Glastonbury 2016 - The Ones To Watch - T-12 Days: Michael Kiwanuka

Kiwanuka's latest single 'Black Man In A White World' is quite possibly my favourite song of the year so far. The production, courtesy of Dangermouse, is spot on and the whole thing just exudes a quality 70s vibe. Just imagine this washing over you in the sunshine on the West Holts stage on Sunday afternoon, it'll sound so good.



His new album 'Love & Hate' will be out a couple of weeks after Glastonbury so I'm sure that he'll play a few tracks from it - here's the title track.


But there'll also be a lot of stuff from his Mercury Prize-nominated debut album to get your teeth into too. I saw him at a special Mercury gig when he was nominated and he's a fantastic live performer, so if you don't mind missing E.L.O. then make sure you catch him.

Track of the Day: 'Wearing Leather, Wearing Fur' by Juan Wauters and Carmelle

I got this track as part of the Rough Trade 'Tracks of the Week' download that I subscribe to (you can subscribe here). I really didn't know what to expect when I started listening to it on the train home, but it's fair to say it gripped me pretty much from the start, and I had to find out more about it as soon as I could. Fresh out from Brooklyn label Captured Tracks, this 13 minute track is more a suite of songs than a single track. Carmelle starts proceedings with a part about not wearing make-up and letting your skin breathe, and from there it rolls on - spoken word from Juan, some stuff about James Brown, a few jointly sung verses, some instrumental passages and more. Sparse and bare, with just acoustic guitar and melodica, it somehow manages to keep your attention throughout. With general themes of identity and personal freedom it's quite unlike anything else you'll hear today. There's something about Carmelle's voice that reminds me of Nico, and it's fair to say this track would be equally at home in the 60s or 70s, but it probably makes more of an impact now as it stands out so much from the rest of the crowd.

Track of the Day: 'Stop Spinning The Birdcage' by Low Low Low La La La Love Love Love

The last ever album from Low Low (as I think we're allowed to abbreviate them to) is called, appropriately, 'Last', and will be released in the middle of next month. Before that a single has just crept out, with 'Burrow' on one side and this on the other. I love its gentle harmonies and the Dear Prudence-esque feel at the start, but I love the squally guitars and feedback wig-out at the end just as much.

You can get the single for free or £1,000 (or somewhere in between) from the link below.

Track of the Day: 'Deserter' by Siskiyou

This is a bit of an epic track that goes three or four different movements in its 5 and a half minutes. Opening with a spooky, rather chilling children's choir it then moves on to the main body of the song. This part has more than a hint of Arcade Fire about it, as the singer pleads with someone not to leave. There's a surprising saxophone solo in the middle too. A minute and a half before the end there's an instrumental section, and then it rounds off with a little acoustic verse at the end.

There's an album coming out on 29th January if you like this (which I do rather a lot) but in the meantime you can get this lead track for free below.

Recommended music: 'Whelm' by Douglas Dare

The début album from London-based singer-songwriter has just been released on Erased Tapes, and it fits in well with the family of artists on this label. It's much more than just a man with a piano, and as its sweeping melodies drag you in you can see why Dare feels that the emotions in the songs are closely linked to the sea. There are gentle, calm moments like 'Caroline' and the instrumental title track , mixed in with harder edged, more electronic tracks like 'Unrest' and 'Swim'. Across these songs you can sense a host of influences, from label mates like Nils Frahm through to the likes of Radiohead and Four Tet. Despite the influences though, Dare's fantastic voice and vision combine to create something that's unlike anything else you've heard this year, and it's all the better for that

To release an album as well crafted and assured as this at the age of 23 is quite an achievement, one that signals the arrival of a talent that will surely be around for years to come

You can listen to the whole album below, and buy it direct from Erased Tapes here.

Track of the Day: 'Life Among The Savages' by Papercuts

This brilliant track is new on Memphis Industries by Papercuts a.k.a. Jason Quever. It's a gloriously cinematic sweep of strings and heartfelt, gentle vocals that will pull on your heartstrings. Recorded on 16-track reel to reel in his home studio, you can feel the San Francicso sunset permeating the track. Listen and download below.

New podcast: Austerity Audio vol. 16

It's been a while I know, but I hope you'll agree that the latest edition of my podcast series was worth the wait. I've even bumped it up to 12 tracks this time to make up for keeping you hanging around.

