sixteen: Jamie & The Lionhearts

I recently finished an extremely frustrating book called The Sea, The Sea by a Ms. Iris Murdoch that actually had me casting it aside with pure annoyance at times. The story involves a cynical playwright Charles Arrowby and his, more than reluctant, old flame Mary Hartley Smith.
If only their relationship had been half as exciting as Jamie And The Lionhearts' song Old Flame then I might've enjoyed the book more. In fact, exciting doesn't do JATL's toe-tapping, jaunty music justice in my opinion. The four boys from the South are utterly infectious, and though their music may remind of some trilby-wearing, acoustic guitar-whielding bands who're around at the moment, I assure you these kids are better.
Normandy is a hand on heart, shout your lungs out belter, see if you can resist joining in with that chorus "She's going to Normandy/And she leaves by nine".
Going back to Old Flame, this song see saws between a trundling, violin-ed up verse and an arching chorus, packed full of cymbals and bass, and once again those genius lyrics catch your ears and effortlessly reel them in.
Jamie And The Lionhearts seem to have definitely found their feet on the stage aswell, with heaps of experience (bills include Operator Please and Lightspeed Champion), they come across well and always make a great impression!
They've got a few live dates here and there in August, so look out!
Listen to Normandy here.

fifteen: Picture Books In Winter

There are magazines I can love, magazines I can take and magazines I'd rather became footprints on the arse of journalism. I won't go into the latter because it isn't particularly relevant, but as for the first, the Welsh mega love of my life is Kruger. It has brought me some great artists and bands who have later shot to fame and has only once dissapointed me. The makers definitely know a thing or two about their local lovlies too, watch this space for this Cardiff-based quintet.


Picture Books In Winter are an all guns blazing band that charge into your ears choc a bloc with an array of musical instruments. I was initially pulled in by their seemingly gentle name. Picture Books In Winter is apparently a last minute flick through and steal for a demo CD, and despite the fact they incorporate string instruments into their songs, their music is no cuddle, though they do accept the folky tags that they are given.
The elements that seperate them from the folky rabble is the patriotic shouting and just how well the disco-esque drums and speedy guitar playing mesh together with the strings, see songs such as 100 Percent Polyester for proof. Their lyrics seem slightly off the wall and don't make sense at first listen and their songs certainly have some original subjects. Horiziontally I Am Champion is about the fallen from grace Blue Peter presenter Richard Bacon and once you know this, the lyrics like "I will build a raft/I've always had a talent for arts and crafts...Out of cheesewire/Out of pipe cleaners and paper mache" and "I've not yet missed a show" make perfect sense, the song even name drops Konnie Huq, another former Blue Peter presenter. It is a pretty genius, spot on song.
Live, they've been described as unique and sensational and were a big hit at Glastonbury where they played on the BBC introducing stage. They're obviously an act to see if you can! I'm certainly jumping out of my seat to do so.

Listen to Horizontally I Am Champion here.

fourteen: Lanterns On The Lake

As far as festivals go this year I haven't got anything planned. Well, unless I count In The City. Based in Manchester bars and clubs, it brings the best in new music to the City Centre and alot of the time entry is £free! Last year I was feeling pretty lazy so I only saw about 5 acts over the weekend, some intentional, others unintentional.

One of the unintentionals was Lanterns On The Lake who played at the slightly tedious Bedlam alongside Jay Jay Pistolet, Jose Vanders and Tom Williams. The six piece band from Newcastle-upon-Tyne have mastered an eerily deep form of ambient music that pinpoints your heart flawlessly and shoots arrows of songs straight to your centre.
Lyricist and vocalist (amongst other components) Hazel Wilde has an incandescent voice that is paired simplistically with mandolins, glockenspiels, pianos and even a bowed guitar.
Their music is influenced by such greats as Sigur Ros and Arcade Fire and it shows. Due to their subtle use of some synths and keyboards each of the tracks has a haunting background atmosphere which is then taken over by the foregrounding of the other cacophony of instruments, deepening their whole repetoire beautifully, it's like the metaphor "still waters run deep", it may sound simple on first listen but as you press the skip back button more and more other instruments reveal themselves until you finally have them in their sublime entirity.
Lanterns On The Lake are a very original band, and thinking back they obviously put on an infectious live show, as I was determined to remember their name and find out more afterwards.
They have an EP out towards the end of July entitled "The Starlight EP" which consists of four songs. In Starlight is a dreamy slice of glocked up gorgeousness likely to make a fair few of you fall head over heels with anyone who may be there listening with you. First track My Shield spirals and cradles you away into the deepest depths of your heart and is definitely a sleep song for anyone who wants one.

