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Nick

What? Dirty Projectors / Tune Yards. Dirty Projectors will be in town to play this Upset the Rhythm night. Dave Longstreth and band travel from Brooklyn to London in support of their new, critically acclaimed, album ‘Bitte Orca’. It’s their most accessible work yet and following publicity from collaborating with David Byrne on the Dark Was the Night compilation, expect this to be busy. For Fans Of: Grizzly Bear, Here We Go Magic, St Vincent.

Support comes from Merrillville DIY artist Tune Yards who is one nameless (on her myspace at least) female who records her tracks on a Sony digital voice recorder and in her own words sounds like “Your mom when she gets really mad but instead of whoopin’ yo’ ass she starts making crazy-ass beats with the pots and pans AND yo’ ass.” Or trippy, percussive numbers with a lilting female voice if you prefer!

When? Sunday, Sept 13th. Doors 7.30PM

Where? Scala, Kings Cross.

How Much? £12

Tickets? ticketweb

mp3: Dirty Projectors – Temecula Sunrise

mp3: Tune Yards – Sunlight

buy: Bitte Orca  CD/LP DL

Take a listen to this banjo led folk rock gem from Watamestede’s (Hertfordshire) Larsen B to brighten up your Monday. Probably the only band named after a disintegrated Arctic ice shelf they deserve your attention for this fact alone. For Fans Of: Sufjan Stevens, Micah P Hinson, Great Lake Swimmers.

mp3: Larsen B – Atlantis

I love getting into new bands, it can really turn a shit day around! My love affair has started with Brazos and another new band The Wooden Birds are in line to become affair number 2.  Also praise worthy is Miike Snow‘s track which is the soundtrack to that hilarious video I’ve posted.

Friday

‘Animal’ by Miike Snow is a gloriously upbeat bit of electro pop with some Police esque reggae tinged tones in there. Big lyrics, big synths and excellent production. A bit over the top but it works.

The band is three guys Andrew Wyatt, Christian Karlsson, and Pontus Winnberg. As you may guess from two of those last two names, there is Swedish pop genius at work here. The other is American by the way. Karlsson and Winnberg also work as production duo Bloodshy & Avant who have written and produced for Britney Spears, Kylie and Madonna and earned a Grammy for Spears’ ‘Toxic’ no less.

Wyatt has just shared production duties with Mark Ronson on Daniel Merriwaether’s album.
Also check out the ridiculous and slightly gross cut of the track to the 80s show Manimal which looks so funny!

For Fans Of: The Police, Starfucker, Little Boots.

Saturday

Brazos is a 3-piece from Austin, Texas home to SXSW festival and one of the most vibrant music scenes on the planet. A place that seems to spawn more than its fair share of the best bands around including Trail Of Dead, Explosions In The Sky, Vega, Harlem, etc. Brazos it would seem are more than worthy of joining that list. Band leader and songwriter Martin Crane has a beautiful high voice, like an understated Jim James perhaps. Apparently NOT named after the River Brazos which flows through Texas all the way to the Gulf Of Mexico and NOT named after the street in Austin which IS named after the river and NOT the band!

‘Day Glow’ is an irresistible track with strings; maracas and a gorgeous piano line passing through it like a pulse. Crane’s lyrics are great too, lines like “I’ve got many people to thank but I can’t write letters’ and  ‘We sit on the wall of the old graveyard…watch foxes play and drink wine, the kind of wine that you don’t mind spilling’ fit the music perfectly and take the listener into his world wherever it may be and wherever its name comes from.

For Fans Of: Jim James, Grizzly Bear, Animal Collective.

Sunday

It’s by pure coincidence that The Wooden Birds are also from Austin Texas. Previous point made I guess! The track I’ve chosen, ‘Sugar’, is quite simply excellent. If it doesn’t get inside your head then well it isn’t much of a head. You may recognise the voice as that of Andrew Kenny of American Analog Set. According to their MySpace the lineup also includes: ‘Ola Podrida songwriter and David Gordon Green film score composer, David Wingo, along with co-producer, Chris Michaels, and vocalist, guitarist, and AmAnSet guest artist, Leslie Sisson. Sean Haskins (drums) and Jody Suarez (percussion) round out the live line-up.’

I can’t stop playing ‘Sugar’. I’m looking forward to getting my hands on their debut album Magnolia before I kill this track.

For Fans Of: American Analog Set, Neil Young, Vetiver, Great Lake Swimmers.

buy: Magnolia   CD / iTunes

mp3: Miike Snow – Animal

mp3: Brazos – Day Glow

mp3: The Wooden Birds – Sugar

What? Chess Club presents Local Natives, one of the hits of SXSW this year, featured in Just For Kicks recently, I can’t get enough of their sunny harmonies and off kilter pop melodies. Live they feature tribal drumming and apparently those voices are killer. For Fans Of: Fleet Foxes, The Shins, Vampire Weekend.

