the beatles or the rolling stones

I often wonder what music translates to the older generation beyond the pulp of Radio 2. It's something that really bothers me, especially when I look at people on the tube and you can guess what kind of music they're listening to by looking at them. In most cases you'll almost always guess right. 

So I thought I'd try a little experiment. I approached my dad, who at the time was watching Camel and Zep music videos on Youtube and tore him away from the Wii (he's found his arch rivals to be Sarah and Elisa, fictional opponents on Wii Tennis) and asked his opinion on some of my current musical favourites. By no means is my dad a "hip dad", but this little experiment showed some interesting results. There was a lot of love for Metric, Passion Pit , Santigold and TV on the Radio and not so much for Pains, Silversun Pickups and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, all of whom he dubbed "try hards". He did also admit to liking that awful song by N Dubz, La Roux and Flo Rida, which sullies his opinion in my eyes a tad, but does illuminate the fact that the elder generation (sorry dad) shouldn't be presented with the soft serve music that the media expects them to lap up.

I guess a prime example of this is Adele, a super talented artist whose early live shows around London were incredible, and then sadly went on to produce an incredibly dull album, that wouldn't you guess it, Radio 2 loved. I played my dad the old, old myspace tracks and he LOVED it 1000% more than the god awful 'Chasing Pavements'.

Of course I realise there is theory and strategy behind who gets played where on the radio, and I know it's not easy to get new bands to a platform where they are unbiasedly exposed to an elder audience, besides children taking their parents aside as I did. However I still do wish radio stations would take a chance on maybe delivering an hour of what would be considered youth oriented content to direct to the 30+ crowd, maybe having awesome labels like Neon Gold, Chess Club, 4AD etc curate. It'd certainly be a way to foster a new connection not only between kids and their parents (from the preteens through to the college kids) but also would give newer artists and labels a connection with the seasoned listener. These guys don't go to many gigs or club nights and don't really get to hear new music until it's filtered down a long stream of musical atrocities and I think it's a real shame that they miss out. After all, if your parents are anything like mine, they shared their Smiths records with you, so why not try and share something with them that is as important to you, even if it is just an album crush that lasts a week?

I feel I should say, I didn't buy the Topshop dress mentioned below. Too many threats of mockery. 

I cave, I cave. 

Weekend dining, shopping, mania update coming soon. 

the rain comes through my jacket.

This dress.

I think it's pretty ugly. I also think it's ugly to the point where I really like it. Figures. Tomorrow it shall be mine.

Today I hit up this place for brunch, with the esteemed DK. I've been to Princi for lunch before -great pizza, great salads- but for brunch MY GOD. The baked goods kick some serious you know what. The cannoli was out of this world and I heavily recommend trying it (at 80p a piece can you really say no?) The restaurant's fairly casual, has a wonderfully modern interior, quick service and is very reasonably priced for Soho (£8 for a hearty portion of pizza and salad). It's canteen style service is one which ensures you never have to wait too long, and it somehow manages to feel luxurious (like one of owner Alan Yaus' classier joints), while being affordable and a culinary delight.

I also made a trip to the Alison Jacques Gallery on Berners Street to see the Saul Fletcher exhibition. I wasn't too impressed at first. Given the critical acclaim the exhibition had received so far I found Fletchers paintings to be very GCSE "abstract" self portrait. Pfft "assemblage". The photographs are what have been used to advertise this show to the public, and they were what drew me to the exhibition. It is in them that you'll find the depth of matter that makes visiting this exhibition worthwhile- they're claustrophobic and I suppose illuminate the idea of a photographs ability to capture (as in trap) not only an image, but time. The subjects are captured in the frames, as though in little decaying photographic prisons. 

Looking at the photographs in a series, as they are presented in the gallery, you become very aware of time passing which leads onto the installation pieces in the next room very well. These installation pieces are all of wood, cardboard, aged brown matter- branches and birds feet and "bodies" hanging with claws gripped in the air. 

