News

Film Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s latest movie, “Micmacs” has just been released, which for those that enjoyed Amelie (French Academy Award- and Golden Globe-nominated) can expect another whimsical movie set in a surreal and fantastical world.

JOHN GRANT, former singer/songwriter with Bella Union cult favorites THE CZARS, finally returns in April 2010 with an extraordinary debut solo album made with MIDLAKE. Everyone has a favorite band or singer they reckon is subject to criminal neglect. That John Grant’s effortlessly rich, expansive baritone, couched in typically heartbreaking, lush melody, hasn’t found a wider audience many would consider a crime. But no longer. Because Grant’s first solo album …

The official release of Valgeir Sigurdsson’s Draumalandið (Dreamland) is today! This is an original-soundtrack album from the film Dreamland, with music written for a + 20 piece chamber ensemble and electronics. The recording features Nico Muhly (arrangements, piano, celesta, harmonium), Sam Amidon (vocals, banjo, guitar) Ben Frost (electronics),

Shearwater frontman Jonathan Meiburg insists that you don’t need a PhD to love his band’s new full-length, The Golden Archipelago. Sure, it was inspired by a yearlong trek around remote islands like the Falklands, Tierra del Fuego, the Galapagos and New Zealand’s Chatham Islands.

It’s always good to hear from artists that are well loved by listeners and Karine Polwart is certainly one of them. She’s been a little bit quiet for a while on news and this newsletter brings us all up to scratch:

I happened upon Keston Cobblers’ Club on myspace recently. After watching this video I think you’ll agree that they are something very special and are certainly worth keeping an eye on as they are bound to get very popular!

Ether – Southbank Centre’s annual music festival of innovation, art, technology and cross-arts experimentation – has long been presenting one-off collaborations and groundbreaking work from the likes of Kraftwerk, Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood and Thom Yorke, and David Byrne.

If you haven’t yet heard My Brightest Diamond then this will be a treat. If you have, I’m sure this performance will be rated amongst her best. With simple lyrics that unfold through a mesmerising voice, this ranks amongst my favourite tracks:

Balmorhea’s previous album All is Wild, All is Silent explored the freedom and isolation of settlers learning to live on an untamed frontier. It was an intensely physical album, dealing with the struggles of man on earth. By contrast, their new album Constellations shifts our focus to the cosmos and beyond, meditating solemnly on the mystical and metaphysical.

Roan Press are excited to announce the launch of Visions of Joanna Newsom, a book of essays, poems, and art responding to Joanna Newsom’s evocative, controversial work.

When I first heard Sharon Van Etten’s “Because I Was In Love”, I was moved beyond words. On my first listen I held my breath in stunned silence. How do you even begin to describe in words something that moves you beyond them. There is an underlying beauty to her voice and music that can move people in an unintelligible way. So after seeing the release of this video yesterday, …

Following the popularity of Ruth Theodore’s debut album “Worm Food” we are all waiting with intrepidation for her new release “White Holes of Mole Hills” due out this month. The album contains nine entirely original pieces of characterful storytelling delivered with the utmost care and attention, bringing Ruth’s wholly considered writing to life.