The times we had
Oh, when the wind would blow with rain and snow
Were not all bad
We put our feet just where they had, had to go
Never to go
The shattered soul
Following close but nearly twice as slow
In my good times
There were always golden rocks to throw
at those who admit defeat too late
Those were our times, those were our times
And I will love to see that day
That day is mine
When she will marry me outside with the willow trees
And play the songs we made
They made me so
And I would love to see that day
Her day was mine
Wouldn’t it be nice if we were older
Then we wouldn’t have to wait so long
And wouldn’t it be nice to live together
In the kind of world where we belong
You know its gonna make it that much better
When we can say goodnight and stay together
Wouldn’t it be nice if we could wake up
In the morning when the day is new
And after having spent the day together
Hold each other close the whole night through
The happy times together we’ve been spending
I wish that every kiss was never ending
Oh Wouldn’t it be nice
Maybe if we think and wish and hope and pray it might come true (run, run, run)
Baby then there wouldn’t be a single thing we couldn’t do
We could be married (we could be married)
And then we’d be happy (then we’d be happy)
Wouldn’t it be nice
You know it seems the more we talk about it
It only makes it worse to live without it
But lets talk about it
Oh, wouldn’t it be nice
good night my baby
sleep tight my baby
good night my baby
sleep tight my baby
good night my baby
sleep tight my baby
good night my baby
sleep tight my baby
I’m coming up only to hold you under
I’m coming up only to show you wrong
And to know you is hard and we wonder
To know you all wrong we were
Really too late to call so we wait for
Morning to wake you is all we got
To know me as hardly golden
To know me all wrong they were
And every occasion I will be ready for the funeral
And every occasion once more is called the funeral
Every occasion I am ready for the funeral
And every occasion one brilliant day funeral
I am coming up only to show you down for it
I am coming up only to show you wrong
To the outside
The dead leaves, they are alive
For they don’t have trees to hang their hearts
And every occasion I will be ready for the funeral
And every occasion once more is called the funeral
And every occasion I am ready for the funeral
And every occasion one brilliant day funeral.
Filed under: Music | Tags: Alessi, Andrew Bird, Ethan Johns, Johnny Flynn, Laura Marling, Laura Marling And Friends, Monk, Mumford and Sons, Peggy Sue, Pete Roe, Royal Festival Hall, Sons Of Noel And Adrian, Woo
This blog may be a little late in coming, but our total love for this gig is no less diminished. Where to start off in an evening of so many wonders. One of us was lost completely; in the zone, gone with the moment with head turned and focused upon a stage which bought out one amazing performance followed inexplicably by even more trance inducing, jaw tiring (from all the dropping) performances. On the other hand, the other struggled to keep calm and refrain from causing the forementioned friend severe bruising with the constant digs and jabs that would have resulted from hysterical, barely contained excitement…
The Royal Festival Hall is a beautiful venue, and by the time we got there the atmosphere was bustling pleasantly with friends gathered chatting, drinks in hand in excitement of the imminent musical extravaganza. There was a great seating area set on the floor of the Clore Ballroom where we sat wishing university was like so. Happy thoughts of the RFA were cast even before we reached our seats, at which point it was decided we would come back to sit in the wondrous balcony seats we likened to being a bit space age and slightly Star Trek.
The concert began with a warming, hearty video of none other than Laura Marling and friends. It was the perfect opening to the evening and it was truely great to watch footage of such a caring and close knit group bonded by friendship and music. It was a video that signified the importance of the social side of music – how playing, writing and showcasing music with others can bring people together and it became obvious that none of them could do what they do without having the support of the people around them.
After the video, Laura Marling walked on stage to give a brief introduction to the evening which was then followed by a new song of hers; ‘Oh Mama How Far I’ve Come’. A truly lovely song which filled the venue perfectly. We were absolutely astounded by the acoustics in the RFH, they made everything sound a million times better (which we didn’t even think was possible!).
The night was divided into two parts; each musician played one song of theirs which was then followed by a new song by Laura Marling in between. A short description of each performance can be read below:
Pete Roe: Clearly such a talented musician and much loved by all of them. Pete played ‘The Devil’s Dancefloor’ which is always a crowd-pleaser. His sheer talent at folk guitar is so enviable and he was a brilliant start to the night. Pete Roe also plays in Laura Marling’s band and joined her on-stage throughout the night.
