Carry Me On

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The new tune from Brookes Brothers -  good video and positive message, check this out! ::

Glastonbury 2013- as reviewed from a sofa

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So it's all over, 3 days of potential mud fest was postponed as the sun came out for a glorious Glastonbury weekend and what, for many, kicks off the official festival season.

Seeing as i had no ticket this year i decamped to Bristol  to watch the happenings on TV. Below are 15 acts reviewed using the classic 'star rating' system. See below for a sentence on each!

I couldn't have written this without the excellent coverage the BBC provided throughout (and my parents widescreen tv), so big thankyou to them :).

Haim ★★★★
The LA band really seemed to enjoy their set and the crowd did too. The album is shaping up very nicely.

Savages ★★★
Crikey Jehnny Beth and Co have got some tunes that really drive but this felt like an intense and often awkward performance.

Rodriguez ★★★✰
Fast becoming a legend here as well as in South Africa, Rodriguez played his debut Glastonbury and though sometimes it was occasionally an ambling performance peppered with one liner jokes, his music is simply unforgettable.

Rolling Stones ★★
Billed as the headline act to top all headliners, from a tv point of view they seemed a bit past it, but i doubt i could do it at their age! Mick Jagger did his bit and was an excellent frontman,  but Keith Richards seemed bemused and off pace. Those that were there said it was fantastic, even if the Daily Mail did describe it as 'Night of the Living Dead!' in their somewhat amusing/harsh Monday headline (delete as appropriate).

Ben Howard ★★★
I'm not always one for major label fayre such as Howard but he was jovial and entertaining, his surfer folk  going down well on a breezy afternoon in Pilton.

Editors ★★★
Very much a stadium act now, Editors can draw a pretty decent crowd, hence their slot on the Other Stage. Playing well known tracks from the first few albums interspersed with material from new album, The Weight Of Your Love. Tom Smith is a dickensian looking frontman with sideburns to match but he was energetic and got the crowd moving.

Chic ★★★★✰
It would be fair to say that Nile Rodgers is better known now than ever before to the masses. I'm reading his auto-biography 'Le Freak' which is a great read into the roots of Disco. His band, Chic, have got some great tunes and if you just want to feel a little bit more alive you just have to listen to the likes of He's The Greatest Dancer, Dance Dance Dance or the likes of Why by Carly Simon (which Rodgers wrote), to get a boost. A set packed full of classics, good times.

Arctic Monkeys ★★★★✰
Although they played the same time as Chic, the good news is on the tele- *editors note- did i mention i didn't go yet?- you can watch both, but Alex Turners Monkeys were unstoppable tonight. Hit after hit delivered with panache, energy and technically tight too.

Portishead ★★★★
A band that don't play too many live gigs, their set up live involves alot of visual elements, it's cinematic, urban decay and it was a treat to see them live (on tv). *editors note- i do have all 3 of their albums so i'm a little bit biased.

Alice Russell ★★★✰
I do quite like Brighton's Alice Russell, and she didn't seem phased by the big stage her success is affording her. A real highlight is Heartbreaker Part 1, i've listened to it several times since via Spotify and it was superb.

Solange ★★★★ 
Not just Beyonce's littler sister, Solange's music isn't RnB as we know it but stands looking askance at 80's electronic pop as well, which makes for an intriguing listen. Flat buddies might include Jessie Ware and AlunaGeorge. She really enjoyed the set, came across quite humble and it was quite a sight watching the crowd synchronise a jig in front of her.

Tame Impala ★★★✰
A quite windy wind threatened to sour the set but their blend of psychadelia went down well, even if a record does afford them more space-age effects than possible live.

Jessie Ware ★★★★
She's from Laaandaaan! It's nice in and amongst all the Notting Hill, Fulham, Shoreditch, farmer folk to have a nice slice of intelligent dubbed soul music from the East End Hammersmith. Ware enjoyed the set too and even got adventurous by moving to the edge of the stage at one point, something she said was her limit. Thankfully the beeb blocked out the swearing on iplayer by reversing each swearword. They rated it as 'guidance'.

Gabrielle Aplin ★★★★ (based on one song)
I always want her surname to be spelt Alpen as it reminds me of cereal, but much like Muesli, there's more to Gabrielle Aplin than meets the eye. She's got a Lisa Hannigan style of charm about her that seems quite befitting of her style of music and some well written music too. I heard her perform 'Home' from the introducing stage on Radio 2 in the car and was actually quite struck by the lyrics::

With every small disaster
I'll let the waters still
Take me away to some place real
'Cause they say home is where your heart is set in stone
Is where you go when you're alone
Is where you go to rest your bones
It's not just where you lay your head
It's not just where you make your bed
As long as we're together, does it matter where we go?
Home home home home

One True Vine

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Mavis Staples of the Staples Singers fame releases her 13th Solo album next week and it could just be the lucky13th  album!

On first listen this is a deeply heartfelt album revolving around faith, life and experience

The fine people at The Guardian are streaming it upfront this week::

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2013/jun/18/mavis-staples-one-true-vine-stream?CMP=twt_fd

Yatha Bhuta Jazz Combo

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I received an email today from Sounds of The Universe which listed about 12 albums to check out. Some of them i knew, but the artwork on this one and description peaked my interest.

