"Days Are Gone" - Haim

I first saw Este, Danielle and Alana perform at end of last year, opening for Florence and the Machine at Liverpool's O2 Arena - the three stylish, sassy and unconventionally beautiful sisters' set of drum circles and rock and roll had the audience right under their spell. I felt like they were an accidental discovery of mine until January, when they won the BBC's Sound of 2013 award, and it seems the whole world has fallen in love with their Fleetwood Mac-esque vibe, hilarious interviews and irreplicable style.



Haim, in the last couple of months, have become really special to me, because amongst other reasons the way they are personally remind me a lot of my relationship with my best friend and our sense of humour (we've also spent a lot of time dancing to "Forever" in my kitchen).

There are so many things I love about them - their honesty, their sass, the vibrancy of their live set and the fact that they dance so liberally and have so much fun without it being sexualised, maybe a first for a female pop act. I almost want to go as far as saying they're maybe the first successful girl band, in the sense that they don't appear to have been forced to do dance routines or lose weight or lose themselves. My expectations for their album, with the promise from four proceeding singles, were really high.

It opens with the ethereal, ambient,"Falling" followed by joyful, impossible-not-to-dance-to "Forever"."The Wire" is punchy, Haim's most recent hit single, which is just as witty and wise as the video to go with it - "Always keep your heart locked tight, don't let your mind retire".



"If I Could Change Your Mind" has an incredibly cool 90s vibe that reminds me slightly - dare I say it - of some of the more obscure S Club 7 album tracks (I was about six then, and a massive fan).

It's followed by "Don't Save Me"... . Title track "Days Are Gone" isn't restrained by its heavy production, and ventures into a gorgeous R&B style, followed by deeply grungy "My Song 5" - bass-heavy, dirty and loose and evoking layers and layers of texture, moans of "Honey, I'm not your honey-pie", and "Go Slow" showcases Danielle's powerful, airy vocals beautifully.

"Let Me Go", to me, is maybe the best track on the album - their resonant cries of "Let me go, you know I'm not one for leaving" make a catchy live favourite, recognisable to anyone who's seen them play at most of the UK festivals this summer, drum heavy, explosive and dark, with moody guitar solos. It captivates your attention so much that you're hanging on to the vividly visual lyrics of heart-breaker "Running If You Call My Name", which sound more than anything like it could have come right off a Stevie Nicks record.

But I feel obligated not to make too many comparisons. With a great burden of expectancies on their shoulders, Haim's debut could have easily been a disappointment, but I really believe it exceeds the ever-dangerous hype. It carries over everything that is special about them into a 45 minute record as best as it can - that unique sound of sisters singing in harmony, their love of dance and the raw energy of their on-stage performance. "Days Are Gone" is a perfect blend of singles you love already, some tracks that are a continuation of that style, and some complete melodic surprises. I'm definitely blown away by these ladies' highly anticipated debut release, and can't wait to catch them on tour.

Amber

Indie folk-rock quintet Amber met at the University of Nottingham, released their debut EP "Noah" in July this year, and have already been compared to the likes of The National and To Kill A King.



"NOAH" - Amber

"Noah" is their first single and the title track of the EP. For me, it brings in a lot of my favourite things about all of the best folk music to emerge in the last six years (of the dreaded "nu-folk" title). It has the religious references and organic roots of "Peaceful..." era Noah and the Whale, and the rousing choruses and long, joyous "haar's" of a good Mumford footstomper - at the same time, it's a little more heavily produced and there's even moments that remind me of Coldplay.

Looking a little further to find more of their stuff, I came across a cover of Imogen Heap's "Hide and Seek" on their Tumblr, which is one of my favourite songs in the world, and they certainly did it justice, showcasing Joshua Keogh's beautifully melancholic vocals, the addition of drums giving it a chunk of texture. The layered harmonies in the infamous "Whatcha say" bridge, however, don't differ hugely from Heap's original arrangement, and they echo around the earphones gorgeously.

Amber are currently unsigned, but there's undeniably going to be opportunities ahead which I hope they make the right decisions about, and, despite having made the fatal decision of choosing a band name that isn't Google-able, I definitely think there's exciting things ahead for these guys.

More of them here.