Listen to Under Stars here.

thirteen: Jesse Quin & The Mets

Yesterday I went to see Batman. It was epic to say the least. There was just so much depth to it and all the graphics were obviously nothing but amazing. Despite it being a bum-aching 3 hours long, I thoroughly enjoyed it and would go back again and again.


Besides the two points about the graphics and the duration I could probably link Batman's epicness and depth to Jesse Quin & The Mets, a delightful band from London who are ready to steal your soul and return it replenished and intact. And okay, you can't quite compare a band who have "poorly laptop problems" to one of the sleekest blockbusters ever but it's my analogy and I'll do what I want with it.
The band are led by Jesse Quin, and The Mets consists of another eight fantastically talented musicians. They've all been hidden away under an enormous rock for the past few months getting some songs recorded and my my they've done a great job.
Always Catching Up is the newest bright eyed, bushy tailed song to venture out onto their myspace page. It's a spontaeneous song that's bound to push you over the edge in those "Should I? Shouldn't I?" decisions (in the right direction of course), it'll definitely get you out into the big, wide world too, it sparks images of journeying across vast expanses of land to those you love...even if they're only in the next room.
Quin scribes heartfelt lyrics, obvious in Sirens In The City, a christmas carol with a kick of seasonal heartbreak. It's lyrics like "My hand dropped against my side when I heard you were still alive/I didn't hear the Queen didn't notice when the relatives arrived" that remind of the real life relationships and the old traditions we all have in winter. After a gentle beginning, the track steps up with handclaps and footstomps, creating an intensity hard to find elsewhere.
However, if you're looking for uplifting, show-stopping songs, listen to More To Life. The end in particular is hopeful beyond imagination and it's hard not to get a tear in your eye. Since I haven't seen them live yet, I am going to assume they are epic, just like any Hollywood film reel.
Oh, and actually, to go back to those graphics, the band themselves are very good looking.

Listen to Sirens In The City here.
And watch the inspiring More To Life live here.

twelve: Mechanical Bride

If you're a fellow Mancunian you'll know all about Vinyl Exchange. It's one of those wizard shops where you can take in those embarassing CD/VHS/DVD/Vinyls you no longer want and come out with a brand spanking new copy of pretty much anything. And it's all pretty goddamn cheap if you're using money too!


Today I bought a promo copy of Mechanical Bride's new Black Skeleton Sea EP, the sublime follow-up to her In The Throes EP and cover of Rhianna's Umbrella, after seeing it in there last week. Predictably it was still in the smaller branch this afternoon, as the type of people who go in there aren't the type to listen to Lauren Doss' delicate music (not that I'm generalising), think more New Order and Joy Division. I don't quite understand how more people haven't heard of her though, Lauren has been making music for a number of years now and has also been signed to Transgressive since 2006 at the least. How curious the world is.
Doss has gone from strength to strength and her most recent release is a tumbling, rolling and turning three song masterpiece. The Final is imaginably the last track on the EP and leaves the starting block tenderly and eases itself into a symphony of violins and piano bars, accompanied by Doss' pure vocals that are then strengthened even more so by a male voice that creates an almost fragile atmosphere around the song.
Seaworld is the first track and sets the tone perfectly. The glockenspiel becomes a simple underpinning to the song, joined by cristalline humming and oo-ing and a repeated, reoccuring "We find worlds inside", and the tragic violin melody holds your attention seamlessly. It's a heart-breaking EP.
A favourite song of mine by Mechanical Bride is definitely Poor Boy (from In The Throes), in which Doss' voice is pushed high above the rooftops and then gracefully falls to the ground once again. Her lyrical ability is fantastic too, another element that shines through in Poor Boy.

There aren't any shows on the horizon unfortunately, but Lauren has had the pleasure of performing with acts such as Bat For Lashes and Johnny Flynn.
Listen to Poor Boy here.

eleven: Josh Weller

Despite the whole narcissistic side of things of myspace, it is nice when the most recently added band or artist in your friends leaves you a thank you comment. Keeps it more personal and less corporate like.

