Last Night At The Jetty

Excuse the weird 'media project' style video, but this song is actually beautiful. I'm feeling I may actually put my stingey little hand in my pocket and buy Panda Bear's new album, 'Tomboy', which is out of April the 12th. Why not follow suit?

I'd Rather Live In Dreams..

I am madly in love with this little number by Wild Nothing, although it makes me seriously wish it was summer. There's nothing I don't like about it; lovely lyrics, Smiths-esque music, and a snazzy video on top of all that. Dreamy.

Dents De Lait, Dents De Loup!

I can't stop listening to this catchy little number, which charmingly translates to 'Milk teeth, wolf teeth' by Serge Gainsbourg and 60's teenage star France Gall. Not sure if this was before or after naughty Serge humiliated Gall by having her sing 'Les Sucettes' - a song she believed to be about her love of sucking on lolly pops, when in reality it was about sucking... something else. Anyway, back to today's song - please enjoy how it sounds like the theme tune of an old cartoon/ something out of Austin Powers. And bless him, could Serge looks any more awkward in the midst of all those dancing ladies? He is a strange man, but then, the best ones are...

Carmensita!

We are off to see Black Swan tonight! So in honour of the occasion, let's pay homage to Miss Portman's old flame, the spectacle that is Devendra Bahnhart. Natalie, you're clever, beautiful, and hilarious, and I hate to criticize buuut... you've made the wrong choice. Devendra is equally clever/ beautiful/ hilarious and he can certainly write a song or two. This is the man you should be marrying and makin' babies with, not some ballet choreographer man - even if he is French. Just saying.

Stop Me If You Think That You've Heard This One Before..

Back in the day, Mark Ronson was a bit of a heart-breaker, wasn't he? Easily the best-dressed male celebrity around, he always accessorised his fantastic suits with co-ordinating tie and a coy facial expression. Swoon. He soon caught the eye of the lovely Daisy Lowe, and they became possibly the most attractive couple to be featured in pages of the daily newspapers' trashy pages. Like most girls I know, I had quite the soft spot for Mr. Ronson. Allow us to observe his wonderful sartorial choices for a moment;

Yep, it's a winning formula. An immaculately turned out young man, he could do no wrong. Oh, but wait a minute -

Bleached blonde quiff? Long velvet coat? This picture makes me want to weep a little bit.He is starting to look dangerously like Duckie nowadays. But at least he still has other talents still, eh? Wonderful stuff.

Between Love & Hate

As of lately, I am a very confused young lady. Fear not, I'm not going through some quarterly-life crisis, but I have become sort of musical schizophrenic. You see, there's several songs that I've recently heard, kind of hated, but then felt the strange compulsion to download them and listen to them lots anyway. So actually, make that a musical masochist. I blame this sudden bout of crazy on my recent discovery of this little gem of a website. Since it is far too good to be true, I have been frantically  downloading all the songs I may ever want to listen to in my life, before it is inevitably shut down. If you haven't already, get on it - it will improve your life, or at the very least your iTunes. Anyhoo, here are the songs that make me feel unclean after listening to, and, in a perverse kind of way, enjoying them. 

Sleigh Bells - Tell 'Em

My first thoughts were my god, this is fucking awful. The obnoxious opening sounds like a terrible cross between a 90's video game and the kind of 'Hair Metal' my dad likes. And yet I cannot turn it off.

Everything Everything - Photoshop Handsome

Hmm. It's definitely infectious - but is it in a good way like laughter, or bad in the same way Swine flu was? It's a toughie. Part of me thinks it's maybe actually quite good, but then the other part thinks it sounds like it could be by The Automatic? I just don't know any more.

M.I.A. - XXXO

I do love a bit of M.I.A. If the last 5 years of my life were to have a soundtrack, I would reckon that her first two albums would feature heavily. However, her latest offering... not a fan. This song however I strangely quite like, even though it's a wee bit terrible. The lyrics are littered with technology references ('You're tweeting me like tweety bird on your iPhone') that make me die a little bit inside. And please observe the video - she's just chilling out with some swans and glittery tigers, accompanied by some truly hideous MySpace-y graphics. How about that.

