New Music: Alessi's Ark - Desert (Video)

For those of you who have been with me since virtually the beginning of the blog you might remember the name Alessi’s Ark cropping up as far back as 2008. I’m very pleased to see that Alessi is still making music and this latest cut, Desert, finds her on strong form with her always agreeable voice being backed with a classic scruffy indie-pop sound; if you’re a fan of bands like Alvvays then the chances are you’ll love this tune.

As much as I enjoy this song, what really strikes me is the new video, for quite personal reasons, as it is in the form of a rapidly changing photo collage which documents a journey from London via my home city of Portsmouth (you’ll see pictures of the harbour including HMS Warrior and the Spinnaker Tower) to the Isle of Wight - a place that I have very strong connections with. In particular a lot of the photos are taken in the seaside resort of Ventnor, a charming idiosyncratic cliffside town that can lay claim to having more sunny days than pretty much anywhere else in the UK. Alas it appears the weather when the photos were taken wasn’t so good, but the pictures give you an idea of the  wonderful vistas, it's homeliness and its old-fashioned lure. If you ever get the chance to visit the Isle of Wight make sure you spend some time in Ventnor. For a place with a population of around just 6,000 it has an awful lot to offer including some great restaurants and the Ventnor Fringe Festival.

Of course this is a music blog, not a travel one, so I must add that you should also make sure you spend some time with Alessi’s new album Love Is The Currency from which Desert is taken.

Alessi's Ark - Desert (Video)

Alessi's Ark - Maybe I Know

Was it really 2008 when we put Alessi’s Ark in our Ones To Watch for 2009 alongside what became big hitters such as Florence & The Machine, La Roux, Mumford & Sons, Marina & The Diamonds and er…. Skint & Demoralised? Ok, well not all big hitters, but that’s not the point of the Ones To Watch list in the first place. But yes, it was 2008 and you know what they say about time and fun and flying and the like. So here we are in 2011 and next week sees the release of the second album from Alessi, entitled Time Travel. In preparation for this Alessi tackles the 60's pop classic by Leslie Gore - Maybe I Know. The song was one of two hits that Gore had in the UK, the other being her most well-known song It’s My Party which went top 10 in the UK and was a number 1 in the US.

As with everything that Alessi does the song is initially musically sweet and charming, but here the lyrics offer a sadder side – the character in the song is with a love rat and he’s cheating on her. “My friends are telling me that he's no good. He isn't treating me the way he should. He really loves me that's all I can say. Before my tears fall I just walk away.”

Keeping the 60’s style of the song Alessi and her band of minstrels intertwine the tune with her folk roots to create probably the most poppy and overtly commercial thing she’s released to date.

Alessi's Ark - "Maybe I Know" by Yep Roc Music Group

Alessi's Ark- Maybe I Know from Bella Union on Vimeo.

Alessi's Ark - Wire

The gentle and wondrous tones of Alessi Laurent-Marke have been missing from this blog for some time, but in April Alessi’s Ark will release the follow up to Notes From The Treehouse through Bella Union with a new record called Time Travel. The twelve-track LP was recorded in Brighton's Electric Studios with Wilkommen Collective's Marcus Hamblett, and at Bryn Derwen in Wales with David Wrench who has previously recorded with Beth Orton and Bat For Lashes. As far as we are aware a Tardis was not involved. The record, like many second albums, is one that has grown from travelling and touring, often away from family and friends.

The first release from the new album is the pretty and reflective song Wire, which streams and is available for free download below. It finds Alessi a little older, a little wiser and ruminating on the nature of friendship, loneliness and how she realises that not all of her friends know her like she thought they did. As with everything Alessi does it’s tender and intimate and this time comes with the addition of a muffled brass interlude. It’s quite lovely to have her back.

Alessi's Ark - Wire by Bella Union

Alessi's Ark - The Robot

Back in 2008 we named Alessi's Ark as one of our Ones To Watch, acknowledging that she was never going to be a huge commercial pop success but that she would be a special treasure for those who engaged with her deliciously saccharine voice.

