Laura Mvula - Make Me Lovely (Live with the Metropole Orkest)

This is a gorgeously orchestral version of 'Make Me Lovely' that Laura performed with the Metrople Orkest. You can find other songs from this concert on YouTube, but only as single tracks alas. You can watch Laura's 2013 session for NPR's Tiny Desk series here.

Fantasy Festival number 17: The Lineup

Delilah Holliday: Skinny Girl Diet's Delilah, following a collaboration with Baxter Dury and Etienne de Crécy as BED, has recently embarked on a highly atmospheric psych flavoured solo career, with the excellent single 'Rise of the Phoenix'. The track, and any follow ups, could take her to some interesting places and she's proved over the years that there's more to this London punk grrrl than initially meets the eye. Not to be underestimated. You can find her on Bandcamp.

Gothic Tropic: Los Angeles resident Cecilia Della Peruti featured in 2017's Fantasy Festival lineup, fresh from releasing her debut album Fast or Feast. I saw her play at the Manchester leg of Dot to Dot that year, and it was love at first listen. Since Fast or Feast she's played as part of Beck's touring band, amongst other things. Her sound is indie rock infused with sunshine pop, reminiscent of Blondie on occasion and Tom Tom Club at other moments, but ultimately uncategorisable. You can find her on Bandcamp.

Stealing Sheep: Their folk roots behind them, Liverpools's Stealing Sheep initially flirted with psych then went full on pop for their most recent album, 2019's Big Wows. Theirs is a 60s psychadelia infused pop sound, often proving irresistible, generally bound to get folks onto the dancefloor. You can find out more here.

Kate Boy: Swedish/Australian synth pop duo, Kate Boy, are comprised of Kate Akhurst and Marcus Dextegen. They released their debut album in 2015, but have been a bit quiet of late. You can find out more on Insta.

Laura Mvula: Birmingham singer/songwriter Laura Mvula released two albums of soul flavoured pop, Sing to the Moon in 2013 and The Dreaming Room in 2016. Both sold well and received considerable critical acclaim, including nominations for the Mercury Music Prize.  Laura announced in 2017 that she had been dropped by her record label, Sony, and in the same year she composed the music for the RSC's production of Antony and Cleopatra. It's been a bit quiet since then, which is a real shame, but it's to be hoped that she is working on new material. She's not very active on Twitter, but there's no website, Bandcamp, Soundcloud or Insta, so it might be your best way to see what she's up to.

King Princess: Brooklyn singer, songwriter, musician and producer, and - it has been said repeatedly - queer icon in waiting, Mikaela Mullaney Straus released her debut album of impeccable pop, Cheap Queen, in 2019. It followed on from the touching but moody '1950' and pop melodrama of 'Talia', the first of which received a flurry of critical interest, the latter of which carved out a space for itself as the ultimate in gay heartbreak songs. You can find out more here.

Kali Uchis: Colombian singer Kali Uchis first came to to public attention in 2015 with her EP Por Vida. Early track 'Know What I Want' was suggestive of later period Amy Winehouse, albeit with a sunnier, reggaetron aspect to the sound. Her overall sound mixes sixties soul, R&B and doo wop with jazz as well as modern electro and R&B. Her debut LP, Isolation, was released in 2018 and was very well received. Similarly well received was her recorded in lockdown EP, To Feel Alive, which she released in April 2020. You can find out more here.

Santigold: Singer, songwriter and record producer Santi White has released three albums of impeccable left of centre electro pop and one equally successful mixtape of electro pop and reggaetron, The Gold Fire Sessions, which was released in 2018. Initially, her sound incorporated aspects of indie rock and samples from punk and post punk artists such as Siouxsie and the Banshees (whose 'Red Light' was sampled on 'My Superman'). She is often compared to MIA, both for her vocal style and the more agitated prop glitchy electro end of her work. You can find out more here.

