Music at the moment

Just a short post to enthuse about the music that is getting repeated on the ipod right now:

The whole Broken Bells album: Its early days, but this is turning into one of my favourite albums. Ever. Yeah, I went there. It’s the perfect mix of beats and guitars, unsurprising as the band is made up of Brian Burton (Dangermouse) and James Mercer (The Shins)

Ratatat – Bare Feast: A joyous extravaganza of Indian beats

April Smith and the Great Picture Show – Colors: a fun song that has you singing along by the second listen

The Middle East - Recordings of the Middle East: Their debut EP, at least three brilliant songs out of five.

How do you find new music?

Being into music is a choice. It is something that require time, effort and dedication. In my experience there are some people who have been actively interested in the music scene since they were young, whereas some people drift in and out, go through phases maybe. Of course some people simply don’t care for music, although I think we can agree these people shouldn’t be trusted.

So how do you find new music?

Friends’ recommendations? Browsing myspace? Gigs and festivals? Blogs? The radio? Podcasts? Daily emails like Track in the Box?

This question is interesting to me, as somebody who was very into finding new music in my teens, drifted away during my early twenties, content to listen to my current music collection and gigging only sporadically, but has become much more interested over the past couple of years.

At one time or another I have discovered music I love through all of these channels. I think most people would put friends’ recommendations near the top of their list. Our friends know us, know what we like, may like the same music, we may even be friends with them through shared musical taste.

I like listening to the radio, especially 6music, to hear new bands, whereas Mr Noggin doesn’t, and would much rather browse through myspace, linking through to friends of bands he likes to independently discover his new music. Interestingly he also claims that Amazon's "people who bought this also bought..." feature is one of his most reliable sources.

There is one place that has been a surprisingly rich vein from which to extract new musical passions: Blalock’s Indie Rock Playlist. Josh Blalock releases a block of around 100 new tracks each month that he has found or been sent, and he has clearly got a great ear for these things as I have found so many artists I now love through him. He places it on his website for free as a torrent or mega upload, but I doubt many would protest at the file sharing as it is a good way for new artists to reach the ears of a large and enthusiastic audience.

I’ll end the post with a couple of links to tracks I found through Blalock. The first is Willis by Sea of Bees, a female singer-songwriter from California called Jules, and the second is Cracks by Bristol-based Jane Taylor. Enjoy!

Dette of Gratitude w/ Race Horses, Emmy the Great, Beth Jeans Houghton and Field Music @ The Deaf Institute, Manchester, 2 June 2010

It was as if the gig gods knew I needed something good after the mediocre-fest of Dot to Dot. I was having a read of some blogs and noticed this post. Emmy the Great at the Deaf Institute this week? How had I not clocked that one? So tickets were duly bought and we moseyed on down after work at around 8pm to get some quality Trof burgers before the show. As we walked in though we noticed the line-up posted on the door: The Acorn were starting imminently, followed by a band called Race Horses, Emmy the Great, Beth Jeans Houghton and topped off at 11 with another chance to see Field Music. That is a ridiculously good bill! As it turned out, the event had actually been put on as a surprise leaving party for a local lady called Bernie Phillips. Over the years she has accommodated bands playing and recording in the city in her home, and is now heading off to live in Canada, so there was a very sweet tone to the whole evening, even if we did feel a little like gate crashers!

The need for food unfortunately took precedent, and we missed The Acorn, which was a real shame. But we got upstairs in time to catch Race Horses and I am so glad we did – they were delightful. Although they hailed from Cardiff they had a Liverpool Beatles-esque sound, with a dash of the Wombats (that’s a compliment!). They were full of energy and smiled throughout the set, and they had some beautiful harmonies – I do love a male harmony. They really impressed the crowd and got a great reception. We bought their album so will get a review up here soon.

Emmy the Great was up next, and she was as remarkable as I expected. She read out a message to Bernie from the Howling Bells before cantering through some tracks from First Love. Although she was on stage on her own for most of the set, the songs sounded as great as they did on the album because her voice is so flawless. Highlights of a brilliant set were the candid We Almost Had a Baby, and Absentee with its hymn-like refrain Kyrie Eleison reminding me of mass as a child.

The evening was turning into one of the best gigs I’d been to in ages. It was lovely to sit in the wonderful Music Hall with a perfect view of these truly talented people performing little half hour sets. A friend once argued that 40 minutes is the most he ever likes to watch anything for, be it music or any other performance, and I’m starting to see his point.

It was difficult to imagine how you could follow Emmy’s set but wow, did Beth Jeans Houghton impress. I had heard a track or two of hers on the radio before but never had a proper listen, but she’s next on my list for back-catalogue buying. After a few words from Marc Riley paying tribute to Bernie and the evening which was apparently Beth’s idea, she came on in an Dolly Parton style outfit and wig and with a band dressed in a messed-up Marie Antoinette get-up. The set was song after joyful song combining traditional guitar and drums with trumpet-playing, Jarvis-style spoken word and a wonderful cover of Devil in Disguise. I loved every second of it and did not want it to end.

Finally the special guests Field Music came on. Having described them as bland in my Dot to Dot review, I was ready to put that down to a bad day, and in some ways I was able to. They were four lads who could play their instruments very well and obviously enjoyed playing with each other. They mentioned that this was their first gig in three years without a set list and they really had fun with it, improvising as they went along. The drum beat is the focus of most of the songs, which makes the sound somewhat flat and repetitive, and I can’t help thinking three guitars makes it too heavy, but although they’re not my thing the crowd liked them and they were a good end to an excellent night. The whole evening had been a real treat – Bernie must be pretty special.

Dot to Dot Festival

Going to a small day festival like Dot to Dot is very different from the luxurious musical experience of say Glastonbury or Latitude. Although I was excited about seeing Beach House again and Los Campesinos, there was a long list of bands that I didn't know from Adam. So I spent an afternoon systematically going through their myspaces, and although there was a lot of chaff I present some rather lovely wheat:


Alan Pownall is a great singer from London whose debut album True Love Stories comes out in July. He comes from a folk background but his more recent songs have a more of an indie-pop upbeat feel. Take Me is a catchy tune with a reggae tinge and he has plenty of other good tunes to back it up.

Lissie is an american songer who's debut EP Why You Runnin' has me totally hooked, Wedding Bells is one of the most enchanting songs I have heard in a long time, recounting a tale of lost love. She's touring with Alan Pownall while they're in the UK so you can catch them at Night and Day in Manchester in June and plenty of other dates round the UK if you miss Dot to Dot.


Goldheart Assembly have been around for a while so I'm very slow on the uptake here but their sweet sound is very beguiling. Am particularly enjoying So Long St Christopher from their new album Wolves and Thieves.

And now for something completely different: Wax Fang, a Kentucky epic-rock band with drama and ambition. World War II (Part 2) is a very enjoyable romp.