Aging, entrapment, reminders of fleeting mortality, decay...not exactly an uplifting exhibition, but worth popping into if you're killing time in the Oxford Circus area.

Also today, I went to one of my favourite spots in London, on the hunt for a ballgown (I have loads, and yet no floor length ones, sigh) I took to Grays Antiques. I prefer hunting for clothes for events in places like Grays and Alfies because you don't find three year old H&M dresses being sold off as vintage and the elderly ladies and gentlemen who sell to you are genuinely passionate about the history of the pieces they sell, not having seasonal trend pieces. Grays is also the best place to buy old books in the whole wide world. Biblion in Grays Mews is my idea of heaven. Check out some of the selection here. Short of the British Library Biblion is the closest you can get to holding first editions of real worth in the capital, and maybe if you're lucky (and loaded) owning them.

Finally, I got home and found myself to have a whole load of emails from Brooklyn bands. I don't know where or how, but at some point I've been added to some sort of hipster mailing list. Weird. So some bands follow...

Vampire Hands

Unfortunate name right? Why choose the same mythical (OR ARE THEY?) creature as the single most successful new indie band of the last few years to share a name with? Is it something to do with Google searches? In any case the band are in some ways quite similar to the Vampire Weekend, but also sound a fair bit like Stars. Essentially they are a mellow hipsters wet dream. So cool they're not even from Brooklyn. No. Really.

Devil In A Woodpile

I have a confession. I sort of wish I had an excuse to dress like a 1940's folk singer. All the time. Pin curls. Red lips. Day Gloves. The whole she bang. I don't think it's that much of a bad thing. Rory did it on Gilmore Girls. It looks awesome, but I don't do it at the risk of looking as though I'm in costume twenty four seven. Whenever I'm vintage shopping in Stables I feel a surge of joy when old time folk comes on and I kind of wish I had been able to visit Storyville and dress like this. Devil In a Woodpile make the kind of music (along with some heady blues and jazz) I imagine to have been played in the famed down and out district. It's not trendy new folk, and it's certainly not ground breaking, but for generation envy this music is perfect. 

The Hideout

Iron & Wine part two. I find the songs inexplicably heartwarming and dreamy. Not dreamy as in the same way I describe the Jonas Brothers (swoon) but Sufjan style dreamy. Music for muggy days for sure.

My Gold Mask

The Hood Internet love her. Sold yet?

Like a heady young Karen O striding through an especially 70's Bond theme tune.

I like this bunch a whole lot.

Blank Dog

Pains-esque, but with totally indecipherable vocals. Enigmatic and sunny. Think 'Here's Comes Your Man' era Pixies instrumentally and you've got it.

Pick A Piper

Words cannot describe how weird this band are. Pumping a totally out there combo of pys-tribal pop I can't compare them to anyone, all I can say is that in all their weirdness (like the dress at the top of the page) they end up being confusingly wonderful.

A couple more things, yesterday I also went to Satsuma (only because Taro is shut between 3-5) which was kind of blah and overpriced (£12 for a tofu steak bento, while at Taro it's about £6 and about a billion times better) and SNOG, to which I am addicted. I had a Classic Natural Frozen Yogurt with chocolate chips and coconut flakes and it officially rocked my world. I also saw Exlovers play (also Wild Palms who did not please my ears at all), who were pretty rad on their faster songs. 

Tomorrow brings a trip to Alfies (the ballgown hunt continues) and a Lemuria gig at the Fly. Hopefully I'll be able to squeeze in a trip to the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition too, as next week new shows open at the Tate (Futurism!) and the graduate shows continue at The Truman Brewery, making for some exciting times approaching. Not to mention these awesome shows in the not too distant future:

• Walking in My Mind

  Jun 23-Sep 6, The Hayward

  This year the Hayward’s summer exhibition delves into the creative imagination through large-scale installations representing the mindscapes of ten international artists, including Charles Avery, Yayoi Kusama, Keith Tyson and Pipilotti Rist. 

