Welcome to NEOLOOP


Step in to the Neoloop, have a look and listen!

You'll find a cornucopia of tasty tunes to bounce off your eardrums. I update with new tunes, art and photography every week, depending on what I'm doing and listening to at the time, old and new. I'm based in London UK but I love to travel and discover new music along the way and share my musical journey on neoloop.

Please support the artists and buy their music. If you are or represent an artist being featured on here and want me to remove something, email me.

Happy listening!

Neo

Email: neo@neoloop.com
  Heavy Rotation
  Category Cloud
  Albums of the year
Aug 31st, 2015 20:48pm

Rising sun on a secluded beach

French duo Polo & Pan were brought to my attention via the epic soundtrack LP for Eden, where their excellent track Rivolta appears. Then this track pops up which is even more up my street.

The plucky guitars complimented by the ethereal singing and wonky organs underpinned by the sweetest balearic beat. There is something of a tribal feel too as the singing turns to chants. My only negative is that it’s not short!

Let’s hope we hear more from Paul Armand Delille et Alex Pan very soon.

Mar 8th, 2015 19:41pm

Ibeyi’s eponymous debut

Ibeyi - French/Cuban twins Naomi and Lisa-Kaindé Díaz debut is causing a stir, main down to the originality of their music. They have a organic sound that crossed genres without thinking about it. You can pick-out the influences with a fine tooth comb but they weave a fascinating thread of discovery.

Often bared down to the simplest of arrangements leaving no slack of unnecessary sound and leaves everything to breath in space. This is the full fat. Ghosts is a spiritual delight of glorious harmonies. Buy the LP now.

Recent Mixtape EE-BEY-EE is worth a spin too - Click Here

Buy Ibeyi’s debut on iTunes

Categories: Alternative, Folk, Leftfield, Soul
Jan 10th, 2015 19:52pm

Elemental folk

Dead City Emily, a nice mellow track from Marissa Nadler’s seventh LP July which came out February 2014.Dead City Emily was released as a single the previous year.

An eerie under current that shines with a lush melody and Marissa’s celestial voice.

Official site here

Categories: Alternative, Folk
Oct 26th, 2014 18:26pm

Heartleap

It's been nine years since cult folk singer Vashti Bunyan released her sophomore album, Lookaftering in 2005 following renewed interest in her debut LP Just Another Diamond Day from 1970. So that’s three full-lengths in 44 years, shame she’s not made more, as the quality of her third is just as good as the first. Bunyan says that her third full-length album, Heartleap, will also be her last so I guess we’ll have to savour this beautiful record.

It’s also worth checking out the Prospect Hummer EP with Animal Collective.

Categories: Folk
Jan 26th, 2014 22:56pm

Time for some je ne sais quoi

French folk-pop duo Charlotte Savary & Philippe Chevallier better known as Felipecha released De fil en aiguille, their debut album back in 2008 and it stills sounds as fresh as une guirlande. The classic chanteuses á la française puts you in a warm and summery mood.

Charlotte Savary is better known to be one of the main vocals for the french DJ Wax Tailor, also worth checking out.

Categories: Folk, French, Pop
Jan 25th, 2014 13:29pm

California Dreaming

Great to have Beck back with some quality new material, new LP Morning Phase, the long-awaited followup to 2008's Modern Guilt, is out at the end of February. Back in the groove of his excellent alt-folk LP Sea Change from 2002, Morning Phase revisits that sound and he also enlists the same backing band and is scored by his father's string arrangements.

Beck describes his new LP as 'California music', this is in the vein of Dennis Wilson as apposed to the Beach Boys, their are also those influences of circa Melody Nelson Serge Gainsbourg similar to Sea Change and nods to acoustic guitars and mandolin's of Fleetwood Mac. Blue Moon welcomes him back with with style.

Pre-order Morning Phase here on iTunes

Categories: Alternative, Folk
Jan 25th, 2014 12:57pm

We are everyday robots on our phones

Damon Albarn's next solo album Everyday Robots out the end of April, the title track here is out now and sets the tone for Albarn's distinctive soulful voice. Damon describes the LP as a sort of 'folk soul project', produced with the help of XL Recordings head Richard Russell. A mellow track that could easily feature as a somber moment on a new Blur album.

