The Dead Trees - World Gone Global

Being a bit of a tree hugger type, I have to say I was almost put off by the band's name.  Luckily I decided to find out more and their latest album, Whatwave, is a really good listen.

World Gone Global http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pW9EKKwOWJw
is a great example of what you can find on there.  Another interesting fact is that is was entirely funded by donations to a fund-raising website ($17,000 of donations in fact).

The band formed in 2006.   They have moved around a bit having started off in Boston before relocating to Portland and are currently based in Los Angeles, .  If you like the Strokes (and they have supported Albert Hammond Jr on tour recently) you will like this band.

OK Go - All Is Not Lost

OK Go - ah yes, I've seen these guys before.  They have a habit of creating viral music videos (I remember the dog one from last year).  Gimmicky, yes,  but usually they are worth a listen.  This is no exception.  All Is Not Lost is a great little pop song and the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ur-y7oOto14
sees them dressed in green leotards (good job they are slim!) writhing around to create kaleidoscopic patterns, shapes and words.  Very clever.  There is even an interactive version available via the single's website where you can choreograph the message yourself (although I haven't tried it, some of you may find it fun).  The song is from the Chicago band's third studio album, 'Of The Blue Colour Of The Sky'.

http://www.okgo.net/
http://www.allisnotlo.st

Yellowire - Starlife

Yellowire is Ol Beach, whose dad, Jim Beach, has been Queen's manager since 1978.  Currently tipped as one to watch, his album, Machines on Fire, will be released on 15th August.

There are a few songs from the album out there already.  One, Where Is The Summer, is a question I've been asking for some time now. 

I think this guy is definitely worth watching,  although I'm not sure whether this Coldplay crossed with Moby song will take the world by storm.  There isn't much real information out there about him either (much on the website seems to waffle on about a mysterious masseur!) but the video for Starlife looks good.  http://vimeo.com/yellowire/yellowire-starlife-video It was directed by Marcus Lyall and conceptualised by graphic artist Jimmy Turrell.  Despite appearances, it wasn't created with special effects. Instead over 60,000 individual frames were involved using a number of screen printing techniques. Each frame was then photographed and put together into video format.  (Well, believe me it's certainly more interesting than the masseuse story!)


http://www.yellowwire.co.uk/

Scott Matthew - Sinking

Scott Matthew's new album, Gallantry's Favourite Son, was released in June of this year.  It is a beautiful, almost fey collection of songs from this Australian songsmith.  And how lovely to see the ukelele used so often in his music.

Sinking http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13eOVQjG0mo
of which this is a live version to show the man's talent off to best effect, is a good example of what can be found on this new album.  Still introspective and quiet as on his previous collections, you really have to have loved everything this man has done before as you won't find anything drastically different here.  But you know, that is fine by me.  Scott Matthew is good at what he does and sticks with it. 

Not to be confused with Scott Matthews, the UK singer-songwriter (so be careful about any extra lower case 's' when typing on Google or YouTube), Matthew has been described as having a melancholic, warm, sulty, adrogynous, David Bowie type of vocal.  His sound has also been likened to Anthony and the Johnsons.

http://www.scottmatthewmusic.com/

Danny and the Champions of the World - You Don't Know (My Heart Is in The Right Place)

I've been waiting for the release of this album for a couple of months now.  The release date appeared to shift forward a little every time I looked and then I completely forgot for a while and before I knew it, I find it has been released for a week and I'd missed it!

Anyway, the new album by Danny &The Champions Of The World is called Hearts & Arrows.  The track, You Don't Know (My Heart Is In The Right Place) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOBqnlqivcQ&feature=player_embedded
can be watched here.  (Phew! Long band title AND long song title!)  On first listening, this album reminds me more than a little of a Bruce Springsteen but without the constipated vocals.  I don't suppose I should be surprised to read then that the band contributed a track to a Springsteen tribute EP released for Record Store Day.  I have to admit to being a little disappointed on first listening to Hearts & Arrows.  I've just listened again to early D&TCOTW tracks from their self-titled first album and also Streets of Our Time, and I feel they sounded better then.  More original and honest.   But maybe I'm being a little unfair.  I've only listened to Hearts & Arrows once so far so maybe it will grow on me.  Time will tell.   Do check out their first albums too though (tracks on MySpace).