• Bill Brandt
  

  Jun 24-Jul 18, Chris Beetles Gallery

  An exhibition of work by the German photographer who studied under Man Ray and made Britain his home, becoming instrumental in documenting the British way of life from the 1930s to the 1950s. 

• Jeff Koons
  

  Jul 2-Sep 13, Serpentine Gallery

  American artist Jeff Koons continues his boundary-pushing examination of taste, consumerism, beauty and banality with a show of paintings and sculptures at the Serpentine Gallery.

 

(thanks to Time Out for the above exhibition descriptions).

Get Busy. Keep Busy.

trunk show.

All of the above on display at the Tate Modern.

So now that I'm in London again for a consistent period of time I'm going to try and bring some other interests of mine into the blog. Namely, art and great food. Now I'm not going to try and act like any sort of authority on anything, but I do have a habit of going to a significant amount of exhibitions and eateries and thought it might be nice to suggest some of the good ones sporadically here and there.

Today I recommend the Design Museum. I went to the Super Contemporary Exhibition this morning and spent four hours reading, playing, looking and learning. I usually have a gallery absorption speed of thirty minutes max, so feel the amount of time I spent in this exhibition reflects well on the content. You'll learn so much about London- architecturally, historically, in regards to fashion, art and music- all in a wonderfully curated space. Not to mention, the area where the gallery is located, Shad Thames is a wonderland (one which I had never been to before) which is but a fifteen minute walk from London Bridge. Views of the Tower of London, Victorian canals hidden away, gorgeous cafes, cobbled streets, floating gardens, tiny bridges and old boats...it was utterly delightful. 

My intention is to sprinkle this blog with some places where you may not have been, be that I aimlessly walk around town so often, and have done for the past twenty one odd years. So look out for notes of galleries, fairs, bookstores, cafes, museums, restaurants, shops and events. Oh, and of course music...

Be sure to check out this on Sunday and these over the course of the next few months (gin making classes! riverside singalongs! balls!), I'm sure I'll be seeing you around.

steve albini, what a dude

What was the impetus for choosing the song that you're listening to right now?

Why is it that some songs have memories attached to them and others just as old and listened to don't?

I rarely stop to think about these things, I assume you don't either.

Lately I've been reading the word 'haunting' in reviews a lot (case in point the radical Holly Miranda), it's a word I tend to associate with the ethereal, the hushed tones of a singer song writer and dark places that I've never been to. Then I thought about it- haunting means to be followed by something beyond your control, and this can be anything, not just the ghostly echoes of a wizened being. Lately I've been haunted by songs old and new, fragments of Reflection Eternal have made their presence known when I'm lost without headphones and Harlem Shakes have returned making their refrains known once more in my mind. The two acts couldn't be more different, and yet haunt all the same, and while it remains to be seen who mentioned in the forthcoming blog will dance between my ears for years to come I find all those mentioned are slight ghosts of music I have loved previously, hence why I can compare them to predecessors and contemporaries. 

So I suppose I haven't deciphered what makes music viable for eternal existence (another haunting definition) other than a songs propensity to be catchy, but I hope the bands mentioned below will make enough of an impact on you that you'll take away something with you, even when the act of listening is long gone. 

Look out behind you...

1. Reverie Sound Review 

A female fronted Minus the Bear. Think Regina Spektor sleepy and happy.

2. Cancel the Astronauts

There are touches of early Maccabees and Good Shoes at work on the songs posted on the Scottish gangs Myspace. Vocals need something more, but what already exists sure makes me feel nostalgic for times of being crammed into venues that are no more and having a great Smirnoff fueled time.

3. Girls

I think they're okay, and everyone else loves them. They sound very mid 90's US indie pop, but not in the fun Pains way. Despite this though, to me it says a lot that Pains cite them as one of their favourite new bands so due to my love of Pains I give them props.

4. Lightmares

Bishop Allen drunk and at a house party. I thoroughly enjoy the name too.

5. Hut

Hut sound like the future if it were curated by Passion Pit, Pains and of Montreal. The future looks bright, and like everything I want it to.