If you've had the pleasure of hearing Josh Weller you'll have no doubt added away and received his comment that plays on the laughable pun of his second name rhyming with Um-ber-ella. I'll let you find out the joke in all its glory for yourselves.
Most of his music uses themes from the darker side of romance; meeting the dislikeable parents, cheating and girls who are gonna grow up to be ugly as sin, oh, and there's one about the Circus (!!!!). Live, he comes across as nervous yet loveable, like the geeky library boy who's been jilted his fair share of times.
Pretty Girls (the debut single) is a bitter song that wistfully spins a tale of beautiful ladies doomed to become ugly in Weller's imagination when they're 40 onwards. You have to empathise with his fragile voice and find yourself pushing these possibly fictional women towards their fate as Josh becomes more and more emotional in his performance.
The aforementioned Circus is a definite favourite of mine. It's so good it even sounds like a circus. The B-side to Pretty Girls is once again rather dark "That boy doesn't know his luck/On his knees in the toilet cubicle in the interval/He's gonna get laid tonight" I say rather...it is dark.
But you have to forgive Josh because of his appearance, you have to embrace the lyricisms and overlook the innocent boy who croons into the mic about insanity and the macabre figures in Down In A City. Not that it's an obligation. It's refreshingly shocking and all part of Josh's unique ability.

Catch him around London between the 12th and the 26th of August at various delectable events.
Listen to a demo of Pretty Girls here.

ten: Davie Fiddle & The Lucky Egg

I'm sure you all know a bit or two about those moments when you blank out completely and think about where you'll be in ten years...Or how much of an impact you've made in your however many years on Earth...And how are you really seen by other people..?

All three of those questions are extremely dangerous thoughts. Davie Fiddle & The Lucky Egg of all bands would know, they wrote a song entitled Dangerous Thoughts for cripe's sake.
Davie Fiddle reside in the same ball park as bezzie mates and tour buddies Mumford & Sons with their warm, hearty folky songs. If you're off out to see them live, brace yourself for dizzying heights of elation, found in songs like Rosanna and then heart-stopping lows in the form of Nothing Says I Love You and others. As performers they are charming and infectious, a factor that some think comes across best live.
Andrew, Phil, Kevin and Chris (who once again contribute to their friends' musical projects) create truly reflective music, I wouldn't say it's music made to have epiphanies to, but you'll definitely realise a thing or two about yourself during the course of a song scribed by Davie.
Dangerous Thoughts is a song with a fist. The verses of the track ask questions like "Is this what I've become?/Is that how I'm perceived?" that make your heart drop lower with each and every syllable and you're forced to look inwards at yourself. It's music not for the faint-hearted that drives to your very core.

There's only one live date on the horizon to speak of. 31 July. Old Queen's Head, London. Be there or be square.
Listen to Dangerous Thoughts here.

nine: Sportsday Megaphone

Bedroom dancing? We all do it. Admit it. We all have those little guilty pleasures like singing into your iPod or hairbrush as you try to moonwalk your way through piles of clothes on your floor.
Unfortunately if you're lazy like me, you can't be arsed to put the music onto your iPod and just end up throwing out some jiggles at your computer screen.



Sportsday Megaphone (ironic really that I sit on my ass as I type that name) is 22 year old Hugh Frost to his friends and synth connoisseur to the masses. After sending Rob Da Bank a demo on pure whim, Hugh was signed, sealed and delivered to Bestival, his label, Sunday Best's festival.
The greatest appeal about his music is the rush of it. LA, his recent single, echoes his past in America with meaty lyrics and killer synths ("This is the USA/And if you're not on the team/You can stay on the street for the rest of your life"), a stab at that haunting dead-end job perhaps?
The B-side to this track Young Lust is a dinky delight of a song with slightly more obtuse lyrics behind its joyous atmosphere ("Never lend a house to lovers/They leave stains/Blood, sweat and semen accumulate"), you'll probably find yourself singing along in any case. It is damn catchy.
Hugh's success is obvious due to the fact that his debut 7" (released in June '07) is now sold out. And I wouldn't have it any other way. Less And Less, the title track, is similar to LA in the fact that it's tight and racy. It's a song about moving on from all your mistakes and offers some helpful and encouraging advice "Life's too short to worry about what others think of you". It's a suprise pick-me-up accompanied by blips and bleeps that we could all do with once in while. So don't reach for that bar of chocolate. Pop on your headphones, pick out a pair of your best short shorts and dance a night in alone all the way to 3am.

Listen to LA here.

eight: Jay Jay Pistolet

The formula goes boy sees girl, boy meets girl, girl likes boy, girl dates boy, boy leaves girl, girl hates boy. And so on. But there's a new type of boy. He's sensitive and jilted and ready to love.