For those of you who are new to this London band, they were formed after Grand Drive (a band formed by brothers Danny and Julian Wilson) called it a day.  After an impromptu session at a farm in the grounds of the Truck Festival, Danny Wilson formed Danny and the Champions of the World and went on to gain critical acclaim with their music and albums and have since toured with The Magic Numbers and The Drive By Truckers.

http://www.dannyandthechamps.com/

Welcome to Music Truffler!

Hello and welcome to Music Truffler.  This blog was conceived by myself around a year ago but was only actually created last week.  All the posts up to this point are a selection of new music (and sometimes not so new stuff) that I've found over the last year.  There were far too many to put them all on.  But from this point on, I hope to be able to list everything I find.  There are so many good bands and artists around that I can easily forget about some of them once a certain time has lapsed, so here is my personal musical memory bank and if anyone is interested in them too, then great.

Feel free to add sensible comments, let me know your views and also please point me in the direction of any great new stuff I may have missed.  I am always on the lookout for emerging talent - signed or unsigned.

Minus The Bear - Hold Me Down

Minus The Bear released the single Into The Mirror in late 2009.  It was ok but it didn't blow me away.  This latest offering, Hold Me Down http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQiDpZJoQvE
is much better and it is available on a free ep via their website.

Founded in 2001, Minus The Bear are a Seattle based indie rock band.  And if you are wondering where the name came from..  The name "Minus the Bear" comes from an in joke among the band members, referring to the 70's television programme, BJ and the Bear. "A friend of the band had gone on a date,” explains singer-guitarist Jake Snider, "and one of us asked him afterwards how the date went. Our friend said, 'You know that TV show from the '70s B.J. and The Bear? It was like that... minus The Bear.' That’s the straight truth." (from Wikipedia)


http://minusthebear.com

Mona - Listen To Your Love

 Mona are a band from Nashville who rose to fame after they appeared in the BBC's Sound of 2011 poll which was revealed on 5th December 2010.  They performed on Later with Joolz Holland in November of that year where they performed Listen To Your Love, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YVY3JYgWH
Teenager and Lines in the Sand.  They also made the longlist for the MTV Awards Brand New for 2011.  In February it was announced that they had won.

The self-titled album Mona was released in the UK  on16 May on Island Records and will be released in the US in September.


http://www.monatheband.com/

Vintage Trouble - Blues Hand Me Down

Vintage Trouble first came to my attention via the Bomb Shelter Sessions and also some YouTube footage of the band performing Blues Hand Me Down on Later by Joolz Holland.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsw4ipHcMvY
(having missed that episode as I was away on holiday).  Luckily I was tipped off and I was impressed - who couldn't be?  Ty Taylor is a charismatic front man who demands your attention both aurally and visually.

A Los Angeles band, Vintage Trouble combine a love of original soul and rhythm and blues.  They have been in demand both as a headlining band in their own right and also as a support.  This year they have supported Brian May and Bon Jovi.  Their reputation as a live act is growing steadily and with influences such as Otis Redding, Sam and Dave, The Rolling Stones, Ray Charles and The Black Keys evident through their music, its only a matter of time before this band become huge.

http://www.vintagetrouble.com/

Pete Yorn - Sans Fear

Pete Yorn started off as a drummer but following an impromptu performance of one of his songs for an A&R man at Columbia records he secured himself a record deal.

In 2000 he moved to Los Angeles where he began writing tv and film music, most notably for the film Me, Myself and Irene staring Jim Carrey.  In 2001 he released the highly acclaimed Musicforthemorningafter and has gone from strength to strength collaborating with people such as Peter Buck and Dave Grohl.  He also recorded the album Break Up with Scarlett Johansson in 2009.

His latest album, simply entitled Pete Yorn,  contains more excellent music from this prolific and talented songwriter and musician.  You can find Sans Fear here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KajeJ6fnQ88  Look out for a cameo from Daryl Hannah.


http://www.peteyorn.com/

Youngblood Hawke - Rootless

Los Angeles band Youngblood Hawke's ep is available to buy now and this particular track, Rootless, is available as a free download.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iuZiNg9K9w
It's great fun and lightweight in a good way.  These guys don't take themselves too seriously and lets face it, there are plenty of earnest young bands around there at the moment if we are in the mood for that kind of stuff.