Ethan Johns: It was our very first time hearing and seeing the well known record producer and songwriter, Ethan Johns. He played a song called ‘ Hello Sunshine’ which was fantastic. He frequently popped up on stage with Laura Marling too, playing a multitude of different instruments such as guitar, drums and what I think was a dulcimer (but my eyes could have been deceiving me). Johns has worked with artists such as Ryan Adams, Kings of Leon, Ray Lamontagne and Rufus Wainwright! Laura Marling can now be added to that amazing list as he’s just finished producing her much anticipated second album (Due for release in February 2010).
Peggy Sue: It was an unfortunate performance for Peggy Sue as they were experiencing guitar problems which was a terrible shame as ‘The Sea, The Sea’ is such a brilliant song. But! luckily, Laura Marling insisted that they repeated the song as part of the encore for the night which completely made up for it.
Johnny Flynn: Amazing, amazing, AMAZING performance. He played a new song called ‘Will I Pray’. If it is possible to have a performance steal the night in a show of such brilliance, it most definitely would have been this one. Johnny Flynns presence on stage in the absence of a band was simply mesmerising; the acoustics of the RFH amplified the great beauty of his voice,and you could sense around you the atmosphere of an audience captivated by the fantastic music produced by this gentleman.
Alessi: The magnificance of Alessi’s singing will bring a smile to you every time. She’s such a lovely musician and hearing her sweet voice in the beautiful surroundings of the Royal Festival Hall was truely special. Alessi sang her wonderful song ’Hummingbird’ and was joined by Benji from Mumford & Sons.
Sons of Noel and Adrian: Their performance of ‘Indigo’ was completely mind blowing. Seeing over 10 members of a band on stage at one time is always exciting and I very nearly fell out of my seat whilst watching them. Although the other artists were so, so amazing, it was still a nice change to witness such a large band come on stage. Jacob Richardson can seriously play a mean nylon stringed guitar and we were fascinated by the string section. Definitely one of the highlights of the already incredible night.
Andrew Bird: Possibly the most well known of ‘friends’ to join Laura Marling on the night. Andrew Bird was joined by Laura Marling and Marcus Mumford for his performance of ‘Headsoak’. It was a rather endearing performance and quite amusing at times – We’re almost certain that the whole audience was quite taken aback as well as immensely impressed at Andrew Bird’s whistling skills.
Mumford & Sons: The last performance of the night (before the encore). Mumford & Sons performed their song ‘Thistle and Weeds’ and of course they didn’t disappoint (but could they ever?).
…And last but definitely not least, Laura Marling. It seems an age away that Laura Marling was terrified of an audience not even a quarter of the size present at the Royal Festival Hall. Though still slightly awkward at times, her stage presence remained strong throughout and even Laura herself said the night was going surprisingly easy. The whole meaning of the night was to showcase music with friends, but it was also the perfect opportunity to present her new material to her fans. If you thought ’Alas, I Cannot Swim’ was an amazing album, then you’re definitely in for a treat for her upcoming second album. Marling has completely stepped it up a gear – Youthful songs such as ‘Failure’ have been cast aside; ready for a whole different sound altogether and man, are we excited ;)
Filed under: Art, Music | Tags: Bon Iver, Johnny Flynn, Ohbijou, Songs of the Whoeek, Woo
I stumbled across the odd name Ohbijou in the list of showcasing artists at SXSW, but didn’t investigate much more past their tune Black Ice. Mr Jeff Hamada however bought their amazing fantastical video for New Years to my attention, and I’ve been since pitying the fool that is me for not listening to the beauty of this band. I would not stop at treating your ears to New Years- for the moment you fall into Mecijia’s vocals so lush, and hold out for the sound of instrumentation so tentative…you will be hooked.
If you too wondered the meaning behind the band name, an intriguing answer was supplied by Vocalist/Guitarist Casey Mecija.
“The name is from a moment I had with someone…I couldn’t quite describe it’s meaning. The moment was fleeting but was gorgeous.”
There is so much that we love about Mr Flynn. We could not wait to see him again after our first encounter at Cargo, and then yet more so on our second at the RFH. Already eagerly awaiting his new material, songs like the above has me lingering ever dangerously on tenterhooks and steadily (and readily) increasing the playcount of said video…
There’s not much to be added, except ever more praise so I’d simply suggest you click play as I am doing now, and away! Enjoy!