6. Boxes and Bags

Their myspace hurts my eyes. However, gang vocals, golden melodies and a random as hell trumpet equal what Los Campesinos should have been. I.e. good and fun.

7. Actual Water

Really really garage rock. Like post Horrors post noise post hipsters who can't play their instruments. Good or bad? I'm still contemplating if the line is a good place to be.

8. La Casa Muerte

A really happy family (of hippies).

9. Big Digits

Cambridge, Mass kids sure like big beats these days. I sure like Cambridge, Mass kids these days. So 80's it hurts, in a sort of cheesy exercise video good way. I am indulging with glee.

10. Fever Sleeves

Like an indie Boys Night Out, really experimental, not at all commercial and quite frantic. I'm not sure they've found their feet (or a good studio) yet, but I have a soft spot for these Black Box Recording alums. Mostly because Black Box reminds me of being a teenager in Toronto and super good times.

11. Gregory Pepper and his Problems

I LOVE Gregory. He's so weird and broken sounding. Gosh, I'd even go as far as to call him quirky (oh the dreaded word). I have a crush. So predictable. I am such a loser.

12. Phantom

Okay, so I feel a little weird talking about this band. When I first heard of them, which was about 3 weeks ago, I thought they were a joke band. A&R Dudes from XL (albeit nice ones) decide to form a band? My first thought was 'COME ON'. However, I actually really like this. To the point where I file2hd'ed the myspace tracks (okay, the first track is way better than the second). How can I place them...do you remember that band Battle? Who had that one single on Transgressive (where did they even go?) about not being able to pay the rent? Phantom sound like that, mixed with a bit of Tulips era Bloc Party and band du jour Delphic. Yup. It's good. Props to Phantom, high fives in the street when you see them, I want more.

unexplained ending

Alright so I said I wouldn't write again until after June 4th, I lied. 

As I've been delaying much reading for frolics in the tropical weather that has arrived (or is visiting, depending on who you ask) I figured while the sunshine puts me off eating, moving or being generally productive throwing some musical names out into the world would bring me some sort of good karma and trick myself into thinking I've actually done something worthwhile in the past few days. 

So while I remain in the previously described state of confusion and disarray (except now the inside of my head sounds like The Best of the 1930's album I just bought, rather than the Blood Brothers), I provide for you here dear friends some sounds with which to segway into summer.

1. Adventure

Did you play Nintendo when you were young? Did you like Donkey Kong? Did you get to the final level? This music sounds like the AWESOME music that accompanied the joy you felt when you got all the bananas, had Diddy Kong at your side and had broken through all those pesky barrels. It's insane, and will probably make you feel really freaked out.

 2.Brasstronaut

Totally different to Adventure. Think Grizzly Bear doing a soundtrack to a Meg Ryan movie-wistful, charming and a bit weird.

3. Suckers

I'm a little late on these guys as everyone is harping on about them these days, but quite rightly so. They sound a bit like Bear Hands but (in my opinion) a bit more interesting. A little righteous, a little out there and with deep folk roots (think choral segments) I'm developing a little love for them.

4.The Lonely Forest

I can't do any better a job describing them than a certain Canadian magazine did, I quote:

"Hipsters are going to jizz themselves over this one. It's like a combination of The Flaming Lips, Built To Spill and Dismemberment Plan.”

Uh huh.

5.The Strange Boys

Like a drunk REALLY early Kings Of Leon. Or other drunk dudes from the Southern parts of America. 

6.Elephant Stone

Six Pence None The Richer fronted by a guy meets a calm Pains of Being Pure at Heart. Believe.

7. Wye Oak

I feel like I've written about them before. Have I? They sound a lot like Chairlift or Yo La Tengo, maybe even a little Fleeing New York. An example of when boys and girls play together and it goes very right.

8. Black Moth Super Rainbow

Think Sia meets Billy Corgan meets the Polyphonic Spree. As Peter Andre would say, "insania".

9. Lotus Plaza

A Deer Hunter side project so beautiful it may make you weep a little. Big thanks to Pereira for this one.