Bear's Den announce new EP "Without/Within"

Today Bear's Den, who are vastly becoming one of my favourite bands to emerge in 2013, announced the release of their third EP via a website statement- "Without/Within" is due for release via Communion Records on October 27th this year. They also unveiled a preview of its opening track, "Sahara".



"SAHARA" - Bear's Den

Those that have been to one of their gigs, or seen them play at numerous festivals over the summer will maybe recognise in the tracklisting "The Writing On The Wall" from their live set, and "Don't Let The Sun Steal You Away" was previously released with lead singer Andrew Davie's 2009 project Cherbourg.

"Sahara" I find much more powerful and raw than anything else they've ever released before. With a gorgeously minimal opening sliding down from the simplest of runs on keys, it swells into the most immense floods of instrumental break, with drums that go though you like heartbeats, soft and strong thumps of bass and lyrics that go between articulate and the simple yet brilliant "You said I could never be happy with anyone, but I found love".

If it's anything to go by, following the triumph of "Agape" this is more promising than anything they've done so far, and I'm definitely excited to see their incredible progress continue.

"We packed up all our troubles, in our beloved bubble"

"A STRANGE KIND OF MYSTERY IN THE AIR" - Pete Roe

In March last year, I ended up going to three Laura Marling shows within something stupid like five days, and her opener for that tour was Pete Roe, who you might remember also plays in her band. I remember how the first night I was happily surprised by a support act that I enjoyed and just politely nod along to with an air of impatience. The second night I found myself singing along, and by the third, I was a fully converted fan, knew each song and had bought some of the music.

The way that Pete Roe plays guitar, effortlessly plucks and slaps the strings to create so much dynamic, reminds me at times of Marling too, of Ben Howard and even Leonard Cohen. It's clear from watching him on stage that he's a comfortable showman and has a lot of charisma, he's an exceptional guitarist and his studio recordings incorporate strings gorgeously.

"A Strange Kind of Mystery in the Air" is the first single from Roe's newly released album, "Our Beloved Bubble", and is written about the various occurrences in a Bristol pub that he used to live above.

"Our Beloved Bubble", recorded in Nashville is 2012, is out now, and you can check out some of his upcoming tour dates here.

Recommendations: August 2013

"Home" - Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes
This was released back in 2009 but it was still the song of the summer for me this year, partly due to the fact that my French family (who are always a couple of years behind in popular culture which is sort of lovely) have been playing it frequently. It's just incredibly happy and full of love, and a song I know I'll be listening to for a long time.


Princess Century
I had the joy of watching Austra drummer Maya Postepski's UK solo debut this month in Manchester, and whilst I'm not normally massively into electro stuff her live show is beautiful, she incorporates film into her set really nicely, and new album "Lossless" is really special.

"The Wire" - Haim
Haven't stopped going on about these three sisters from LA for weeks, and their new single is just stellar - -dirty- moans of guitar in the introduction, the -slow/anticipation- rhythm of it all and a . The video is hilarious, smart and brilliantly showcases all of the sass and style of Alana, Danielle and Este.

"The Civil Wars" - The Civil Wars
The Civil Wars latest album is a very personal and open admission and venture into the turmoil between members John Paul White and Joy Williams (they recorded it at a time they were barely speaking to each other, think "Rumours"), and possibly in there is an explanation for the hiatus they've just taken because of "irreconcilable differences". But a lot of the songs actually seem to come from a place of joy and not hate, specifically "Eavesdrop" and "From This Valley", though I love every song on this record. I'm really hoping these two will make music together some day.

"Bonfire Heart" - James Blunt
I've said this before and I'll probably say it again (albeit always a little sheepishly), I genuinely think that James Blunt is really good - some of the better mawkish ballads in his discography are really nice, and there's definitely some great cheesy feel-good singles that are fun to sing along with when you've had about six glasses of wine (ahem) . His new single "Bonfire Heart" is tiny bit folky, definitely catchy and the video is one you'll call out for being tacky and secretly it warms your heart a little bit.

"Dancing in the Dark" (cover) - Eddie Berman and Laura Marling
Not much to say about this Springsteen cover except it's very simple, and very beautiful. I'm not sure what makes it so captivating - the -word about guitar pattern-, or how heartbreakingly vulnerable Marling's falsetto sounds singing the words "I wanna change my clothes, my hair, my face." 

