Latitude mix

Off to Latitude Festival on Friday with work! Thought I'd share a mixtape of some of the awesome bands playing.

Why? Fest

I've been to see Why? two nights in a row in London (it wasn't originally planned that way; one was postponed because the bands got mumps and/or sustained broken limbs). I've been a massive fan ever since Josh sent me their song Fall Saddles about this time last year. I got pretty hooked on the Elephant Eyelash LP and this year's follow-up Alopecia is just as good. Happily the albums translated really well to a live gig. The first night in Soho was a bit lacking in atmosphere from the crowd, but for last night's gig at Cargo I was front row in the stinky little back-room venue and it was brilliant.

Lots more pics on my flickr.

ATP Explosions

ATP is such a grand festival. Who couldn't love watching obscure bands in Butlins, surrounded by fast food outlets, amusement arcades and kids' playgrounds, all next to the seaside...

Noteworthy acts from this year's Explosions in the Sky-curated festival:

1. Animal Collective


(my photos are quite awful I'm afraid; I need a new camera - got my eye on a Canon G9...)

These guys are amazing because they just sound like no one else. I don't know much about the band itself, but the 3 of them look like they have a combined age of 45 yet have been producing crazy, wonderful music for over 7 years. It was a treat to finally see them live and I was happy to discover they really make the records come alive by mixing up the songs, splicing them together in different ways with the help of a lot of electronic gadgetry.

2. Saul Williams



This guy gets on the list for sheer impact and showmanship - he and his band rocked out dressed like a cross between a Transformer, Ming the Merciless and a banshee, and delivered a powerful show. It seems he's being bashed at the moment for allowing his music to be in a Nike ad but his sound is refreshingly different.

3. Broken Social Scene



These guys closed the main stage on Sunday night. I've been a fan for a long time but the set rather disappointed me - it was a bit of a cheesy everybody-scream, hands-in-the-air kind of dealy. But they did do a lovely version of 'Anthem for a Seventeen Year Old Girl' featuring Emily Haines from Stars, and a singalong of 'Backed out on the Cocks' featuring Explosions, The Constantines and J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr.

4. Silver Jews



Again, I was disappointed by Silver Jews. I'm a big fan of their last record 'Tanglewood Numbers' and I love David Berman's poetry book, but the new material sounds a bit country and it felt more like David and some session musicians than a true band.

5. The National



I got into The National after buying tickets to a London gig a while ago, because they were cheaper than face value on eBay! They're a good solid classic-songwriting skilled-musicmanship kind of band and put on a good show.

Lots more photos on Flickr!

Tuneage

I'm off to ATP next weekend, which always inspires me to check out some new music. Out of all the stuff I've acquired, I really love the Santogold album. She draws many comparisons with M.I.A (from lazy journalists who assume that because she's friends with MIA and also ethnic, she'll sound the same), but her style is totally different - Santi is more 80s and soulful; I can pick up influences from everyone from the Pixies to the Police, via Gwen Stefani and Kate Bush. I also wholeheartedly endorse the use of gold glitter on the album cover artwork.

By the way, I recently updated my company's blog design and I'm now contributing to it too - check it out.

Happy weekend: Pretty type

I really love the type treatment on the new Subtle album artwork - the music's pretty crazy too!

Happy weekend, exciting post to come Sunday hopefully..

ATP Mixtape

With ATP next month, I thought I'd make a mixtape of the bands I'm looking forward to seeing (along with a few others I've had on heavy rotation lately). Enjoy!

Tracklist:
The National - Abel
Why? - Fatalist Palmistry
Vampire Weekend - Boston
Bound Stems - Andover
Animal Collective - Fireworks
M.I.A. - Paper Planes
Los Campesinos! - You! Me! Dancing!
Silver Jews - People
Broken Social Scene
The Cure - Love Cats
Dinosaur Jr. - Freak Scene
Explosions in the Sky - Catastrophe and the Cure (Four Tet remix)