However! To my immense relief, there is at least one song I was instantly smitten with. Love at first hearing, you could say. I love everything about it - the jangly little Superbad-esque tune, the lyrics, his outfit (chinos and Hawaiian shirt? Oh yes.) I'm certain about this one, and I'm ready to commit to full-on adoration a song. Thank god for this beauty....

You Know You're Gold

Just gonna throw it out there, I absoloutely adore this song. Victoria Legrand has the loveliest voice known to mankind, surely? Despite the summery connotations it holds (Beach house, as in where I'd ideally spend all of my summers, Zebra, a somewhat tropical animal...) I reckon it's got a distinctly wintery feel to it. The perfect soundtrack for marching through snow, in fact. 

So Swoon, Baby, Starry Nights!

As the worst-kept Christmas present ever, I was blessed with the glorious gift of going to see Interpol. Not only that, but in my sister's adopted hometown of Edinburgh, which looks exactly like Hogwarts, but real. I became an ardent fan of Interpol back when I were a wee lass of 14, but have only been able see them at Leeds festival a few years ago. So I was overjoyed when the opportunity to see them properly arose. Supporting them were the rather lovely Surfer Blood, but sadly our thirst for a stiff drink overwhelmed our desire to watch them. But I will say, from the faint echoes drifting into the bar area, they sounded pretty wonderful. 

Drinks in hand, we subtly elbowed our way through the crowd to a satisfactory spot, where there were not too many overwhelmingly tall people and/or dickheads. All of a sudden, there was blue lights and dry ice, and out strutted five of the suavest men you ever shall see. They played a very lovely, very long set and maintained their mystery throughout - staying silhouetted against the lights, and only speaking to the crowd for the occasional 'Thank you, that's so nice!' in response to the crowd's rapturous applause. All in all, a night much enjoyed!

As is the case when you've just seen a truly wonderful band, I honestly can't stop listening to them now. So I may as well be productive and compile a top 5 songs, yes? Yes. 

5. Not Even Jail

4. The Heinrich Maneuver

3. Untitled

2. Rest My Chemistry

1. Obstacle 1

Honorable mentions: Public Pervert, C'mere, Pioneer To The Falls, Say Hello To The Angels, Evil, Stella Was A Diver and She Was Always Down. 

Divine.

I love this guy; not only does he make wonderful music, but he has the most ridiculously strong French accent and is in possession of a great 70's Dad-beard. He also spouts some wise words, my favourites being:

• 'Everybody in France thinks that The Beach Boys are just silly guys with funny closies (!) but, in fact, they are big genius of music!'
  
• 'You know, the first feeling of love, when you are on the beach, and for the very first time you are almost naked in front of everybody, and you can see the girls almost naked, with the hot sun, and I love this kind of ambience... It's a song about that!'
  
• 'The message is, if you want to be a great lover, you have to be a good person.'
  

...Not to mention his spot-on impression of Serge Gainsbourg. Wonderful Sebastien!

Give Me Your Eyes, I Need Sunshine

....So, last night, I had the great fortune to hear one of my top ten all-time favourite songs performed live, by the truly marvellous Wolf Parade!

Accompanied by some of the finest folk I know, we trotted off to a tiny working men's club in the student area of Leeds to see everyone's favourite Canadian foursome. Despite some serious heating issues, they put on an absolutely wonderful performance and had us all bopping away and singing along with gusto. A quality of theirs that I've always admired is the way they sound constantly on the cusp of tears as they sing, and I was pleased to note that this rings true in real life. My only gripe was that they did not play 'Grounds For Divorce' (sob, sniff), but with such an extensive back catalogue, personal favourites are bound to be missed out.

