Thursday 27 June 2013

Another Tale From Another English Town

Yesterday was a real mixture of emotions.  A wedding, a funeral and some interesting conversations in between.  I've been neglecting a few things recently and I really need to, well, not.

If, like me you've traveled around the moors and fields of Britain a fair bit, you'll relate to the scene I'm about to set. Its a shame sometimes that we don't appreciate whats on our doorstep and look further afield for some sort of hedonism or escapism. I'm not just talking about the natural scenery and stuff, I'm on about stuff a bit deeper. I guess it's a case of what and how we appreciate things.  Anyway, I'm fairly sure I was supposed to be setting a scene.  I think I already have.  Well, not a scene, more of a tone. A tone of being able to appreciate what's at hand and not dreaming wistfully of a neverland or another life. Just being happy with what you have. Whether thats a beautiful scene, a nomadic approach to life, a content in the mundaneness of life or just being able to wonder at life and it's creation. I haven't posted some indie style indie stuff recently, have a listen to this beauty from Newcastle band Lanterns On The Lake - it's a real keeper, a real brilliant piece of bittersweet, and you will be babbling the same sort of stuff that I just did. Incoherent. But it makes sense. We don't want a fight, we want a quiet life.

Tuesday 25 June 2013

Screenplay

I have been a bit distant I know, a little preoccupied but in a good place. Some good news, I cut my hair for the first time in 2013 after being hounded by so many people to do so. Some bad news, my old car packed in, so I bought a new one. The best news, whilst I've been away, some pretty hectic new music has been floating about, which I can hopefully start to share with you again regularly for the next week or so.

Right, now imagine you're a movie or TV exec and your job is pretty awesome in that you have to find the right music to fit certain parts of the film. Now, I reckon I would earn shit-loads doing this. Picture this: some sort of anti hero is finding out that somewhere along the line he has been misused, mistreated, manipulated. He visions flashbacks, when stuff suddenly seems to just add up, and on doing so, he feels a calling to get up and right some of those wrongs. But what or who does he turn to?..... I dunno, but this piece of music from the ever-so-awesome Bruised Skies would play to this screenplay beautifully.




Right, now not wanting to overkill on the screenplay thing, I'm gonna do the same for the second track for tonight. Cos it was fun doing the last one. This track is the first on FTSE's EP. Yes he has dropped an EP, so go scramble because it is pure brilliance and one that I was waiting for for ages. Here goes..

The camera pans to a guy lying on his bed with the sun peeking through in mid morning glory. He lies bare-chested and emotionless looking straight at the ceiling; he starts mouthing the lyrics. He turns to his left and sees an apparition of the beauty from the night before and suddenly at 55 seconds we are transported to a similar scene but in last night's said beauty's room. A few seconds of panning and she too mouths words emotionlessly. Again staring at the ceiling. And then she pulls out her battered Nokia 8210 and texts our macho bare chested dude to meet her for a coffee. At 2.15 we follow the pair individually to the coffee shop. Almost euphoric that they will embrace in some sort of romantic embrace.  But we're let down. At 2.33 the pair arrive at the coffee joint. They look through each other plainly, emotionlessly. And as the lyrics start to be heard again, they mouth at each other. No blinking. No smiling. No expression. Waiting.


Friday 14 June 2013

Mi Amor

Things have taken a positive turn in the past 48 hours or so. Stuttering a bit. But getting there in the end. This weekend promises much and hopefully on the back of it, things will be much brighter.

If the sun comes out this weekend, you need to listen to this beautiful song Mi Amor by T.H.I.E.F.S. Ok I gotta admit, not a huge fan of the artist name, way too many full stops for my liking.  But if they are to act as some sort of hyperbole to the stuttering nature of the beat on this, then I would have to admit, I would be a smidgen impressed. Either way, this is definitely a weekend tune. A bit more housey than what I've had up recently, with some lazy vocals and heavily produced, almost masterful at  2.50 when everything just flows. It just works. And its glorious. Mi Amor.


