...with every ghost of what I knew

....this is a band I barely-discovered years ago when living in Sheffield....somehow their song, Too Too Fast from The Rhumb Line, has survived the filtration of my music archives and recently made it onto a Modern Romance playlist - and it went down an indie treat. Their latest single, Boy, from new album The Orchard (by new I mean August and my finger is slightly off the pulse) has lost none of the energy first produced by this band...i have no idea why they're still so unheard of over here.....

Boy - Ra Ra Riot

and you tell me, you tell me not to cry...

Sea Talk - Zola Jesus

...taken from the new album, Stridulum II, released in August. Zola Jesus...like a mixing cauldron of Kate Bush, Fever Ray and Florence....just finished the second of two UK tours this year and I'm sad to have missed both.

it's cold outside...when you coming home?

oh..hello blog. i haven't seen you since, shit...August.
well...tonight i found myself prepping for another Modern Romance....trawling through blogs of new music....and i realised poor old paper street has been abandoned for far too long. and.....how could i not share this gem....

Not In Love - Crystal Castles feat. Robert Smith

....it's been doing the rounds for a little while but by golly it's really got my attention now.

watch these hands pull apart...

Whirring - The Joy Formidable

you've got some charm i must admit...

Summer Holiday - Wild Nothing

i swear. there's no better gift from friends than new music.

we used to dream...

Young Hearts Spark Fire - Japandroids

....if you get a chance you MUST see this band. Just a two-piece from East Vancouver with more energy (complete with wind machine) than any band i've seen since coming to London. Both Brian and David (who i think strangely resembles Peter from The Antlers) are amazing frontmen - second to last song, my favourite, Young Hearts Spark Fire, had the crowd moshing....hands in the air...pointing at both guys as they shout the lyrics back out to us...

Yuck supported and were slightly disappointing due to a tame set which i think could be blamed on nerves. Let's see how they do on a bigger stage at Field Day this summer....

i can't sleep until i see you sleeping...

I Hope You Die - Wye Oak

i'll fall for you...

...a great band from Scotland, not entirely surprising that they're good friends of Frightened Rabbit - both signed to Fat Cat Records, a similar sound but i love it...really wish this band were playing the London Stag & Dagger as well as Glasgow in May...

Quiet Little Voices - We Were Promised Jetpacks

i took my lucky break...and i broke it in two...

...someone nice played this song for my worried self ... i like it a lot...

Worried Shoes - Karen O & The Kids

they're gonna eat me alive...

i've recently rediscovered Metric and i'd forgotten how much I love Emily Haines' voice. I absolutely love this song and it got a play at Modern Romance on Sunday....can't wait to see these guys in May...

Help! I'm Alive - Metric

it takes an ocean not to break..

...last week The National performed Terrible Love from their upcoming album High Violet which is released on 11 May 2010...i cannot wait. and will sob into a cocktail in Morocco at missing their London shows...

Terrible Love (Live) - The National

when the morning comes...

...an unbelievable remix of a really cool song. I can't stop smiling when i listen to this...

This Too Shall Pass (Passion Pit remix) - OK GO

coming up only to hold you under..

graaaaaaaatis tickets for Band Of Horses at Koko on April 12th make me very happy indeed...

The Funeral - Band Of Horses

the girl loves tickets...

..the happiest girl alive. Proud owner of tickets to see Broken Social Scene at HMV Forum in Kentish Town in July. I think my heart might explode.

...music gold...

7/4 (Shoreline) - Broken Social Scene

i did not want to let you go...

..boys in blue Vans make my heart skip...

Submarine - The Drums

and everyday...on the top of your car...

bought tickets today to see The Drums at Heaven in June...very exciting since their new single, Best Friend, is awesome!

a band for dreamers:

"We only write about two feelings: one is the first day of summer when you and all of your friends are standing on the edge of a cliff watching the sun set and being overcome with all of your hopes and dreams at once. The other is when you're walking alone in the rain and realize you will be alone forever."

i don't care for fancy things...

...oh but i do. Tabby and I hosted a little ladies tea party this Sunday with special guests - my old friend, Swifty, who runs a supper club (The Shed) from her sweet summerhouse in her back garden, and Katey, who is an amazingly talented illustrator I recently got to know in London through friends (watch this space...Katey has been kind enough to design something for one of my new projects...more to follow).
I just feel really lucky to have such creative, inspirational people who i can invite to tea...even if my heart almost exploded with the caffeine and sugar intake...

(artwork from katey jean illustration)

...and here, a song i like, that's it. and we did not talk about boys at all today....not at all. Hmm.

My Boys (Animal Collective cover 'My Girls') - Taken By Trees

Gig Review: The XX

..strangely i'm a little stuck for words after this gig, the venue - Shepherd's Bush Empire - possibly ruined what The XX could have done tonight. Maybe i'm a snob...and bigger, packed-out venues just don't please me...but a band like this deserve a less commercial space. The lo-fi emptiness was lost (and covered with chatter unfortunately) which for me is the beauty of The XX. But...i was still massively impressed with Romy's vocals in such a large venue with sparse backing and...wait for it, i finally appreciate the bass guitar...what Oliver does is mighty impressive. And definitely worth applause was the opening...the stage and lighting crew did something special with a huge white sheet covering the entire stage which then projected the band's silhouettes during Intro...visual genius, unfortunately...one of the most impressive parts of the night. i really still rate this band but i think i missed their smaller and better suited smaller venue gigs...

...eagerly awaiting Islands i was only disappointed to see it somewhat skirted over early on with speed and no grandeur...the set did build from that point however, with highlights being their cover of Womack & Womack's Teardrops and a very emoted version of Night Time...a song i have hardly registered on the album but now a new favourite..

Night Time - The XX

right now i could believe in anything...

...as always a complete inspiration, Liz from the Blisslist gave me this today. Coincidentally, my friend had introduced me to Harlem Shakes this weekend, but this song got me running to the record store this lunchtime for the album..
..after a fairytale evening this song will not leave my head...

Shitty Little Disco - Arms

i'll bear this broken cross with you...

Eighteen - ¡Forward, Russia!

..this song just popped up on my ipod for the first time in a while and got me wondering..and dispairing...what happened to ¡Forward, Russia!?
Hailing from Leeds , they released Give Me A Wall in 2005...one of the soundtracks to my Sheffield days, and later Life Processes which i never really gave a good listen....but i'm sorry guys, really i am...i will pay much more attention to you if you come back from hiatus and give us more wonders like Twelve and Eighteen...

..lyrical genius that stuns -
"Time to fall asleep
And take the fractions of emotions
That still litter your stale dreams like barley"