Jay Jay Pistolet (Justin James Hayward-Young, rock and roll) is as warm and as earnest as humble pie (and he's equally as tasty). The 21 year old isn't afraid to admit he's had his heart scuffed and scraped in the past which is most apparent in songs like Friend We Weren't Even Lovers, a track that dawdles love-sick and pining through intimate lyrics ("I've reached out for the stars/upon one I wished what you had denied me was ours") to a canalside to drown its sorrows.
Speaking of canalsides, he's also just been on the genius River ratpack tour which spanned about a week of dates to which the bands were all transported by barge. Yes, it's as enticing as it sounds. Justin is part of the Londonian "folk scene" that irritatingly rarely find themselves in the North-West. His live shows are something to catch if you can, he comes across honestly and it appears as if he's singing to you and you alone in some cases.
He's started using a mandolin for a couple of songs in particular which are fast becoming favourites of mine amongst others such as Holly, the tragic b-side to his ChessClub single We Are Free. Elsewhere songs like Happy Birthday You tell joyful tales of days spent with the one you love, accompanied by trundling drum beats and cornets.
An EP is expected later in the year but for now there's a three track demo CD available from his myspace page. Get it while you can.
Listen to the beautiful Friend We Weren't Even Lovers here.
I also reccomend this interview:

seven: Thos Henley

When it comes to associating bands with other bands when listening to them, I try to avoid it. I hate listening to one band and then immediately thinking of another. I kind of can't help it with this one though.


Thos Henley strides in the same path as bands such as Beirut who he clearly aspires to with his choice of instrument (accordion, mandolin etc). His songs are simple but haunting and Henley often cleverly doubles over his vocals, givng the songs that little bit more depth to their minature atmosphere.
Summer On The Thames (his upcoming single, on Tapeclub records) is fun, free-flowing and full of fleeting choruses ("We always swam in summer/We always swam together/But now we'll never ever/We'll never swim together") the elements of mandolin, hand claps and la-la-la's are irresistably catchy when you hear them together.
Elsewhere in songs such as Her, there is beautiful imagery to be found and treasured. The fragile piano notes practically melt over the sombre ukelele melody and Henley's vocals. Once again the uncomplication of the track shines through and becomes an infectious feature of it ("Maybe we were too nice/I'll be the gamble/You be the dice").
Thos is dabbling about Southampton, playing a pocket of shows in mid-late July.
Listen to Her here.
His album Mosaic Bone Norse Flute is out soon, check out some photography done by Krisan Cieszkiewicz here.

six: The Shoes

It was the last day of college today and the end to a wonderful week. Days off college, films, Mumford & Sons and Jeremy Warmsley gigs, Chinese buffets and money. It all happened. But now it's time to get down and spend summer finding work...maybe. On the other hand. I could stay up late and go out some more.


I've been hearing alot from The Shoes when I'm out and about. Whether it's their top knotch remixes or their own punch in the face songs like recent single Knockout they seem to be upholding France's reputation for being the epicentre of great dance music (think Kitsune kids).
They are more imaginative than that name, mind. If I'm honest I'm suprised no one's taken it up before, going on how often we all wear shoes... But yeah, their creativeness is definitely a real snag. If you listen to an original mix of something and then go and listen to their remix, it's got a fist-punching catchiness to it. Just as all great remixes should.
An example is Young Love by Mystery Jets. The Shoes rework has got a dawdling guitar riff over the vocals with some blaring sirens added in just to be safe. It gives even more electricity to the "vibe" of the track.
On the other side of the coin, the band's own tracks are just as sustained and scream "Move your limbs to me or else!" Elbows at the ready.
My favourite song of theirs has to be Baby I'm 4 Real. It edges right up to the cliff face of cheesy electro and then turns itself around into something that I particularly like to listen to on the nightbus (don't judge) mainly 'cos of those catchy ass string synths.

I'm gonna spoil you and give for you a two in one so you can compare their skillz fo' yo'self.
Listen to Baby I'm 4 Real here.
Listen to The Shoes remix of Just Kiss Her by Candy Clash here.

five: Mumford & Sons

Back to folk/bluegrass pleasekaythanks. This next band are absolutely positively something utterly unique.

