artist of my day

Glen Hansard.

If you have never seen the film 'Once' then you are missing out. The story of an Irish busker and a shy Czech cleaner is a subtle and uplifting tale with some breathtaking music. Having watched it when it first came out back in 2006, it quickly became the unsung hero of the Oscars and the quirky indie film on everyone's lips. The title song of the soundtrack 'Falling Slowly', a duet between Hansard and Marketa Irglova won the Oscar for Best Original Song which you can listen to here.
Although Hansard is currently frontman for his band The Frames and one half of The Swell Season folk duo with Irglova, I feel he's best solo. His song-writing and performances are incredibly passionate, packed with raw emotion and heart-breaking intensity that you can't help but believe every lyric he sings. He has the talent of an award winning song-writer but the unassuming character of a street busker. Two of my particular favourites are below: 'Say it to me now' and 'Leave' plus a duet with Irglova.

Duet with Marketa Irglova

 

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bon is back

I feel like my last week has been filled with Bon Iver. Not only did my friend manage to nab me a ticket to see them in October but there has been all this palava surrounding the new album. It does seem forever ago (geddit? oh dear...) since the debut album was released, which means that the build up to the second one has been monumental. The record was accidentally made available for a short while on iTunes last week allowing a lucky few to download the album before it's official release date; naturally this has resulted in a frenzied witch-hunt for any scrap of new material that may have been released.

Sadly the only preview I could find was this video of 'Michicant' which Justin Vernon performed a little while ago but has apparently been changed for the new album. Still pretty amazing though:

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home alone

and so today marked the first day of what will be an entire month of me living on my own. With my two medic housemates away enjoying their post-exam time off, i must find ways of entertaining myself when the evenings draw in and the rehearsals finish - oh dear, how full of self pity i sound.
anyway, this evening i stumbled across some documentaries by 'fred and nick' who have been following some of my favourite artists - i thought i would share them.

Mumford and Sons: Gentlemen of the Road.

(this is part 1 of 4)

 Laura Marling: A short film

 

and then Mumford and Sons plus Laura Marling (sensing a pattern here?!)

Goodbye India

 

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dear doodle,

STOP READING THIS AND DO SOME WORK!

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band of my day part quartre

Lanterns on the Lake.

I need to see this band asap - good job they are going festival crazy this summer. Having just played at The Great Escape, the rest of their summer itinerary contains appearances at Dot to Dot, the Deer Shed Festival, Truckfestival, End of the Road and...Bestival! Success.

 

'I love you, Sleepyhead' is my personal favourite (Winter version is best) as it has a real Sigur Ros feel to it. If you too like songs with a slow gradual build of instruments then LOTL are well worth you having a listen to. Their chilled folk feel make them incredibly easy to listen to and their use of percussion really made me warm to them. If they grow on you, they have a little blog too: http://www.lanternsonthelake.blogspot.com/
I can't wait to see them live.

http://soundcloud.com/lanternsonthelake

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Girl - Boy - Duo

It seems to be the combo of the moment. And once you are aware of them, you start seeing them everywhere; like when you spot ants of the pavement..sort of. As I am such a fan of male/female vocals working together whether it's in a band or just for the one off song, I have put together a small list of my favourite musical pairings:

She & Him.

Ahhh...Zooey deschanel. So beautiful, so talented and so kooky - when I discovered she could sing, play piano AND ukelele I fell even deeper in love with her. Along with her other half M. Ward, they make quirky sixties sounding alternative pop and are now seen at all the coolest/swankiest festivals i.e. Coachella.Volume Two (their second album) came out last year. This is one of the highlights:

Scarlett Johansson and Pete Yorn.

And you thought she couldn't get any hotter - all the girl crushes are coming out now. Like Deschanel, Johansson's got sultry pipes which make for great singing too. She's been paired with Pete Yorn for a little while now and together they have a electro blues/country feel to them. Sounds like an odd combination I know, but I think they make it work:

Slow Club.

Although a relatively new find for me, it seems everyone is going Slow Club crazy at the moment. Their voices work beautifully together and they have a real calmness when performing. Going to try my best to see them in Nottingham in September.

And finally. Sadly these two are not a permanent duo (they should be if this song is anything to go by) but a few friends of mine recently performed it the charity gig I organised and completely brought it back to life for me. Martha Wainwright and Gary Lightbody (plus the rest of Snow Patrol...) take it away thank you please.

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song of my day part quatre

Today I strolled to campus with the biggest grin on my face.
Last night I put on a live music event in aid of READ International and with the help of some wonderful friends, raised nearly £400. I was so chuffed that so many came to support the event and that people agreed to perform despite some having never performed in public before. Overcoming the nerves, the evening was filled with truly great performances. One of the highlights for me was the performance of 'Galway Girl' by my friends Paddy, Charlotte and Will. This clip below is the original version performed by Sharon Shannon and Steve Earle. It's a heart warmer.

Ps A big thank you again to everyone who was involved in the READing Festival - I am seriously considering putting together another one in the coming months with another bunch of talented babes. Will keep you posted.

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band of my day part trois

Other Lives.



My mum may be a nutjob but I love that she will call me just to tell me she heard a song on the radio that she thinks I would like. Turns out her recommendation of 'For 12' by Other Lives was a good'un as the band are becoming a pretty big deal, even my favourite music blogger Flying with Anna has just put them as one of her 'New Treats'; an achievement in itself. Their new album Tamer Animals will be available in the UK come end of August but you can listen to it free here. Zane Lowe is already a fan and if he likes them, you know they're cool.

 

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band of my day part deux

After a day cooped up inside a dark art gallery when the sun is shining brightly outside, there is nothing like coming home, lying in the garden and listening to The Staves. The three sisters are the experts of mixing beautiful folk harmonies with a dash of midsummer night-esque magic. This summer you can find them at Secret Garden Party, Moseley Folk Festival, Cambridge Folk Festival and End of the Road Festival.
Check out their blog here for some more info on what they get up to.

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