 In my mind, I always imagine them to be middle aged, a little bit chubbs and impressively bearded, but in reality they're rather young, reasonably attractive and only one of them in possession of good-quality facial hair. How about that! Despite me bringing along my camera, I took approximately zero photos of them, as I was far too buy enjoying myself/ trying to maintain a decent body temperature. My apologies. I did, however, visually capture this lol-tastic moment in time for your viewing pleasure...

Daydream Believer

I'm currently a little bit obsessed with this here song, by the always-wonderful Animal Collective and Vashti Bunyan, a lovely folk singer from the 60's with a voice a bit like a pan-pipe. Always a good thing, I reckon. This song is ideal for the moment you open your eyes in the morning and as you close them at night.... and every moment in between, really. 

These Days.

... Just because I can't get this song out my head today. Truly lovely. 

This Once Was An Island.

Imagine just being sat there, happily sipping away on your latte, when all of a sudden - Oh, hi! There's a bloody great orchestra in the cafe, and you're being treated to a once in a lifetime performance by the genius that is Zach Condon. One can dream. 

Viva La France.

Today, my lovely sister and her gentleman caller fled dreary Hull to galavant to the capitol of the world's most beautiful country. Paris, oui oui! I am so envious I could weep. On the bright side, they have promised to take plenty o' photos and Lo will bring me back a tiny bit of Paris as a belated birthday present. Being the kind sister that I am, coupled with my penchant for making a playlist for the slightest of occasions, I promised to make a soundtrack for their excursion. But, being the last-minute fools we are, this never made it onto her (dead) Ipod, so... here you go kids; a collection of the finest songs, à la Française.

'Moi Je Joue' - Brigitte Bardot

As well as being an actress, a snappy dresser and a pretty face, to top it all off, 'B.B.' was also something of a singer. How about that! You'll have no doubt heard this countless of times (and, perhaps, attempted to sing along) on Sofia Coppola's lovely advertisement for the delicious Miss Dior Cherie perfume.

'Nantes' - Beirut

This ridiculously lovely little number hails from Beirut's second album, 'The Flying Club Cup', which was inspired by Zach Condon's travels around Europe, not to mention his love for French chanson. 

'Bonnie & Clyde' & 'L'anamour' - Serge Gainsbourg & Brigitte Bardot

Here are two wonderful songs from France's favourite enfant terrible and his (at the time) lover. In the former, please enjoy Bardot's pronunciation of 'Boneeeey' and the excellent line 'Moi, Bonnie, Je tremble pour Clyde Barrow'. As for the latter, well - It couldn't be more sleazy and 60's sounding, and I love him for that. 

'La Ritournelle' - Sebastien Tellier

From one saucy Frenchman to another, here is the wonderful Sebastien Tellier. Not too much to say about this, other than it is so easy on the ears, it simply can't fail to put a silly little smile on your face. 

'Tous Les Garçons et Les Filles' - Françoise Hardy

My favourite song from the original 'Yé-Yé' girl. It is one of those occasions where it sounds all giddy and upbeat, but once you read the lyrics, you learn she is lamenting how nobody loves her. Unlikely - have you seen this woman's face? And she's still a beauty now, at the ripe old age of 66! This snappy little number would be more than ideal for leisurely strolls down the Champs Elysees. 

'La Vie En Rose' - Edith Piaf

This beautiful song is the quintessential theme tune of France, from their biggest icon, so how could I not include it? Madam Piaf at her finest, and it's so very amazing. 

'Playground Love' - Air

Admittedly, it's neither sung in French nor about Paris... but they are wonderfully French, and this song is too lovely for words, so I'm having it! 

'Sous Le Ciel De Paris' - Juliette Gréco

From the title alone, it's fairly obvious just what this is all about, but when I translated the lyrics this is one of the verses: 'Under the Bercy bridge/ A philosopher sits / Two musicians, a few loafers/ And then thousands of people/ Under the sky of Paris/ They will be singing until night falls/ The song of a people in love/ With their old city.' Perfect description, non?

