joshing.

...

Josh has done a cover of The Animals/Bob Dylan's House of the Rising Sun :

and although he'll protest it needs tweaking, I love it.

Here's the original as well:

.x.

we've left it too long to re-paint it in ever-green.

...

Esben & The Witch

This Brighton trio are named after a Danish fairytale, where the runt of a family becomes the hero in the end, so it's basically a Joseph tale, without an amazing technicolour dreamcoat. The band themself, however, sound more like if Florence Welch from Florence & The Machine fronted The xx; It's minimal scrumptiousness with haunting vocals.

Esben & The Witch - Marching Song

You can catch them live at an Eat Your Own Ears event at Hobby Horse, Kingsland Road, London, 4th February OR 11th February, Manchester, The Deaf Institute OR The Jericho, Oxford, 13th February. Expect to see a porcelain owl with them.

.x.

p.s. Here's the latest WHAT DO YOU DANCE? BIGTIME. which includes a song by Esben & The Witch.

a gentle whirr of my words feeds a gasp to the sky, full of joy.

...

Blogging's quite a discipline, I tell ya. I had exams, please excuse.

Although knocking about and knocking on the pop sensibilites of some for a good four years, FM Belfast are only just creeping over. It's so poppy, I almost cringe, but then I remember that it's alright to like Pop - what is Pop apart from the most popular of music, and there's a reason why it's popular: because it works. AND THIS WORKS. It's the most amorous of electropop. popple-di-popple-di-pop. FM Belfast are Icelandic (I really wanted to say Icelandish, but that's my word, you can't have it.), including one member of mum, but they are quite elastic on their line-up, so here's to yet more Nordic music!

FM Belfast - I Can Feel Love

Album comes out 22nd Jan-Jan.

(props to www.audiodrums.com)

.x.

when winter’s gone, can we still be friends?

...

Gaoler's Daughter.

The first song I heard instantly warmed the front of my body, reminding me of irretrievable days; the bandying teenage years of first-times, which were sound-tracked by Babyshambles, Maccabees, Mystery Jets, The Holloways, and 'etc' can be applied. Gaoler's Daughter, pronounced "jailer's", grab my reminiscence and stroke it, very gently, especially considering they're comprised of former members of Larrikin Love and Littl'ans. The foursome are named after the character in The Wind in the Willows that helps Mr Toad escape = 'a reference for escapism' and their EP is also called 'The Only Way to Travel', from which my token comes from; their aim is to have every one of their EPs named after a quote from the book!

Gaoler's Daughter - Sister on the Stairs [y.s.i.]

plus a bonus : Gaoler's Daughter - 9 Pieces of Silk [y.s.i.]

about apathy with age. The first song I heard.

Lyrics from their song From Russia With Love:

Death-spray chokes my lungs

Locks up my tongue

Can’t cage the secrets sung

With chemicals I can barely pronounce

I’m ready to announce

The truth is ready to pounce

.x.

Merry Christmas, Johnny.

Once, a love for The Strokes was kindled...and then they spidered.

Nikolai : Nickel Eye - Brandy of the Damned

Fabrizio : Little Joy - Keep Me in Mind

Albert : Albert Hammond Jr - GfC

Julian : Julian Casablancas - 11th Dimension

(granted, Nick Valensi is nowhere.)

Merry Christmas, my sweet Irish friend.

.x.

moisture maps a silken skin.

...

I'm feeling generous & tired, so here's a podcast (y.s.i.)

Anti-Hackneyed-live-1.mp3

playlist:

1. Hurts - Wonderful Life
2. Monarchy - Black the Colour of My Heart
3. Fenech Soler - Lies
4. Feathers - Weird Summer
5. Crystal Fighters - Xtatic Truth
6. Wild Beasts - All the King's Men
7. High Places - I Was Born
8. Laura Veirs - July Flame
9. The Middle East - Blood
10. Ramona Falls - Russia
11. Life In Film - Get Closer
12. Lunar Youth - Peppermint Lounge
13. Pictureplane - Cyclical Cyclical
14. JJ - From Africa to Malaga
15. Memoryhouse - To the Lighthouse

.x.

cause it feels so empty without me...

I'm back on airwaves - if in a more limited and dumbed down sense...

The Pod at King's College London, a belly full of talent, noise and laughs, has given me back a voice, with my sidey-sidekick Nylon, [Jerone].

You can listen to our first contribution -

our show : WDYD? Big Time (click to lick)

it's haphazard and glorious.

Crystal Fighters, Wild Beasts, Fever Ray, Live Like Lions, Cold Cave are all featured.

epileptic children.

This Friday is a night to move: a new club night is bursting to establish itself.

Kinetic Kids may not be doing anything groundbreaking with an electronic night full of "wonk and wobble", but boy oh boy, are they serving it up full and proper on their launch night -

D.I.M., Jakwob, Youngsta, to name a few.

taste a bit:

Fischerspooner - Danse En France (D.I.M. Remix) [y.s.i.]

Alan Pownall - Life Worth Living (Jakwob Remix) [y.s.i.] - something different from the wave of Ellie Goulding's.

Youngsta - Bongo (Double Dutch Edit)

but you can get more goods here.

This Friday, 18th December, at Hidden, Vauxhall.

jump on tickets here for £8, or risk it at the door for &10.

I hear multiple orgasmically good things about how they propose to keep movement 10.30-6.30 without even wanting a cig break. YUM.

christmas is 12 days away.

for no particular reason, except the fact that I like these songs for Christmas:

Erlend Oye - Last Christmas (y.s.i.)

Low - Just Like Christmas (y.s.i.)

Death Cab for Cutie - Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) (y.s.i.)

you see, longest list of three.

more will come.

.x.

A word from Vice:

A word from Vice:

Simian Mobile Disco

After making videos for Klaxons and These New Puritans and a billion other amazing projects, Saam Faramand is pretty much our favourite director (something that showed itself when he managed to get half the editorial staff to dance in a box for five minutes each for his last project). Simian Mobile Disco first worked with him in their "Hustler" video when he seemed to get every girl inside Catch to come round and make out with each other. Now, for SMD's new collaboration with Beth Ditto, Saam's brought together the woman from all those Nescafe adverts, sapphism, and electronic drug abuse. He also let us film him make it for our Heroes project with Vodafone - http://bit.ly/8aeJPG

AND:

look what they made:

I'm bruising from the inside out.

It's the time of year when everyone goes nuts for lists, and not just Christmas present lists. I've toyed with the idea of telling you all who I've liked this year, if only to fully decide and prioritise it for myself, but I don't care, so nor should you.

Life will continue as normal here, the longest list you'll see is three.

I went and saw Fever Ray on Saturday, and ever since I've had this silent beat entwined around my bones.

This song has kept it there:

High Places - I was Born

High Places sound like School of Seven Bells having a day off; a beautiful, pained and tribal reverberation from duo Mary Pearson and Rob Barber.

.x.

bare with me, if you'll bare this.

regards to Jamie, the gold prospector.

p.s. it is an intentional different spelling, thanks.