You’ve probably heard of Mr Justin Vernon and Bon Iver. Maybe then you’ve heard that unbelievably handsome voice of his. If you’ve subconsciously nodded twice there, then you’ll know of being enchanted into the beauty of his songs. Heart wrenching and melancholic they may be, but they are also irrisistable, and I can’t help but slip on my headphones for a while at 4am to hear his voice.
Yeahhh! We’re going off to see The Dodos at Birmingham’s Glee Club soon. Been well excited to see what they’re like live since hearing of them through Fecal Face (love up Tripp, and everything Fecal) and appreciating greatly the sheer amount of sound, and wonderful melodious sound at that just two people can create. Undeclared is one my fave mellow ones off Visiter. An exhibition of love for watercolours and rainbow text plus two super nice covers of Undeclared off youtube follow below.
Enjoy yourself :)
(psst, their new album is out now, and first single Fables is well good.)
Local Natives are the newest addition to our list of favourite bands. It’s not often you hear a band that you instantly love – Right from the start we felt that rush of excitement, that need to find everything they’ve ever released; EP’s, albums, singles…anything. Unfortunately, our search was short-lived as we soon found out they’ve only recently released their debut single ‘Sun Hands’ on Chess Club records literally a few weeks ago. Good news though! By the sounds of it their debut album is set to be released very soon, from what we’ve gathered it’s meant to be released in the Autumn but we’re not too sure about the UK date. Hopefully soon!
Local Natives are a band that embraces their abilities to create the loveliest vocal harmonies and fantastic drum arrangements. All of their vocals compliment each other perfectly and it seems to come so naturally to them – It’s so nice to listen to and even better to see live! Also, having another percussionist as well as a main drummer gives their songs more of an impact and it adds so much more to their live performances. You’ll find that every song of theirs will be stuck in your head for days (which is definitely no bad thing!), you’ll tap your feet, you’ll sing along, and you’ll either keep pressing the repeat button of your iPod or you’ll keep buying tickets for their shows (or most likely, both).
As well as being musically talented, some members have experience in graphic design and they all create the artwork for the band. When they played SXSW this year, they designed a flyer which included a map for all of their gigs. It’s really nice to see a band dedicate so much time and effort into creating their own artwork. They’ve also designed their own single and album covers which both look fantastic. Check out some of their artwork below (and above):
We saw them at The Borderline with support from Kurran and the Wolfnotes and Peggy Sue. By the time Local Natives were due to come on stage the crowd was buzzing. Their whole set was brilliant and full of energy. Stage presence was strong and the band frequently moved around on stage swapping instruments which is always nice to see during a gig. Their passion showed through in their performance and their energy spread through the crowd which made the atmosphere even better. We came out on such a high, eager to know when the band would be touring the UK again whilst happily making plans to buy tickets as soon as we found out. Luckily we won’t have to wait long because the band will be back here on the NME tour in September. Yay!
Filed under: Music | Tags: Alessi's Ark, Monk, Mumford and Sons, The National
As if I haven’t already mentioned Mumford & Sons enough on this blog…Oh well! They deserve lots more. They recently performed at the Itunes festival at the Roundhouse in Camden – I wasn’t able to get tickets but the videos from YouTube look amazing as ever and the EP which is now available for £1.99 (Bargain) is seriously incredible. I’ve heard Timshel, Awake My Soul and Thistle and Weeds before but ‘To Darkness’ was completely new to me. I’m always astounded whenever I hear a new song of theirs, I don’t think they’re capable of writing a bad song.
I love their live recordings, they’re really something special live and It’s something that can’t quite be captured with studio recordings. ‘To Darkness’ is sung with such passion it’s literally heart wrenching. As soon as I heard Marcus Mumford sing that opening line of ‘I will not fall’ I knew the song would be on repeat for a good while (Within 2 hours, It’s play count reached 28!). It gave me shivers – I felt excitement, melancholia and hope all at the same time. It’s amazing how just one song can do so much.
Go listen to them, buy all their EP’s as well as their Itunes Live one, go see them live and you’ll appreciate music even more than you do already.
There aren’t any videos of ‘To Darkness’ but here’s a video of Dust Bowl Dance from their Roundhouse gig.
Alessi has such a sweet voice and she’s always really lovely to listen to. ‘Simple Man’ is a completely stripped down version of a Lynyrd Skynyrd song. It’s got less of the electric guitars and belting solo’s and more of the simplicity that folk music captures perfectly. Alessi sings It In such a beautiful way that makes you want to listen to the lyrics so intently, not only just for this song but also for her whole album which I’ve been listening to a lot lately.