Christine and the Queens: Nantes singer, songwriter, producer Chris was already a popstar in France before she released her debut English album, Chaleur Humaine, in 2016. A slice of elegant baroque electro pop, both she and it quickly won hearts and minds. 2018's follow up, Chris, with it's Chic-esque single 'Girlfriend' consolidated her reputation as an art pop genius. Since Chris was released, she has headlined the occasional festival, and during lockdown she released a new EP of songs, La vita nuova. Even greater triumphs are expected in the future. You can find out more here.

Laura Mvula That's Alright

This is a live version of 'That's Alright', which was a particularly strong single from Laura's debut album, Sing To The Moon. You can watch (only) the first twenty minutes of Laura's set at Flow Festival in 2016 online. 

Fantasy Festival #3: The Modern Classics Festival - Lineup

Skating Polly: Skating Polly are a teenage sister duo from Oklahoma, comprised of the fantastically named Kelli Mayo and Peyton Bighorse. They formed in 2009 and have been taken under the wing of  Babes In Toyland (who took Skating Polly on tour with them a couple of years back) and more recently Nina Gordon and Louise Post of Veruca Salt. They make visceral, sometimes angry, sometimes eerie and unsettling guitar driven punk rock in the grunge tradition.

Miya Folick: Miya Folick is a Los Angeles based singer/songwriter who comes from an acting background and makes slightly otherworldly indie rock. She has the kind of voice that can quite literally stop you in your tracks, and you can read an interview with her in Vogue, of all places, from last year. 

Emma Pollock: Legend of the Glasgow music scene, co-founder of Chemikal Underground records, and a former Delgado, Emma Pollock is flying solo these days. Her music is experimental and pared down, making use of strings as much as guitars, understated and stylish. Her current album, In Search of Harperfield, was nominated for the Scottish Album of the Year award in June.

Emmy The Great: Musician and culture writer, Anglo-Chinese Emmy The Great grew up in East Grinstead, and has been making music since 2006. I hesitate to call her a bedroom folk artist, because I've never felt it to be much of a compliment, but I do see her as someone who creates amazing sonic landscapes largely independently much like Nancy Elizabeth. Her album, Mahal Kita, is out now.

Jesca Hoop: Former Mormon, former nanny to Tom Waits' children, and persuaded to decamp from the US to distinctly unsunny Manchester by a certain Guy Garvey. It was always going to be an intriguing backstory, even before Jesca Hoop started to release records. Memories Are Now, her fourth album, was released last year. She is electrifying live, almost Shamanic. She played Latitude on 16th July, and continues to tour and play festivals throughout the summer.

Laura Mvula: I really loved Laura Mvula's debut album, Sing To The Moon, and, while I couldn't get into the follow up, The Dreaming Room, I was still shocked to hear that Sony had dropped her (by email!) earlier this year. Even if The Dreaming Room wasn't my cup of tea, musically, I respected it as a record because it was experimental and new, and was a strong departure from the debut album, which had it's roots in jazz, blues, and soul. Laura is touring at the moment, and into Autumn, so there are plenty of chances to see her live.

Martha Wainwright: Martha Wainwright has been releasing records from 2005 onwards, and her music has taken a number of differing musical twists and turns along the way, from the bloody minded folky j'accuse of 'Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole' to the slinky soul groove of the more recent 'Take The Reins'. She is currently on the Canadian and US leg of her tour.

PJ Harvey: Polly Jean Harvey has been making music since the early 1990s and, as you would expect, her music has evolved and changed considerably in the past (nearly) thirty years, as has her singing voice. In recent years she has been reinventing the protest song and the radio ballad, and has diversified into poetry and broadcasting. One thing Harvey has never lost is her integrity, and her approach to music in recent years has reflected that.

2013 End of year roundup

I haven’t written an end of year roundup since I stopped writing my fanzine, Aggamengmong Moggie, in 1999.

It stands to reason that most of the bands and singers featured in this years roundup were possibly still in primary school in 1999.

