Oren Lavie's Her Morning Elegance is a beautiful, understated and elegant song full of gentle melodies, wispy vocals and brushed percussion. It is a simple, harmonious piece of songwriting, but in the most graceful and minimal way. However, perhaps what makes the song stand out as truly special is its video, a delightful example of stop-motion animation that will do nothing but make you smile and (without sounding too cliched) make you feel all warm and fuzzy. I challenge you to watch it without feeling even the tiniest bit of enchantment at its wondrousness.
PS. If you feel like another amazing music video after that one, have a look at Coldplay's Strawberry Swing (a decidedly average song set to an absolutely wonderful video)
Langhorne Slim, born Sean Scolnick, sounds like an old American folk singer who has been brought into the twenty-first century in order to discover the electrifying results of mixing his grating, soulful sound with tubas, cellos, percussion and piano. His lyrics are introspective, simple and honest, and are delivered with a tender, raw and unrestrained vocal performance. My favourite track of his, 'I Love You But Goodbye' is filled with gentle piano melodies and an uplifting undertone of a string ensemble. Whilst other songs contain more electronic flourishes and are often laden with drums and guitar riffs and are therefore more upbeat and appropriate to stamp your feet to, (such as Boots Boy, which is also brilliant), Langhorne Slim's music is an excellent mixture of banjo-fuelled old-time mountain music and 80's college-rock being played in the basement.
Blitzen Trapper are a rare and wonderful mix of Americana, folk and indie. Their songs take you from feeling as though you should be singing beside the camp fire to driving down the highway through the deep South with all the windows rolled down. For me, the discovery of Blitzen Trapper was an absolute joy, and they led me to other similar and not so similar artists, all of whom have changed the way I see Americana/Country and Western, and have ensured that I have grown to absolutely love Americana/Country and Western. Whilst tracks such as 'Not Your Lover' and 'Lady on the Water' are mellow and soft, the rolling piano chords and intermittent harmonica give them the necessary edge and vigour. Other tracks scream bluegrass at you through the speakers but in a loose, joyous and refreshingly messy way. The title track of the EP 'Black River Killer' is by far their strongest, most memorable song, as it tells of a man wrongly convicted of a horrific murder and the impact this has on his life. Eric Earley's husky, beautiful rendition of the lyrics is enhanced by eerie synthesizers that create a song you will want to listen to a million times over. Blitzen Trapper are without a doubt one of the most talented and appealing bands at the moment, and their ability to transcend music genre stereotypes ensures that their fan base continues to expand, and deservedly so.
Stornoway should, without a doubt, be more famous. A sextet formed in a garage in Oxford with various degrees, nationalities and birdwatching interests between them, this wondrous band make music to dance, love, ponder and sing along to, whether it's with delighted glee or retrospective melancholy. With tinges of folk, bluegrass and Americana, Stornoway are one of the most innovative, soulful bands in the music scene today. In concert, the lead singer's nervous, touching mumbling between songs, their genuine love of what they're doing and the riffs and melodies they play so beautifully reverberate through their audience, encapsulating everyone in a harmony-filled, magical folkedelia bubble. Their first single, Zorbing, is dappled with soaring strings and majestic trumpeting, whilst other songs such as Fuel Up and Unfaithful tell of lost loves and childhood dreams with a brutal and graceful honesty, that is expertly portrayed by lead singer Brian Briggs. Their album was due to come out on September 28th and despite having pre-ordered it, it never materialised. According to Amazon and iTunes it is yet to come into existence. But as soon as it becomes available, buy it; it is the perfect accoutrement to crisp, sunny Autumn mornings as you drag your feet to the office. Listen if you like: Fleet Foxes, Blind Pilot, Belle and Sebastian
A miserably cold and wet Saturday evening in South West London, at a previously unexplored pub - The Selkirk. Despite copious traffic jams and navigational disasters, turns out the trip was well worth it. So I may be slightly biased (seeing as Lauren is a good friend of mine) but despite this she was amazing. She has been described as the lovechild of Tracy Chapman, Alanis Morissette, Jose Gonzalez and Ray Lamontagne (if that were biologically possible). Her music is heartfelt, angst-ridden, harmonised and beautiful. Some songs will have you clapping and stamping your feet whilst others will captivate you entirely with their soft, acoustic melodies and hazy guitar strumming. Whilst her set was only five songs long, the intensity of the sound (fuelled by genuine heartbreak and the unending list of problems that life throws at you) supplies a perfect soundbite of a young singer-songwriter with what will hopefully be a very bright future. Listen if you like: Ellie Goulding, Cat Power, Alanis Morisette Kingsize were the second supporting act of the night, and while they aren't really my type of thing, they put on a good show. I enjoyed them live but not sure I would enjoy them on the comfort of my little ipod. With hints of the Libertines, the Clash and evident indie/rock influences, the noise they make is both exciting, vibrant and melodic. Listen if you like: The Libertines, The Clash, Babyshambles The main act of the night was The Brent Flood, an Anglo-Irish quartet from London, who have been working their way up the musical ladder since reaching the finals of the Nationwide O2 Battle of the Bands 2006. Having seen them twice now, their gigs are always a guitar-strumming, clever-lyricising and dancing-however-you-see-fit affair. Their songs are generally of the indie-pop-rock type, but of a far superior kind to those of bands such as the Pigeon Detectives and the Enemy. The lead singer Jay Marsh has a voice that fits the different moods and volumes of their songs perfectly, whether he's shouting his way through a fantastic cover of Bohemian Like You or lamenting over past loves in Katy McCain. The Brent Flood have something that makes them a little bit different from the hundreds of other generic indie bands out there at the moment, and their songs are catchy enough to hang around in your head for long enough, but not so long that it becomes annoying. Listen if you like: Air Traffic, Editors, One Night Only
This is music I like and music I hope you'll like. If you don't like spending hours looking for new things to listen to, then just read what's here and see if you like it.
I don't own any of the music posted here, it is simply for you to listen to and love, but if you do love it then go to a record store and buy it or go to the gigs, as half the bands on here aren't even signed yet so need all they can get.
If it's your music and you'd like it taken down then email me.
maudieamelia@hotmail.co.uk
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