Check out her myspace. Again, there isn’t a video of ‘Simple Man’ but this is my favourite video (and song) of hers, featuring some cool lomo photos!
I love love love The National and I’ve been listening to them so much this week. I love ‘Mistaken For Strangers’ purely because the chorus is so addictively catchy and makes you want to listen to it again and again. ‘Boxer’ is an amazing album and It’s definitely up there in my top 10. I think they’re wonderful songwriters and musicians, particularly the guitarist who comes up with such great riffs in songs such as ‘Baby, We’ll be fine’ – A brilliant song. Who knew the lyrics ‘Baby we’ll be fine, All we’ve gotta do is be brave and be kind’ could have such an impact, for me anyway. ‘Fake Empire’ is my absolute favourite song of theirs though. If you’re crazy enough not to like them, then…you’re crazy.
Filed under: Film, Music | Tags: Bon Iver, Monk, New Moon Soundtrack, Thom Yorke
Okay, more soundtrack news:
Thom Yorke and more importantly, BON IVER have both written songs for ‘New Moon’?! Let’s hope they make the movie that little bit better eh ;) The director is also hoping for a contribution from Kings of Leon but somehow I think that’s pushing it a little.
The soundtrack will be released on October 13th 2009.
We briefly mentioned ‘Paper Heart’ a few weeks ago but just as I thought the film already had everything going for it, I’ve just found out that the amazingly talented Zach Condon and Perrin Cloutier of Beirut have written a song just for it! It’s entitled ‘”The 11th Arrondissement“.
Much of the soundtrack is actually made up of songs by Michael Cera and Charlyne Yi themselves (with various other musicians helping them out) and it’s due to be released on August 4th by Lakeshore Records.
You can hear little snippets of a few songs here, but you’ll have to wait a few days for the Beirut song (and song’s with vocals) unfortunately!
If you didn’t catch it before, watch the trailor below:
AHH! Okay, okay I can hardly contain my excitement… word on the street is that the ever so amazing Mumford and Sons have finished recording their debut album and it’s going to be released on the 5th of OCTOBER! That’s like…soon! :D
I’M SO EXCITED!!!
They’re one of the best bands I’ve had the pleasure of hearing.. and seeing live lots of times! In the meantime, I guess I’ll have to keep on listening to their EP’s everyday and watching vids BUT they’re touring soon so extra yay’s :)
amazing amazing amazing amazing amazing amazing amazing amazing amazing
I’m so glad I decided to check the Bandstand Busking website for new footage because If I hadn’t, It would have prolonged my discovery of the fantastical wonderment of…Woodpigeon.
Originating from Calgary, they’ve been around for a few years and have released two albums entitled ‘Songbook’ and ‘Treasury Library Canada’ along with a whole bunch of EP’s. They capture an equilibrium between folk, roots, indie-pop and even faint hints of classical music. On the one hand, they perfectly grasp the raw honesty that folk music is best known (and loved) for – singing about the distinct lack of peace, love and understanding in the world. Yet on the other, they still manage to convey these issues within intricately constructed, melodic and often catchy songs that indie-pop music allows.
Some songs are jampacked with different instruments, distortion pedals and tonnes of reverb (e.g. tic tac toe) which makes me imagine the band and the engineer, riddled with sheer love and musical excitement and the aspiration to make the song the best it can be, whilst still maintaining a fleeting look of dazed craziness in their eyes. And there are the more mellow songs; with the band armed only with an acoustic guitar, an oboe, a cello and a ukulele that can have just as much of an impact on the listener, if not even a stronger one. These songs are often dominated by Mark Hamilton’s sweet voice, with harmonies and delicate string arrangements coming in in just the right places.
Some of my favourites include; ‘I Live A Lot Of Places’ which is a really, really fantastic song that begins with powerful string arrangements which eventually fade into the background as soon as the song gets going. My absolute favourite though, is ‘The Hamilton Academicals’ - It sounds so achingly sad, especially with the melancholic minor notes of the violin and cello and the opening line of ‘Seventeen years gone by, Twenty one days I’ve cried’. Mark Hamilton sings in such an effortless and soft spoken way that makes you picture Hamilton merely stating his thoughts outloud. The music of Woodpigeon works as an outlet that proves how brilliant a songwriter Mark Hamilton is and how talented the musicians in the band are.