Taking their name from the Herman Wouk novel, Youngblood Hawke are in fact Sam Martin and Simon Katz who, apparently exhausted after two years of touring with Iglu and Hartly, decided to form a creative outlet where they could write and perform music for the enjoyment of friends and family without commercial pressures.  They were later joined by 3 more friends, Tasso Smith, Alice Katz and Nik Hughes.

On their Facebook page it says "Youngblood Hawke captures the sound of 5 friends in mid-journey. It is the snapshot of a state of mind where one mountain has been climbed and there are more in the distance. But for right now, the view is beautiful."  Fair enough.


http://youngbloodhawke.bandcamp.com/

G-Love - Fixin' To Die

G-Love (Gareth Dutton) is the front man for G-Love and Special Sauce, a three piece from Philadelphia.  This latest album, Fixin' To Die, of which the title track can be heard here,  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCPH3dPQkIc came about because of G-Love sharing the stage with the Avett Bothers.  They discovered they had a shared musical heritage and decided to make an album together, a selection of rearranged traditional songs, a classic cover and some G-Love originals.  So, the blurb on his MySpace page reveals, you will find on here not the hop hop blues, a genre he helped define, but a more honest collection of songs which capture the original spirit and sound he'd been looking for.  "This is the most inspired I’ve ever felt making a record - let’s just put it that way. I’m still buzzing about it.”

I discovered when I dropped this track into my iTunes library I had 2 other versions of this song,  one by Bukka White - the original, and one by Robert Plant.  All of them different and all enjoyable.  But has G-Love made a less commercial effort with this, as he claims?  I'm not sure that is strictly true.  It shouldn't detract from the fact that this is a good version, though it still sounds fairly mainstream to me.

Hyde & Beast - (And The) Pictures In The Sky

Hyde & Beast are The Futureheads' drummer Dave Hyde and Neil Basset (not Beast) who is ex-Golden Virgins drummer.  Apparently the two drummers met and began working together, recording the album at Neil's studio at the rate of one track a day.  They produced, recorded and mixed it all themselves.

The album, entitled Slow Down, will be released on 15th August.  In the meantime you can see what they do here as this is the video for the track (And The) Pictures In The Sky.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DM2vCE-2hAo 

This song has a lovely T-Rex type vibe to it.  What do you think?  That's probably why I love it, anyway.

http://www.hydeandbeast.co.uk/

Blitzen Trapper - American Goldwing

 Blitzen Trapper are a new band to me even though they have apparently released 6 albums and have been around since 2000.  Amazing how bands sometimes just pass you by unnoticed.

They come from Portland, Oregon and are an alternative country band signed to Sub-Pop.  Having just had a quick listen to earlier stuff on Spotify and reading up on their background etc, I think I can guarantee that I will be listening to more of their stuff as its very much grown up music (as opposed to AOL) made by not so grown up men.  Perfect!

American Goldwing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgOgvfLZ4N0 is the title track to their new album.  Long-term fans seem to agree that it's not their best but as this is new to me, I am pretty taken with it.  This track in particular reminds me of The Band.  Think I need to delve more into their back catalogue and find out what I've missed.

http://www.blitzentrapper.net/

The Tym Scopes Band - Smiles

 I was sent a copy of the Tym Scopes Band debut single, Smiles, a good few months ago. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQC44YaHwkA I found it ok on the first listening but admittedly, it was a grower and after a while I decided I was interested enough to go and discover more about them.

The problem is there doesn't seem to be anything more out there.  Not much anyway.  44 seconds of a little tinkering (their words) and Morning Song Kokomo medley are the only songs other than Smiles on their MySpace page.   Smiles appears to be the only true song.

So what I can I tell you about them?  Well according to their press release Tym was discovered in 2008 by Nine Iron Management and was encouraged to put a band together.  South London label Blue Sun Records then approached them and asked them to do a test of sessions at some of London's top recording studios.  They recorded a batch of songs (where are they?) and played a series of exclusive private gigs which went down very well. 

Musically they are very good.  They play raw blues infused rock and we are told the crowds were hanging on to every note.  We are told they are now nestled in the studio fine tuning their album and plan to release a handful of singles free online to give their fans an insight into what they are doing.  Smiles was the first of these.  This was released in the early spring though and nothing further appears to be happening.  The Facebook page has had no further updates since May and there is nothing new on MySpace.

If anyone knows what The Tym Scopes Band are doing, please let me know!

