hi54lofi

Up until a couple of weeks ago, the band Field Report were...

Wed, 22 May 2013 14:19:20 +0100

Up until a couple of weeks ago, the band Field Report were completely off my radar. And they probably would have remained off my radar if I hadn’t been tempted away from my Twitter feed after seeing Slowcoustic and Wake The Deaf raving in agreement about how great something was (Twitter Tip: if you see two people, whose tastes align well with yours, both raving about the same thing… it’s usually a good idea to go see what they are raving about).

That ‘something’ was the HearYa session that Field Report recorded. And they were not fooling. Too often in this ADD world we live in, I don’t make it all the way to the end of a 7 minute long video, but Field Report’s rendition of ‘Route 18’ had me a bit spellbound. And after the video ended (and after I downloaded the mp3’s from the excellent HearYa session) I immediately hit up Google and went looking for some more on these guys.

It turns out that they released an excellent self-titled album almost a full year ago (listen / get on Bandcamp). And it is a really brilliant album, and one that I completely missed out on (even while compiling end of year lists and trying to check out countless other sites lists). Now it may be too late to turn back time and include ‘Field Report’ in any of my end of year lists for 2012, so I guess I’ll just need to start making a list for all the albums I completely missed out on in the previous year: ‘The Best Of What I Would Have Included In My Previous Best Of List If My Head Had Not Been Up My Ass’. It happens ever year.

If you haven’t already, go give the Field Report album a spin. It’s quite a great piece of work.

If you listen to ‘Within’ without staring at this...

Tue, 21 May 2013 21:27:26 +0100

If you listen to ‘Within’ without staring at this picture of a sad robot, you’re not really listening to it.

Alternatively, you can also listen to the track while watching this video on mute.

You should all take a moment out of your day today (or make note...

Tue, 21 May 2013 11:38:50 +0100

You should all take a moment out of your day today (or make note to do so later this week) and go listen to Tiny Ruins gorgeous new EP of old songs ‘Haunts’. If you have ever heard Hollie sing before, then you probably do not need any further convincing on why you should drop what you’re listening to right now and switch. There is a mesmerizing beauty to her voice and this EP is a simply magic. Just like everything else she’s put to tape… although, there might be just a pinch more magic captured on this EP.

So please go to Bandcamp and listen (or I guess you could just stay here and listen). And then buy a copy and take these songs for a walk through your nearest park.

A SongDrop MixTape - Volume 001

Mon, 20 May 2013 22:07:04 +0100

Partly by chance, partly by procrastination, and partly because exfm isn’t currently working...

The 8th instalment of our ‘ask an artist to record their own...

Mon, 20 May 2013 22:05:34 +0100

The 8th instalment of our ‘ask an artist to record their own ‘daytrotter-esque’ session in their own bedrooms / homes / DIY surrounding’ returns this week with the talented Wes Tirey sitting down and recording 4 tracks in his dining room in Black Mountain, North Carolina. Some of these tracks are new, some are old, one doesn’t even have a title yet, but all 4 were recorded in one sitting while his cat Tonto looked on from the living room. And now, through the magic of technology, you get to hear the same thing that Tonto heard.

As with all the past sessions, you can hear one track on the latest episode of Mix Tape Radio On Folk Radio UK (episode 18 airs today) and you can download the whole session for free over on Bandcamp.

And while you are over filling your pockets with Bandcamp treats, make sure you pop over to Wes Tirey’s Bandcamp and grab his excellent EP ‘I Stood Among Trees’.

Wes Tirey: Site | Facebook | Bandcamp | Soundcloud

Audio

Sat, 18 May 2013 10:28:34 +0100

Audio

Sat, 18 May 2013 10:26:17 +0100

This video, stylishly put together by The Glossary, seems...

Mon, 13 May 2013 16:00:04 +0100

This video, stylishly put together by The Glossary\u200B, seems like a fitting post for a Monday morning. Although, it would probably be more fitting if I wasn't taking a break from the rat race and lounging in lovely Barcelona. But still, I'll be back to the grind soon enough.

