in music we trust

The Apache Relay

I’m a simple girl at heart. To be honest, most of the time any kind of electro/dubstep/remixes/hip music just goes straight over my head and I’m just left wondering when that bit that makes you feel happy is going to kick in.

Hence my love for Mumford & Sons. I said it. For those of you who watched their Bonnaroo set a couple of weeks ago, you will remember one of the biggest men you’ve ever seen introducing them before their set. That was Big Mike, guitarist for this band I’m writing about, the Apache Relay. You’ll also remember all of them coming on stage for the finale of ‘Amazing Grace.’

After a little googling, it transpired that the Apache Relay make exactly the kind of music that you want to listen to in this weather. From Nashville, they’re fresh, anthemic and optimistic and the whole album (‘American Nomad’) is a collection of sing a long songs. With a fiddle. Which sounds awesome. The title track is simply one of the happiest, rousing and contagious songs you will ever hear.

Blending acoustic instrumental sounds with the emotion of folk and the pounding of rock anthems, this is music that will lift your spirits.

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A Creature I Don’t Know - Laura Marling

Wow wow wow. This song right here is a brand new recording from her upcoming third album of the same name and it is stunning. This song combines both the lyrical sprightliness and wit of ‘Alas I Cannot Swim’ and thematic concerns of ‘I Speak Because I Can’ to phenomenal effect. Triumphant.

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I’m not going to lie, I do still read the Guardian’s new band of the day blog, which gives you excellent descriptions of all the bands you read about on Tumblr a month ago. So when they wrote about ANR and compared them to the Red Hot Chili Peppers in the subtitle, I happily ignored it, since there is absolutely no justification for 2011 bands to sound like the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

However, I just listened to this band and am happy to report that they do not sound like the Red Hot Chili Peppers. I’m not a massive fan of comparisons, so I’ll say instead that they’re fun, melodic and new single ‘Stay Kids,’ for which you can watch the adorable video above, is an ambitious catchy delight. Turn it up loud!

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Another post about Arcade Fire but this time from a different artist. A lot of bands feel afraid to take on Arcade Fire songs, mainly for the reason that they are often unsuccessful: no band can ever match up to the multi instrumentalism and sheer energy of this one-of-a-kind band.

But Mr Little Jeans is unafraid and completely reinvents ‘The Suburbs’ on this cover/remix. What was once a jaunty and melodic serenade to lost youth becomes in her hands a slowed down lush (she’s kept the violins of the original) crawl of stunning moodiness. Brooding and dreamy, it adds a nightmarish sheen which makes it unforgettable.

You can download the song for free right here.

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Speaking in Tongues - Arcade Fire

I love Arcade Fire and really do lack words to speak coherently about their music so I’ll let this song speak for itself. One of the two new tracks played by Zane Lowe which form part of the extended edition of ‘The Suburbs’ released next month, ‘Speaking in Tongues’ is my personal favourite of the two. This band are too much!

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Tell Me A Tale - Michael Kiwanuka

I know everyone’s been talking about Michael Kiwanuka for a little while, ever since it was announced that his EP will be coming out in June on Communion Records, but I finally saw him live last Sunday at Blue Flowers and I was blown away. Apparently I drunkenly described him as ‘all the Drifters in one person,’ and while I was smashed, this is actually quite an accurate description. ‘Tell Me A Tale,’ for which you can see the nostalgic video above, is the title track from his debut EP and it is stunning. It sounds like that song from your parents’ 1960s vinyl collection that you know all the words to because you’ve heard it so much but still can’t name the band, while also remaining modern, as Michael has a completely fresh approach to soul.

Outstanding vocals, timeless songwriting and wonderful jazzy instrumentation, while this music is obviously nothing new, it’s a joy to see such a young guy successfully reinventing it for our times.

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Mitchelstown - Laura Boyle

‘We break and we mend, and we do it all again, but I’m ever so tired of it all.’

Wonderful mixture of worldweariness and hope backed up by strumming guitar. Full of heart, this song will make that you feel just that little bit better when you’re ‘ever so tired of it all.’

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suchaloudmind:

Runaway - The National

‘No I won’t be no runaway ‘cos I won’t run.’

Downcast and anxious but somehow still gorgeous due to Matt Berninger’s wonderfully ambiguous lyrics and the beautifully understated instrumentation. A song to treasure.

(via suchaloudmind-deactivated201206)

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Last Night on Earth Demos

So Noah & the Whale have continued their trend of innovative and extraordinary album campaigns (following the beautiful film that accompanied last album ‘First Days of Spring’) with another event that makes their latest album ‘Last Night on Earth’ even more special. Firstly, if you go here and enter your email address, you will be able to watch a well made, touching and very interesting film about the band’s recording sessions for this third album.

