New el-blog feature: Things I’m excited about.
I’m not sure something counts as a feature if you don’t do it with any level of regularity…and I’m not prepared to put a time scale on myself here. Lets be honest, I’m not good with deadlines.
Things I’m excited about will pretty much do what it says on the tin. It will tell you things I’m excited about. Mostly in a musical sense. However if I ever manage to buy a pair of shit kicker boots on ebay or eventually cave and get a cat then they might constitute something that I’m excited about and warrant a look in.
Anyhoo. This week’s thing I’m excited about is: drum roll please…Nat Baldwin. (Yes more American music, I’m sorry, I’m clearly feeling a bit under the weather at the moment!)
Coming to us all the way from Maine; one of those states where I fear that not much other than drinking coffee and being a bit artsy may happen, Nat Baldwin describes his music as experimental and minimalist. His music to my mind is ineffable. Initially it reminds me of Regina Spektor, it has an American collegiate drone to it created by the clever use of a double bass with a clearly improvised wood wind frill around the edges yet its darker that Regina Spektor, there’s no cynicism to it. The other Baldwin’s music is reminiscent of is early Interpol, a really stripped back, minimal sound done in a dark rock-y way not a folk-y way, in the slightest. It’s the kind of music I can imagine east coast college kids lapping up, with REM white label vinyl and original (not re-issued) Smiths records. Get me a beanie and a coffee, because I want in.
Weights by Nat Baldwin by western.vinyl
Nat Baldwin is playing a FREE gig tomorrow night at the Brudenell Social Club. I will be there with bells on. Let me know if you’re going!
Showing posts with label New Music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New Music. Show all posts
Monday, January 23, 2012
Monday, October 17, 2011
New Music: Lindi Ortega
Normally when I go to gigs I take notes. I'm just that kind of girl. Even before I was blogging I would write myself little notes about the songs the headline act had sung and, if deemed worthy, the name of the support act. My notes from last Tuesday's James Vincent McMorrow gig at Leeds City Varieties just say one thing next to the heading support act..."WOW." I bothered to capitalise and everything. It was that good.
Lindi Ortega bought to the beautiful surroundings of the City Varieties her own brand of country-pop-folk that could not only bring a room to a stand still, but it could also make the hair stand up on the back of my neck. Ortega appeared alone, with her signature little red boots and began to wow almost instantly. It's all too easy to compare artists, especially female singer-songwriters. They all seem to get lumped together names as disperate as Alanis Morisette, Emiliana Torrini, Dolly Parton, KT Tunstall and Laura Marling all get chucked around. And frankly its lazy journalism. Although comparisons could be drawn between Ortega and say Dolly Parton and KT Tunstall they are all fairly superficial. Yes, Lindi Ortega is a girl with a guitar, and her music has a country music lilt but her music is all her own. Singing from her own experience about love lost and shoes worn Lindi winds a tale like a country singer of far more advanced years. However as someone who sings opera at sheep when let out of the tour bus Ortega maintains a youthfulness that is so refreshing. She isn't jaded or angry like many of her contempoaries, she's upbeat, quirky, sexy and fun. And most definately worth checking out.
Lindi Ortega is playing at The Hope in Brighton, and The Lexington in London next week, unfortunately she hails from Canada and so spends most of her time on the other side of the pond. If you don't get a chance to sample her live go and check out her myspace and may I heartily recommend listening to Litte Red Boots and Little Lie!
Lindi Ortega bought to the beautiful surroundings of the City Varieties her own brand of country-pop-folk that could not only bring a room to a stand still, but it could also make the hair stand up on the back of my neck. Ortega appeared alone, with her signature little red boots and began to wow almost instantly. It's all too easy to compare artists, especially female singer-songwriters. They all seem to get lumped together names as disperate as Alanis Morisette, Emiliana Torrini, Dolly Parton, KT Tunstall and Laura Marling all get chucked around. And frankly its lazy journalism. Although comparisons could be drawn between Ortega and say Dolly Parton and KT Tunstall they are all fairly superficial. Yes, Lindi Ortega is a girl with a guitar, and her music has a country music lilt but her music is all her own. Singing from her own experience about love lost and shoes worn Lindi winds a tale like a country singer of far more advanced years. However as someone who sings opera at sheep when let out of the tour bus Ortega maintains a youthfulness that is so refreshing. She isn't jaded or angry like many of her contempoaries, she's upbeat, quirky, sexy and fun. And most definately worth checking out.
Lindi Ortega is playing at The Hope in Brighton, and The Lexington in London next week, unfortunately she hails from Canada and so spends most of her time on the other side of the pond. If you don't get a chance to sample her live go and check out her myspace and may I heartily recommend listening to Litte Red Boots and Little Lie!
Friday, August 12, 2011
Festival Season
At last count I have been to eight or nine different festivals. I'm always on the search for the ultimate festival.