The Lottery Winners - Lovers Lane

In 2010, Leigh band The Lottery Winners won the national competition Live and Unsigned, beating over 10,000 hopefuls in love auditions and live heats across the country to take away the title.

Since then they have gained in popularity and have (not surprisingly bearing in mind the above) a reputation as a fantastic live act.

Their album The Art of Communication is out now and a single from it, Lovers Lane, released earlier this year can be heard here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kfv2FLnEKWc

Morning Parade - A&E

Morning Parade are a five piece from Harlow in Essex.  They have been together as a band since 2007.  Earlier this year I received a free download by the band called Your Majesty and was interested enough to listen further and found the single A&E.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBzMIYNtA4M

I did have the original video for this song and posted it when it was released on my Facebook page, but it has since been removed from YouTube.  Having said that, it is there attached to a remix of the song but the original mix is the superior version so I've posted this instead.   You can see the video and the remix on YouTube yourself if you are interested.

I have to say, although I love this track, a few of their songs sound a bit 'samey' and I will be interested to see what emerges with the release of their debut album.  Someone has said they sound a bit like The Stereophonics remixed by Faithless.  That just about sums them up here I think.


http://www.morningparade.com/

Fixers - Iron Deer Dream

The sun is shining at last (it's only July you know!) and we need some sun-shiny music to go with it.  This track fits the bill perfectly, like an up to date psychedelic indie Beach Boys.

Fixers are an Oxford five piece and their ep, Here Comes 2001 So Let's All Head For The Sun, released earlier this year hinted at a glorious long hot summer filled with parties, festivals, dancing, wall to wall sunshine... shame it didn't happen.  Nonetheless it spent a lot playing time on my iPod in the car... great stuff.  Iron Deer Dream can be heard here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ne7OwAjZ6w

October Sky - Hell Isn't My Home

Hmmm, don't know much about this band apart from what their press release tells me which is filled with the usual nonsense (accessible without being too sugary, talented without the ego and capable of some fantastic riffs, incendiary hard rock with stunning melodies, blah blah blah).

What I can tell you is that they sound a bit like Muse (although aforementioned press release suggests The Killers and Coldplay... nah, can't hear them in there) but I don't really want to waste time on here comparing them with other bands.

Its an ok song - interesting and not without promise.  Apparently they are becoming a bit of a household name in their native Canada.  Time will tell whether they can do the same over here.  Their album, Hell Isn't My Home, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiuLil08sfI of which this is the title track is available now.

Mirrors - Ways To An End

Mirrors are a Brighton band who specialise in 80s retro.  I can hear you yawning already but wait...

This stuff is great fun.  I bought the album after hearing just one track (Into The Heart) and think these guys, who weren't even born when this type of stuff was originally being played, have got it exactly right.

They have clearly done their homework.  The video for Ways To An End http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOBRcG-Dhtg
shows the guys performing along the lines of a slightly more animated Kraftwerk.  There is more than a little OMD and Depeche Mode in there along with a sprinkle of Talk Talk and rounded off with Blancmange as dessert.  And all on analogue synths (good boys!)

Toy Horses - Interrupt

Welsh band Toy Horses are the favourite indie band of Stephen Fry.  Honestly!  Look it up.  Which come to think of it, could either be a blessing or a curse.  Anyway, I love this little song called Interrupt http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rj-fVPcdako
and it was a huge disappointment to me that it didn't appear to catch hold of the nation in the way it should have done.  It's great pop in the same way that The Feeling produce great pop.  Everything works well together from the opening strings, through the gentle verse that starts quietly then builds slowly, ending at a gem of a chorus that is so catchy that you will be singing it all day after just one listening.

Toy Horses are that rarest of things - a father and son band (step father to be precise), Tom Williams and Adam Franklin.  “We’re just like mates, we’re not like father and son. We have forged a bond that has transcended the generation gap through a love of music," says Tom (the dad).  “Our shared crossover point is The Beatles, however while Adam will veer more towards The Libertines I head in the direction of ELO and Madness.”  (Any fan of ELO is fine by me... as long as it's early ELO that is.)  Tom incidentally also works with Adam in their daytime job – running an electronic accessories
business.

In one of those lucky breaks most of us can only dream about, Ken Coomer, former drummer with Wilco, discovered Toy Horses' MySpace site, liked what he heard and emailed the band, inviting them to write songs with him in America.  So of course they went, and ended up playing with some great session musicians such as Tim Marks and Jim Bogois in two of Nashville's legendary recording studios.