Live from Jodrell Bank - The Transmissions - 30th August 2013

I’ve wanted to get to a gig at Jodrell Bank – a space station and observatory which is pretty close to where I live, ever since they began their series of one day festivals “The Transmissions” in 2011 – their stage has seen the likes of Elbow, the Flaming Lips and Lianne La Havas. When I heard Sigur Rós were playing I was sure they were the perfect band to play this perfect and slightly bizarre venue.

It was a really well-organised event, with a lively end-of-summer festival atmosphere despite occasional spells of rain and a bit of a different crowd than most festivals – there were a lot of families and it was in general a bit of a richer crowd, though people definitely weren’t cold or unresponsive. The observatory had set up a Science Arena in the adjoining field with demonstrations and stalls, and it was nice if not a little weird being able to escape the main area to eat a tray of potato skins and learn about H2O powered cars.

First up was Nik Colk Void, whose abrasive art-noise effects it is hard to believe are created by just the three members and their intricate electric guitar/bow work. Personally, I wasn't massively into it but could definitely see how what they're doing is clever (and the weird space sound effects along with the bizarre venue made the whole thing feel like being in an episode of Doctor Who for sure).

I'd heard a lot of both good and bad things about Daughter's live performance so was interested to go decide what I thought. Generally, they were sounding great: the project as a whole admittedly rides on Elena Tonra's gorgeous and ethereal vocals - their set had a few hiccups with obvious technical difficulties, and I do feel like whilst they’ve got a really lovely sound going on, they don't quite have the songs yet. Their hit single "Youth", however, definitely had the front rows singing along.

Poliça are from the States, and are at the top of their game, having just released their album “Shulamith” (named after feminist writer Shulamith Firestone) and having had Justin Vernon of Bon Iver call them “the best band I’ve ever heard”. I thought they were great – lead singer Shanny Leaneagh was brilliantly energetic and cool, and their electro synth-pop sound was in general really bright and refreshing.

With some very theatrical control room messages, it was announced that the Lovell Telescope - of 76 metres in diameter and focal length of 22.9m – would be turned around for Sigur Rós’ set. That moment was truly spectacular, the strange mixture of people making up the audience: the families, the kids smoking weed, the girls in flower crowns and middle class couples – staring up at the sky in union and with wonder, like children walking into Disneyland for the first time, and thegigantic radio telescope was revealed in its full frontal glory, to a soundtrack of audio from Jodrell Bank’s footage from the last fifty years, specially selected by the band.

Sigur Rós took to the stage, modestly and their set wasn’t overshadowed, nor disjointed with the spectacular light show that incorporated both the large screen above the stage and the majestic Lovell Telescope behind it. For it was the perfect backdrop for the world they were creating – it was at times the moon, the tide, a shadow moving through golden fields.

And their music compliments it perfectly, because neither imbalanced the other but was one entity. If you listen to Sigur Rós, you’ll probably know what I mean when I say that their music makes you feel like you’re having some kind of profound and epiphanous realisation about something – it captivates your mind, turns any moment into a movie, and the visuals they use in their show illustrate and add to that beautifully.

Lead singer Jónsi’s sings in gorgeous falsetto, his voice is one you can never mistake, it’s just pure as snow and beautifully clean and clear – and during the set he moves between playing guitar, and also flute.

I spent a lot of the latter half of their performance stood near the front, trying to find out quite what their set up is, and all I concluded was really the fleet of musicians that make up Sigur Rós changes throughout their set – at times there being about ten musicians on the stage, with horn and strings player coming on and off.

Highlights included “Hoppípolla”, their biggest hit – to which the crowd response was insanely joyous and warm, and a brilliant rendition of “Sæglópur” – the bass just gives me chills every time.

It was, actually, so nice to attend a show where people’s eyes aren’t utterly focused on the people on the stage– heads turned as lasers and spotlights threw gazes to the trees and the sky – although, sadly, it wasn’t a particularly clear night - and in a way I think it pushed the crowd to pay more attention to the music than actually looking at the band. Sigur Rós truly brought their world to Jodrell Bank, through a whirling technicolour journey of sound and visual, and the life in their set more than made up for the lack of stars.