This man is basically my new crush. Ajimal is the 'dynamic-in-ear-collaborative-experiment' of Fran O'Hanlon the name of which came from a surreal experience where he heard a preacher in Haiti who used to be the personal voodoo priest to Papa Doc during his dictatorship. Ajimal was his voodoo name.
In his own words, Ajimal writes about 'the way that music and medicine and art and ideas and science and stories and hallucinations combine and interplay' and this can be heard in his music which can be anything from acoustic folk to electronic haze. He has his first EP due out at the beginning of next year - keep your eyes (and ears?) peeled!
Check out his profile on Soundcloud here to listen to a bit more of him.
Now that my Bestival posts are done and dusted I can finally get on to all the new music I have been listening to of late. From Woodkid to Ajimal to a new Frightened Rabbit EP, there is a lot of exciting stuff out and about at the moment. Once such important album I have been listening to pretty religiously since its release a few weeks ago is 'A Creature I Don't Know' by the wonderful Miss Laura Marling. If you are yet to hear it/buy it stop being such a fool and click here. Just had to say it.
Otherwise let your ears sample some of this man:
Woodkid.
This french music video and film director seems to be a man of many talents. Woodkid aka Yoann Lemoine, has directed videos for the likes of Katy Perry and Taylor Swift yet as any of his music fans will know, they are a far cry from the kind of music he makes himself. From having Agyness Deyn in his music video to duets with Lana Del Rey (music's new IT girl), Woodkid is quickly becoming big - if you haven't heard him already make it a priority. The word unique is thrown around a little too quickly these days but in this case I think it is justly applied. From large brass sections to intense and powerful african style drumming, it isn't just a song, it's a piece and at times almost an underscore that could accompany a large roman battle scene. If you are a fan then you can buy his EP off iTunes here (£3.49 well spent) or have a listen to 'Brooklyn' and others on Soundcloud here. For a proper taster here is 'Iron':
I bet the suspense has been unbearable. But finally, here it is. Now Sunday proved to be the best of my three music-packed days despite fantastic performances from Ellen and the Escapades, Dry the River and Lucy Rose on Friday and Saturday. It was just that not only did I barely have an hour in the day where I wasn't watching someone but I walked around the festival going from incredible performance to incredible performance.
My day was kick-started with a cracking set from Johnny Flynn in the Big Top. He sang most of his new(ish) album 'Been Listening' released last year and clearly has a blast when he performs with the Sussex Wit. I have already put up a video of Johnny and Laura Marling singing 'The Water' recorded in Marling's back garden but for those of you who haven't heard much of the album have a listen to 'Kentucky Pill'- Zane Lowe's Hottest Record in the World back in March or 'Howl':
Lanterns on the Lake.
A band I feel I have feature quite a bit on here and who I was so excited to finally see play live. The Newcastle sextet seemed to captivate the audience. I found myself slowly swaying or being really cliche and closing my eyes to 'appreciate' the folk melodies fusing with the electronic atmosphere. Either way, I found myself rather refreshed when they finished their set. You can read more about them in their Guardian interview here or buy their debut album released little over a month ago on Bella Union - 'Gracious Tide, Take Me Home'. This is 'Lungs Quicken' taken from that very album:
Keston Cobblers' Club.
Are a band I stumbled upon whilst waiting for my phone to charge and were to give me more than a new band to listen as they featured a friend of mine playing a cameo on the tambourine - it was a surreal set. Have a wee listen to their new song I have put up below or check out their website to find out more about this lovely uke/accordion/trumpet/hand clapping band. They will heel your soles!
James Blake.
I think it is safe to say that every single person crammed into the Big Top was not only blown away by the blustery Sunday afternoon weather but by the performance Blake gave. I was fortunate enough to get up close and personal with the barriers at the front and felt incredibly involved in the performance (or as involved as one can be when they are not onstage/playing an instrument/mixing sounds/all of the above). If you already a fan then you can download his new EP here or watch his performance of 'Wilhelm Scream', imagine it louder and with more atmosphere and pretend you were there:
Daughter.
As I headed over to the bandstand, I was pretty excited about the final three acts of my weekend. The bandstand's sunday night line-up included Daughter, Ben Howard and Marcus Foster all three of which were on my 'must-see' list. The wind had really picked up and as Elena Tonra made her way on to the exposed stage it was clear she was going to struggle to keep her guitar plucking fingers warm. But she showed little sign of being bothered by the weather and soldiered on to give a wonderfully understated performance. Listen to her EP here or for a little taste watch this video for 'Run' filmed entirely on a tube train:
Ben Howard.
Although Marcus Foster headlined the Bandstand, Ben Howard kind of upstaged him and became the highlight of the evening. Struggling at first with tech and feedback and clearly freezing, Howard was cheered on by the kind and enthusiastic crowd. He visibly warmed to the audience and it became a snowball of happiness as Howard's performance went from strength to strength. Despite timing restrictions Howard then had to give in to a unanimous demand for an encore - I did feel a little sorry for Marcus having to follow him but Howard really was the best end to my Bestival weekend. He's touring at the moment so catch him if you can!
Although this post is long overdue, it is a testament to those acts still engrained in my memory.
Saturday was fancy dress day down on the Isle of Wight and upon it descended Sid Vicious, Nancy, three sparkly, eye-blinding, wig wearing 70s Bee-Gee wannabes and Cher. There were fewer acts I was desperate to see so the day itself felt a lot more relaxed. I started off with a bit of Dry the River who were fantastic. A good crowd turned out to support and they didn't disappoint. 'No Rest' was a particular highlight and the video that comes with it is a corker:
Alice Russell.
Although scheduled to follow Dry the River, I found myself in the Psychedelic Worm tent watching a three piece band from Sweden. Either Alice Russell had changed her sound and look and swapped her husky rich tones for some awkward wolf howling or this wasn't her. Turns out she had been pushed back to later in the evening after a Mr Ed Sheeran. She was worth the wait and provided something different to my weekend of acoustic or ethereal performances. She had stage presence, a fantastic belt, accompanied by a fun-loving jazz band and yet she still could be someone you'd see in your local karoake bar. Not to everyone's taste but I loved her.
Ed Sheeran.
The man of the moment. Even the fact that his songs are now being sung on the X-Factor hasn't put me off. And it seemed the rest of Bestival felt the same. For some ridiculous reason Sheeran was put in the Psychedelic Worm Tent - which was by no means sizeable and meant that if you wanted to hear him (there was no chance of actually catching a glimpse unless you were at the front) you had to either be packed shoulder to shoulder at the back of the tent or be packed shoulder to shoulder in the queue outside the tent. He did give a great performance (from what I could hear) but next year he'll be gracing the main stage. Where he should have been all along...
This lucky person managed to get to the front to see Sheeran and hear the crowds singing along to A-Team. They were probably crushed by the end of it though.
Tall Ships.
These boys were probably my highlight of the day. On the smaller stageof Sailor Jerry's their relatively large crowd adored them and the band were clearly delighted with the turn out. Definitely one to watch (and to listen to) and will no doubt be gracing one of the larger stages next year. Sadly I couldn't find any good-quality videos of their performance but this is 'Plate Tectonics' from last year's EP 'There is nothing but chemistry here':