'Comptine D'Un Autre Ete' - Yann Tierson

Simply put, a Parisian playlist wouldn't be complete without this eye-wateringly lovely piano number, from my all-time favourite film, Amelie. 

Maybe, just maybe, if I listen to these guys with my eyes closed, eating macaroons and drinking wine, I might trick myself into thinking I'm in France. Then again... perhaps not.

Gigantic.

Aww Zooey Deschanel, I feel terrible saying this, but Gigantic wasn't great. Not that it's awful, it does have its merits, so I'll kindly say mediocre (ouch). The general premise of the film is that 28 year old mattress salesman Brian (played by Paul Dano) desperately wants to fulfill his lifelong dream of adopting a Chinese baby. Well, who wouldn't. 

But it all goes tits-up when he meets and falls in love with a beautiful, somewhat spoilt young lady named Happy (Deschanel). Oh yeah, and there's a subplot where a homeless man stalks and attacks Brian! I thought Gigantic sounded like my cup of tea, and when we put the DVD in, my ears were filled with the wonderful sounds of Animal Collective, and I turned to my sister with an expression not unlike this on my face:

Very promising start, I thought! But alas, the soundtrack was one of the most redeeming features of this film. It is an intriguing storyline, admittedly, but the director seems to be trying to hard to make it quirky and different. In fact, I couldn't help but think of this article and chuckle to myself. Still, it ain't too bad, and is worth a watch if you're at a loss for something to do. But for now, please enjoy this beauuuuutiful little number!

Yeah, Latitude!

Oh, hi!

I have just got back from one of the best weekends of my short life thus far, courtesy of Latitude festival. After hearing great things about it from a trusted friend, and seeing the rather impressive lineup, the sis & I decided it was about time we branched out from our standard Leeds Festival endeavour. An excellent decision, for it was quite the lovely experience – you would never see pastel coloured sheep, lake projections and ostrich burgers at a Reading Weekend, would you, now?

Another massive difference we noticed is the atendees haven't all just got their A-Level results, there were in fact lots of babies 'n' bald spots alongside the expected youngsters. It is undeniably the most middle class thing ever, but in a good way – the place was teeming with good quality Vegan/ Vegetarian/ Organic foodstuffs and lots of posh children, inexplicably playing with Victorian toys.

Moving swiftyly on to what the whole event was about – the wonderful bands! Off the top of my head, here are a few of who we went to see... Yeasayer, Girls, The Maccabees, Laura Marling, Grizzly Bear, These New Puritans, Belle & Sebastian, Wild Beasts, Frightened Rabbit... and many more. Oh, and bloody TOM JONES, a surprise addition to the lineup, bless him.

 For me, the best band of the whole weekend has to be Belle & Sebastian, whom I've loved with varying intensities for over half a decade now but never got to see! The very lovely, very Scottish Stuart Murdoch was absoloutely in his element, dancing around with vigour and at one point declaring 'I was on the verge of whipping my top off there... but then I realised it would be like seeing your dad in the shower!' And of course, Grizzly Bear – the last band of the weekend – were on top form as always... my mind still boggles over how fully grown men can have such high angelic voices?

Now, as some of you may know, I've always had a massive soft spot for Jarvis Cocker. So imagine my extreme joy when I'm happily pottering over the bridge when, out of the corner of my eye, I see this tall, bespectacled gentleman walking – nay, sashaying – right past me. My official line on the matter is I didn't want to bother him as he was with his kids, but in reality I turned into a bumbling, incoherent mess of a lady upon sighting. Starstruck is the term I'm searching for, I reckon. So instead I merely grabbed Laura's arm and hissed 'That was Jarvis Cocker!', and will forever regret my inability to grow a pair. Ah well. Later that day, we bumped into Will from The Inbetweeners, who was extremely polite and exactly the same as his character, but still, he's no Jarv.