Wednesday 12 June 2013

Stay Forever

Take a fork. Smash it to your head. That's what this module in Political systems is doing to me. Liberalism, capitalism, marxism, neo classicism, post modernism - no idea where I fit within that spectrum. What's been making it the whole process a little easier has been this little gem from Catching Flies.

Following on from the 22 year old Londoner's highly impressive EP The Stars from late last year, a highly anticipated follow up EP is expected to drop within a week. Stay Forever kinda follows on from  the magical saxy jazzy sound of yesterday's post when at 2.55 a new sound is introduced. But Stay Forever is more than just that. Like an expression of space, sound, vocals and repetition, this song just lets you ease into a world of wonder...

Tuesday 11 June 2013

Yeah. No complaints.

It's been a shit one. One to forget. One that needs to end. Quick-time. Complaints, moany shit, rejections. Lacklustre.

Being particular about who and what I post about, today's choice was easy. Someone familiar. Something familiar. Alt J and Ellie Goulding at the same time. Yeah. No complaints about that then. No moaning about this. No chance of rejection.

Anyway ranting aside, this is like a dubbier, jazzier, more sombre but more surprising version of Tessellate. And if you've had anything like the day I've had, you'll turn this up loud and probably sleep happy.


Monday 10 June 2013

Let It Go

Sun. Sand. Laughter. Friends. Love. High. And then energy. Enthusiasm. Fresh. Start.

Lots going on at the moment, most importantly, being able to hand over something very precious to the custody of others for a while, and being ok about it. Thankful that this is all possible. I got this track literally minutes after posting on Friday night. But this is just luscious and perfect for a Monday evening.

Fema Knights aka Fe is definitely one to look out for.  A tempest of emotion. Think Mazzy Star. Think hazy summer evening. Think of letting go...


Friday 7 June 2013

Polyethers

I'm going to the beach tomorrow. Hopefully this weekend will be a bit of a transition period for me, coming out of a little period of stress to hopefully some exciting pastures. In spirit of that and because I have been posting some weird stuff recently, I thought lets change it up completely.

Py is a brilliant London based singer with a huge future ahead of her. The effortless move from a zany opening two minutes which gets you into a frenzy, Py lends her deep range to a middle 15 seconds or so which sets the tempo for the rest of the song. Soft hearts and hazy fields with fresh coloured flowers. Yup, I'll take that! Click the pic below to be diverted to her soundtrack. (Gotta admit I prefer the Jimmy Edgar remix, but that may be a bit too dance for you lot)




Thursday 6 June 2013

Ambience

Strip it all back and there is just space and sound and how you feel. Nothing else really matters. The other details are like the finishing touches. I'm gonna be truthful, since starting up this blog, I think I must have shared about 12 different genres of music all loosely fitting under the umbrella of this blog's name, a sort of feet up eyes closed moment.

In the 30 odd posts I've shared though nothing is truer to that requirement of listening experience then what is to follow. I have one other requirement for the following tracks though. Don't listen on your laptop speakers or your dodgy phone speakers. Get some earphones, turn it up loud and give it a go.

Dark, moody, ambient, minimalist, ethereal. It all fits the bill.

Let me do a track by track intro of the brilliant Bruised Skies from these shores. Note, though, I have saved the best till last, Signs is by far and a way the standout.

Distant
Barely there. Can't feel the notes or melodies. A whirling swirling experience. It encapsulates you. It encompasses you. And until you've come to the end of the track, you don't fully realise how brilliant this is. This isn't ambient music. It is ambience.


Falling
You know that moment in Terminator 2 when the amazing soundtrack starts playing. Imagine that, but not to an action film about some demi robot. More a tale of complicated decisions which you may have misjudged. Until 2.08 when this transforms into a rally call for missed opportunities. A cry for perseverance. The trinkets lose pace then come into motion again towards the end.


