New Music 2014 - Part 4 - Smoke Fairies

I'm not sure that I have ever tried to write two posts on-line simultaneously but I see no reason why not to try it.
The Smoke Fairies self-titled forthcoming third album, released on 14 April by Full Time Hobby Records on DL (various file formats) to vinyl (but perhaps not cassette) just as you might wish.

Beyond that I can't tell you much other than to say that I have almost all of their previous LPs, EPs and none of them have disappointed.
I can't remember how I first came to know of them but the first time I saw them live was at Latitude Festival 2009 on the Thursday evening and a performance (in a marquee, fortunately) that was interrupted by a truly epic thunderstorm.  I shall look at the ghosts of festivals long gone and try and find some pictures.

This is the only remotely usable one from Latitude 2009 - Katherine Blamire on guitar.

On the Garden Stage at End of The Road Festival 2010 the sun was shining and all this explains, at least in part, why I wish to see them play live once again.

Jessica Davies playing slide guitar.

New Music 2012 - Part 13 - whispers on the wind

This is less focussed than most such posts: just things that I've seen, heard or otherwise divined in the last couple of weeks.
Back in 2009 and 2010 I mentioned Smoke Fairies on several occasions...
Their second LP and the follow-up to 'Through Low Light and Trees' is to be released in May; it is called 'Blood Speaks' and is, in as far as I can do so, pre-ordered already. The timing would be good for a festival or two this summer...
  
One thing that we do know is, while if you are hoping to see Joanne Shaw Taylor live in the UK this spring you might be disappointed, she is however busy recording her third LP. I have no idea of any release date, or title, but the mere fact can hardly be a bad thing. If waiting for that is too much, and really it should be...

Smoke Fairies - EOTR 2010 - Part 3

Note added November 10. 2010:

UK tour dates in January & early February 2010 now on sale.

Now call me obsessive if you like - I know that I can deal with it - and as regular readers might well have noticed 'Smoke Fairies' have appeared in my posts on several occasions over the last few years.  I had seen them live two or three times before, most recently in the Film & Music tent at Latitude 2009, but this was their first time at EOTR. They were on The Garden Stage at 14:15 on a glorious, sunny Sunday afternoon.  The day's proceedings had been commenced by Rough Trade artist Dylan LeBlanc, who was also excellent.

Me, watching you, watching Dylan LeBlanc...

Surreal it is --- probably only EOTR lends itself to this.

Jessica Davies and Katharine Blamire met on their first day at secondary school in Eastbourne and soon discovered a shared love of music. Since then it has taken them to places as far afield as New Orleans for extended periods - Jessica now frequently plays slide guitar as a result I suspect (as she is doing in the image below) - which adds much to their sound and Vancouver and it all shows on the album Through Low Light and Trees.

On this occasion they also had pedal-steel guitar, bass and drums to accompany them.  Some that I talked to afterwards were of the opinion that it distracted from their fundamental sound; I appreciate where they are coming from but my own opinion is that it worked out quite well on a larger stage.

     Through Low Light and Trees, the album, is simply fantastic: a perfect foil for fall.

Living With Ghosts

This is for whoever asked, including the lyrics as published thereon.

Not least @ Latitude - Part 1 - Yuck

To be honest this is not before time. I alluded, in my last post, that the real virtue of Latitude lies in the acts less well known.  Now it is time to give those that I saw a bit of the attention that they so richly deserve. In 2009 I was rather disappointed by the Lake Stage and I said as much. This year it was transformed, without the BBC Introducing branding, but with Huw Stephens still at the helm. To say that it was much better in 2010 would be nothing other than litotes. I don't think, in my four visits to Latitude, I have ever spent so much time there and it certainly wasn't wasted!

I can only remember one act that I saw on that stage last year. That however was a memorable one that has since gone on to greater things - it was Marina and The Diamonds. The first act I saw at Latitude 2009, on the Thursday evening in the Film and Music Tent, was 'Smoke Fairies'. This year, in the same venue, it was Kitty, Daisy and Lewis and given the performance and the reception it garnered it will be interesting to revisit this post a year from now.

As a result of unavoidable scheduling conflict there was no way that I could see all the acts on my list, and I knew this would be the case.

I'm proud of those that I did see and it has nothing to do with my efforts. I just put myself there and they did all that could be asked and then more!

I mentioned here before that I wanted to see them live: I did and so here is Yuck live at Latitude on Saturday afternoon. With a name this good how could I possibly resist the temptation even if the band were rubbish?  The thing is you can't and they aren't!

Yuck live on the Lake Stage on Saturday: likely not the last we'll hear of them I might add.

New Music 2010 - Part 14 - Albums for Autumn

I thought that I would take a break from my musings on Latitude 2010, of which more soon, to mention forthcoming albums by two acts that have already featured here before and both of which I have heard live.