10. Here We Go Magic

A Glucky discovery, and a dreamy, lazy summer day band if there ever was one.

Happy sunshine napping and as Spotify would say, PLAY SAFE.

i want to go to yale and be like rory gilmore.

hello hello.

I am in the midst of studying for exams and for the most part I have forgotten how to engage in regular conversation (the inside of my head currently sounds like a Blood Brothers album played backwards.) So here's hoping this brief post comes across as punchy, short and sweet and not lacking, nonsensical and just plain weird. 

Watch me try to type coherently:

Clues

Clues are awesome. They're made up of members of possibly the best band that ever came from Montreal, Unicorns. They're a little Pavement, a little Good Life and a touch Of Montreal. They take a few listens to get into as the songs are pretty complex, but give it a chance okay?

Fiction

These guys sound like the Horrors or maybe the Klaxons album that the record label never let them release. It's not my thing, but if you are a fan of spider webby Black Wire-esque post garage rock, behold.

Is Tropical

A little like Larrakin Love....and then they get a bit Postal Servicey. I don't know what to make of them, but they're playing a lot over the summer so I'm going to try catch them. The production is whack, but maybe live the songs will find their feet.

Discovery

For the electro-pop beat lover in us all (yes, all) this is the best side project in a long, long while. Try and guess who make up this band whilst you listen?

Spindle and Wit

Like the folk revival of late? You will like Spindle and Wit. Endearing, non-preachy and hopeful. It could stand to be better vocally, but the underlying hope of the songs make me want to believe that (again) live this could be pretty good.

Weak post. Weak week to come. Sigh.

Post June 4th come bigger, brighter and better things.

Until the jump.

chuckles and blair: perfection

Are you ready? 

I considered condensing this list, but you know what? Screw moderation. Who even likes moderation? Not I. Excess is way better. Eat till you feel sick, read till you can't see straight, listen till your head hurts. 

In the wicked words of Celine Dion, "near far, where ever you are" BELIEVE in these bands:

1. WinterGloves

Marry me MTL? Yes indeed, another band from the French province of my second home. Just wait until you click onto their myspace and understand how great they are. Why are they so great you ask? Um, an electronic Faint meets Peter Bjorn and John-esque interpretation of Smells Like Teen Spirit. For real. All you Dj's are going to (mind my language) fuck shit up with this. Their originals are also fantastic, love is not even an adequate word.

2.Raccoon

A band from Calgary who take us right back to the mid nineties. Perfect for a Joshua Gordon Levitt teen film soundtrack, indie rock in a mellow upbeat form not unlike Bishop Allen and various other college pop sensations. Getting somewhere, going places.

3. Twi the Humble Feather

What a name. Minimal, charming, a little romantic. If I knew how to ride a bike, this is what I'd listen to whilst riding it through a hypothetical field. By field I mean Hyde Park, but you know, you get the jist. This stuff is just barely there, breathy and dreamy. There is a theory that if you listen to classical music while you study, you are more likely to retain that which you are trying to absorb, I believe this to be the classical music of our generation. A step beyond Fleet Foxes and Bowerbirds, this is timeless. 

4. We Plants are Happy Plants

I probably cannot name one Hungarian musician. Let alone one that interests me. WPAHP intrigue me. Their myspace makes them look totally Eurotrash. I envision them to look like "typical eastern European" baddies so often depicted in American spy films (black pleather and all) however their remixes are much more awesome than awful. They've already done Radiohead, Oasis, Coldplay and Daft Punk. The question is, who's next? "Disco House" has never sounded (this) good.

5. Timber Timbre

Not a spelling mistake, but a charming arts+crafts band not too many people know about. They make what they call "low-fi bedroom blues", and I can't disagree (how can you ever really disagree with arts+crafts?) Like Matt and Kim after a nap, this is a boy girl duo you can back and rely on to aurally take you to an extremely pleasant place.