The resulting album, also called Toy Horses, is out now.

The Hundred Days - Sex U

The picture to the left looks fairly innocent.  The video from which this comes, Sex U, is slightly more dodgy.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1Iqm_qoVE4
See what I mean?  The 1980s movie, Mannequin, starring Andrew McCarthy and Kim Cattrall it is not.

I prefer to simply listen to this band.  Almost put off by the track's title (Sex U sounds like something by Colour Me Badd!) the song is ok.  It's not going to change the world but is a good indie pop/rock song and a quick listen to more of their songs on MySpace suggest it isn't even their best.  But it is the single, has a catchy chorus and as such is being touted around and picked up by radio stations.  I will be interested to see how they progress. 

The Hundred Days by the way are from California and should not be confused with Hundred Days, a band from the south of England.

http://www.thehundreddays.com/

The Zombies - Show Me The Way

Ah well The Zombies... where should I start?  They may not be what could be described as spring chickens any more but they do know how to put on an excellent show and they can still write, play and sing terrific music - be that new stuff or renditions of their most wonderful back catalogue.  I have seen them several times over the past years or so and have never been disappointed.  Colin Blunstone (the gorgeous young man of Ennismore and One Year etc) is now 66 but the voice remains the same.  As does Rod Argent's on what I consider to be the best track on a fine album, Show Me The Way.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydZQT_wSMMg

The album is called Breathe Out, Breathe in.  Yes there are a couple of weaker tracks on there (I am being harsh simply because they are such a great band) but actually you can just put it on your ipod, turntable or cd player, press play and listen to all of it without any rush to skip tracks.  The Zombies still sound as good as ever, both Colin's voice and Rod's keyboard playing instantly recognisable, and it can be fun to play "guess the influence" as you can hear hints of other bands' songs throughout although nothing that smacks completely of plagiarism I'm pleased to add.

But for a really great night out, go and see these guys play live.  They will not disappoint.  I already have my tickets booked for October in Wrexham. 

http://thezombies.net/

Frank Turner - Peggy Sang The Blues

Frank Turner has become a familiar face at festivals and gigs around the UK.  He is a hardworking folk/punk artist who has a steadily increasing following of passionate fans who hang on to his every word.  Over the last year or so, America and Canada have also discovered him and his latest album, England Keep My Bones, is no disappointment.

A British artist, he does feel quintessentially English.  Songs such as Wessex Boy and English Curse, not to mention the album title itself hint as much (coming as it does from Shakespeare's The Life and Death of King John).  But Turner has revealed that one of the major themes of the album is English identity, which is useful because most of us either don't know what it is any more or are a little ashamed of it (unfairly).  "I quite self-consciously wanted to make music that sounds English."  Turner is quoted as saying.  I think he's succeeded.

The first single, Peggy Sang The Blues http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84Ns6ouwO1g
was released on 25th April 2011.

http://www.frank-turner.com/

Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi featuring Jack White - Two Against One

Danger Mouse is producer, songwriter and musician Brian Burton.  Born in New York he is probably best known for his work with the Gorillaz, Beck and Sparklehorse.  He also formed Gnarls Barkley with Cee Lo Green.  This latest offering, Rome, sees Burton  collaborating with Italian composer Daniele Luppi.  It is not the first time they have worked together but this time the album has the feel of a spaghetti western soundtrack - no coincidence because not only did they use the former studios of Ennio Morricone, but intriguingly they were able to reunite the original musicians who played on Once Upon A Time in the West and The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.   Consisting of both instrumental and vocal tracks, it is best listened to as a whole. The two guest vocalists, Jack White and Norah Jones, contribute their own individual style to some of the tracks. Jack White's Two Against One is particularly fine.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UibsjY5K-c

http://romealbum.com/

Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings - I Learned The Hard Way

Is it polite or relevant to mention a female singer's age here?  Well I think it is because it's refreshing to know that Sharon Jones is a 55 year old who sounds as vibrant and vital as anyone half her age, if not more so.  Along with the Dap Kings, she is currently catching on with radio stations and concert-goers worldwide.  And if you didn't know, you would really believe this band had been performing at sell-out venues since 1968.