The first comes from duo 'Smoke Fairies' whose stock has been much in the ascendant in 2010, following high-profile support slots and a trip to the US.  After an impressive run of singles and EPs, many of them on vinyl, their début album Through Low Light and Trees is to be released by V2 Coop on September 10 in the UK on 12" vinyl, CD and download. Those of us lucky enough to be going to End Of The Road Festival 2010 that weekend will also have the pleasure of seeing and hearing them perform live on September 12.

This is the album artwork and here is the track listing and also a legal freebie:

Through Low Light And Trees - Smoke Fairies

1. Summer Fades

2. Devil In My Mind
3. Hotel Room
4. Dragon
5. Erie Lackawanna
6. Strange Moon Rising
7. Morning Blues
8. Storm Song
9. Blue Skies Fall
10. Feeling Is Turning Blue
11. After The Rain

"New Album Track 'Strange Moon Rising' now on myspace and also available as a free download from the website www.SmokeFairies.com by signing up to the mailing list. If you're already on it, don't worry we'll be sending you a mail shot with a link very soon!"

For my comment on Smoke Fairies live, at End Of The Road 2010, see here:
http://rpgreenhalgh.blogspot.com/2010/09/smoke-fairies-eotr-2010-part-3.html

The next item to catch my attention is the second album release by Imelda May. The excellent 2008 début Love Tattoo will be followed (on October 4 in the UK) by Mayhem, which is released by Decca (yes, really).

I am currently unable to say whether this will be available on 12" vinyl but the lead single Psycho, released on June 28, most certainly is available on 7" vinyl.  I posted my thoughts on Imelda May live in Frome last year.

Both of these are well and truly on my list of forthcoming albums and I'm very much looking forward to hearing both.  They are not the only ones by any means...

If You Want Mud, You've Got It...

I'm resigned to it and so I'm going to enjoy myself. The first band on the known agenda is tomorrow evening, assuming we are not all swimming, and is one I have mentioned before. As it happens their 'Frozen Heart EP' arrived with me today.

Not remotely like the recording the post-title parodies but one that I anticipate with much enthusiasm.

That's actually just made me think of something quite different:
Gossip are performing at Latitude 2009, so how about an AC/DC cover version?
'Whole Lotta Ditto'. The more you think about it the less you should but the lyric would need little alteration. She could surely do the original Bon Scott vocals proud and it would work alongside 'Standing In The Way Of Control' admirably.

Technical things:
The link to the Bellowhead tour dates and website, to the left of this post, now works as it should. I screwed it up yesterday evening.

Now The Green Blade Rises - a lyric hymnal

Note added 25 June 2009:

10:30pm on THURSDAY 16 July, according to the Smoke Fairies' latest e-mail update. Live music on the Thursday evening hasn't been a feature of Latitude as I remember but is certainly a welcome development.

Note added 19 June 2009:

Smoke Fairies has just been added to the bill at Latitude 2009 on the "Film and Music Arena" - see here for current programme - but the day and time are not currently specified. While not a headline act this is certainly something I don't want to miss...

Note added 18 June 2009:

I've just listened to the recorded lyric (several times) while now able to compare it with the (supposéd original) one below. There are some minor differences and I'll post what I think are the actual song lyrics tomorrow.

Richard

I'm sorry about the delay in posting lyric for The Smoke Fairies download single but here it is, or at least that for 'Now The Green Blade Rises' as it appears in the Ox­ford Book of Car­ols, 1928.

Now The Green Blade Rises

Now the green blade rises from the buried grain,
Wheat that in the dark earth many years has lain;
Love lives again, that with the dead has been:
Love is come again, like wheat that springs up green.
In the grave they laid Him, Love Whom we had slain,
Thinking that He’d never wake to life again,
Laid in the earth like grain that sleeps unseen:
Love is come again, like wheat that springs up green.
Up He sprang at Easter, like the risen grain,
He that for three days in the grave had lain;
Up from the dead my risen Lord is seen:
Love is come again, like wheat that springs up green.
When our hearts are saddened, grieving or in pain,
By Your touch You call us back to life again;
Fields of our hearts that dead and bare have been:
Love is come again, like wheat that springs up green.

I didn't imagine when I started this blog, and even though I subsequently realised that lyrics were not simply a curiosity of mine, that I would ever be asked about ones such as these or, for that matter, still be enjoying the challenge even more almost 350 posts later. I now wish I could add more sooner...
For the original post about this song:

http://rpgreenhalgh.blogspot.com/2009/06/now-green-blade-rises.html

Now The Green Blade Rises.

You hadn't forgotten about The Smoke Fairies and the amazing 2008 single 'Living With Ghosts' had you? Well, even if you had you are forgiven as the Frozen Heart EP is out on June 29.