Now Alessi returns with a new EP released on Bella Union. Bella Union is probably a far better stylistic fit for Alessi's music than her previous label Virgin, who decided not to take the option up on her record deal, after her debut album Notes From The Treehouse. The EP is entitled Soul Proprietor and is released on the 5th April. You can listen to the The Robot from the EP and download it courtesy of Drowned in Sound below. The song carries off very much where the previous album left off, with a gentle country rock whimsy that soothes your ears, Alessi’s hushed occasionally vibrating vocal chords adding a tenderness to words such as “And he likes clean bedding, doesn’t care for Otis Redding.” It's just right for a Sunday evening, which is why we're posting it now, breaking our no more than one blog a day rule, but we have a backlog of the things to post this week, so something has to give. So we're giving. And there's another one to come later tonight....

Alessi's Ark - 'The Robot' by LukeSlater

Ones To Watch - How Did We Do ?

It’s almost December. Which means it’s time for a look back as well as a look forward. Over the next month we’ll be blogging our way through our favourite ten albums of the year as well as listing ten artists that we believe could be ones to watch in 2010.

In a change from 2008 we’re going to start with a look forward. The reason being that last year just as we began publishing our list of Ones To Watch the BBC went and published their Sound of 2009 list earlier than normal. To our surprise six of the artists we had chosen were in the BBC’s long list of fifteen. So this year to avoid any criticism of just copying the BBC list we’re making sure our list appears early. Mind you this year we actually had a tiny influence over the BBC list as we were asked by the BBC to be one of the participating voters in their Sound of 2010 poll. We're not sure how many bloggers get asked to participate, we know of at least one other (a list of those who voted will appear on the BBC website soon) but we guess it's a bit of an honour, effectively being recognised as having some degree of expertise in new music. The three artists we voted for in the BBC poll feature in our own list of ten, but we'll leave you to see if you can guess which three we voted for.

Not that we expect all of our list to be the same as the BBC list, particularly as some artists such as Marina and the Diamonds, who we fully expect to be on the BBC list, don't qualify for our list (read next Mondays blog for our explanation of why).

But before the gate opens, let’s have a quick recap of our Ones To Watch 2009 list and see how they fared.

#1 La Roux

We said “What sets her apart from a multitude of dance floor kids is a pop sensibility that knows how to deliver a half decent tune.”

In For The Kill became a genuine pop phenomenon, slowly climbing from number 11 to number 2 in the singles chart, whilst Bulletproof went one better. The eponymous debut album went to number 2 in the UK, 7 in Ireland and 8 in Canada.

#2 Little Boots

We said “Little Boots is exactly what we want our pop stars to be.”

Little Boots topped the BBC Sound of List but failed to capitalise on its exposure, finally releasing the very average New in Town in May which went top 20. The album Hands entered the charts at number 5 but quickly fell away, only re-entering the lower reaches of the Top 40 when the far superior Remedy was released as a single. The initial quirky charm that we heard on Stuck On Repeat and saw on her bedroom You Tube cover versions seemed somewhat diluted by the end of the year, but if her record company keep going with her we still think there is possible unfulfilled potential.

#3 Passion Pit

We said “They will bring a lot of smiles, and if there is any justice Sleepyhead will be one of the songs of next year in the UK.”

Sleepyhead was never released as a major label single in its own right in the UK, (there is no justice) and although the band didn‘t achieve commercial highs, their debut album Manners received much critical acclaim and charted at number 55. The band grew as a live act during the course of the year, playing bigger shows as the year progressed, plus there were several festival appearances including the main stage at Bestival.

#4 Giantess

We said “It’s very early days for this band but Breaking More Waves reckons their Myspace friend count will soon be on the way up.”

The band renamed themselves Yes Giantess, put out a white vinyl 7" single, supported Little Boots in the U.S and were picked to play on the NME Radar Tour in the UK in October. They’ve recently been recording with a number of big name producers including Pascal Gabriel (Ladyhawke, Dido, Little Boots, Kylie) in France and have had some major label interest. In November one of their number (Karl) announced he was to leave the band, his parting gift a superb downloadable mix tape. Yes Giantess continue into 2010. Their Myspace friend count has indeed risen significantly since we first wrote about the band and they have a bag of big tunes ready to go including that hooky as hell No Reason.

