Not much to say other than I have sort of fallen in love. Coeur de pirate (aka Béatrice Martin) is a 21 year old French Canadian singer. There is little for me not to like about her - she sings in french, she uses the glockenspiel and she writes quirky yet dainty melodies. You can listen to more of her here or wait for her second album due out later this year.
Can't talk about any sort of French music without putting a bit of my favourite francophone musician up here:
Yann Tiersen.
Everything about him is genius. You make recognise the relatively famous piece below. The Piano is a beautiful video I just stumbled across with Tiersen's music set to it and La Plage is just another great piece I like to listen to.
I heard this on Xfm last night and though everyone seems to be raving about Birdy right now, I didn't really know who she was. But this cover of The XX's 'Shelter' has firmly placed her on the radar.
I've been meaning to finish this post for sometime particularly since my laptop recently decided it had had enough and lost a lot of the new music I'd been listening to. So here they are, officially recorded: my current favourite picks.
Ben Howard.
A little gem from Devon who, like Sheeran, is an up and coming singer-songwriter whose fame has been spread by word of mouth and a devoted fan base. He's been featured in an article in the Guardian in which my favourite blogger (miss flying with anna) was quoted so I feel there's no way I can't like him. Check him out at Grassroots or Greenman festival this summer, I'm going to try and see him on the 24th October at the Social.
WatchListenTell who I covered a while ago seem to like Mr Howard too. Yes it's the same song but it's pretty amazing how different it sounds. Have a listen to Empty Corridors too - it's an incredible live performance and one which I could only hope to see live.
Alela Diane.
Recently announced as the main support act for the Fleet Foxes July USA tour dates, Miss Diane is an American singer songwriter whose first solo public appearances were at the invitation of Miss Joanna Newsom. If Newsom invites you on stage, you know you're destined for great things. Her new album Alela Diane and Wild Divine is out now but I'm a big fan of her live performance with Alina Hardin which I've posted below.
Ed Sheeran.
A big up and coming star is Mr Sheeran. In fact, more than that, Sheeran is all the rage right now and has been for a while. You may known him for his well-coveraged song 'The A Team' but personally I love his version of Wayfaring Stranger, a well-known British spiritual/folk song originating in the early 18th century. Jamie Woon and Eva Cassidy also do great covers of this. He's playing at Bestival which I'm excited about - I'll definitely be getting myself along to see him.
Feeling sad that you haven't listened to any original Mumford and Sons for some time? Never fear. This is one of their new songs they are performing right now - Hopeless Wanderer.
Or check out anything by 'The Wedding Band' which is Mumford and Sons and Friends playing together. They released an EP available at a few gigs they played last year but if, like me, you were unsuccessful in getting hold of said EP youtube will have to do. It's great to listen to for that summertime country feel. Listen.
This is more of note to myself of the upcoming gigs in Nottingham I need to book tickets for. As I find it relatively impossible to keep my mind on one track for longer than a few minutes, I thought it wise to write them all down while they were still on my mind.
Avi Buffalo and Admiral Fallow - 13th July. Bodega
Slow Club - 12th Sept. Bodega
Dry the River - 14th Sept. Bodega
Emmy the Great - 18th Sept. Glee Club
Benjamin Francis Leftwich - 4th Oct. Glee Club
Bombay Bicycle Club - 17th Oct. Rock City
Yann Tiersen and Lanterns on the Lake - 22nd/24th Oct. Leeds. Manchester
Ben Howard - 24th Oct. Bodega
Anna Calvi - 5th Nov. Rescue Rooms
Friendly Fires - 14th Nov. Rock City
Wild Beasts - 20th Nov. Rescue Rooms
One of the many things I love about folk is that as a general rule, it is more gender equal than your average music genre. There are few girls in heavy metal, few girl gangster rappers and very few indie girl bands yet folk music boasts an impressive amount of female input and creates better music because of it. From Laura Marling and Caitlin Rose to The Staves and Ellen and the Escapades, the girls have made their mark and are making the nu-folk scene what it is. Below are some more of folk's Wonder Women.
Sarah Jarosz.
Miss Jarosz has been making waves in the Nashville folk/blues/country scene for a little while now. She has real stage presence and a self-confidence in her performance unlike that of Laura Marling who comes across quite nervous and timid on stage. She is touring in the UK as of July 14th - I'm going to try and catch her at the Glee Club in Nottingham on July 22nd.
Lucy Rose.
The name has been on the lips of many and for good reason. If you haven't heard of her already then take a listen to her new song 'Place' below - you'll understand why I don't feel the need to write more.
Cold Specks.
A new treat brought to my attention by my favourite trusty music blogger Flying with Anna. Originally known as Basket Figs, this Canadian now lives in our fair capital and is starting to make a name for herself with her rich husky vocals. Listen to Send Your Youth or Holland for a taster - both are quickly becoming my songs of the moment.
Laura Marling.
This girl just goes from strength to strength; you have to remind yourself that she is only 21. I thought she was incredible at Glastonbury - many feared the Pyramid stage would dwarf her but she shone and didn't try to overcompensate. Instead she gave a truly beautiful performance and retained an intimate feel despite the thousand-strong crowd. Her third album is on the horizon and I couldn't be more excited. Here is a little snippet - prepare for great things come September!
The Lovell Sisters.
A small family band made up of Jessica, Megan and Rebecca Lovell. As an incredibly talented bunch, these ladies between them play the fiddle, dobro, lap steel, mandolin and guitar as well as being well known for their tight knit harmonies. They are currently not together whilst Jessica is in college but a reunion is likely in the future. In the meantime, Megan and Rebecca have regrouped to form Larkin Poe.
Larkin Poe.
Now they may be one fiddle down with Jessica not in the band, but two thirds of the Lovell sisters still do pretty well. After all they are amazingly talented musicians: Rebecca won the MerleFest mandolin contest when she was only 15 making her the youngest person (and only woman) to win a MerleFest instrument competition. Although hard to top the original, I like what they do with this cover of Teardrop.