Here's a bit more on the video from the folks who made it:\u200B

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This video, stylishly put together by The Glossary, seems like a fitting post for a Monday morning. Although, it would probably be more fitting if I wasn’t taking a break from the rat race and lounging in lovely Barcelona. But still, I’ll be back to the grind soon enough.

Here’s a bit more on the video from the folks who made it:

“In 2005, author David Foster Wallace was asked to give the commencement address to the 2005 graduating class of Kenyon College. However, the resulting speech didn’t become widely known until 3 years later, after his tragic death. It is, without a doubt, some of the best life advice we’ve ever come across, and perhaps the most simple and elegant explanation of the real value of education. We made this video, built around an abridged version of the original audio recording, with the hopes that the core message of the speech could reach a wider audience who might not have otherwise been interested.”

— The Glossary

If you're interested, you can read the full speech David gave here.\u200B

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If you’re interested, you can read the full speech David gave here.

Everyday is always a good day to listen to Ben’s classic...

Fri, 10 May 2013 13:39:48 +0100

Everyday is always a good day to listen to Ben’s classic album ‘Sha Sha’ (listen on Spotify). Which is exactly what I am doing right now. There are so many great songs on it, that it is a bit disheartening to know that he was only 22 when it was released. Although every track is an outright gem, ‘Lizzy’ has always been (and still is) my favourite track.

It’s just a lovely little ditty. And if you are one of those folks that dabble on the guitar, it makes for a great song and to learn how to play. The intro is both cool and mildly easy to learn. And playing it in front of others can make you seem like you are better at the guitar than you really are (or at least it has worked for me before).

Of course, the real key to pulling of this song right is capturing the longing tone of Ben’s voice. And that I’ve never been able to get right.

The trickiest thing about attempting to write about music is...

Thu, 09 May 2013 13:50:07 +0100

The trickiest thing about attempting to write about music is that I’m not really a guy that likes to write about music. I like to listen to it. When I come across something that I enjoy, like Wes Tirey’s EP ‘I Stood Among Trees’, I like to listen to it a lot. And those albums sort of become mini soundtracks for my very un-cinematic life.

But beyond me suggesting that I think you should all check this EP out (available on CD or ‘pay what you like, no minimum’ digitally on his Bandcamp), I’m not sure what else to articulate. If you haven’t already, listen to my current favourite on the EP ’ The TIme Leaves So Soon’. And if you like the sounds of that, you’ll definitely like the whole EP.

I’ll just add that there is a lovely little DIYtrotter session coming from Wes in the very near future. So go check him out and then be ready for some more lovely porch-friendly folk in the upcoming weeks.

Wes Tirey: Site | Facebook | Bandcamp | Soundcloud

Igloo Backpackers Hostel in Nottingham

Wed, 08 May 2013 18:23:31 +0100

You might not know this, but I help run a backpackers hostel in Nottingham called ‘The Igloo’. So...

Exclusive Album Preview: A Singer Of Songs – There Is A Home For You

Fri, 03 May 2013 16:54:14 +0100

Exclusive Album Preview: A Singer Of Songs – There Is A Home For You: A Singer of Songs releases his...

Ok, first things first. LadyFace is the new name for the...

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 18:23:10 +0100

Ok, first things first. LadyFace is the new name for the project currently known as The Best Friends With Wolves Club. So if you recognize some of these songs, or if the themes of wide-eyed child wonder mixed with mildly murderous undertones sounds familiar, that is why. So why the name change?

“We changed our name because no one could ever remember what we were called..LadyFace works because everyone that plays in the band have a feminine beauty to their faces.”

Now on to the album. After a string of EPs under the guise of TBFWWC, Eric and his band of merry music makers have switched names and dropped their first full length ‘When We Go!’. It is slightly ‘harder’ then their previous sound (i.e. louder guitars, more shouting), but the innocent darkness of the songs remain. But that being said, you’ll still find that classic TBFWWC sound on tracks like ‘I Need You Closer’ and there was hints at the change in sound when ‘Cities Vanishing’ was released back in 2011. Kind of a move from ‘bedroom pop’ to ‘bedroom rock’ (although that chorus on ‘Make Me Whole / Take Me Home’ sounds much bigger than the tag ‘bedroom rock’ would imply).