#5 White Lies

We said “Have potential to be a commercial success.”

The bands debut album went to number 1 in the UK and White Lies have played many big gigs and festivals including Glastonbury, T in the Park and Reading and Leeds. Personally for Breaking More Waves our opinion is that the album was too contrived and weakened by schoolboy lyrics.

#6 Skint and Demoralised

We said “No doubt many young lasses will fall for him.”

If they young ladies did fall for Skint and Demoralised they forgot to buy his records. The single Red Lipstick picked up some Radio 1 play but come October the record company had ditched plans to release a further single or the album that was ready to go. Matt Skint got his hair cut and started presenting football reviews on You Tube. In February our review of his poorly attended live show at Brighton Audio commented that it was only when he dropped the music and delivered an anti BNP poem without a microphone that he came into his own and that “Maybe this is where his future lies.”

#7 Alessi’s Ark

We said “Unlikely to find huge commercial pop success, but is certainly an act to be championed.”

As predicted Alessi didn’t find huge commercial pop success, but her album Notes From The Treehouse was an endearing and sweet record. At the time we described the record as having “A sense of music wonder and magic.”

#8 Florence And The Machine

We said “An exciting proposition.”

Florence exceeded our expectations, her album Lungs being a triumph musically and it attained significant commercial success, remaining at number 2 in the album charts for five weeks, held off the top spot only by Michael Jackson. Her live shows became more focussed and as a result got better and better, with her performances at Camp Bestival and Brighton Concorde being two of our favourite gigs of the year.

#9 Mumford and Sons

We said “Will warm you deep inside.”

Mumford and Sons profile grew slowly over the course of the year. They proved that the old fashioned virtues of playing great gigs and having good songs will deliver you a loyal fan base. The band signed to Island Records and the subsequent release of their debut album, Sigh No More, at the start of October, saw the band hit number 11 in the UK charts. Not bad for a folk / bluegrass act. Bellies were warmed.

#10 Marina and the Diamonds

We said “This maverick cat has already ruffled a few feathers with her blogs on Myspace, which she has now removed declaring that she will never open her mouth again.”

Marina has released two critically acclaimed singles on the Neon Gold label and has now signed a major record deal with 679/Warners, releasing Mowgli's Road in November. An album is due for the early part of 2010. She back tracked on her promise of keeping her mouth shut and has a fully functioning, active, entertaining blog.

Now let's move on up.

It's almost time for this years Ones To Watch list. On the 30th November we shall explain our criteria for selection and rules of engagement. Then on the 1st December enjoy our musical advent calender as we reveal who our Ones To Watch are, each act hiding behind a different musical door on the countdown to Christmas. This will the be swiftly followed by our Top Ten albums of the year list and then, well, that's pretty much it till next year except for a few random articles that we have floating around that we haven't yet posted following our 'one blog a day' rule. Go !

Camp Bestival 2009 - Part 3

Saturday. After some early non musical fun and games we head for our first musical adventure on day two. In the Big Top Alessi's Ark are incredibly late, having got stuck in traffic. They arrive just fifteen minutes before their allocated time finishes, set up in what must be the fastest time ever and then race through a very short set. Alessi is full of apologies, apologising for being late and apologising for clashing with Alela Diane on the Castle Stage. The brevity of the set means that the band never really get the chance to settle as they quickly tiptoe through songs such as The Dog and Asteroids Collide, Alessi’s face animated in her expressions, her voice adding a sugar coating to her soft country rock sound.

To display Camp Bestivals musical diversity we jump from Alessis’s Ark to Goldie Lookin' Chain. From chart success with Guns Don’t Kill People Rappers Do, to celebrity Big Brother shenanigans, you could easily be forgiven for thinking that Goldie Lookin’ Chain were no longer a going concern having faded into obscurity. However it seems that Adam Hussain, Maggot, Eggsy and crew are still one big gang, bringing their energetic stage stalking track suited comedy hip hop to a big appreciative crowd. Funny and as puerile as ever GLC tackle everything from Michael Jackson “He’s dead now - he did do some bad things though,” to farting “I put farting powder in Adams coffee,” as they race through a set of tracks old and new. Their tongue in cheek lyrics, colourful leisure wear and comic banter go down well with the audience, with plenty of hands raised in the air (see picture above) Hit singles may now be a thing of the past, but Goldie Lookin’ Chain can probably make some money from a career out of festival appearances such as this for some years to come.

