun 2012 10:48:00 -0400

Teaser to July’s coming LP.

This Sundance Film Festival short from 2003 is a celebration of...

Fri, 01 Jun 2012 06:48:01 -0400

This Sundance Film Festival short from 2003 is a celebration of acting talent, all four characters are so engaging it makes a disaster a joy to watch.

Major Lazer. Amber Coffman. Get Free. Off-putting video. I know...

Wed, 30 May 2012 12:00:00 -0400

Major Lazer. Amber Coffman. Get Free. Off-putting video. I know if I met that stiff-faced Lazer I’d punch him right in the mouth but I love a bit of Dirty Projectors & Miss Coffman’s voice came through loud & clear eventually. Now on repeeeeaaat.

‘MAZIN Parts one, two, and three of Session Victim’s...

Thu, 24 May 2012 11:27:00 -0400

‘MAZIN

Parts one, two, and three of Session Victim’s The Haunted House Of House soon to be released as a full album on the Delusions Of Grandeur label but can be found separately and then put together via, say, Spotify or something, and listened to repeatedly. And then some.

Listening to LOTS of Grimes (@Grimezsz), aka Claire Boucher....

Wed, 23 May 2012 07:57:00 -0400

Listening to LOTS of Grimes (@Grimezsz), aka Claire Boucher. Cites the noise music genre, the grunge and death metal scene of Vanvouver, and the Coctaeu Twins as influences but through prolific viral interviews Grimes speaks with authority, business sense, and purpose about the intentions of her own music.

And she’s cool man. Totally self-composed, she is a colour chameleon as easily confident dripping in jewellery and bindis as she is stomping around a stage in combat boots & an army issue camo coat five sizes too big.

This @BenHowardMusic duet with Daughter...

Tue, 22 May 2012 08:08:55 -0400

This @BenHowardMusic duet with Daughter (twitter.com/ohdaughter) of my favourite track Black Flies has introduced me to another goose-bump inducing artist. She also happens to look like Natalie Portman, especially here.

Sweet Soul Music (live gigs & conceding to Ben Howard)

Tue, 22 May 2012 07:57:00 -0400

The last concert of 2011, Bon Iver, has sparked some kind of itch in me to see more and more and more bands play live. This year already I’ve been inside Brixton Academy, Hammersmith Apollo, Shepherds Bush Empire, The Africa Centre, KOKO, Ally Pally, The Lexington, Hootananny Brixton and to Brighton following an eclectic list of artists.

I view the following as a collection, as people might collect buttons, spoons, or Harrods bags; The Maccabees, Friends, Band Of Skulls & The Black Keys, Ghost Poet with Alt-J & Gang Colours, SBTRKT, Melodica, Melody & Me, Bombay Bicycle Club with Lianne La Havas & Lucy Rose, The Antlers & Arthur Beatrice, and last Friday I got the pleasure of a very excitable Mystery Jets.

My next task is to get tickets for Ben Howard. Not because Every Kingdom is full of upbeat, radio-friendly hooks but because I’ve put it off, and now, unavoidably, a good handful of his songs, including a recent cover of Call Me Maybe, have got so far under my skin he’s left me emotionally raw and wanting to dig out my 8 year old, dusty, unloved guitar.

I finished the journalism degree course than Howard started in Cornwall and discovered he was self-recorded through word of mouth in our first year. Despite recognising his obvious musical abilities from his myspace page & watching him play pubs & the uni bar I hadn’t followed his progress aside from videoing his set at the first Beach Break Live ‘07 and casually introducing him to my Mum at OceanFest ‘09. Then, graduated and working in London in the summer of ‘11, it took me almost until the song finished to recognise Old Pine playing on Radio 1, and he was suddenly everywhere.

His is next in Paris this weekend for two shows, which I regret not finding out weeks ago. He had to add an extra night to his two London shows at the O2 Brixton Academy due to demand. All three are now sold out. I may have to wait until the next tour. Hopefully he will maintain his predisposition for smaller venues, and it may give us time enough to get back in contact & arrange to join him for post-show catch up…

#Listen, ever so calmly, to this woozy, willowy ep by...

Thu, 17 May 2012 08:55:47 -0400

#Listen, ever so calmly, to this woozy, willowy ep by @portstwillow

This resolutely uplifting track from The Temper Trap harks back...

Wed, 16 May 2012 06:20:00 -0400

This resolutely uplifting track from The Temper Trap harks back to a blissful 2009 summer. Shuffled amongst an iPod playlist, it spurned me to brave the deck of a Croatian ferry to sing along at the top of my lungs, hopefully drowned out by the unwelcome strong breeze and sheet rain.

I will return to Croatia in August, some distance up the coast from Split, hopefully to more agreeable weather conditions, a whole new summer soundtrack in the form of Stop Making Sense festival, and general, uninterrupted bliss.

LISTEN: Kindness - Gee Up (disco edit)

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 07:39:15 -0400

Kindness, led by front man Adam Bainbridge, have already made quite an impact in online buzz-town. I’ve gushed a little about them last month on Twitter but they’re still relatively under-played. So when a friend of mine slipped this disco edit on in-between George Benson and Chic at a house party it took me a couple of seconds to recognise, but recognise it I did, with glee, and proceded to do as instructed “Get up, get down, Gee up, get down”!

See them next @ Field Day festival in Victoria Park, East London on June 2nd.

I have just discovered that Nicolas Jaar has produced an edit of...

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 10:18:43 -0400

I have just discovered that Nicolas Jaar has produced an edit of this, one of my favourite songs of all time. It’s typically jaar-ly dark, building in tension until Wendy Rene’s heartbreaking lyrics come in, but I’m not sure how much it stands up to the original. Maybe it’s harder to tell because it’s so stylistically different. Which I suppose is just another reason to like the edit, and Nicolas Jaar, even more.

Miss Azealia Banks

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 12:25:55 -0400

Miss Azealia Banks

“I carried a watermelon?!”

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 11:26:44 -0400

“I carried a watermelon?!”

Beautiful Candi dancing like a Goddess on Broadway. Nights On...

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 09:12:33 -0400

Beautiful Candi dancing like a Goddess on Broadway. Nights On Broadway is my favourite BeeGees song, the pitch of Robin Gibbs ”I had to follow you, even though you did not want me to” send shivers up my spine every time. God love Disco music.

I bought some ravioli the other day, which I’m going to...

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 10:25:00 -0400

I bought some ravioli the other day, which I’m going to have to eat at some point. I don’t know what possessed me, I’m not its biggest fan, mainly due to repressed memories of school dinners. However, I am willing to give ravioli another chance based heavily on scenes from one of my favourite films of all time, found herein, at around 4.44.

Includes two, yeah TWO, Nina Simone songs. Which helps its case exponentially.

And so, God said, I knew Music would make you feel good. Part II

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 14:56:22 -0400

And so, God said, I knew Music would make you feel good. Part II