Last but not least, no festival report would be complete without a quick little bitch about the toilets, which would more aptly be decribed as 'troughs'. They did, however, provide one of the funniest moments of the weekend – Lo happily wandered into a toilet, and only as she went to leave did she notice smears and handprints of... well, frankly, human shit... all over the walls. I think we laughed solidly for about an hour after that traumatic little event. So there you have it, we absoloutely adored Latitude. My apologies for finishing on such a bum note (pun intended).

P.s. I didn't bring my digital camera with me (I'm far too careless!) so these are just pilfered off Facebook... though I did bring my Action Sampler with me, so you can wait with baited breath to see those in the near future!

My Top Five: Modest Mouse

Like the majority of human race, I was first exposed to Modest Mouse when they released a lovely little number named 'Float On'. I was instantly smitten, and they have since become one of my most beloved musical ventures. The band plucked their charming moniker from the Virginia Woolf story 'The Mark On The Wall', and have been churning out wonderful songs since 1994. However they didn't reach mainstream success for another decade, when they came up trumps with the truly wonderful album 'Good News For People Who Love Bad News'. Since then it's all been smooth sailing, and in 2006, they received the ultimate nod of approval when a certain Johnny Marr decided he'd join 'em.

The brains behind the band, Isaac Brock, has led quite a life – he grew up on a trailer park, had the standard musician substance-habit, was falsely accused of rape, and was charged with attempted murder (because his passenger broke their finger in a crash – no joke!). His slightly questionable life experience has left him with a knack for seriously good songwriting skills though, so it's all good. Wikipedia (fountain of all knowledge) sums it up wisely: 'He is noted for his very clever wordplay and frequent use of metaphors, philosophical lyrics, themes of oppressive urban lifestyles, and certain phrases and sayings commonly used in the early- to mid-20th century and in blue collar environments.' Yeah, what they said.

Without further ado, here are my most beloved Modest Mouse songs. Oh and please excuse the shoddy, unofficial videos, it wouldn't let me use the ones I wanted!

5. The World At Large

I melt a little bit every time I hear this, it's just so easy on the ears. Fun fact for you: I once saw this used in a romantic moment on Hollyoaks, no less.

4. The Good Times Are Killing Me

I should probably be saying something about the wonderful song - but look at that rather unusual set! Plastic plants and a mock-skyline?! Also note the keyboard players impressively tattooed hands.

3. Dashboard

Easily one of my (top ten) favourite songs to dance to when I'm out on the razz. When this badboy comes on, my usually impeccable manners goes out the window - I have no qualms about pushing my way to the dancefloor. 

2. Ocean Breathes Salty

Prettiest song name ever, I think so. Unfortunately this video doesn't do this song justice, so please Youtube the actual video, it's excellent - maybe Isaac had a sore throat?

1. Missed The Boat

And finally, my all-time favourite Modest Mouse song (currently) is this little gem. The lyrics are truly wonderful and his voice is like no other. I challenge you to not adore this!

All Hour Cymbals

Yeasayer are hands down one of my most eagerly anticipate bands I'm seeing this summer - and believe me, I've got Wolf Parade, Beirut and Grizzly Bear on the cards. I have watched this video zillions of times but it simply refuses to get old. This wonderful video shows what lovely noises a band, minimal instruments and a flat-full of Parisians willing to chant and slap the floor can make. 

Amazing. One day I will to be there when this kind of thing happens, when I am magically fluent in French and have a artfully shambolic flat in Paris. Well.. fingers crossed!

My Top Five: Animal Collective

Despite being nominated for the Brit Award's International Breakthrough Act award last year, Baltimore-born Animal Collective have actually been in the business for ten bloody years! The curiously named foursome first bonded over a shared love of Pavement and horror movies at the tender age of fifteen. Several years and a lot of hallucinogenics later, they have eight studio albums under their belt and are constantly compared to seminal bands such as Pink Floyd and The Grateful Dead. How about that!