In a slightly tired state  i logged into spotify and searched for Yatha Bhuta , misspelling it about 3 times. Eventually copy and paste came to the rescue!

Having been getting into groups like Mulatu Astatke, Build An Ark, Lloyd Miller and the Skeletons over the last couple of years, my interest in Jazz is leaning more towards the spiritual element, so up comes this album which is presented as a tightly packed 33 minute LP,  from Parisian producer Onra and friend - fellow composer and arranger Buddy Sativa. Even though most tracks barely scratch the 4 minute mark, the ethos from both Onra and Satvia was very much a "spontaneity rules" approach which comes across in droves on this album.

Here is rare moment of a vocal track featuring Brooklyn poet Aja Monet from an album mostly of instrumentals::

Album out June 24th (or out now if you're reading this after that date!)

Mix: Campfire Surf

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Campfire Surf Mix by Bristolfunk on Mixcloud

I decided to embark on a mix that was a little bit more conceptual compared to previous mixes and a little bit more psychedelic. A mix that really rewards if you listen attentively but could just as easily blend into the background. The idea was if you had to soundtrack a bit of time at night or dusk whilst on the beach enjoying some company, that this would fit..


TRACKLISTING

*Contains excerpts from John Grout's  recording 'Pacific Ocean'

Black Sugar- Pussy Cat
Subtle, bubbling afro jazz fusion from early 1970's Peru, sets up the mix really well before..

Kramford Look- Shoebox At Sea
You could be mistaken for thinking this should have been on Air's Moon Safari, but these guys are masters at soundtrack and this chilled piece of faux motion picture really gelled with..

Girma Hadgu- Ene Alantchi Alnorem
As appears on the Ethiopiques Vol 4. comp, this was recorded somewhere between 1969-74 and taken from a great era for Buda. With it's muffled sound, flutes and wistful harmonies, this is just perfect.

KWJAZ- Righteous Wane
Sounding slightly like an icecream van that you'd want to run out to whatever age you are, KWJAZ's EP was a highlight in my collection last year and 'JAZ, aka San Franciscan Peter Berends, is about all dub, jazz, dreamy loops and twinkley keys.

- Marc Mac : 'little rock' interlude.

The Welcome Wagon- My God, My God. Parts 1 & 2
I really enjoyed the Welcome Wagon album last year, an LP from a Presbyterian couple from Michigan- the Reverend Thomas Vito Aiuto and his wife Monique. Between them they execute a genre of gospel music that is modest and melodic whilst being pretty straight forward in delivery. This really helps to set the mood for a progression in the mix, from jazz centric into a bit of a songbird section.

Rotary Connection- Salt of The Earth
We're all really used to hearing the excellent Black Gold of The Sun, but Rotary offer so much more across their catalogue. And it helps with the psychadelic soul element too. Top record.

Elena Legakis- 3.50am (Piano Intro)
It's easy to imagine still being on the beach waiting for the sunrise at ten to four in the morning, and this beautiful, slightly eerie piano interlude from Camden girl Elena leads really nicely into...

Mickey Newbury- Flower Man
A legend of the American alt-folk scene, i was introduced to Newbury last year by Steve from my office. Flower Man has a kind of spaced outness to it. Newbury was no space cadet but i'm sure alot of people go that way listening to this.

Portishead- Deep Water
A very non Portishead record, this simple banjo song is more uplifting than most of their gritty soundtrack (excellent though that is!). Has the sound of a 'spiritual' too.

Les Shelleys- Pastures of Plenty
Another house on the prarie type of song, from this acoustic guitar / vocal duo from Los Angeles, consisting of Tom Brosseau and his singing partner Angela Correa. American standard.

April Fulladosa- Sunlit Horizon
I like the offer that Fulladosa makes in this song about 'flying above the sunlit horizon'. The bass is very warm and has a bumpy swagger to it.

David Crosby & Graham Nash- The Lee Shore (Live Version)
I've been listening alot recently to the David Crosby box set. This is just such a great duet. "There's another island, it's a days run away from here- it's empty & free"

Arthur Foy- Get Up & Dance
At this point in the mix, i though i'd done enough lumbering about so thought to throw something in that was laid back but challenged me to get up!

Zyma- Wasting Time
A little bit of prog rock making it into the mix here from Zyma's 9 minute opus 'Wasting Time' though this is an excerpt from that. AOR style.

Milton Wright- Friends & Buddies
Most know Milton Wright from 'Keep It Up'. But this really fitted well and also carried a good unity message.

Hiatus Kaiyote- Nakamarra
Most of the records here are over 30 years old bar 3 or 4 so to have a record from 2012  adds some refreshment. This underground Aussie posse have dubbed themselves as an 'independent future soul group' and it's hard to disagree. This is quite lovebirdy and has Erykah Badu in the mirror.

Blessings

Simon

Dr Meaker 'Fear'

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A song and act to keep a very close eye on is 'The Fear' from Bristol dance troupe, Dr Meaker. Here's the Red Bull Session they played recently. Soulful vocals from Lorna King too.

Support new Music!

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Tennessee Singer songwriter NiTasha Jackson is looking to raise funds for what promises to be a great debut album. You can help get her to London to record it by watching the video below and helping her out!

Check out the superb single 'Let It Fall' on Spotify here: NiTasha Jackson – Start Again