There's a beautifully lush orchestra of violins that backs up Albarn's passion for quirky instruments, what sounds like a squeaky wheel on an old cart, obscure samples that with hints of Gorillaz ingrained in the make-up of Damon's sound. He sings about the rat-race and how everybody goes about the journey completely obsorbed by their mobile phones. You can make out some light bongos in the mix nodding to his many world musical projects and also his previous work with Richard Russell and Bobby Womack. With so many different musical explorations under his belt this record pulls in on so many different influences, he's a musician at the top of his game. Sublime.

Pre-order Everyday Robots here on iTunes

Categories: Alternative, Folk, Soul
Jan 1st, 2014 19:42pm

These are the top 30 LPs that rock our world last year. 

  1. Daft Punk - Random Access Memories
  2. The Limiñanas - Costa Blanca
  3. Kanye West - Yeezus
  4. Footprintz - Escape Yourself
  5. Matthew E. White - Big Inner
  6. Empire Of The Sun - Ice On The Dune
  7. Saâda Bonaire - Saâda Bonaire
  8. Unknown Mortal Orchestra - II
  9. Arcade Fire - Reflektor
  10. Bonobo - The North Borders
  11. Devendra Banhart - Mala
  12. Forest Swords - Engravings
  13. Daniel Avery - Drone Logic
  14. John Grant - Pale Green Ghosts
  15. Bill Callahan - Dream River
  16. Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires of the City
  17. Washed Out - Paracosm
  18. DJ Koze - Amygdala
  19. Blood Orange - Cupid Deluxe
  20. Boards of Canada - Tomorrow's Harvest
  21. Foxygen - We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors Of Peace & Magic
  22. My Bloody Valentine - mbv
  23. Taragana Pyjarama - Nothing Hype
  24. Jon Hopkins - Immunity
  25. Earl Sweatshirt - Doris
  26. Darkside - Psychic
  27. Deafheaven - Sunbather
  28. M.I.A - Matangi
  29. Proviant Audio - Drift Days & Disco Nights
  30. Classixx - Hanging Garden
Blog entries for each album are in the right column for reviews and sample tracks.


 

Nov 17th, 2013 11:58am

Down a foxhole in the ground

Those bearded indie-folk are back with a new LP, their fourth - Antiphon. Following the departure of singer-songwriter Tim Smith in 2012 the band carry on with guitarist Eric Pulido stepping up to frontman. Essentially the bands overall style and sound is in tact, but ultimately this LP falls slightly short of The Trials of Van Occupanther and The Courage of Others. But there are some good psychedelic easy listening tunes that continue down the Fleetwood Mac meets Pink Floyd sound they do so well. The title track builds slowly, rolling in a ’70s baroque sound, Aurora Gone is a mellow floaty folky delight. Vale is an incredible instrumental rock-out jam that Deafheaven would be proud of. Provider is a straight up classic that's totally in tune with Midlake's prog-rock tendencies, with the dizzyingly hypnotic Provider (Reprise) finishing the album with style. Another album, another direction for ever evolving Texas group.

Like this? Try: Fleet Foxes, Tame Impala, John Grant, Midlake's Late Night Tales compilation (released in 2011).

Sep 7th, 2013 17:38pm

So let's raise the bars and our cup to the stars!

London Folk trio - Daughter lead by sultry singer Elena Tonra takes on Daft Punk's summer anthem Get Lucky.

Casting a darker shade, Daughters sensual emotionally-charged version is a chilled out reverberation of the dance floor filler. Daughter recorded it before Random Access Memories was released back in April and was well received by fans of Bat for Lashes, Fiest, Cat Power and Poliça etc. I like the Daughters take on it, but even better is the Pretty Pink remix of their version (and there are quite a few other remixes of Daughter version about), Pretty Pink's housed-up edit does the business.

More Daughter folk here on bandcamp

Categories: Folk, Remix
Jun 15th, 2013 20:48pm

Magik-mix

Having wowed critics and crate-diggers alike with 2012's acclaimed Magik Cyrkles compilation, Psychemagik have now unleashed the follow-up, Magik Sunrise, on Paul Murphy and Simon Purnell's Leng label.

