Last night I went to see Godspeed You! Black Emperor collaborate with a dance company at the Edinburgh International Festival. I love the band and have wanted to see them live for a long time, there’s is the kind of music that moves you. The dancers stood on blocks and threw themselves around – rapidly, beautifully, uncomfortably. It was the kind of moment that makes you so grateful people defy instincts of convention and make art. It made me feel alive.
If you are anywhere near Edinburgh today I can’t recommend seeing it highly enough. Otherwise Godspeed.
This weekend I took a road trip to the Isle of Arran for my friend’s birthday. We listened to this Cocteau Twins song in the car, driving over glorious, undulating Scottish country roads (see Instagram feed!). I love it. Sure I’m late to the party (my friend Paula got in to them reading Iain Banks’ the Crow Road) but sometimes music finds you at the right time.
I know right? I’ve been away from this blog forever. It’s something I’d like to change but who knows what will happen.
Anyhow I’ve been listening to so much amazing new music lately, including this track from Minor Victories, a group made up of members of Slowdive, Editors, Mogwai and Hand Held Cine Club. It’s sublime.
The Weather Station are a band I became aware of, well about five minutes ago. I really like them. It might be fuelled by the fact that I am obssessed with Nashville. Like really. It’s that kind of country ballad, guitars on the veranda, type of loveliness.
A belated Happy New Year from me! I’m looking forward to lots of new music. Let’s start with WOLF, a Scottish artist I saw and loved last year at Summerhall. Her Black Rabbit split single was released yesterday and it is lovely.
This is a shorter list than usual, because this year, for the first time in a long time, I didn’t put music first. I put books and writing and smiling and yoga first instead. Making playlists lost it’s charm. I also listened to an awful lot of podcasts: Serial, All Songs Considered, New Yorker Fiction, Nerdist…the list goes on.
Still I bought a lot of vinyl and went to a good number of gigs. This is a potted look at what will stay with me from 2015.
Record of the Year: Sufjan Stevens, Carrie & Lowell
An unsurprising choice, I love it as much as the rest of the world.
Gig of the year: Twilight Sad at the Barrowlands
Watching a band who have come so far do so well was quite something. I also watched two of them do an in-store in February at Vox Box music. It was quite something.
New Discovery of the Year (x2)
Hector Bizerk
I love this band – Drums. Rap. Yes.
Frazey Ford
What a lady.
I was also listening to lots of other new and old stuff, which I have decided to bullet point for no particular reason…
A year ago I met a boy. Then we fell in love. I not really in to over sharing on the internet (although this blog has been tinged with more personal stuff lately) but this time it’s kind of essential information, given that I’m about to tell you about his music.
This is Jamie’s new demo of three songs, he wrote and recorded them over the last couple of months. I love them. There may of course be a degree of bias involved but…well I think you’ll love them too. And if you don’t, don’t. He’s a very talented man.
It’s October, which for me means driving to work more, in turn that means I’m listening to CDs. This Nada Surf album is one I bought from Fopp for £5 (I know as the sticker is still on). I loved it at the time and I love it not, particularly the song Inside of Love. It reminds me of how I used to feel, lost and lonely.
When I turned on my NPR podcast and it had a guest DJ who was a female rapper my heart went sinking. Not that I have anything against women (being one and all), or rappers, it’s just not really my bag. I was happily surprised with Kate Tempest, because she seems intelligent and most of all hugely engaged with the world around her. It’s refreshing and inspiring. I’ve since read her book of poetry Hold Your Own and although I won’t listen to her music on a regular basis (still not really bag) I’m open to see what she comes out with.