Filed under: Covers, Music | Tags: Arcade Fire, Beirut, Covers, Fanfarlo, Glen Hansard, Johnny Flynn, Jonathon Coulton, Laura Marling, Monk, Ryan Adams
I’ve always loved this cover of Oasis’ classic hit – ‘Wonderwall’ by the ever so talented Ryan Adams. I even think it’s better than the original, not only because Ryan Adams has a much prettier voice than Liam Gallagher but Ryan Adams’ take on it seems so much more passionate.
Ahh! I have to admit, I do have a soft spot for Glen Hansard. I think he’s an immensely talented singer and musician in general and I love how he manages to sing his heart out all the time. He’s done quite a few covers and I was going to write about his Britney Spears cover of ‘Everytime’ but I just thought the comedic value of this video was too much to turn down. Incase any of you didn’t know, It’s a cover of Justin Timberlake’s ‘Cry Me A River’.
A lovely cover of Jeffrey Lewis and Diane Cluck’s – ‘Travel Light’ performed by Laura Marling and Johnny Flynn. Both versions sound almost identical but It’s still a very nice song. I’m a big fan of both Laura Marling and Johnny Flynn so It’s nice to see them singing together. Oh, and I love the guitar part! Though Jeffrey Lewis always writes awesome guitar riffs so It’s not at all surprising.
Fanfarlo performing a cover of Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy’s – ‘A Minor Place’. It’s a nice little cover but I think I’m leaning towards the original more. Fanfarlo are such an awesome band though.
Ohh oh! Cue musical heart attack once again! Beirut’s cover of ‘La Javanaise’ by Serge Gainsbourg. I haven’t actually heard the original but i’m going to go ahead and say this version is much better ;) Because well, who could resist Zach Condon singing in French?
Okay, Okay, I just couldn’t resist. A folk version of Sir Mix-A-Lot’s – ‘Baby Got Back’?!! Crazy. Here’s Jonathon Coulton sporting those famous lines….’I like big butts and I cannot lie’.
I verrrrry nearly forgot the incredible cover of The Clash’s – ‘Guns of Brixton’ by the amazing amazing AMAZING Arcade Fire. It needs no words, none of their music does :) So just watch, listen and enjoy!
Man, I love them.
“Simple sinewave synthesizer triggered by an ordinary 16step sequencer. Each triggered step causes a force on the underlaying wave-map, which makes it more cute.”
http://lab.andre-michelle.com/tonematrix
This is absolutely addictive! Can’t wait to put some of it into a funkytastic tune.
Filed under: Music | Tags: Alamo Race Track, Grizzly Bear, Local Natives, Monk
I’m SO completely loving this band right now. I was already pretty excited about Local Natives since hearing them for the first time about two weeks ago, but after seeing them live last night my excitement has escalated bigtime.
They’ve been compared to the likes of Arcade Fire, Fleet Foxes and Vampire Weekend and although you can hear faint hints of Fleet Foxes and Vampire Weekend in them, they definitely can’t be compared to the Arcade Fire. And let’s face it, no one can! They’ve got the lovely harmonies of Fleet Foxes and the upbeat, energetic melodies and drum beats of Vampire Weekend (but in my opinion, they’re heaps better). This, combined with their ability to write seriously catchy tunes makes them a brilliant band.
It was a difficult decision because ALL of their songs are super but I think Sun Hands is probably my favourite as it really stuck with me after the gig, I love how their harmonies work so well together throughout the whole song and the breakdown makes the song that much better! They played this at the end of their set last night and it was just awesome and seriously left an impression on the crowd. Anyway, review soon!
SO GOOD!
I stumbled across this nice indie band from the Netherlands while I was cruising La Blogotheque’s ‘In the Van’ sessions and they played this song. It sounds really quirky and light-hearted but the song definitely holds a much deeper meaning. And, with an opening line of ‘Don’t trust the man with the creepy little eyes’, it doesn’t really take long to come to this realisation ;)
Check out the video and keep a lookout for the man in the back shaking the shaker – He’s well into it!
Grizzly Bear are an awesome band. This is my favourite song – I just love how it’s beautifully sung and the ‘Ahhhh ahhh ohh oh ohh’s’ are really nice ;) You can just imagine how good it would be to hear live. They’re playing with the London Symphony Orchestra later this year which is such a great idea and would be a seriously special gig to go to!