Bristling with psychedelic, cosmic and curiously Balearic oddities hand-picked from the depths of their vast record collections, Magik Sunrise is, if anything, even more inspired that its predecessor.

The Juggler is one of the highlights from a band called Fox, originally from the 1975 album of the same name. Featuring lead vocals from Noosha Fox. Overall it's an interesting journey into relatively unknown artists. Recommended.

Jun 15th, 2013 16:35pm

I Left my heart in San Francisco

Foxygen's San Francisco, the perfect tune for today's undecided weather. A charming hippie flower-power kinda tune that wouldn't feel out of place on early Kinks LP. Taken from the album We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace and Magic, which was release at the start of this year, it's only now that we are getting a bit of sunshine that this LP sounds appropriate. Most of this record is in the same vibe and although it's completely retro in style it's the clean production sound that makes you think this is what the Kinks would have sounded like if they had todays technology back in the sixties. Groovy!

Categories: Acoustic, Alternative, Folk
Jan 27th, 2013 21:48pm

Big Love for a Big Album

One of the first great albums of the year has to be Matthew E. White's Big Inner. Well, certainly in the UK anyway as it was released in the US back in the summer last year. An LP of string-laden country-soul-gospel that's a pure delight from start to finish. Matthew E. White's ear for a melodic tune renders an album that transcends Big Inner into classic status.

Big Love will undoubtably be the track that will lead a legion of fans to Matthew E. White's live shows, but Big Inner ("beginner") will throw up more favourite tracks than the average debut. White built a studio, Spacebomb, in his attic, he has affiliations with Bon Iver (whose first album about loss Big Inner faintly recalls), Megafaun and the Mountain Goats. He reminds me of the great Kevin Ayers in many ways, specially his voice which is no bad thing at all. Get your copy now, Highly Recommended.

Buy it on iTunes

Official site click here

 

Categories: Chill, Easy Listening, Folk
Jan 27th, 2013 21:01pm

A winter warmer

I've been listening to Willy Mason's latest LP Carry On loads, it's a real grower with a variety of styles from the singer songwriter. Pickup Truck was my first favourite track, rocking a bluesy riff with a hip-hop beat. It's Mason's third album, produced by Dan Carey, The New Yorker released Carry On in UK last month (Yet to be released in the US.). His gravelly tones are what sets him apart from the average singer songwriter, set to bluesy sensibilities the album is an easy listen that tells a story and brings in glitchy sonics and drum machines. The dub beats of Restless Fugitive are hypnotic and the bongo beats on the lament of Shadows in the Dark are sublime. It appears that the work of Dan Carey (MIA, Hot Chip, Kyle) has added to Mason's folky sound to broaden the textures and beef out the beats. Willy's not completely new to this of course after his guest vocal on The Chemical Brothers Battle Scars in 2007, a great track (Also worth checking out the Beyond the Wizards Sleeve Remix). I strongly advise giving Carry On a spin and find the perfect album to keep you warm during winter. Highly Recommended

More info on Willy Mason Click Here

But it in iTunes click Here

 

Categories: Blues, Easy Listening, Folk
Oct 28th, 2012 22:22pm

Sun-drenched Bliss

Brooklyn band Woods latest album Bend Beyond (Their seventh) is an easy folk-pop jam which I've been enjoying lately. Released last month it's a much more polished sound than previous efforts, it's all Beach Boys harmonies, Simon & Garfunkel melodies and psychedelic wig-outs with sun-dappled guitars.

This LP sounds like it could have been released by a band from California in the seventies, that's definitely not a bad thing. Singer and band leader Jeremy Earl conjures up melting pot influences from that era. Fleeting from the Beach Boys to The Doors via The Byrds with shades of Neil Young it's a pastoral delight.

Like this? Try: Teenage Fanclub, The Doors, The Byrds

Buy it on iTunes

Jun 3rd, 2012 19:40pm

Impressions de voyage

Avec son nouvel album Les passagers, Berry nous donne rendez-vous pour un voyage en première classe.

Elise Pottier AKA Berry's second album is all about traveling with the one you love. I spent last week driving around France with this on repeat (together with Sebastian Tellier's excellent new album - My God is Blue) and it's a beautify crafted album of folky songs and french pop with a Gainsbourg-esque arrangements holding it all together. This, the title track is my current favourite. Following her excellent debut Mademoiselle this is the perfect follow-up, recommended.