The band began life 10 years ago and are now on their 4th studio album, of which I Learned The Hard Way is the title track  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKZdzxX3qFc
The previous albums are Dap Dippin (2002), Naturally (2005) and 100 Days, 100 Nights (2007) and are released by the independent Daptone Records (where The Dap Kings are the house band), in Brooklyn, New York. Although their names may be unfamiliar, The Dap Kings have been utilised extensively but largely unheralded by Mark Ronson on Amy Winehouse's Black to Black, Al Green's Lay It Down and also for the soundtrack to the film American Gangster.   Sharon has performed in the studio and onstage with the likes of David Byrne, They Might Be Giants, Rufus Wainwright and Lou Reed.  So they have been around a bit and we will have been listening to them unawares for some time.

They are leading the current revivalist movement that sets out to capture the spirit and sound of funk/soul music as it was during the mid-1960s to mid-1970s. This is achieved by rejecting modern digital recording methods in favour of traditional analogue recording equipment. Also the musical instruments used are limited to those that would have been available up until the mid-'70s.   And the music is all the better for it, I say.

http://www.sharonjonesandthedapkings.com/

The Bees - Go Where You Wanna Go

In 1965 The Mamas and the Papas released their debut single, Go Where You Wanna Go.  Surprisingly it failed to have any impact and it wasn't until the release of California Dreamin'  later that year that their rise to stardom began as it reached number 4 in the US and number 23 in the UK.

I heard this version of the song by Isle of Wight band The Bees on Mark Radcliffe's Music Club a few weeks ago and enjoyed it.  It hinted at a long hot summer (which at the time of writing, has yet to arrive) and that's always a good thing.  A week or so later I went to see Fleet Foxes play the Manchester Apollo and was pleased to see The Bees were special guests... unfortunately they didn't play this.  But they were pretty good nonetheless.

The video for Go Where You Wanna Go http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RX_b4LFY08 was shot by a friend of the band with a vintage format camera attached to a digital camera achieving this wonderfully retro super 8 type feel.  For an alternative more cuddly feel check out the Travelodge ad version. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnXuuTHHDvA

More on The Bees own music at a later date.  Meanwhile check out http://wearethebees.tumblr.com/

John Grant - I Wanna Go To Marz

John Grant - what can I say except I love this guy!  You must remember those rare moments when you hear a song and you just have to listen to more and more by that person/band and every track takes your breath away.  I might never have heard John Grant at all were it not for something that came up in one of the music sites I subscribe to.  A little breaking news story popped up which stated that via Facebook John Grant had said
“Just two minutes ago, at quarter to midnight I’m being told that my tour of the U.S. has been cancelled and I am in shock. But it’s true, this is not a joke. Apparently there were no pre-sales to speak of and so they’ve decided to make this decision the night before I leave.
“Don’t ask me any questions right now, I’m pissed off and need to find out more about wtf is going on.” 

Intrigued I wondered what this guy was like and why a tour would be cancelled at short notice like that.  Maybe he was just terrible.  Well, being the curious person that I am, I had to know so I had a listen and I have to be honest, my jaw hit the floor.  Never, since hearing the first Fleet Foxes album, have I fallen so head over heels in love so completely, so immediately with a musician/band and their music.  I began texting everyone I knew.  Had they heard him?  Some had heard of him but no one had heard him.  I had already downloaded Queen of Denmark (the album from 2010) and spent much of the day obsessing about this guy's music and joining in the with the masses of (mostly European) music lovers begging him to forget the US and to come and tour over here because we understood his music and appreciated him much more than America ever could.

I'm still not sure what appeals to me most about Grant's music.  There is certainly a singer-songwriter style to a lot of it and everyone who knows me knows I am a sucker for that.  1970s yes, but as a BBC piece on Queen of Denmark's release rightly points out, there are more similarities to Clifford T Ward, Neil Sedaka, Gilbert O'Sullivan and Jackson Browne than with Elton John and Leonard Cohen (and just for the record, I can definitely hear Harry Nilsson in there too).  The melodies twist and turn so beautifully and unexpectedly but then the lyrics... oh boy, the lyrics.  I had to warn some people about the swearing and the use of certain unmentionable words.  But they work so well together to shock, seduce and worm their way into your brain (as I found out when I had to check myself singing the chorus to Chicken Bones!)  He has also been likened to Rufus Wainwright, but without the whiny vocals that I find so difficult to listen to.  Grant's rich baritone is much more easy on the ear.