Musical journeyman Frank Turner returns to the UK from touring the States with The Offspring to bring some good old fashioned singer songwriter ideals to the Camp Bestival main stage. Frank seems to spend his whole life incessantly touring, building up a loyal fan base from it. New single The Road, played with jaunty enthusiasm seems to celebrate this fact with its lyrics of fear of staying in one place and the irony of “only being shackled to the road can ever I be free.” Turner is a troubadour with strong principles and his heart on his sleeve, a man who seems like he's grown wiser after taking some kicks, but getting back up again. On the eloquent Long Live The Queen he sings the words of someone who he has lost “You’ll live to dance another day, it’s just now you’ll have to dance for the two of us.” It's poignantly beautiful. There are hints of Billy Bragg in Frank Turner, if Billy if had decided to play acoustic punk rock with a folk twist. Turner is obviously a grafter, and we’re sure that this will pay dividends for him in the long run.

Last year at End Of The Road Festival Bon Iver played the most absorbing and enchanting set we witnessed in 2008. A year on and Justin Vernon, who effectively is Bon Iver has become more accustomed to playing to big crowds, and as a result his set loses some of the humble magic that made it so special a year ago. With a slightly smoother sound and a little bit of chat Bon Iver play through tracks from For Emma, Forever Ago, our album of the year last year, plus a rockier version of Blood Bank and a cover of Yo La Tengo’s I Feel Like Going Home. Skinny Love finds Justin on scratchy guitar and three drummers driving the song home, whilst on Re:Stacks he plays solo, the music meshing with the lyrics to portray exactly how the song sounds “it’s the sound of unlocking and lifting away". Creature Fear ends wrapped in warped noisy derangement and final song Wolves (Act I and II) sees Vernon using the crowd as backing vocals, gradually building in volume as they sing “What might have been lost,” over and over again. It’s good, but it lacks the emotion and awe that we have seen before, although the audience give rapturous applause after every song.

The evening is then left to PJ Harvey to play her headlining set in the Big Top. Earlier this year Harvey astounded us in Brighton (review here). At Camp Bestival she performs a totally different solo show which she states will consist of her own personal favourite songs, performed stripped down, the way they were originally written. From the stunning gutsy blues of opening song To Bring You My Love to the stark ending of Silence the performance feels more like a recital than a euphoric festival set, but it works perfectly. The audience are very respectful listening in almost near silence as Harvey performs everything from well known tracks such as Down By The Water to B Sides such as Nina In Ecstasy which Polly described as “a very small quiet song.” Some songs are played on piano, others on guitar. A new track samples the old tin pan alley song Istanbul (Not Constantinople) by fifties group The Four Lads, looped whilst Polly sings with a bizarre musical minuture harp type instrument. It's an odd yet intriguing piece.

The set confirms Harvey as a major and unique talent, her voice ranging from an unsettling girlish tone to a powerful strong woman. This show had a feel of being something rather special. It may not have been right for those who want a big singalong, clapalong, lowest common denominator headlining set, but for those who want something born out of pure integrity and quality PJ Harvey ticked all the right boxes. A superb way to end a great day.

Alessi's Ark - Notes From The Treehouse

Until recently only one of the artists we named in our Ones To Watch 2009 list had actually released an album. That was White Lies, who managed to sneak to number one in the UK LP charts near the start of the year. In the next few months however a large number of those we named will be putting out their debuts and the second act out of the blocks is Alessi's Ark.