Like this? Try: Francoise Hardy, Jane Burkin, Olivia Ruiz

 

Categories: Easy Listening, Folk, French, Pop
Apr 9th, 2012 00:02am

Beautiful Bliss

Atlanta's Lockett Pundt's Lotus Plaza project debuted with The Floodlight Collective in 2009, and has spectacularly returned with Spooky Action at a Distance. Following the hugely successfully Halcyon Digest by Pundt's other band Deerhunter this LP is another indie delight. It's a beautifully breezy album full of blissed out acoustic portraits that bring a feeling of floating in a triply daydream. The Deerhunter guitarists expertly crafted folky songs are reminiscent of Kurt Vile but with a warm charm, colorfully rhythmic chord progressions with a pysch-pop edge.

It's slow gentle burner that will no doubt feature in the end of year top albums. Highly Recommended

Deerhunter, Atlas Sound, Real Estate, Kurt Vile

Categories: Alternative, Folk
Jan 30th, 2012 23:45pm

Tropicália folk

This catchy little tune from Está Vivo is making some waves online. African Run sounds like a cross between Devendra Banhart and Caetano Veloso with a voice like Frank Zappa. A free-spirited folk tune with a tropical edge, a simple riff with an infectious beat. Ryan McMahon previously toured with a band known as Bearries out of Chicago playing live electronica opening up for acts such as Justice and Telle. Following the demise of that short lived touring band in 2010 McMahon now makes his own solo music under the name Está Vivo. Check out his bandcamp and MySpace pages for some more great tunes.

Check out the Bandcamp page, A bands place in MySpace

 

Categories: Folk, Tropicália
Dec 30th, 2011 21:44pm

Apocalypse

Reviewing the albums of the year is a tough task, and it's been a busy year. While considering what will make my top 20 this album crops up. Bill Callahan's Apocalypse has been a slow burner over the year since it's release back in April. Callahan's almost spoken word style of singing has a lot of similarities with Gil Scott-Heron, specially on the track America!. This track Riding For the Feeling is a gorgeously enchanting slow waltz with Callan's strange subversive lyrics and the centre track to one of his best albums to date.

Seven tracks at just 40 minutes - Apocalypse is his third studio album released under his own name, and fourteenth overall when including LPs released as Smog. Already featured in many best of year charts its a recommended late night chill out. That artwork is a painting by the artist Paul Ryan.

Buy it on iTunes

Categories: Chill, Folk, Rock
Jul 23rd, 2011 01:30am

The first feel good hit of the summer!

From Zach Condon's Beirut project. A Rip Tide is due out at the end of August and is some of Beirut’s first new songs since the EP March Of The Zapotec. Their second LP A Flying Club Cup is now a firm all-time favourite, so any new material from Zach Condon is very exciting! Recorded last winter in New York Beirut have come a long way since the debut The Gulag Orkestar LP and Lon Gisland EP. But somehow Condon has always retained a certain unique sound that comes from his rotary valve flugelhorn and ukulele.

All the hallmarks of the Beirut sound are here, the Balkan brass, French accordions and Mexican influences but overall this is much more poppy affair, this is good news as Condon certainly knows how to write a compelling riff and a catchy chorus. Listening to this album just makes me smile, it's uplifting and transcends you off into a happy place.

The mellow A Candle's Fire starts off this short LP (just over 33 minutes) in style, the instruments build throughout and creates that full and satisfying sound we've come to expect. We are then treated to the album's first epic moment in Santa Fe, Condon's home town, a hypnotic synth loop captivates you from the start, listen to it here. Next up is the first single release East Harlem, a gentle accordion intro is snapped up into a choppy acoustic rhythm with lush flourishes of brass horns, just superb. We take in some more somber moments with Goshen and Payne's Bay. The title track The Rip Tide is another bona fide winner, at the centre of the album it holds it all together, Codon's voice is spot on. Vagabond sounds like a left over track from Yann Tiersen's soundtrack to Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain with Condon adding his unique twist. Just beautiful. The record finishes with the stripped back The Peacock and Port of Call a marching band beat and a mandolin riff. What emerges is a style that belongs uniquely and distinctly to Beirut, one that has actually been there all along.