6.Japandroid

You know how loads of bands wanted to channel the Stooges but ended up sounding like the Strokes? Japandroid are one of those bands, but ended up landing, albeit quite messily, between the two. I'm not sure if it's just because their recordings are purposefully awful or because the sunshine has filled me with hope and glee I'd like to think upon performance/better recording this could be something pretty visceral. Or it could be really gross and bad. Either way, an interesting bunch.

7. One for the Team

I don't know if I like this band, but Afternoon records do and that makes me want to support them. A bit twee, a bit generic, but maybe just twee and generic enough to be good? Hmm.

8.Starlight Mints

These guys have been around a while, and are signed to Barsuk. I wasn't aware of them until fairly recently so I thought I'd put their name out there to see if anyone else had heard of them? Or if any one else liked them? They are a band who produce music not too unlike White Stripes demos. On a side note, I hear they're one of Ms Deschanels favourite bands, and if they're good enough for her...

9. Caledonia

A really fun band from, you guessed it, Canada. We should all move there. For real. Everyday would be handclaps and high fives.

Caledonia are a little Jeff Tweedy and a TINY bit Costello. I don't love them, but I think they are good-ish. I think they're a mood band, right now I feel chipper so moving on...

10. Rainbow Arabia

EVERYONE has been wanting to have these guys babies lately. I'm not missing out on the action, if one could procreate with music, man would this be my current choice. This music is pretty out there and yet probably the most likely to succeed out of the bands mentioned in this post. Like a really sugary cocktail that looks an unnatural neon colour, has a stupid name and makes your teeth hurt, but makes you haaaaaappy, this band take a pinch of Passion Pit, a dash of Justice and a hint of Uffie to equate to the hippest band on the West coast (along with their chums Haunted Graffiti).

11. Deleted Scenes

Taking us back to home of the hipster (Brooklyn of course) Deleted Scenes are making things pretty exciting in the outer borough. Atmospheric and a teeny little bit like Band of Horses and the National (note: teeny) they're rough and ready for better recordings, and bigger things.

12. The Antlers

Sticking to BK and the mellow music, The Antlers are a touch early Dirty Projectors, quite pretty sounding and a tad awesome. They're signed to Frenchkiss, and if that isn't endorsement enough I don't know what I can do to plead their case of lots of promise.

13. Pretty and Nice

I really quite like this band, and I fear this will lose me whatever cool points I have left. They're all over the place but remain decidedly a pop band at the same time. I love a hook, I love a left field approach to pop and in that sense I believe they could and probably will be a great MTV band. Also, I have been told they KILL IT live. Someone should book a UK show, I bet it'd be real sweaty, a real guilty pleasure and real great.

14. Eulogies

Pretty morbid name, pretty great band. They're currently on tour with the Dears, and unlike most bands I tend to talk about they have really great production on their tracks and sound so radio ready it pains me more people don't know about them. Standard summing up: if you like the Dears you will love Eulogies. Damn you Americans and your good shows.

15. Golden Bloom

Dude sounds like Wilco meets Wheat. Old school acoustic entertainment that'll depress/impress/heart warm more than David Gray does middle aged housewives. Not my thing, but doom, gloom etc resonates with some folk or else we wouldn't have David would we...

14. Modern Skirts

Hailing from Athens, Georgia this band are very Barsuk- mellow, sweet and purposefully out of tune at times. This stuff has a built in audience referencing Beach Boys and Simon and Garfunkel- Chris Walla where are you with your contracts and pen?

15. NOMO

Their record is named after an Italo Calvino book! Awesome!

This is totally middle aged jazz-funk music. I don't care, I secretly like it. At times.

16. Neon Indian

Fantastic Passion Pit-esque Brooklyn fare. They have given us some great Summer jams. Thank you Neon Indian, you are just wonderful.

17. Sean Bones

Afro-Caribbean melodic beats from a sweet little nerd. Another Frenchkiss boy with pleasant summery songs that make me wish I was on holiday already. Sunshine on a cloudy day.

18. Gliss

Like Silversun Pickups? Like the Stills? ME TOO! This is why I like Gliss.

Gliss make songs that were made to be played to HUGE venues, loud.  I'm not saying they're the most unique band in the world, but I think you might like the noises they make as I sure do.