In the meantime they are back with the track 'Now The Green Blade Rises' which, if you are quick, you can have legally and free on <.mp3> and it is a perfect slice of made-for-summer languorous folk.

It is traditional, up to a point. The melody is French - it dates from the 15th century - and still one that accompanies the carol Noël Nou­ve­let although this arrangement of it owes much to that of Martin Fallas Shaw (1875 - 1958). The English lyric was written by John Macleod Campbell Crum (1872 - 1958) who started his career as as­sist­ant cur­ate at St. John the Evan­gel­ist, Dar­ling­ton (1897 - 1901) and ended it as Ca­non of Can­ter­bu­ry (1928 - 43).

Not quite the everyday history of a 2009 cover version!

For the traditional, and largely unchanged, lyric see http://rpgreenhalgh.blogspot.com/2009/06/lyrics-again-now-green-blade-rises.html

Living With Ghosts

I mentioned this single, the first released by Smoke Fairies, not long ago and today my copy arrived in the post. I have listened to it several times this evening and, while I had rather high hopes for it, I am quite disappointed...

Disappointed with myself that is; Living With Ghosts is far better than I even dared hope that it could be and the b-side Troubles is equally good. I can't wait for the release of their début album and, although this is a very limited 7" vinyl release, I can hardly imagine that both these tracks will not make the cut but one can never tell.
This single may prove hard to get unless you act very quickly but something I can add, and this pleases me greatly, is the lyrics for both tracks on it. They are included in "hand-writing" on the cover accompanying it and while the occasional phrase is hard to read I hope that, with the single to listen to, I've mostly got them correct!

Living With Ghosts:
You to me are only a memory, got a flame still burning where I know it shouldn't be, but it gets hold when the one you're thinking of is no longer. I am haunted, you'll hound me for all my days and I know that somewhere things still go on the same, but it gets hard when the time you are thinking of is now passed. In my mind we still live there. All this time feels like I've gone nowhere. It can get lonely living with ghosts.
You're in my head until I die. So I ran to the mountains. Ran as far as I could. Got to find a new life. Wouldn't do me any good. 'Cause it gets hard when the one you're thinking of is no longer. You're in my mind like an old ugly scar. I'll spend my life trying to hide. Days will go by and I'll still think of you as if you were here by my side.

Troubles:
Out of the northern sky, over the land where the ice fields lie, came a winter it came so cold. I drew my demons out to the snow. Into the night we flew, scoring the sky with the paths we drew. Drawn together like moths to night never believing we'd burn so bright. When troubles keep expanding tie me a long rope 'cause its you that keeps me standing, it's you that I need more.
Over and over we leave, scarring our minds with the things that we've seen never sure what we're looking for, always returning with something more.

To listen to in 2008 - Part 4

This is quite difficult to write. I've seen so much live music recently, which is very good but tends to colour ones perceptions in a perhaps disproportionate way, and I've discovered so many new artists across a wide range of genres. I'm glad of that too but it makes deciding what to wish for next very difficult indeed.

If there is any connection then it is the ascendancy of - and probably the connection between - new-folk in the UK and Americana. What they do not share in tradition is more than made up in their connection via live-musicianship and what, just a year ago, seemed exciting in the UK is now happening on both sides of the Atlantic. That is not to say it wasn't happening in the US last year, because it was, but the joining of dots is what matters. Openly referencing trans-Atlantic influences is now not only acceptable but also distinctly fashionable, on both sides, for the first time in well over a decade. Not everyone on either side will embrace the new party but in the year that Sub-Pop turns twenty, and the world is changing faster than at any time since, it somehow seems very fitting that there is something of a return to traditional music; in values if not always in execution for nothing remains the same.

Two albums/artists I want to hear are these:

I saw Noah and The Whale live at Latitude 2008 and this is their début album.
This band also has close links with Laura Marling, who appears on some tracks of this recording.

Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down - Noah & The Whale (2008).

To mention another, here is a duo that at least on first listen is quintessentially English.

Smoke Fairies met at school in Brighton and later, when it did not seem to be the Deep South that they imagined, decamped to New Orleans for a year and, as that wasn't quite it either, this was followed by some time in... Vancouver!
They are now in London and concentrating on finishing their first album, which should appear soon, and as likely as not it will be another release in a genre that has risen from nowhere in a matter of a few years. In the meantime Smoke Fairies, like many others, are making headlines with their awesome live performances. Whatever else might be wrong in the UK right now live music isn't it!

Smoke Fairies are Jessica Davies and Katherine Blamire.
It seems unlikely the album will be without influences resulting from their time in New Orleans and who could wish otherwise?

Smoke Fairies release their first single Living With Ghosts on 11 August. It is available for download and there is also a physical version too - 500 copies, all hand numbered, on 7" vinyl.