Condon has formed his own label Pompeii Records, the singer will now take direct control of the release and distribution of his music. Beirut will be touring the UK in September with a night at Briton Academy on the 16th. A Rip Tide is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Official Site

Categories: Acoustic, Alternative, Folk
May 8th, 2011 19:10pm

It's good to hear some new music from Beirut, sounding on good form on this cover of the Tropicália legend Caetano Veloso.

The first track from the Red Hot Organization’s sequel to their 1996 comp Red Hot + Rio, paying homage to Brazilian Tropicália. The album will also feature Dirty Projectors, of Montreal, St. Vincent, Neon Indian, Beck, Devendra Banhart, Madlib, José González, and John Legend. Quite the eclectic mix, Can't wait!

Find out the full lo-down on redhot.org

Categories: Chill, Folk, Tropicália, World
Apr 12th, 2011 00:24am

How will I know that you'll save me? Your little hands are getting shaky, It is time to let the light seep From behind your eyes, Then I'll know my night survives…

The brilliant new album from Bibio is out this week! - Mind Bokeh

It's a tough choice to find a favourite tune off this eclectic mix of songs, I've already given you the kitsch sound of K is for Kelson last month. Right now the tune that's wearing out the repeat button is Light Seep. Mind Bokeh is the fifth full-length from LP from Stephen Wilkinson, a.k.a. Bibio, and his second release on Warp Records following up the equally superb Ambivalence Avenue.

Bibio slowly wowed the underground electronic music scene with the sunny synth-pop of Ambivalence Avenue, a unique blend of crafted instrumentals and folktronica in 2009. Critical Acclaim pushed the album into many 'best of the year' album charts. With that record behind him Bibio has triumphed again with Mind Bokeh. It's another complete mash of musical styles, chucking in obscure samples that sound completely spontaneous yet you know it been meticulously constructed. There are all sorts of modern influences here, Four Tet, Gaslamp Killer, DJ Shadow and Neon Indian spring to mind. But he's also blending in a mixed bag of retro sounds liquefying genres into timeless hybrid songs. Pretentious uses jangly funk and beautiful harps with a soulful vocal creating an new angle on glick-pop before deconstructing into a mellow saxophone demise. Anything New starts as sunny sing-a-long pop and effortlessly transforms into a synth driven monster with mad distorted vocal samples. Light Seep is a pure bliss of psychedelic synths and funk. Artists' Valley sounds like a missing track from Four Tets last LP, but with added vocals from Wilkinson. Highlights are plentiful on this record and it captivates from beginning to end, how many albums can you say that about nowadays! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!! Not bad for an album entirely recorded in a bedroom, in a terraced house, in Wolverhampton.

Buy it now on iTunes

 

Mar 23rd, 2011 00:40am

Currently enjoying the new Kurt Vile album - Smoke Ring For My Halo.

In My Time has a nice easy summer shimmer going on, and there's a shade of The Stone Roses about this, other tunes on the album sound like old Lee Hazlewood, the Philadelphia folk-rocker's voice is very similar. A great album well worth a good listen. Recommended.

 

Categories: Alternative, Folk
Jan 30th, 2011 21:49pm

Great track here from the excellent new album Kiss Each Other Clean from Iron & Wine aka Sam Beam. Monkey Uptown is a real feel-good folk-funk tune. The whole album has a certain funky vibe to it compared with Beam's simpler more folky material. It's a gentle record with some excellent, well crafted songs that burst with soaring harmonies and lush melodies. Recommened

Like this? Try: Simon & Garfunkel, Midlake, John Grant, Fleet Foxes

Buy it on itunes

 

Categories: Alternative, Chill, Folk
Jan 16th, 2011 19:51pm

After doing Neoloop's albums of the year for 2010 I've been giving the selection a good airing. The one that I keep coming back to is John Grant's Queen of Denmark. Every track offers something different and grows with every listen. From powerful americana ballads to quirky leftfield pop. Grant's extraordinary vocal range is accompanied with a songwriting talent of highest quality. Witty lyrics are given an exuberant backing by the band Midlake. It's an eclectic array of music and on the first few listens your just in love with the richness of it all. Further investigation reveals the lyrical diversity in the strange and dark subject matter - tortured confessions of lost love and addiction. It's moving and funny at the same time and is a credit to Grant's songwriting prowess. 