19. The Love Language

Bowerbirds+Fleet Foxes+Arcade Fire= new generation folk.

20. Monahans

Austins Band of Horses (I know I throw that comparison around alot, but it's only because I love them) with a bit of Explosions in the Sky. Pretty special stuff.

21. Entire Cities

Like the Hold Steady but raw.

22. Gravity Wave

They sound like a night at the Drake.

23. La Strada

Non-denominational hymnals for all.

24. She Keeps Bees

Cat Power pissed off and drunk on Jack Daniels. Bluesy, dirty and Glucky endorsed.

25. Holly Miranda

She played last night at the Boogaloo secretly and she killed it.

Holly Mirandas voice tingles sliding down your spine, hits your soul and stays there.

Can you tell the length of my attention span is that of a piece of string?

More soon...

are you that somebody?

Again I fail you blogging audience.

I swear I'm not lazy, I'm just so tired I feel like my head is filled with gravel.

I do have an AMAZING list of really wonderful bands coming, and trust me, the list is massive, but until I get my act together and string together some coherent sentences to attach to the list (though if you really want it, email me saying 'band list' in the title and you can have a list of unedited awesome) I suggest you do one of the following:

a. Watch this set. Feel as overjoyed as I have done countless times these past few days.

b. Go to the Haunch of Venison 'Mythologies' exhibition in Burlington Gardens.

Where else will you see "anatomically correct" suspended skeletons of Sylvester and Tweety, as well as an amazing cube of organs and flesh AND some awesome taxidermy ALL for free? 

No where. I have been twice, and am going again tomorrow.

c. Help me hate myself less for having twitter by getting one too? I'm on http://twitter.com/zaracupcake.

I clearly have no shame.

d. Go to the super secret awesome "buzz" show at the Boogaloo this Tuesday.

e. Go to the Camden Arts Centre, see the exhibition, take in a talk and hang out in the cafe (stellar cake and coffee).

It is just lovely, and one of my favourite contemporary spaces in North London, with an amazing bookstore attached to it. What more could you want? Nada.

f. Be SO excited for THIS.

g. All of the above?

Look out, records.

I am a bad liar. I can't really do it. 

To say I've always loved London would be a huge lie, to say I've always loved British music would be a bigger one. The bands that shaped and sorted my teens into neat time frames were nearly all American and Canadian. I think the case of grass is always greener had a lot to do with this- with London bands they were always just there, the trans-atlanticism felt exotic.

The anticipation of a US band coming over, who they'd bring as supports, the rare overpriced merch they'd flog, the excitement of whether or not you'd get tickets was a thrill. It felt special to like Pedro the Lion, it felt special to like the Lemonheads, it felt amazing to like Sloan, etc because when they came over for those one off shows that mattered so much, they felt all yours. 

The Libertines, for example, belonged to London. They belonged to a culture I wanted no part of, be that as it may due to my ridiculously pretentious "punk" determination to not be like all the underage shooter drinkers at Club NME on a Friday wearing red military coats ( I here I totally missed out...).

However, despite having grown up a little since those days, I still can't say I have warmed to much British music over the last few years. Looking over my recently played list on my I tunes, with the exception of The Smiths and the Maccabees, there aren't any British bands present. I try quite hard with this blog to be as honest as I can in regards to what I like about different musicians, and it's never been my instinct to think about where they're from until after I've listened to them, in retrospect all the best bands haven't been from this country. I can't help but wonder why this is. If you've followed this blog and listened to some of the people I have talked about you'd see some British artists have drifted in- Ellie Goulding, Video Nasties, White Lies and a few others. So after some thought I began to think if there were any other British artists that I'm starting to lean towards.

The results were minimal...

Light Brigade. 