As ever, the rules for pulling this together are simple. Each of these tracks is available freely and legally to download on the internet - all I've done is gather up the best that the web has to offer and compiled them into one pocket-sized podcast. Play it, download it and share it around - al I ask in return is that if there's something on here that you really like then you next time you have a few pence spare you buy a track or 3 from that artist to keep them going. Think about it - what would you rather do? Buy an overpriced milky beverage from tax-dodgers Starbucks, or buy a couple of tracks from a creative artist? Hopefully when I put it like that you'll agree with me that it's an easy choice to make. To download the podcast just right-click on the picture above and 'save as' - I hope you enjoy it! Here's the tracklisting:

1. Temples - Mesmerize (The Time and Space Machine Remix)
2. Teen Daze - Tokyo Winter
3. The Cyclist - Heated Cliff
4. Cut Copy - We Are Explorers (Larry Gus Remix)
5. Phoenix - SOS In Bel Air (Ariel Pink's Krystal Bamboo Remix)
6. Daniel John Marsden - You'll (Probably) Be OK
7. Teleman - Lady Low
8. Benjamin Shaw - Goodbye, Kagoul World
9. Virgin of the Birds - Every Revelry
10. Emika - Primary Colours
11. Cyril Hahn - Getting There
12. Falty DL - Hardcourage VIP

Recommended music: 'Close To The Glass' by The Notwist

Despite the fact that The Notwist were formed back in 1989, and this is their sixth album, until about a month ago I don't think I'd heard any of their music. If this album is anything to go by then clearly I've made a terrible mistake, as this is exactly the kind of electronic-indie hybrid that I like to listen to.

The track that dragged me into the world of The Notwist was 'Kong', and it's still one of my favourites on the album. It's full of energy, ripping along at a cracking pace with some surprising strings at the end, and reminds me a bit of Grandaddy and some other things that I can't quite put my finger on (but which are all great). Here's the video:



The other tracks range from the full-on electronica of 'Lineri' to the lo-fi acousticness of 'Steppin' In', but whatever they're doing they always doing it really well. The title track, which you can hear below, is a great example of what they can do, mixing crunching electronics with acoustic guitars, crystal-clear vocals and some mournful atmospheric sounds.



Very much an essential purchase, and while you go off to buy this I resolve to go and sift through their back catalogue.

'Close To The Glass' is out now on City Slang Records.

Recommended music: 'New Gods' by Withered Hand

It's been a long wait (nearly 5 years) for this new Withered Hand album, and while both he and we might be a bit older and a bit wiser since 'Good News', Dan Willson's talent for writing great tunes with wry lyrics has certainly not depreciated.

The record mixes pacey numbers like 'Black Tambourine' with quieter, more introspective ones like 'Love Over Desire' and 'California', and he manages to pull it all off with aplomb. One of Willson's chief skills is in writing lyrics that the listener is able to dive right into and inhabit - at times funny, and at others heartbreaking, he never fails to deliver something that it utterly believable.

Overall the album is a more polished and mature record than 'Good News'. Perhaps the most telling sign of this new-found maturity is the title of 'Love Over Desire' - while there are still references to sex ("I was thinking of sex, you were dreaming of ruin" on 'Between True Love and Ruin', or the mention of 'travel pussy', which Dan has helpfully pointed out is a male sex toy you can buy from vending machines in European service stations), he seems to be driven more by the pull of his heart than the thrust of his groin these days.

The record ends with the perfectly uplifting 'Not Alone' - if you're not moved by the trumpets, and if you can manage to resist singing along with its 'na na na' chorus, then you're stronger willed than I am. In summary, this is a brilliantly crafted and immaculately executed album from one of the (hidden) treasures of our time. Listening to Dan Willson's songs is guaranteed to make you a better person. There's a couple from the album below to get you started.

PS Do it properly, go old school and buy it on gold vinyl.

Track of the Day: 'You'll (Probably) Be OK' by Daniel John Marsden

Proof that sometimes all you need is 105 seconds of simplicity to make a good song. The track is taken from Marsden's EP 'Short Songs for Sad Children', which was recorded in just one day. He's heading back into the studio soon to record some more tracks but in the meantime you should track down the rest of the songs from this EP.