He recently launched his career as a solo artist after being persuaded by Midlake by offering him their services, having previously been lead vocalist with alternative rock band The Czars. Releasing Queen of Denmark LP back in April 2010. Highly Recommended.

John Grant's website, buy it on iTunes

Categories: Folk, Rock
Nov 16th, 2010 00:20am

With Warpaint's debut album on heavy rotation at Neoloop I've also been been giving their first EP Exquisite Corpse a good airing. I have to say that Billie Holiday is an amazing tune. Their enchanting, psychedelic folky rock is hypnotizing on this track. They subtly intertwine their acoustic ballad with Mary WellsMy Guy, to create their own beautiful song.

Exquisite Corpse was recorded back in 2007, and self-released by the band in late 2008 followed by the vinyl version via Manimal in October of 2009. The EP is produced by Jake Simon Bercovici and mixed by former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante. It also features current Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer performing the drums on this track.

Buy it on iTunes

 

Categories: Alternative, Folk
Nov 14th, 2010 20:38pm

Here's a cool Teen Daze remix of the Local Natives Wide Eyes, adding blissed out dream-scape vibes to a great little indie tune. The original track appears on the LA band's debut LP Gorilla Manor (2009).

Listen and lose yourself in a feel-good moment of dreamy psych-folk.

Bands official site, Buy it on iTunes

 

Categories: Dreamy Alt-Pop, Folk, Remix
Nov 6th, 2010 12:31pm

Now I've got you in the undertow

An all girl Los Angeles quartet, Warpaint release The Fool, their debut album for Rough Trade. Getting rave reviews everywhere. It was produced by Tom Biller, and features mixing duties by Andrew Weatherall and Adam Samuels. Warpaint bring in lush harmonies and brooding baselines, I can hear flashes of Fleetwood Mac and even the Stone Roses on some tracks. 

Subtle strands of punk, shoegaze, psychedelics, and folk all intersperse at once creating a truly captivating sound with a quality that's rarely heard. It's the perfect soundtrack for cold sunny days doing nothing or late night's chilling out with a nice single malt whiskey. It's breathtakingly good and highly Recommended. 

Also worth checking out their debut EP Exquisite Corpse that was produced by Red Hot Chili PeppersJohn Frusciante, which features the amazing track Billie Holiday.

Warpaint's current line-up is Emily Kokal (vocals/guitar), Theresa Wayman (guitar/vocals), Jenny Lee Lindberg (bass/vocals), and Stella Mozgawa (drums).

Like this? Try: The xx, Dirty Projectors, Stevie Nicks

Bands place in MySpace, Official website

 

 

Categories: Alternative, Chill, Folk
Mar 11th, 2010 01:54am

The new title track from MGMT next album Congratulations is a somewhat laid-back easy going summery freaky folky affair. Their back to basics acoustic approach is in stark contrast to the debut album Oracular Spectacular that launched last summers classic tunes. The band have been quoted saying there are no radio friendly single on this new album. But this is not a bad thing, I'm like this tune, it just sounds like a different band. There are other tracks on the album that feature the wonky organs that make Kids such a great anthem. You can download another track Flash Delirium from the bands website. Congratulations is out on 12th April.

Like This? Try: Devendra Banhart, Marc Bolan, Kings of Convenience

Official Site

Categories: Alternative, Chill, Folk
Jan 3rd, 2010 01:46am

A stunning return from the texan rockers, Children of the Ground is the new Roscoe for 2010.