Back in December we stated that Alessi Laurent Marke was unlikely to find huge commercial pop success, but was certainly an act that deserves to be championed. Her album Notes From The Treehouse gives us no reason to change that statement. It is a delightful album full of dreamy sounding American folk, subtle symphonics, and acoustic sounds which is underlain with guitars that twang and Alessi’s pretty girlish vocal. It will be cherished by a small audience who have been, or will be, swooned by her innocent summery sound. It will not be too every persons taste. Some will find it too twee vocally; Adam Buxton and Joe Cornish on BBC 6 music radio station recently portrayed Alessi as the pixie queen singing about worms she had found in her garden. Her sound is more 'Folk Of The Faraway Tree' than 'The Exorcist' that is for sure, but there is an audience out there who will appreciate the sound of such enchantment.

The album opens with Magic Weather, an enchanting almost orchestral pop piece with warm strings, fairytale harp and Alessi’s wondrous voice which is equal parts Bjork, Joanna Newsom and Raissa Khan Pranni of The Mummers. Followed swiftly by the two singles The Horse and Over The Hill, these two tracks set the backbone for the majority of the album, a collection of dreamy sounding country pop songs, coated with Alessi’s very precise saccharine vocal.

Those who have seen Alessi play live may be surprised by the levels of production on the album. Mike Mogis of Bright Eyes has worked with Alessi to help her achieve a much fuller sound. Songs such as The Asteroids Collide are given a lush string laden polish, whilst Hummingbird is full of quirky orchestral moments, Alessi’s voice quivering as she sings “Close my hand tight we will survive the night.” However elsewhere Woman is left sparse and haunting, a song suited for the dark and candlelight. Likewise a secret hidden track at the end of the album sounds like something Coco Rosie could have produced, all fractured creeping percussion and eccentric instrumentation.

There’s a sense of musical wonder and magic that pervades this album, together with some delicately charming melodies. It certainly won’t be fighting with White Lies for chart positions, but is all the better for it.

Alessi's Ark @ Brighton Freebutt

A nearby funfair punches out blasts of hyperactive techno, but over the road in the Freebutt, Alessi Laurent Marke and her band are producing songs that are more fairytale than fairground. Yet the only children’s story you would normally associate The Freebutt with would be one by the Brothers Grimm. The place is certainly not salubrious, with its down on its luck character and stinking toilets, but this doesn’t seem to bother Alessi at all. “What a nice night,” she starts, before adding later “It’s like a dream room, who is good in Brighton is in the room.”

If this is a dream room, then the music of Alessi's Ark is perfectly suited to it. Dreamy and fleshed with a country twang, her band are subtle and restrained; allowing Alessis’s gentle wistful voice space to be heard. Her vocal is innocently childlike yet strong, even after promises of vocal surprises due to a cold “Not the piggy flue,” she adds. Highlights of the set include the opening haunting Hummingbird, The Horse with an initial rhythm tapped out with a drumstick on the keyboard and The Asteroids Collide, played as part of an encore which she didn’t seem to expect to receive. “I’m an encore virgin,” she beams.

In the live environment Alessi is a delicately engaging performer, more relaxed and confident with her own small audience than when we last saw her supporting Mumford & Sons in Reading. The centre of the sound is Alessi’s voice; a number of the songs start and finish abruptly after she has finished singing, but the music and melodies are also pretty and vulnerable. So with the funfair forgotten, Alessi’s Ark manage to transport the small Brighton audience to a very different world than that of a smelly black room pub venue. At its best it’s a magical, enchanting world.

Alessi's Ark - Bandstand Busking

Building up to the release of her next fairytale folk single Over The Hill, the sweet and whimsical Alessi Laurent-Marke, better known as Alessi's Ark took some time out to play for the bandstand busking project. Often near forgotten and redundant, these ornamental structures are screaming out to be kissed with life by modern artists. Bandstands are spaces designed for music and performance, often having an exquisite elegance and charm, yet often they stand as circular empty ghosts.

A significant number of exciting artists have now played for the project including Emmy The Great, Frightened Rabbit, Blue Roses and Of Montreal. Alessi is the latest to sign up. You can see all of the performances, including further songs from Alessi here, but for now here is a version of her debut single on Virgin, The Horse.