PS Great title for a song too!

Recommended music: 'Love To Give' by Halls

This is another album where I've taken my time writing the review, as this is definitely a record to spend some quality time with. Just over a year since his debut album 'Ark' (during which time he managed to fit in a spell modelling for Hedi Slimane in Paris), Sam Howard has delivered a fantastically warm and emotional record. Although at times it feels melancholic, the overall atmosphere is one of positivity and hope. Quiet, reflective moments mix with tracks that build to crescendos, uplifting trumpets the rise to a valiant cry above the music, and a couple of noisy moments that even Mogwai would be proud of.

Musically the emphasis has switched to 'real' instruments and away from electronics. This, along with the recorded ambience of the theatre in Woolwich where the tracks were laid down, give the album an feeling of warm, crackly ambience. With each listen it draws you tighter into its warm embrace, enveloping you and disarming you, and making you fall in love with it again and again.

With a record this good that fits together so well as one listening piece it's hard to pick out highlights, but for me the best bits are probably at the start, the middle and the end. The opening title track 'Love To Give' is a great introduction to the feel of the record, while the centrepiece 'Aria' fills you full of melodies and then throws you off track with a discordant saxophone, before coming back with driving drums and stirring strings. Meanwhile closer 'Body Eraser / Avalanche' is 9 minutes of pure joy and exhilaration as it turns from an almost mournful hymn to a drum-bashing frenzy with layers of guitars and sound.

One top tip for you - if you're going to buy this on a physical format then get it from Rough Trade as their version comes with a 7-track bonus disc with some great extra tracks, including covers of song by Cat Power and The Beach Boys.

You can stream the whole album below.

New podcast - Austerity Audio vol. 5

What could be better on this glorious sunny afternoon than some free new music to brighten up your aural cavities? Yes, it's that time again, welcome to the fifth instalment of my free downloadable podcasts.

As has become the norm, there's 10 tracks of new music from a diverse range of genres, each one legally culled from the Internet over the past week or two. Left click on the picture above to listen, or right click to download the set. If you find something that you really like then please buy a track or two from that artist if you can, and then they'll be able to afford to carry on making beautiful music for us. Here's the tracklisting:

1. Long Arm - Blue Birds Red Flowers (A.B.S.T.R.A. Remix)
2. Joey Bada$$ - Sorry Bonita
3. The B C Band - Railway Rhythmn
4. Run The Jewels - Banana Clipper (feat. Big Boi)
5. Bendik - Forsvinne (Ole Torjus remix)
6. Vondelpark - Always Forever (Tuesday Born remix)
7. Adam Stafford - Ghostly Arms
8. Hookworms - Away Towards
9. Scott and Charlene's Wedding - Lesbian Wife
10. Jack Hayter - Quotes

New music: The Toe Rag Acoustic Sessions by Ásgeir Trausti

If you saw John Grant on his recent tour of the UK then you may well have caught Ásgeir Trausti supporting him. If he's new to you, then it's time for you to get acquainted.

Aged only 20, Trausti has already had the best-selling début album ever by a domestic artist in his native Iceland. He's now working on an English-language version of the album (with lyrics translated by Grant) which will be out later in the year on One Little Indian records. Until it appears you can make do with this gorgeous 3-track acoustic EP recorded at the legendary Toe Rag Studios in London. Listen and grab it for free below.

Live - in pictures and video: Villagers at Village Underground, London 21/2/13

A few photos and a video from last night's excellent show at Village Underground.

Conor and the band were on excellent form, for me 'Waves' was a particular highlight but they didn't put a foot wrong the whole evening.

Villagers - Village Underground 21/2/13

 The audience were very appreciative, and, as you can hear on the video below, even managed to stay quiet, which sadly is a rarity these days.



All in all a great night. I'm sure they'll be playing much bigger venues by the end of the year - they certainly deserve to be.

Track of the Day: 'Line Of Fire' by Junip

There's more than a hint of Simon & Garfunkel on this the title track from Junip's forthcoming album. The powerful arrangement elevates the track above your usual acoustic run of the mill fare, and although it doesn't sound at all contemporary there's a warmth and familiarity that will endear it to you.

The record will be out in the Spring in Europe (on City Slang) and North America (on Mute).