Although the most normal-looking band ever, give or take the odd headlight worn on stage, they create some very strange, very lovely songs. After a fair amount of deliberation, here are my absolute favourites in descending order....

5. Leaf House

What a charming little video, set in what looks like the world's most snazzily-decorated doll's house full of cat memorabilia. I love me a bit of stop-motion, and it must be said, fire never looked so sweet and unassuming as it does when it's made out of paper. Am I the only one who thinks the bit with the doll and the dog looks a bit dodgy, though...? The highlight of this song, in my humble opinion, is right at the very end: Kitties! Meowww.

4. Grass

When there's a song that I can't get out my mind, whether I'm wandering the streets, having a shower or trying to sleep, I like to go on the Song Meanings website - not just to find out what the hell they're singing, you understand, but to see what the always-amusing forum posters have to say. Amongst all the 'I think this is about falling in love with your best girl friend' posts, I came across this genius:

'Nothing beats waking up, whacking this baby on at full volume and squawking the lyrics downstairs whilst making cheese on toast.'

That pretty much sums it up, really - a song for all occasions!

3. Fireworks

Ahhhhhhhhh this song! My love for this knows no limits (well, except in a top five context), and I can't imagine I'll ever grow bored of it. I can't help but get a silly little smile on my face when I hear the line 'I was dreaming of just you, now my cereal, it is warm!' - and when you learn that the album it's from, 'Strawberry Jam', was written as Avey Tare fell in love with his future-wife, it makes it all the more sweet.

2. Brother Sport

The video is pretty wonderful, what with the dancing children, the dog vision and the rather psychedelic interlude... but the song is even better. From their critically-acclaimed Merriweather Post Pavillion album, this rather exhilarating little number urges Panda Bear's brother to 'open up his throat' about his grief for their late father. The thing I love most about this is how it sounds like several songs all seamlessly mashed together, culminating in a hypnotic chant; what a treat!

1. The Purple Bottle

I'd better be honest with you straight away - this one doesn't come with an amazing little video. Too many ill-advised film students have taken it upon themselves to make interpretive videos for this, but it is my favourite A.C. song, so I thought I'd just keep it nice 'n' simple. Believe it or not, the modest group consider themselves 'definitely not good musicians' but I beg to differ... just listen! Plus the lyrics in this song are absolute perfection. All in all, it is sheer audio-loveliness, miraculously condensed into a mere 6:51. I would gladly sacrifice my left leg, if only I could see this performed live.

Honorable mentions: Who Could Win A Rabbit, In The Flowers, Bluish, Summertime Clothes.

Can't You Feel The Knife?

For a while now, I have been torn between two very different renditions of one very lovely song - which do I love slightly more? In fact, do I really have to choose? Who says you can't love two versions at the same time, anyway! I have plenty o' room in my life for them both.

For starters, here is the stupidly talented Grizzly Bear, singin' their own song a cappella. No instruments, yet it still sounds like heaven! I particularly enjoy how thoroughly uncomfortable Ed Droste looks to be wandering around Paris singing his heart out - see how he keeps trying to obscure his face with his hands and jumper, bless him. (Interesting little tidbit for you - the name 'Grizzly Bear' comes from Ed's nickname for an old boyfriend. How sweet.)

For dessert, here is a slightly sloppier, but nonetheless charming, version of the song. We all like a drunken sing-song with our friends after a night out on the razz, but if you happen to be Zach Condon and your friends are the La Blogotheque crew, it's gonna go on the Internet the next day. Not to mention sound infinitely better than anything most of us could muster, sad times. 

Personal highlights include; when they all forget the words, the sassy little dancing friend, and when the camera turns to the smoking, completely deadpan French lady - she clearly does this all the time. He gets definite brownie points for managing to sounds so divine after several drinks.... what a man!

The jury really is out on this one.