New music - Sun Kil Moon, Stars

(Images above by Sarah Sandford)

Anyone who briefly glances at my last couple of blogs will glean that I have a slight obsession with music. Finding new songs that make my skin tingle is one of the things that make life worth living. I tend to hear a song, become instantly addicted and regrettably kill it by listening to it over and over. My brother actually asked me to stop making him mixes (probably because I put the same song on about three of them).
My latest addictions in the vein are 'Alesund' by Sun Kil Moon:

Pity there isn't a proper video for that. The song just hooks me in relentlessly with the stroking strum like a gorgeous comb wielded by a giant warm hand. If your hair was especially tangled and the giant was especially gentle. Need to work on my metaphors but you get the idea! He's also doing the double tracking on his vocal which a lot of artists are using at the moment - to good effect. It just makes me deeply happy to listen to it, which is pretty much the best a songwriter can hope to achieve.

Then there is 'Dead Hearts' by Stars. Mike thinks this song is a bit poppy and too bright, but I love the call and answer with the female and male vocals (Amy Millan and Torquil Campbell). There is something very compelling about the lyrics as well, which are surprisingly grim (dead hearts, who were kids that they once knew?) - particularly effective when the song itself is so uplifting with the crashing drums and guitars on the chorus.

My brother put me on to this video by Jenny O. for her song Well OK Honey. It was too good not to put up.

New bands I've been listening to:
We supported I am a Pilot at the mini festival Talitha put on at her house. Of course they made us look bad by being incredibly tight, but I won't hold that against them as the music was really great. I don't think they have any videos yet, but I managed to get a copy of their E.P. and I'm really enjoying it. The eponymous title track is my favourite, with great use of what I'm guessing is violins played backwards (!), sweet melody and vocals. Then have just been listening to Charly Blue and the Colours who played with us at World's End pub in Finsbury park (great venue a stone's throw away from Finsbury Park tube station).

Charly Morris, the lead singer, has a cracking voice and the whole sound had a great folky feel to it. Lastly, the band I've been waiting to hear is Elvina and I. I've been begging singer Sarah Sandford to get some tunes online, but to no avail. Still I have a feeling in my bones that they're good. Don't ask me how I know - I just do.

http://www.myspace.com/video/stars/stars-dead-hearts-91-official-video-93/108282986