“When We Go! was written over the course of a couple of years and in a way feels like a retrospective or greatest hits in a way and it felt like a good start for LadyFace. It begins with the first song recorded for the record and ends with the last song recorded and there’s a two year time span between those.”

The album is available as a ‘pay what you like’ purchase, with the minimum set at $0. So whether you’ve got a few shekels weighing down your pay pal account, or whether you’re feeling a bit skint and want to grab it for free, head over to LadyFace’s Bandcamp page and download the album.

LadyFace: Facebook | Twitter | Bandcamp | HI54LOFI

Some words of wisdom from the wise Patti Smith.

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 19:55:30 +0100

Some words of wisdom from the wise Patti Smith.

A Singer Of Songs just started a Youtube account. There are just...

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 14:47:09 +0100

A Singer Of Songs just started a Youtube account. There are just a few videos up now (including this great animation that was done by Ariel Victor for ‘Road To Nowhere’). There are also a couple of videos in the works for tracks off of the soon to be officially released ‘There Is A Home For You’ album.

Which you’ve all pre-ordered by now, right? It’s on vinyl and the test pressings sound magic (it’s also on CD and digital, which are equally magic sounding).

I started a Spotify playlist to try and keep track of some of my...

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 15:36:00 +0100

I started a Spotify playlist to try and keep track of some of my favourite music from 2013 + releases from 2013 that I intend to come back to and spend a bit more time with. I’ll be updating / tweaking it throughout the year, so if you use Spotify and are interested in keeping tabs on this evolving playlist of tunes from the year 2013… maybe subscribe to it?

Hopefully by the end of the year, I’ll have a 2013 version of the playlist I made for 2012 (212 Of My Favourite Tracks From 2012).

When it comes to Devendra Banhart releases, my final overall...

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 11:41:16 +0100

When it comes to Devendra Banhart releases, my final overall feeling is always that I quite enjoy them. There are always a bunch of pretty good tracks, a couple ‘odd / don’t quite work / we get it, your a free spirit’ tracks, and then there is one or two total jams that are so total in their jammage that it ups the quality of everything. And his latest release Mala continues that trend.

The total jam? This track obviously. It had me vibing with it so instantly and freely that it took a few spins before I realized that he sings the track from a lady’s perspective. Which briefly made me wonder if I was vibing with it from a lady’s perspective. But only briefly. Then I just went back to very much enjoying the tune and not saying ‘vibing’ anymore.

Devendra Banhart: Site | FB | Twitter | iTunes | Spotify

Max sent me his new album ‘Burrow’ over a month ago, but it was...

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 17:02:17 +0100

Max sent me his new album ‘Burrow’ over a month ago, but it was only in the last couple weeks that I actually managed to give it a listen. And it is quite great. The guitar playing on it is pretty exquisite and the vocals bring to mind a certain Swedish man who may or may not be taller than all the others.

The stand out track for me is definitely ‘New Beast’ —kind of wish there was a few more boy + girl vocals on the album, as their tones fit like well fitting gloves— but the whole album plays well and provides a pleasant escape from the modern world as throwing it on the headphones kind of transports you to a different time. Or at least out of the city and away from the go go go of a life with internet access (which is kind of like a different time). Visions of the English country side come to mind. Not sure why, as Max is from Maine (USA). But it does. In fact, ‘Burrow’ kind of sounds like an album that the same guy who tipped you off to Nick Drake would have also passed on to you. And if you didn’t know better, you could easily see this album being released in the early 70’s (rather than earlier this month).

So go jump over to his Bandcamp page and give the full album a listen and see if you find yourself transported somewhere more simple. And if you enjoy that escape, then buy the CD (he’s doing a 2 for 1 deal —so that takes care of a birthday present for your friend that has a crush on The Tallest Man On Earth— and he’s also donating a portion to charity).

Mix Tape Radio On Folk Radio UK is back with a new episode this...

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 21:11:22 +0100

Mix Tape Radio On Folk Radio UK is back with a new episode this Sunday (more details / air times / track listing on HI54LOFI.COM)

Audio

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 19:58:52 +0100