Music: June Playlist

The first of a series, I hope, of lists of the bands, tracks, albums and so on that have lit up my month. As long as I go on discovering new music through the various channels available, I should be able to keep this bit pretty fresh. Fun times.

So, with all the faith in the world, here I go...

1) HORSE FEATHERS - Curs Of Weeds (from the album "House With No Name")



Not a great video (amateurs, eh?), but some rather beautiful songwriting and a haunting, ethereal sound that will tickle the tastebuds of fans of Bon Iver or J. Tillman. The album is fantastic, a very sadly over-looked gem that is up there with "For Emma, Forever Ago", so go give it a listen if you like your music melancholic and your singers bearded.

2) VILLAGERS - Becoming A Jackal (from the album of the same name)



A much better vid, nice and dark, that does justice to the lyrical majesty of this new songwriter from Dublin called Conor J. O'Brien. He's been supporting the glorious Wild Beasts on their recent tours and you can see why, as his music bathes you in poetry and thick, elaborate imagery. Though he's not the finished article just yet, and I can't quite find a way into his debut album, this track has had me gripped for weeks, and I tend to sing it on the way home from the pub in the dark when I can really belt it out. Very good indeed.

3) SURFER BLOOD - Swim (from the album "Astro Coast")



The indie scene's awash with surfer/hipster/beach rock right now, what with groups like The Drums, Real Estate and the like summoning up the glorious, sun-kissed sound of LA afternoons, boardwalk boarders and the Beach Boys to great effect. In amongst all this is a cracking little group called Surfer Blood how add a little punch, a little yell, to the lighter notes, and make it that little bit more thrilling. This is an anthem and a half by them, and a funny little vid to boot. Hope you enjoy.

4) SUFF DADDY - 5 O'Clock Suff (feat. Miles Bonny) (from the album "The Gin Diaries")



Recently I've been revisiting the great soul sounds of Al Green, Donny Hathaway and the like, whilst simultaneously bemoaning the fact that there is a lull in the contemporary soul and funk market. This guy, from Germany, isn't going change that fact particularly, but this track he's done with the John Legend-sounding Miles Bonny is a lovely slice of lazy, romantic soul that stands out on his mixed debut album. It's not going to break boundaries, but I think it soundtracks a relaxed evening with friends rather well. Better than fucking Jack Johnson anyway.

5) SHARON VAN ETTEN - For You (from the album "Because I Was In Love")



This Brooklyn girl's got a voice and talent to make you sit up, and her debut album, though often a bit sparse and subtle, really is worth the work if you want to discover a very precious and delicate talent. She's toured with the likes of Great Lake Swimmers and soon Megafaun, and has a sound that fits nicely into that American Wilderness-Folk scene that is producing so many quality bands and artists right now.

6) THE BLACK KEYS - Tighten Up (from the album "Brothers")



Don't get me started on The Black Keys. I bloody love 'em. I'm a stickler for Americana anyway; the denim, the cars, the wilderness, the blues, I love it all, and I was over the bleedin' moon when this album came out and was a triumph. To me anyway. Others might get board of the duo's lo-fi riff rock but I can't get enough of it and this single, accompanied by a great, GREAT video, has made my month, hell my YEAR. Ruddy brilliant.

7) BAND OF SKULLS - I Know What I Am (from the album "Baby Darling Doll Face Honey")



Another strutty, American-sounding rock band, covered in hair and ripped up t-shirts, but this time from good old blighty, and the cultural washing machine that is Larndarn. They've done things in Southampton and Moscow though, so don't think of them as narrow-minded. God no. They've got a nice sound to them, big and ballsy and with the added White Stripes effect of bolshy bassist Emma Richardson, whose vocals on this track make it more than just your average gain-fest.

8) THE SOFT PACK - More Or Less (from the album "The Soft Pack")



I've really enjoyed this album every time I've put it on. It's a feast of rawkus guitars and energetic vocals influenced, as the San Diegan group have said themselves, by bands like Oasis and The Kinks. This is my favourite song on it too; a sarcastic snipe at those certain persons you meet whom have the most, but give the least. It's young and brash, but groovy as well (and the video has the name Copolla attached to it somehow...hmmm).

9) THE MORNING BENDERS - Promises (from the album "Big Echo")



Another band whose summery sound and sunny disposition could force them into the surfer category, though I think they are harder to pin. The Morning Benders make swelling, delicately harmonic songs that really wash over you, and bring to mind a lazy day in the park or a sunday morning in bed. They are soothing and luscious, and there is much more on the album like this, all of it worthy of a listen.

10) EFTERKLANG - Modern Drift (from the album "Magic Chairs")



Off of Danish band Efterklang's third album, though I'd never heard of them before, this is a lovely tune I think. Nice piano that builds and builds with the vocals into the big old euphoric chorus. I get to see them this year at Green Man festival, and am very excited to do so. Hopefully I won't have slipped into a folk-induced coma by then. Though I wouldn't mind too much either way, all sounds fun.

11) GILLIAN WELCH AND DAVID RAWLINGS - Caleb Meyer (from the album "Hell Among The Yearlings")



The often over-looked "legs" eleven in this roundup is going to go, each month, to a non-contemporary artist, one whom I have re-discovered (or maybe just discovered late). At the moment that artist is Gillian Welch, whom I just CANNOT take off my hifi, such is the swift recent growth of my love for bluegrass and country music from the American South and the fact that she's a stupendously talented woman, and a brilliant songwriter with a dark and emotional heart. I listen to one of her albums almost every day and happily lap up her terribly sad but beautifully crafted songs. David Rawlings is a legend as well, so it's two for the price of one. Appreciate and enjoy.

Love you all x