Midlakes follow up album to the excellent The Trials of Van Occupanther in 2006 is The Courage Of Others, released on 1 February 2010. Their last album was in a territory of relatively untrod ground. However since The Trials of Van Occupanther was released in 2006 other bands such as Fleet Foxes, The Low Anthem and Bon Iver have taken the beardy harmonising MOR to the masses and achieved great commercial success. With The Courage Of Others they have surpassed themselves, this could be the LP that launches them into the arena of commercial rewards. It is an absolute delight, so many great tunes it really is hard to separate them into any single hits. Full of lush folky smoke blowing over the pastoral acoustic guitar picking and a dreamscapes of flutes slowly building into a crescendo of soaring harmonies, utterly captivating. Highly Recommended

Bands place in MySpace, iTunes

Like This Try: Neil Young, Fleet Foxes, Led Zepplin, Bon Iver

Categories: Folk, Rock
Dec 31st, 2009 18:25pm

Bibio's Ambivalence Avenue is already one of my album's of 2009. Now before the year is through Bibio releases The Apple and the Tooth, which essentially is a Ambivalence Avenue remix album with a few new tracks. The Lone remix of All the Flowers extends the original tune from an interlude into a whole tune. Always a favourite moment on Ambivalence Avenue it has a back beat and echoing vocals, but never loses that looping riff that makes the tune what it is.

Like this try: Bibio's Ambivalence Avenue

Bibio's place in MySpace

Categories: Chill, Electronic, Folk
Dec 22nd, 2009 00:41am

This is a real nice lush lazy track, as I watch the snow falling outside turning everything brilliant white this is a fitting soundtrack. Freelance Whales formed in 2008, in Queens NYC. Harmonium, banjo, glockenspiel, synthesizers, guitars, bass, drums and waterphone all feature in the mix of their captivating sound. Freelance Whales can be spotted in the streets and humble venues of New York City, their first full-length record, Weathervanes is due for release March next year, but you can get it on download now.

Like this, try: Fleet Foxes, Noah and the Whale, Arcade Fire

Official site, Buy it on iTunes Now

Categories: Folk, Lo-Fi, Pop
Nov 16th, 2009 00:01am

Cute little folky pop tune from British born singer-songwriter Lisa Mitchell, who grew up in Albury, New South Wales. This track is from her debut album Wonder that she recorded in England, interestingly she finished sixth in the 2006 season of Australian Idol. Still relatively unknown in the UK, hopefully this will get snapped up in a Vodaphone advert or something and she'll get some airplay.

Buy it on iTunes, Official site

Like this, try: Sara Schiralli, Nouvelle Vague, Vanessa Paradis

 

Categories: Folk, Pop
Nov 15th, 2009 23:10pm

Just add clear blue skies on cold frosty morning!

Great start to winter's day, wake up with a happy face with Washington DC's Le loup's morning song. Melodic banjo's and sweat harmonies. Uplifting. Taken from Le Loup's 2nd album Family out now.

Bands place inMySpace, Official site Buy it on iTunes

Like this, try: Fleet Foxes, Bon Iver, Bill Callahan

 

Categories: Acoustic, Alternative, Folk
Nov 11th, 2009 00:04am

Dark psychedelia, freaky folk, bonkers bongos, wayward beats and wandering melodies and insane voices… this is The Witch And The Robot. Taken from their debut album 'On Safari' (released last month), possibly one of the strangest new acts you’ll encounter this year. They are from the Lake District, sounds like they spend most of their time in the woods dancing around a big fire!

Buy it from atic records, Bands place in MySpace

Categories: Folk, Leftfield, Psychedelic
Oct 24th, 2009 19:18pm

Freak Folk just went mainstream, Devendra Banhart's first release on major label (Warners) brings on slightly more polished sound and the tunes are more structured than previous albums. This is one of the standout tracks, sounds more indie band than folk. Love this!

What Will We Be is a Devendra Banhart album set to be released on October 27th, 2009 on Warner Brother Records. The album was co-produced by Banhart and Paul Butler from A Band of Bees. Rejoining Banhart are old band mates Noah Georgeson, Greg Rogove, Luckey Remington, and Rodrigo Amarante, all of whom worked with him on his previous album, Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon.

Album is released at the end of this month.

Dev's place in MySpace

Categories: Alternative, Folk
Oct 21st, 2009 00:14am

I'm going down like a villain in this place.

A great little tune with a ska beat and the beautiful voice of Londoner Sara Schiralli. Has a little french pop flavour I feel. Cracking tune!

Sara describes her sound as tropical surf alternative folk. No album yet but a good few single. Check out her MySpace page.