Alessi's Ark - Over The Hill

On the 23rd March 2009 Alessi's Ark release the follow up to The Horse EP. Over The Hill is a quietly captivating dreamy sounding folk pop rock song that is gentle and easy enough on the ears to maybe find itself on mainstream daytime radio. Whilst Alessi has drifted in to the so called New Folk Scene, Over The Hill is a far more straightforward song musically, with not a violin or banjo in sight. There are warm keyboards, twanging county guitars and uncomplicated drums. What sets the song apart is a sweet melody and Alessi’s fragile childlike petal soft vocal. She displays a playful whimsical intonation that sounds like she is singing in her second language, even though she isn't.

Taken from her album Notes From The Treehouse which is due for release a week later, the video for the song sees Alessi at a tea party for her and an imaginary friend and shows that amongst her other talents, she can hang a mean spoon from her nose.

You can find more from Alessi at her Brain Bulletin blog as well as a variety of posts here at Breaking More Waves.

Mumford and Sons + Alessi's Ark @ Reading South Street Arts Centre

The past nine months have seen numerous commentators, including Breaking More Waves, identify the apparent death of the so called landfill indie bands and the rise of the often keyboard or electro wigging female solo artist. One could almost be forgiven for thinking that there was no other genre producing anything of merit. Ever since the Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong debacle, record labels have stopped looking for four boys with skinny jeans and guitars.

But the future is not just about girls with keyboards. Step forward four manly souls with double bass, kick drum, accordion and banjo in hand. Step forward also a girl with a whimsical baby doll voice and an acoustic guitar. Tonight Reading plays host to not one, but two of the artists that Breaking More Waves listed as Ones to Watch in 2009; Mumford and Sons and Alessis Ark, all for just a fiver.

By now it seems that the London new-folk scene which these artists are associated with is well enough labelled that it has become an accepted hip genre of its own. Music once sneered at by anyone under the age of thirty is now being celebrated and adored by young and old alike. There are more pretty girls in check shirts here than there are woollen sweater wearing bearded men drinking real ale.

Alessi’s Ark is the main support tonight. The last time Breaking More Waves watched a support band in this venue was almost twenty years ago. That support was a little known act from Oxford called Radiohead. And whilst Alessi’s Ark are unlikely to ever achieve the same level of commercial success, Alessi Laurent-Marke is equally enjoyable as Radiohead were then. Coming across like an otherworldly hippy chick, Alessi is a finger biting, twitching, kooky sort of girl who is prone to whispering such statements as “This is the nicest room ever,” and charming the crowd with her wide eyed innocence. Alessi is blessed with a sweet voice and a collection of songs that veer between delicate folk and a gently rocking nature, sounding not far removed from a female fronted version of The Thrills. Occasionally the melodies are endangered by the bands over instrumentation, sounding better when there is space within the music, but Alessi’s voice and personality shine through.

“We’ve been playing lots of pub gigs, but this is like a show,” comment Mumford and Sons, appreciating the number of people who have turned out to see them in a venue somewhat bigger than many of the others they have been playing on this current tour. It’s easy to see why so many have bothered.

Much has been made of Marcus Mumford’s voice, and with good reason; it has a gravely crackling emotive quality that stands out. There are hints of the tone of both Chris Martin and Dave Mathews, but with a greater sneering resonance. This vocal and the near perfect harmonies his band deliver are a winning formula. To secure victory even further the melancholic melodies and stomping hoe downs that Mumford and Sons produce mix perfectly with their living and breathing folk, county and bluegrass instrumentation to sound almost life affirming. Take White Blank Page which builds into a big pirate sea shanty, or Roll Away Your Stone which is a manic foot stomping and banjo thrashing bonanza of the highest order. Both songs receive huge applause.

To contrast with the exhilarating feeling these songs invoke, the bands lyrics are sometimes of rather darker stuff; “I won’t let you choke on the noose around your neck,” sings Marcus on next single The Cave. “Death will steal your innocence, but it will not steal your substance,” he rasps on another new song. If this all sounds rather heavy, it is thankfully tempered by the bands sense of humour. “All of our songs are about football,” announces Country Winston, their banjo player at one point with a cheeky grin on his face.

