Another great track/video from the gangster Nancy Sinatra (as they’re calling her). Album’s out on 30th Jan next year, which seems very far away to me.
You can see the video for her song Video Games here.
Category: Music
Listen here
Birdy – Comforting Sounds
Jasmine Van den Bogaerde, known as Birdy, had a top 20 hit earlier this year with a wonderful cover version of Bon Iver’s Skinny Love. Last week she released her debut album and it’s absolutely gorgeous. All but one of the tracks are, like her earlier single, cover versions. It’s an exquisite set; her voice is incredibly evocative and, whilst it’s an overworn cliché (but there really is no other word to describe it better) deeply haunting.
There are two versions of the album (of course) and I really think you should seek out the deluxe edition. Because it has this string-drenched track of wonder that makes the extra effort in finding it well worth it. Go buy it, it’s beautiful music.
Sigur Rós – INNI has arrived
Goodness – it’s been ages since I last posted. No excuse other than that it’s been so very busy. So busy that my head has been a bit of a whirlwind of late and in the evenings I’ve been coming home and making starfish shapes on the sofa until it’s time to haul myself into sleep.
But not this evening. For today, Inni arrived. As some of you will know, Inni is the latest release from Sigur Rós. I blogged about it a month or so back. It’s their first live album and second live film (although the first film, Heima featured live footage with a few talking heads here and there). Inni, on the other hand, is a full on concert film. But one that is unlike any other – it is, quite simply, magnificent. The director, Vincent Morisset, has created an intensely personal experience by removing almost all sense of place and any awareness of the crowd from the film. And the result is utterly breathtaking, indeed I’ve sat here with an almost ridiculous sense of wonder. Music and images combine to create an extraordinarily emotional experience.
Apparently ‘Inni’ means ‘inside’ and, as you see and hear this mesmerising film, you understand why they’ve named it so because it really is as though you are being drawn into the music itself.
Ah – I could wax lyrical all night. You just need to watch it (preferably on a big screen and very loudly). Here’s a taste of what to expect…
Wintermusik
Can you believe it’s nearly winter. How time flies by. So, whilst we’re on the cusp of ever darker and colder evenings it seemed fitting to revisit one of my favourite winter albums, which is called (rather fittingly) Wintermusik. It’s by the contemporary composer Nils Frahm. The songs were originally a Christmas present for friends but it was then put out in a limited edition on CD. It’s a beautiful record – uplifting, yet with a tinge of sorrow. And it’s perfect for a Sunday evening as the dark creeps in and the temperature drops. Here is one of the 3 tracks. It is well worth finding a copy if you can – there are 5 copies left on amazon at the time of writing this, which you can find by clicking: here
Frahm has also just released a new album called Felt, which The Hype Machine is streaming in its entirety. It ‘s much more minimalistic than Wintermusik but there are some lovely moments. I can’t seem to embed the stream here but you can find it by clicking:
The Hype Machine – Nils Frahm: Felt
The Magical World of the Strands
The Guardian is running a brilliant column in their music section. Each week one of their writers picks their favourite album and this week’s choice is particularly good.
Journalist, Andy Capper has chosen The Magical World of the Strands by Michael Head and the Strands. It’s a great record and I couldn’t do it any more justice than he does in his brilliant write-up, which you can read by clicking here
So, why am I blogging about it here? Well, because the CD of the album is long out of print and two of the key tracks (especially Something Like You, which Capper talks about so poignantly in the column) deserve to be heard (right now!) So here they are. Hope you enjoy them.
Lana Del Rey – Video Games
Lana Del Rey – quite a buzz has been generated about her online already with an inevitable backlash (is she a manufactured starlet rather than the “gangster Nancy Sinatra” her PR people are touting, are her lips surgically enhanced, does the fact that she’s the daughter of a millionaire mean she’s somehow less relevant, less “authentic” etc etc etc). And all before she’s even released her debut single. There’s bound to be a backlash against the backlash because the song, Video Games is utterly brilliant. As you can hear (and see) here:
Video Games is released on 16th October on Stranger Records
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