When? Thursday, July 16th.

Where? The Borderline, Soho.

How Much? £7

Tickets? ticketweb

mp3: Local Natives – Airplanes

What? Be presents a great line up including special guests The Chap, Music Mule tips Ark People and Munk (DJ) as well as resident and host John Power (DJ).

The Chap, the already legendary pan- European, London-based, modern pop group, have become known and loved for their inimitable pop – improv- disco – rock – with – strings sound, captured in some crunchy, truly “out there” home production and a furiously rocking live show, complete with dance routines and scary faces, that literally ooze emotion.

Ark People play awesome dark, orchestral pop with front man Marcus’ grand vocals always demanding your attention. They’re a London/Leeds six piece led by twin brothers Marcus (vocals) and Miles (guitar) Haughton. A more interesting version of White Lies for me. For Fans Of: Joy Division, Arcade Fire, White Lies.

Munk a.k.a MATHIAS MODICA is one of the two owners of the GOMMA LABEL from Germany. Gomma is responsible for releasing some choice tracks from the likes of Headman and whomadewho, as well as from the Munk himself – Mathias has just dropped his second album Cloudbuster, which takes his instantly recognisable fusion of house, twisted disco and Krautrock to the next level.

When? Saturday, June 13th. 7.30pm – 2.30am

Where? Proud Gallery, Camden.

How Much? £10

Tickets? On The Door – for guestlist info email info@be-at.co.uk or check Facebook event.

mp3: Ark People – All Eyes On Anthony

What? Bill Callahan a.k.a. the legendary alt.folk singer songwriter behind Smog has almost sold out one night at Union Chapel so he adds this second date the following day. Another chance to see a special performer in a special venue. For Fans Of: Smog, Horse Feathers, Bonnie Prince Billy.

When? Thursday, Aug 2oth.

Where? Union Chapel, Angel.

How Much? £16.50

Tickets? ticketweb / seetickets

mp3: Smog – Cold Blooded Old Times

What? Grouper is Liz Harris of Portland, Oregon. She writes minimal folk tunes and delivers them with a sweet yet haunting vocal style. She had one of my albums of 2008, ‘Dragging a Dead Deer Up A Hill’. For Fans Of: Bon Iver, Vashti Bunyan, Natural Snow Buildings.

Support comes from another Oregon band, experimental 3-piece, Thank You.

When? Thursday, Nov 5th.

Where? The Luminaire, Kilburn.

How Much? £7

Tickets? wegottickets

mp3: Grouper – Heavy Water/I’d Rather Be Sleeping

What? Miles Of Smiles present Grouper, Fennesz and Natural Snow Buildings for what promises to be a wonderful evening of experimental alt.folk at one of the best venues in London.

Christian Fennesz of Vienna tops the bill. He has supported and performed with Mike Patton of Faith No More, Sparklehorse and has remixed Nine Inch Nails. Performing with a laptop and guitar Fennesz creates dense atmospheric soundscapes permeated by melodies. His music is experimental and some say ground-breaking. It may not be the most accessible though. For Fans Of: Biosphere.

Grouper is Liz Harris of Portland Oregon and is the pick of the bill for me. Her 2008 album ‘Dragging a Dead Deer Up A Hill’ was a haunting folk masterpiece, a bit more ambient than Bon Iver’s milestone album that same year but in parts every bit as moving. Sparse, strummed strings and a truly bewitching female vocal lead.For Fans Of: Bon Iver, CocoRosie, Bat For Lashes.

Natural Snow Buildings is a duo from France, consisting of artists Mehdi Ameziane and Solange Gularte. They play music which can be classified as experimental psychedelic folk with drone elements and ambient influences. For Fans Of: Pocahaunted, Grouper, Vashti Bunyan.

When? Tuesday, Nov 3rd.

Where? St Giles In The Fields, Central London.

How Much? £13.50

Tickets? wegottickets

mp3: Grouper – Invisible

mp3: Natural Snow Buildings – Spears Of The Wolf

Brighton based record label Willkommen Records bring us some of the finest folk acts in the land this Friday at the idyllic Union Chapel in Angel. The full lineup now including The Miserable Rich and running times have just been announced and tickets are still available.

Lineup:

7.00 – 7.20 – BALCONY: ROWAN COUPLAND

7.35 – 8.00 – CHAPEL: SHORELINE

8.20 – 9.00 – CHAPEL: Sweet Billy Pilgrim

9.20 – 9.50 – CHAPEL: SONS OF NOEL AND ADRIAN

10.00 – 10.30 – CHAPEL: THE LEISURE SOCIETY

11.00 – 11.30 – BAR: THE MISERABLE RICH

12.00 – 12.30 – BAR: LAISH QUARTET

For tickets and more see my original post.

mp3: The Miserable Rich – Boat Song