Mumford & Sons haven't been held back by their short time together as a "proper" band since December 2007 and are making leaps and bounds up the stairs of musical success. Their first EP Lend Me Your Eyes has just been released on ChessClub on a ltd 10" format. Lovely.
The name Marcus Mumford might get a few bells ringing with Laura Marling, Noah & The Whale etc. fans as he has given them his multi-tasking genius hands on several occasions. The other members Winston, Ted and Ben also play in Laura's band, (the now defunct) Captain Kick & The Cowboy Ramblers, The Moulettes and Hot Rocket. It's astounding how they even get the time or the energy to suggest yet another band.
Their music will break your heart. It's honest, raw and relentless.
Every bar of the melodies partners faultlessly with the lyrics and their songs speak mainly of love, life and loss. Liar is so effective that it's hard not to feel Marcus' pain and a slight tinge of guilt to boot ("Please don't cry/You liar"). These words are tangled in webs of racing banjo and piano parts that verge on a good old fashioned hoe down but then merge into something more soulful and deeply touching. Songs like Awake My Soul are likely to spark football game-esque sing alongs with drinks raised to the sky, your arm around your best friend. Inspiring stuff.
Order the EP here and listen to Roll Away Your Stone (live from a This Town Sounds video) here.

four: frYars

I think it might come across as if I have my head jammed in a folk-shaped rut right now (which I kind of do) so just to dispel any presumptions I'll take a step outside the door and bring something new to the table.

frYars (a.k.a. Ben Garrett) is a one man band with an edge like no other. The 18 year old has just hopped off a tour stint with Goldfrapp and has less recently released "The Perfidy (a betrayal of trust)" EP.
All three songs are packed full of black magic and Garrett's lyrics in particular create dark images in your head and they seem to be written at midnight hunched over a fluorescent laptop screen. Olive Eyes for instance tells the tale of a boy on the war path to seek revenge on his biological father, who is in fact his uncle (you do the math) and The Novelist's Wife takes us into pages of adultery and unwitting cannibalism. Ooh err.
His first EP The Ides runs along the same vein, with lyrics such as "You should have died that very night/Good job for you I wasn't born a killer" that appear delightfully macabre, like a spin off of the villain's perspective in a fairy tale.
As for instruments, Garrett uses a menagerie of keyboards and endlessly tinkers with beats and blips to bring a simple yet effective electronic sheen to the songs.

To start you off here's the superb Olive Eyes.

three: Pengilly's

Today I did a lot of travelling. Bus, foot, train, foot, train, foot, bus. I love travelling to music and love travelling songs (n.b. Another Travellin' Song Bright Eyes, Night Train Patrick Wolf). And I do find travelling alone very reflective, I had company today but I still had certain songs in mind as I made my way to Lyme Park (how jet-setty am I?).

To London by Pengilly's might not be relevant to a stately home near to the village of Disley, but it is at heart a perfect, autobiographical travelling song.
Ric Hollingbery is a 19-year old, studying at Leeds University but originally from the good old capital of London (thus, explaining To London) and fronts this fantastic outfit in his spare time. You should expect to hear accordion, ukulele, violin, viola, cello, honky tonk, french horn, trumpet and banjo all mixed into a rich, hearty collection of songs. And sorry if you're expecting some sort of multi-tasking whizz-kid, but Ric has a band of superb musicians at his side; James Andrewes, So- Yeon Kim, Chris Stevens, Lara Verney, Bryony Aethelflaed Watson and Jeremy Parker to name a few.

Ric also has his fingers in Emmy The Great and Corinne Bailey-Rae flavoured pies. He's currently working with Emmy on live shows and has contributed to Corinne's as yet unreleased albums, proof of his youthful genius I'm sure. If you'd like to catch Pengilly's live, try The Old Queen's Head in Islington on the 10th of July, you won't be disappointed.

To carry on with the travelling theme here's Escapade. Enjoy.

two: Alessi

Creative writing is one of those things which is always put about as something much simpler than I see it as. We're surrounded by poetry and some spot it much more easily than others. Alessi is one of those effortless poets.

Naivety is a quality that many don’t look for in people today. For me, Alessi is that missing exception. The 17-year old Londonian girl has recently supported artists such as Laura Marling in Glasgow and has an album in the pipeline, set for release in September.

Her music speaks of beautiful boys, dangling solar systems above wicker beds and kite flying. I find myself so overwhelmed by the sheer scale of her imagery that I find myself closing my eyes just to savour the intricate details that split second longer. Naivety would come into this because the ideas seem so simple and pure that you find yourself associating them with childhood and the seeming simplicity of it. The lyrical style is unique to Alessi, and Alessi alone. I’ve never heard anything so astonishingly beautiful in all my years of listening from such a young age.

I give you Alessi's dublab session (right click+save).