And then I watched the video for I Wanna Go To Marz http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzWQSabtWLs
I found it disturbing, moving, powerful, funny.  All the emotions experienced when listening to the album in fact. 

John Grant has the band Midlake as his backing musicians here.  I had heard Midlake's album last year and to be honest, they never quite did it for me.  But here they shine.  Interestingly, John may also be remembered for being one third of the band The Czars and when they disbanded it was Midlake who persuaded Grant to tour with them and make a solo album at their Denton studio.  This was the result.  Thank you Midlake.

A nice postscript to the above is that Grant has been nominated for three MOJO Awards this month. He is is up for Best Album (for ‘Queen Of Denmark’), Best Live Act and MOJO Song Of The Year for “I Wanna Go To Marz”.   He will be performing at an exclusive MOJO Honours List show at the 100 Club in London on 19th July.

Treetop Flyers - Things Will Change EP

Treetop Flyer is the name of a track by the great Stephen Stills, ok?  Or it was.  Well, it still is, but then in spring of this year I heard a track called Long Cold Winter by a band called Treetop Flyers.  It had been released as a free download in advance of their forthcoming EP release, Things Will Change.  The more I played it, the more I loved it and the more Treetop Flyers music I wanted.

No overnight success, Treetop Flyers (who of course take their name from Stills's track) are an English/American band who have been playing pubs around West London for a few years.  They won the Emerging Talent Competition this year which gained them a main stage place at Glastonbury.  In fact this summer as a whole has been wonderful for them.  They have toured extensively, have played alongside The Eagles and Bob Dylan amongst others and have had sessions on 6Music, in fact radio stations all over appear to love them.  I was especially pleased to learn that this EP would be released in limited edition 10" vinyl and was overjoyed to receive my signed copy in May, despite already having 3 of the 4 tracks in mp3 format.  You can hear an acoustic version of Things Will Change here which gives you some idea of how good these guys are.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUcqDAB-zCk

Comparisons with other bands abound, especially Fleet Foxes.  I adore Fleet Foxes.  Treetop Flyers are NOT Fleet Foxes.  They have beards, they sing in harmony but that's where the similarity ends.  They have their own unique sound and are all the better for that.  Other bands be warned - there is only one Fleet Foxes so don't even try.  You will never come close.

As you have probably realised I am a little late starting this blog and have a lot of tracks to catch up with. At the time of writing this piece we are being teased by the news that Treetop Flyers will be releasing another EP in September (title not available at time of writing) so I hope to write more about them when it is released.  Fear not.  I get the feeling these guys will be around for a while.

http://treetopflyers.co.uk/

Michael Kiwanuka - Tell Me A Tale EP

Michael Kiwanuka first came to my attention as a viral ad at the beginning of some YouTube videos I was browsing.  Hmmmm, he's good, I mused before forgetting about him.  To be fair it was only a brief snippet and it was to be a couple of weeks  before I came across him again and this time I heard enough to want to know more.

Michael is the latest signing to Communion Records (one of my favourite labels, as they are also the home to Treetop Flyers amongst others).  This guy has one of the true soul voices - think Terry Callier, Al Green or Bill Withers - which belies his age.  At just 23 Michael is the son of Ugandan immigrants and he grew up in London dreaming of becoming a footballer.  As a teenager he struggled to find his cultural identity (listening to everyone from Radiohead to Nirvana, Blur, Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix) and he set out to be a session musician who wrote the odd song for other people (for a time he worked for Tinie Tempah's producer Labrinth).  It was when he discovered a rare track by Otis Redding on a CD that came free with a magazine that decided to make a go for fame on his own terms. 

His current EP, Tell Me A Tale, which was released in June, was produced by Paul Butler of The Bees (more of them later) who took Michael to the Isle of Wight to record his songs in their studio.  I've already mentioned the soulful sound but there are also some jazz touches on there - Michael admits to being a huge jazz fan.  The songs are performed in that wonderful laid back style that can't help but remind one of long hot summer days.  (Remember them?)  You can watch the Tell Me A Tale video here.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTa28a8QKo4

Michael says that there should be another EP released around August/September time and then the album should follow by the end of the year or the beginning of 2012 at the latest.  I am certainly looking forward to that.



http://michaelkiwanuka.com/