Oh well, the journalism side of my life hasn't led me into areas where doing a roundup is likely so this is purely self indulgent and entirely reflects my own view of what was good music this year. I've also done a playlist on Spotify, which you can hear here.

Best single: Feathers – Land of the innocent (Nyx)

Coming out very early in 2013, this hard blast of synth pop came with a stunning (albeit disquieting) video and seemed at once very post Grimes and very post Hunger Games, what with its distinctly dystopian lyrics. The following album, If All Now Here, seemed more sensual and playful in tone so it will be interesting to see what they do next.

Honourable mentions: Daughter – Human, PAWWS – Slow Love/Time to say goodbye, Nothankyou – Know Yourself/Oyster, She Makes War – Butterflies/Delete

Best EP: White Blush – White Blush EP (Mondo Tunes)

I first began corresponding with Carol Rhyu (aka White Blush) back in 2012 a little while after writing a blog post on K Pop girls for The F-Word.  The first White Blush release was the single ‘Without You’, a haunting, pared down Julee Cruise esque take on the end of an affair.  The self titled EP followed in January 2013, and revealed a greater range to Rhyu’s work. Working within the area of pared down synth pop, what’s made her distinctive has been the eerie nature of her work. There is something almost ghostly and ethereal about it, and as the EP shows, she’s only just getting started. 

Honourable mention: Lorde – Tennis Court EP

Albums:

Emika – DVA (Ninja Tune)

Operatic, complex, mysterious ice cold electro. Restoring a little difficulty and awkwardness to a much explored area of music.

Emily Wells – Mama (Partisan)

Although Mama is Wells’ first release in the UK, released on the back of her contribution to the soundtrack to psychological thriller Stoker, she’s been happily ploughing her own furrow for some time in the US. She is a multi instrumentalist, with an organic approach to music, and a scattergun approach to musical style. Mama is a varied and vital album, which has met with much critical acclaim. Recent single ‘Mama’s gonna give you love’ is a sexy and hypnotic follow up to the Cat Power esque wooziness of ‘Passenger’, and deserves to do well.

Valerie June – Pushin’ against a stone (Sunday Best)

June supported the Rolling Stones at Hyde Park this summer, and when you hear the bluesy rock of her debut’s title track, it’s easy to see that she would be a good fit for the bill. Pushin’ against a stone covers a range of styles from blues through garage rock, roots, country and bluegrass while all the while sounding effortlessly cool. No mean feat.

Nancy Elizabeth – Dancing (The Leaf Label)

Minimalist Mancunian bedroom folk, suitably rain flecked and surprisingly pastoral. This is Nancy Elizabeth’s third album, and it’s taken on a similar role in my life this year to that occupied last year by another folk influenced resident of Manchester, Jesca Hoop, with her excellent album The House That Jack Built. That is, frequently listened to, much loved and rapidly becoming an integral part of my life.

      Laura Mvula – Sing to the moon (RCA) 

It would be too easy to write Laura Mvula off as MOR Radio 2 chanteuse fodder.  There is much more to the Birmingham songwriter and, indeed, to the Radio 2 playlist, than that. Singles ‘Green Garden’, ‘That’s Alright’ and ‘She’ gave a taste of the album but, of the three songs, it’s probably ‘She’ that is the most representative. Mvula loves orchestral strings, broadway flourishes and jazz and torch. The result is imaginative, innovative and refreshing. Rather more complex than the admittedly excellent singles would suggest.

Best came to it late album: 

Hollie Cook – Hollie Cook (Mr Bongo Records)

Daughter of Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook, Hollie was a teenager when she toured with the final incarnation of the Slits in the late zeros. Her debut solo album from 2010 reveals a keen interest in lovers rock and dub reggae alongside a keen pop sensibility that comes across as easy and effortless. Songs like the single ‘That Very Night’ appear to have arrived ready formed, and the more left field ‘Sugar Water (look at my face)’ explores post Slits dub in a highly effective manner.