Sara place in MySpace

Categories: Folk, Pop
Oct 11th, 2009 17:24pm

A superb chilled out remix from Folk-Hippie Devendra Banhart

Devendra said: We LOVE and have LOVED Phoenix since Alphabetical, and have wanted to do more than just ogle at their awesomeness for quite some time. With the release of their luminary Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix we got the chance to un-floccinaucinihilipilificate our dreams and with awesome, oceanic glee, we took Rome for a ride... a mellow, meditative one, let’s bring out the candle-lit side, a side of the song suited for lucubration !

You can download this and more Phoenix remixes here

Categories: Alternative, Chill, Folk, Remix
Sep 23rd, 2009 01:55am

Loving this album and this tune in particular. Sound like old skool funk put through an old gramophone and recorded down a crackley phoneline. Wah Wah!

Take a trip down Ambivalence Avenue!

Bands place in MySpace

Categories: Alternative, Folk
Sep 22nd, 2009 00:58am

Banging away at 100mph, this is the maddest tune of the month. I love an accordion! This tune takes a few listens to really get it, a bit like the crazy instrumentals by Tom Waits. This track is from their latest album - Délivrance.

A Hawk and a Hacksaw is a folk band from Albuquerque, New Mexico. The band consists primarily of percussionist Jeremy Barnes, (drummer for Neutral Milk Hotel), and violinist Heather Trost. Inspired by eastern European, particularly Balkan traditions there is rarely a dull moment on any of their albums.  If you like Beirut, then dig further in to the world of A Hawk And A Hacksaw. 

The name comes from a line in Hamlet (Act II, scene ii): "I am but mad north-north-west: when the wind is southerly I know a hawk from a handsaw."

Bands place in MySpace, Official Site, Buy it on iTunes

 

Categories: Folk, Leftfield
Sep 13th, 2009 21:19pm

Folktronica acoustic melodies from the excellent Norwegian duo of Erlend Øye and Eirik Bøe.

It's been five years since their last album, we've had the brilliant side project of Erlend Øye's The Whitest Boy Alive and his numerous guest appearances to keep us happy. But I'm very excited about their new (3rd) album, Declaration of Dependence, due October 20th. This single sets us up in anticipation of what's to follow. I've been a big fan of their intricate and subtle guitar melodies since their debut album back in 2001. This song doesn't disappoint, an instant foot tapper with sing-a-long chorus which has become the trademark sound of Kings of Convenience.

Kings of Convenience is an indie folk-pop duo from Bergen, Norway.

Official Site

Bands place in MySpace

Sep 6th, 2009 22:10pm

This tune sounds like it is a recent recording, taken from the debut album Cold Fact by Sixto Diaz Rodriguez. But it was recorded in 1970, lost in obscurity until recent years. Sugarman, considered to be Rodriguez's signature tune was added to DJ David Holmes' mix album Come Get It I Got It back in 2002 creating a new buzz for the artist and his debut.

Sixto Diaz Rodriguez is an American folk musician, born in Detroit, Michigan on July 10, 1942.

Categories: Folk, Raw
Jul 28th, 2009 22:23pm

Channson simple et magnifique!

Great voice for such a young woman, the arrangements remind me of Yann Tierson's work for Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain Soundtrack.

Béatrice Martin (19) is a Canadian pop singer-songwriter from Quebec, who performs under the stage name Cœur de pirate.

Her place in myspace - myspace.com/coeurdepirate

 

Categories: Folk, French, Pop
Jun 2nd, 2009 00:51am

A superb little tune by the up and coming band Hayman, Watkins, trout and Lee. You can't beat a bit banjo knee-slapping bluegrass. Inspired lyrics about a hard up bloke sponging off his misses sung with a traditional delta blues vibe makes for an intriguing mix. Nothing to do with the band Sly and Family stone BTW.

The band are made up of Darren Hayman (Hefner, The French) on bass and vocals, Dan Mayfield (Enderby, Ellis Island Sound, The Secondary Modern) on violin, Dave Tattersall (The Wave Pictures) on guitar and vocals and Dave Watkins (Pete and the Egg, The Secondary Modern) on banjo.

Hayman, Watkins, trout and Lee debut album is out now

A bands place in myspace

More info hefnet.com

Buy it on iTunes

Categories: Acoustic, Bluegrass, Folk