Obviously certain festivals remain classics, however I'm not normally organised enough to get myself tickets for a festival ten months in advance, pay £200 for said ticket and travel half way across the country. I'm just not that kind of girl. I like things a bit more off the cuff, nearby and most of all cheap. The 'boutique' festivals have been popping up throughout the country, and until this year have done little to hold a torch to the bigger festivals in my opinion. Lattitude became a turn off last year, it just suddenly felt a bit over large, a bit too commercial, and frankly it sold out too early in the year. My friend C and I went in search of an alternative, and having examined the line ups we decided on Hop Farm, Bob Dylan, Van Morrison and Blondie...SOLD. We trekked down to Kent for what should have been an amazing festival, and instead spent three days in a field that was over full, the water ran out, and the beer was expensive. I should have expected it, Vince Power did after all make his name organising the corporate wonderlands that are Reading and Leeds but the event seemed to be more about selling tickets and less about the weekend. That and Kent is a bloody. long. way. away. Also, the main stage was AWESOME, but to be quite frank the smaller stages were nothing exciting. So this year the search began again. Which is what led us to YNOT?
I don't like abbreviations, or text speak, but for YNOT? I'll make an exception. It is a gem of a festival. Small, cheap and with a brilliant line-up. Tickets were £65, beer was £3.50, T-shirts were £12 and it was fantastic. Set in the picturesque Derbyshire countryside, in between Ashbourne and Matlock Bath about an hour and a half from Leeds. It was honestly one of the most lovely festival sites I've ever seen, rolling fields, sheep and cows, two small stages in top hat tents, one large outdoor stage, and loads of tee-pees and smaller tents, hiding an acoustic stage, ska tent, story telling tent and loads of other things.
Music wise I've got loads of reviews coming, I saw some amazing acts, and the various stages did not disappoint. The line up on the main stage was phenomenal including Feeder, Maximo Park, Admiral Fallow, Miles Kane, and the Rifles to name but a few. The Quarry tent and Allotment Stage were both fantastic. The Quarry was headlined by Beadryman and Dananananakroyd and the Allotment comprised of local bands with a series of unsigned acts. What the organisers had done really well was make sure the bands all fitted together on each stage. There was the added bonus of a BBC introducing stage and who can resist a late night white-girl bogle session to the taped delights of Aswad and Bob Marley in a reggae tent?! In short this was the best festival I've ever been to, and has re-kindled my faith in small local festivals. After the Hop Farm debacle I was sceptical, but YNOT? proved that it can be done, and three thousand people in a field is enough.
With the festival scene getting more and more cluttered it is these festivals that need to be looked after, and attended. The truely splendid Beacons festival had to cancel this year due to adverse wether conditions on site (it looks like a swimming pool) and as such they are holding vatious fund raiser gigs all over Leeds. Check out their facebook page for more information, I've got my eye on Willy Mason tonight at a Nation of Shopkeepers! And for next year, may I recommend YNOT? and Beacons for two truely awesome North of the M4 corridor boutique festivals.
Monday, June 13, 2011
She looked at him and he felt a spark...
Following last week's Roddy Woomble post I was sent a few links to things by a couple of promotions and management companies, asking me to have a listen, see if there is anything I liked. I spend a hideous amount of time scouting around the internet looking for things I like the sound of. And truth be told I've heard some fucking awful shit lately. I mean worse than the angst filled teenage crap I used to write when I was 14, fat, and nowhere near funny enough.
I blame "nu-folk", we weathered the "nu-metal" and the "nu-rave" storms, and now, in a world where everything has been done before, folk is apparently the next victim. There is a new vogue for pop songs, ballads, sung with an acoustic guitar under the banner of folk. And frankly most of it is bloody awful. However, one thing I was sent by a management company stood out last week.
Dan Wilde hailing from Blackpool (of all the gin-joints) is clearly well versed in his folk and blues heritage. There is a very Irish singer-song writer sound about his music, and love it or hate it, it works. His songs would not sound out of place with the likes of Damien Rice and although less ethereal than James Vincent McMorrow I can't help but feel that with time he will get there.
Go check out his website and have a listen on Spotify
but most of all make sure you check out his beautiful version of His Bobness' Simple Twist of Fate.
This version is taken from Younger Than That Now a collection of Bob Dylan songs covered by various artists in celebration of Dylan's 70th Birthday. It is magnificent.
I blame "nu-folk", we weathered the "nu-metal" and the "nu-rave" storms, and now, in a world where everything has been done before, folk is apparently the next victim. There is a new vogue for pop songs, ballads, sung with an acoustic guitar under the banner of folk. And frankly most of it is bloody awful. However, one thing I was sent by a management company stood out last week.
Dan Wilde hailing from Blackpool (of all the gin-joints) is clearly well versed in his folk and blues heritage. There is a very Irish singer-song writer sound about his music, and love it or hate it, it works. His songs would not sound out of place with the likes of Damien Rice and although less ethereal than James Vincent McMorrow I can't help but feel that with time he will get there.
Go check out his website and have a listen on Spotify
but most of all make sure you check out his beautiful version of His Bobness' Simple Twist of Fate.
This version is taken from Younger Than That Now a collection of Bob Dylan songs covered by various artists in celebration of Dylan's 70th Birthday. It is magnificent.
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