Signs
You're sitting on a beach. Its been a warm day but starts to feel like a chillier evening as sunset approaches. You're reminiscing about the wonders of life, the colour of love, the optimism of childhood. Nothing matters apart from the fact that the sea in front of you is gently swaying in and out. The sand you sit on isn't warm like it was when you sat down a half hour ago. A gentle twinkle catches the corner of your eye as the first stars come out of hiding. A cool breeze runs over your shoulder sending a tinge of a shiver down your spine. You start to drift away with your thoughts. You feel like you're barely there. But being here has never felt so poignant. And as the sun descends and a shade of night falls, you treasure the last moments deeply. You don't miss the sun and the hope it brings until it fades. You'll feel the same when this song finishes. I wish it stayed forever.

Wednesday 5 June 2013

Passion

Sometimes the stresses of life and the nuances of our society can get a bit much. Not like to wrist-slitting levels. But more so of when you think to yourself, 'whats the point, you gotta have other things that drive you, right? right?!'

So when I came across Little Robyn like minutes after posting the two awesome tracks from yesterday, that exact sentiment resonated. I'm gonna warn you now, I am now a humongusive fan of Little Robyn, so here goes...

In a Kate Nash telling a story-sort-of-way but with greater vocal range and a sweet ukelele, Little Robyn takes you on a little spiritual journey with each of her tracks. A little feature of some stand-outs now follows.

Passion
Basically read the introduction to this post. Add some folksy ukelele. Then a big dollop of cutesy, soothing vocals and a dash of lyrical irony and this is what you get. A question of passion.



The Word Love Is Over-rated
The desperate hippy in me believes love is the answer to everything. And so the lyrics don't necessarily hit the heart to me. But I like the story told. And I think I am a little addicted with how pain is expressed is so sweetly. Like a nervous feeling of feeling happy at Little Robyn's pain. The German's have a word for this - schadenfreude I believe.




Jealousy
Its the ahem and then the mouth organ that gets me. And I feel like I repeat myself when I then fall for the ukelele and those whispy/honeysuckle/floaty vocals. Not fully sure if I even understand all the lyrics, but at 1.10 'to me' resonating a few times with that combo of folksy instrumentals just knocks me dead.



Crazy
If I was allowed to have a wildcard choice it would be this cover of Crazy. Recorded live and probably on a phone or something, this is all about the vocals. The imperfections of recording just add to the atmosphere. I am seriously looking forward to seeing Little Robyn live!

Tuesday 4 June 2013

Wait, I Wish I Could Tell You

The sun makes me lazy. And even though I have Ofsted in the building and I'm four weeks behind my course and have 740 unopened emails I feel lazy. And kinda happy. And I'm still grinding and getting on with it. Despite my laziness, I'm eager to atone for my inactivity in May and hope to laud you with loads of music in the coming days...

Misty Miller - Wait
Misty tells us about waiting and hating and makes it sound lazy and loving. Hazy and warm. Back in 1974.

Magic moment at 2.03 and those lazy vocals for a short time reach out and melt our hearts. Beautiful summer pop track

Wait. Misty Miller.




Chloe Howl - I Wish I Could Tell You
Normally Chloe does a bit more uptempo beaty pop. This is kinda like a soul pop some-sort-of-gaze song. Sweet. Painful. Lazy. Beautiful.

Monday 3 June 2013

Era Defining

Mixed bag of emotions. One book closed. Another opened. I have been distracted the last month. I apologise. Saying goodbye is hard sometimes.

Trying to somehow rescue some sort of face, I have a few treats for you today.

Still Parade - Actors
I know hardly anything about this band but this track, released last week has been emailed to me from at least twenty people. Its worth all the hype. Press play and forget about everything.




Swim Deep - King City
My youngest sister got married last week. I have found myself remeniscing an awful lot the past few days. Good times and bad. Sad times and ecstatic times. The opening 40 seconds of this latest release sums up all that emotion perfectly. Self inflicting and analytical, this is right up my street. 'I wanna be everything I'm not....and...f**k your romance' - my life is far removed from such lyrics, but every now and then, I like to feel. And this is music to feel to.