Mumford and Sons succeed because they display musical honesty, talent and cohesiveness amongst a collection of damn good songs. The only minor criticism is the band do not yet consider themselves big enough to have a set list, making up the set as they go along. With more structure and thought to the order of the songs the set could swell to even greater things. The huge and lengthly applause at the end of the show is testament to the fact that, irrespective of this, Mumford and Sons are a superb live band. They are proof that there is more to music than just electro disco girls.

Alessi's Ark - Ones To Watch 2009

Having featured here on Breaking More Waves twice in the last two months, we feel compelled to place Alessi's Ark in our One’s To Watch list.

Alessi Laurent-Marke is unlikely to find huge commercial pop success, but is certainly an act that deserves to be championed. Her sweet ethereal childlike vocal and delicate dreamlike country-folk pop songs may find a place in the hearts of those who like vocalists such as Joanna Newsom and Junaita Stein of the Howling Bells, but also enjoy much of the current wave of new folk pop such as Noah and The Whale and Laura Marling. Another reference point is Bright Eyes, members of which Alessi has recorded with.

Alessi’s music is the kind of music that would work equally well on a cold autumn night wrapped up in blankets around a warm camp fire or when staring out at the first mists of a spring day. It has a natural and organic feel that bodes well for an entrancing wide eyed love affair of an album. She has recently released The Horse EP, of which the lead song clocking in a just 2 minutes is the highlight. An album Notes From The Treehouse is due for release in 2009.

Alessi has a blog. It’s called The Brain Bulletin. It contains pictures, video, music and snapshots of her world. Have a look.

Here is a live version of The Horse.

Alessi's Ark - The Horse Ep

Alessi's Ark came to the attention of Breaking The Waves just a few weeks ago, and we haven’t been able to stop drooling at her wonderful voice since. Characterised by a lightness and beauty reminiscent of Bjork and Juanita Stein of the Howling Bells fused in some warped folkish spell, Alessi Laurent-Marke makes sounds that are delicately addictive.

On December 8th Alessi’s Ark release The Horse Ep through Virgin. Clocking in at less than 2 minutes, the song is concise, dreamy and picturesque, with no space for worn out instrumentals or an over used chorus.

Over the last couple of years there has been an uprising of talented young artists such as Laura Marling, Noah and the Whale, Emmy the Great and Mumford And Sons producing gentle often serene acoustic based folk music. These artists have made an unfashionable genre of music usually associated with bearded men over forty accessible and almost hip. In doing so they have found a whole new audience. With the release of The Horse which you can buy here, Alessi’s Ark may be about to embrace that audience as well with one of the sweetest of kisses. Her album Notes From The Treehouse, which features backing from American alt county folk champions Bright Eyes is due spring 2009. This is the official video to accompany the song. Watch it, it will be the best 2 minutes you’ve spent today.

Alessi's Ark - New Waves @ Breaking More Waves

“My songs are like potions, I have my guitar and I'm stirring a big cauldron of ideas,” says Alessi Laurent-Marke, who is Alessi's Ark. It’s time to knock back that potion and feel the magic.

But first, an apology. This month has already seen four pieces reflecting on the wonder of various female artists that have rocked or at least gently swayed my musical boat. I was not intending to produce any more for a while. But then I read a post on The Daily Growl, and just a few hours later, I am compelled to write another, but this time with a note attached reminding me that there is more to music than angel voiced girls.

Hailing from West London this artist produces beautiful, organic, lush acoustic folk with a pretty childlike tone that will inevitably draw many comparisons vocally to Bjork, Joanna Newsom and Julia Stone. This however is fine company to be compared to.

Her songs are spindle soft silken lullabies filled with delicate romantic lyrics; whether she’s singing about crystals around the moon and dreams of kissing someone between the eyes on Woman, or how she was told that kite flying is for lovers at the start of The Horse. Alessi has a breathless natural dreamy vocal that will make you want to waltz in the fallen autumn leaves. Or maybe fall in love. It's not all serenely gentle though. The Dog grows quickly from gentle strumming to a banjo flavoured full band effort reminiscent of a female fronted Thrills.

If you are lucky you can catch Alessi's Ark on tour next month as she is out on the road across the UK with Brighton’s Peggy Sue (formerly Peggy Sue and the Pirates) and Derek Meins. An album is also due to follow.