Friends of the incomparable Little Death (who have some insanely good new tracks up on myspace) Light Brigade make me want to not hate shoegaze as a term, or genre as much. Shoegaze is genre that inspires thought of wannabe hip geography teachers, and people with no personalities paired with bad hair, which I realise is pretty harsh of me to say, but hey, honesty all the way. The band have touches of Smashing Pumpkins deep, deep under their post pop exterior. Like the seaside on a rainy day (Hi people at Great Escape!) it takes a certain mood to appreciate a band like this, who aren't quite engaging on record yet, but interesting enough to warrant a growing desire to see them play.

Cinnamon Chasers

Now this I can back. Lately rock star kids from London have been all over the media, the chiseled Simnon boys, Nick Caves son and so and so forth. Cinnamon Chaser features the nephew of one of the gentlemen in the Kinks and rather than pouting in a sultry manner in ID, this young man has chosen to beat match and create all on his lonesome. CC produces some pretty unique electronic music, which while not my cup of tea is really very good for what it is. If you like Fabric, you'll probably like this, if you like the Kinks, you will not.

Cold Pumas

Cold Pumas are a band that sound like the future: messy, loud and indirect. This Brighton band kick it real good. They go against all of what is rising as popular from the indie scene right now (i.e electric-autotuned dudes and dudettes) and so probably won't be headlining any festivals anytime soon, but man oh man would I like to see them at a house party. They'd Tear. It. Up. (Throw Hot Damn into the mix and there's a party!)

Teen Sheikhs

These guys sound like the Smiths,  sometimes a little, sometimes a lot. They've been getting lots of blog buzz from what really annoying people call "key tastemakers" and those who regular people call "industry people stalking art school students facebook  profiles", and you know what? GOOD. TS are a good band and they deserve to play to A LOT of people. Check them out, it's music totally filled with sweaty, rad teen spirit.

Post Master General

So new that they don't even exist outside of the Internet Post Master General rise from sleepy little Exeter and have nothing recorded well. Somehow though, through the truly appalling Garageband recordings they have up on myspace I have developed mp3 lust. They sound like like the most garage rock garage band ever. Like early Black Wire. Worth keeping an eye on...

Ray Rumour and the No Ideas

Living in London somewhere between Deerhunter, Deerhoof, Low and a really hungover Emmy the Great is Ray Rumour. This is not happy music, this is music for when it's grey and a write off Summer outside. I'm pretty happy so I actually don't like it that much, but feel like some people might. It's odd logic, but I feel maybe something will happen here. Perhaps.

This was a pretty blah update, I apologise. Tomorrow I return to writing about bands from far far away, it'll be much kinder to your ears instantly rather than test on promise of growth. Until we voyage across the ocean together...

xx

PAIN.

A couple of things:

1. The Video Nasties are now good live. This is pretty awesome, and you should go see them play. The album is fine, the material feels a little dry on tape, but seriously trust me, it is a different animal on stage. Like a Lion maybe. Or a Liger. Also, the bass player has a pretty amazing fringe.

2. Metric are still awesome. Fantasies is up with Pains, YYY's and Maccabees with my records of the the year thus far. New Regina Spektor is looking good too!

3. I really like the new Ellie Goulding stuff.

4. WHY IS CHIDDY BANG NOT SIGNED YET?

5. Theophilus was pretty childish at Hoxton Bar and Kitchen. Seriously dude, we're British, you were in East London. People do not dance that often here unless super inebriated, be grateful no one was wasted enough to dance at your first show, it shows a level of expectation and respect we don't give most. You were quite brilliant until you stormed off though.

6. White Lies are just too awesome live right now. Go see them at a festival. Not sombre live but strong, powerful and electric.  Bishop Allen are also just fantastic live. If you go see them, you'll want to hug the world after.

7. I am really glad I am not going to any festivals. Except maybe End of The Road. It shares a name with a Boyz II Men song AND has Explosions in the Sky & Papercuts.

8. Steven Merritt composed the music for a childrens film called 'Coraline'. Someone should bootleg this for me, I'd be very, very indebted to you.

9. Janelle killing it: 

10. New band overload tomorrow. Be ready to press play.

Until then:

Go see Pains of Being Pure of Heart this weekend. I am. 

Thrice.