Lyrics again - Babelonia

Babelonia

she is the fractured one sewn
from sums of fractured time
her heart speaks a fractured tongue
her life a fractured design
she shares the weight of the sun
a love that burns alone
leaving their heart with no one
claiming no other their own

babelonia
it's a wonder
you can believe
in what you see
babelonia
divided love
childhood history
adult's mystery

she is her prophet and god
she is the comfort she seeks
she is a thousand wires sewn
through the outcome she receives
they share the cloak of the moon
under the darkened sky
they leave their secrets to roam
in the forgiveness of night

babelonia
it's a wonder
you can believe
in what you see
babelonia
divided love
childhood history
adult's mystery


I mentioned School of Seven Bells (SVIIB) as one of my highlights of Latitude 2010 and, now I have the album 'Disconnect From Desire', I am only reminded why that is and the music is only the start.
Amazon.co.uk will send it to you as mp3 for £7.90 (obviously including delivery).  No chance... for £8.24, including the rather pertinent issue of delivery, I was more than happy to patronize a UK independent music store.  That is not just a matter of loyalty or conscience, however, for that extra 34p ($0.50) resulted in a tangible item; something (it is actually spilt across two 12" slices) real, totally loveable and also easily damaged.  The moral of the tale is that new vinyl can be affordable it just takes a little effort and the support of the independent labels and retailers. In this case it was Reflex Records in Newcastle and the record is released in the UK by Full Time Hobby as FTH094LP.

 If £0.34/$0.50 in this regard becomes a matter of life or death then I'll quit.  

New York @ Latitude 2010

Time for a very slight change of tack now. Last year I saw two truly impressive NYC acts at Latitude - Chairlift and Yes Giantess - neither of which I had heard live or possessed (at the time) any music by or from. I have posted about both and the Chairlift album 'Does You Inspire You' remains one of the most frequently played that I have; I bought it immediately afterwards.

This year I was equally blessed but the dynamic is slightly different. The thing runs like this: my fourth Latitude and so surely somehow the possibility of a disappointment beckoned.  Call me gloomy, like Eeyore, if you like but it was not to be so this time.

In fact it was possibly, as regards the music, the best I have yet attended and my main failing is that I am simply unable to be in more than one place at once. Last autumn I saw School of Seven Bells, as support to Bat For Lashes, in Bristol and they were very good.  'Alpinisms' remains a fine album, and I still like it, but when I was lucky enough to catch them playing live, once again, at Latitude 2010 I was in for a real surprise.

Here they are in the tented, 6500 capacity, 'Word Stage' early Saturday afternoon.

They were absolutely captivating playing songs from their second album 'Disconnect From Desire'. With my limited abilities this stage is not one at which I find it easy to take pictures but, although I say so myself, I'm rather proud of the above. It is unaltered except to shrink it to a blog-friendly size but, far more importantly, it encapsulates almost all that I like about festivals and live music in general.
The other NY band that I was absolutely delighted to see live is one that has divided opinion to some considerable extent.  I will say that I have pretty well all their recorded output, as it pleases me, but Brooklyn-based 'The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart' is clearly not to everyone's taste and I respect that.

They played the 'Sunrise Arena' early on Sunday evening. Some say that their music is derivative shoegaze, shambling, or even cutesy.  I'd say that it is actually all of these, and also so much more, simultaneously. I find it both captivating and also quite charming escapism.

New Music 2010 - Part 13 - Canada & Brooklyn again...

I sometimes comment on various music awards, not least Eurovision, but this is one I've never mentioned before. It is has only been going for five years, unlike the Juno Awards, and is for Canadian artists and music.

This is the short list, some of which are already familiar to this blog.

• Besnard Lakes - The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night
• Broken Social Scene -  Forgiveness Rock Record
• Caribou - Swim
• Owen Pallett - Heartland
• The Sadies - Darker Circles
• Dan Mangan - Nice, Nice Very Nice
• Tegan and Sara - Sainthood
• Radio Radio - Belmundo Regal
• Shad - TSOL
• Karkwa - Les Chemins De Verre

Some more links above now.  I read loads and eventually chose just one for each artist that, in my opinion, provided the most relevant information in a nutshell.  You can find more if you wish and these are a place to start.  There is no way that I will ever get to grips with the gamut of Canadian music.  It is something to which I have long been resigned and also a good place to be.

Caribou is confirmed for 'End Of The Road 2010' and a band that I am very much looking forward to hearing live.  On the topic of Canadian bands that I have followed for a long while, congratulations to Metric for providing the title song to the 'Eclipse' soundtrack and for lending several members to the collective that is Broken Social Scene.

Although not included above, if only because the album 'Wilderness Heart' is not yet released, Black Mountain is gaining a considerable amount of attention here in the UK - Zane Lowe included it, and a glowing report, on his BBC Radio 1 show this evening and tracks from Arcade Fire - The Suburbs are an everyday occurrence now.

Now Brooklyn:  I mentioned that I'm looking forward to seeing School of Seven Bells again, at Latitude 2010, and their sophomore album 'Disconnect From Desire', the follow up to 'Alpinisms' sounds like a winner to me.  It is released in the UK next Monday - 12 July - so Latitude will be their first festival appearance after its release.

Just recently I mentioned a band called Warpaint - who are certainly not from Brooklyn (or Canada) - but who have a UK tour planned for this Autumn and while the US dates in late summer are with The XX it looks likely, though I can make no promises about this, that they will be supported by a band that have received good reports over here and I have liked that which I have heard, I must say. They are from Brooklyn. That band is Beach Fossils and this is their eponymous début album.

I've not heard enough to yet make a reasonable review possible but this makes it pretty certain that I will, and sooner rather than later.

To say that this is even scratching the surface of the new music coming out of either location would be a ridiculous claim, which only goes to show that so much music is just there waiting to be found and enjoyed: don't wait to be spoon-fed.
You can legally have the music for less, and also give more of your money to the artists who made it, if you look and act wisely.  The latter comment is important: if something looks "too good to be true" then it probably is.  It may be that you will become a victim of crime but, possibly worse still, you may even be committing one yourself.  Think first!