But I’m sure you’ve already done that, since it premiered a couple of nights ago. Even more interestingly, the band have released the demos for the album on a ‘tapedeck’ (an intriguing choice of medium, considering the band’s very modern choice of promotion techniques), of which you can download a zip here (courtesy of the awesome sylviagetyourheadouttheoven, who has an amazing and interesting blog and wonderful music taste).

As the kind of fan who likes having everything a band has made, including demos, I love this decision from Noah & the Whale. As the final product of ‘Last Night on Earth’ is so well produced, slick and very sonically definitive, it’s fascinating to have the album’s demos and see the progression from initial thoughts to the finished product on the album. The demos themselves are wonderful versions of the songs, and well worth downloading. Get involved!

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Andrew Davie

Being a student, I’m pretty good at wasting my time. Between Tumblr, seeing friends, cooking myself elaborate meals for no apparent reason and listening to music, I can fill up my ridiculous amounts of free time so well that I wonder where I fit in doing work. However, my lack of activity means that I end up writing shit essays or not being adequately prepared for classes. Andrew Davie’s lack of activity, on the other hand, is much more important.

For those of you who don’t know Davie, he is awesome. Formerly in Cherbourg with fellow London/Communion lurkers Kev Jones and Chris Maas, he was, after Cherbourg’s split, simply ‘Andrew Davie,’ playing amazing support slots for Laura Marling, Mumford & Sons and, most recently, inexplicably-unsigned-in-England band Boy & Bear. Despite about a year spent playing as a solo act, he never recorded an EP and only released a demo, named ‘Lost,’ and had a song on the Communion compilation, ‘Lie Down In The Blood.’ Listen to those songs. Isn’t he great?! Singing beautiful songs about horrible things is something Davie does very well, so I was ridiculously excited when news of his new project, named ‘Bear’s Den,’ started emerging, along with a website which you can see right here and another new song. Another awesome support slot followed, this time with Marcus Foster, where they played a set of completely new songs. But now we’re back to silence, Davie, what’s happening now?! There has been no news of an EP, an album or even another tour, and considering that Communion’s Kev Jones is actually in Bear’s Den, you wouldn’t have thought that would be too hard to organise.

So come on Andrew Davie, step it up. You’re one of the most talented young singers in London, and you’re better than occasional support slots and hanging out at your friends’ gigs (maybe stay in and record a demo instead?). Get recording and make that mindblowing album that I know you can make!

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likeasnowflake:

Hold My Hand As I’m Lowered (Cover) // Laura Boyle

So, I’ve written about this wonderful girl before on this (rather sporadic) blog but she has only gotten better since! (And I’ve been suddenly getting a weird amount of new followers, hi everyone). Right here is an amazing cover of Noah & the Whale’s ‘Hold My Hand As I’m Lowered,’ and I have no hesitation in saying that her unique and ethereal vocals give the song an entirely new and stunning spin. Please please please check out the other songs from this precocious talent on her Soundcloud (especially ‘Mitchelstown,’ my personal favourite), where she sings about isolation, travelling and loss in the loveliest way possible with her haunting yet grounded voice. Entrancing and touching, I fucking love this girl!

(Source: notdonetravelling)

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annieelainey:

Man Asks Strangers Questions About Life, Love on the NYC Subway

To combat the no-eye-contact, keep-to-yourself mentality, he started spontaneously interviewing the people on his car. If they didn’t want to talk to him themselves, he asked them to pick out the next person he interviewed…

Yann Tiersen in the background is absolutely perfect as well.

Non music related post, and I don’t usually like things like this but this video really touched me. As someone who both loves and curses the anonymity and loneliness of London (that moment when you can blast music from your headphones in the Tube crowd and tap your feet because no one knows you vs the fact that people will give you evils simply for looking at them), this project was special to me and I urge you to watch this video, it is really worth your time.

(Source: URLesque, via londonfineststylefile)

The Beat & The Pulse by Austra (live at SXSW 2011)

I’m currently recovering from surgery and in between my schedule of sleeping, eating biscuits and complaining, it has, weirdly enough, been this song that’s been making feel better. Big beat backed electro pop is not usually my thing at all, and God knows we don’t need any more of those bands, but Austra are certainly worth a bit of your time. As the video above shows, they’re hypnotic live, as lead singer Katie Stelmanis is flanked by two swaying back up singers, creating a sound that’s both entertaining and upsetting. Dark hearted club music, and I mean that in the best possible way, their London gigs next month are definitely something for me to get better for!

Download ‘The Beat & The Pulse’ from their Soundcloud here.

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johnny-johnny:

Noah & The Whale - Life Is Life (Live at RAK Studios)

These sessions really bring these songs to life - can’t wait to hear them live!

(via johanna-rose-deactivated2011073)

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Boy & Bear

(Source: whistlingrufuss, via lilagrace)