The first time we saw the new crowd funded video for Bridie Jackson & The Arbour's song We Talked Again we were incredibly tired and had spent some time away from those we love the most. Watching this didn't help matters one iota - tearjerking would be the operative word.
Thankfully with a good sleep behind us things seemed a little less emotionally devastating and instead we were able to focus on the video's interpretation of the song - that of the need for human warmth and bringing people together, in this case by way of a dramatic emergency; although the lyrics could be interpreted around the idea of two people in a broken relationship where as Bridie sings 'the ice came'. Whatever your reading of the lyrics, there's no doubt that the film is a beautiful and raw piece of visual work that perfectly accompanies the surging cello and strings, delicate bell plates and Bridie's haunting vocal.
If you have kids we advise not watching it when you're feeling run down or tired. You'll probably blub.
Bridie Jackson & The Arbour - We Talked Again (Video)
A couple have a fight then make up. Some men sing and play a song. The end.
A round of applause ladies and gents for our shortest blog post ever.
We originally wrote about the song here.
Sons & Lovers - Lover (Video)
The last two times we saw Elly Jackson aka La Roux she was:
1. In a salt beef sandwich restaurant in Selfridges (allegedly the best salt beef sandwich restaurant in London).
2. Playing some new songs last year at Brighton's Concorde which suggested that album 2 was (1) imminent and (2) quite different from the first one.
We don't know about you, but we wouldn't have thought that Ellie Jackson is the sort of girl who would go to a salt beef sandwich shop. So combining this thought with part (2) of item 2 above we've been preparing ourselves for something quite surprising from La Roux for ages now.
And now we finally get to hear it.
And it’s rather good.
It's actually not that surprising, but it is at the same time.
If Let Me Down Gently was a salt beef sandwich it would definitely be from Selfridges. Why? Because it’s instantly recognisable, a signature dish, but the meat (music) is succulently rich with lots of peppercorns and bay leaves (interesting bits). It's instantly tasty but with depth and delivery to savour and not rush.
La Roux is basically the Selfridges salt beef sandwich of the pop world to Lady Gaga's cheese and jam one or the ploughman's lunch of Mumford & Sons.
Here’s the song, just in case you haven’t heard it yet.
La Roux - Let Me Down Gently
If you’re a fan of the sort of floaty indie music known as dream pop then the chances are you’ll enjoy this new London based two piece named Wildest Dreams. Consisting of Holly Mullineaux on guitar and vocals and Zoe Mead on samples, synth and further vocals Wildest Dreams is very much in its formative stages as a project, having only formed last month. The songs on their Soundcloud are labelled as being at ‘bedroom demo phase,’ but don’t let that put you off.
There’s a charming innocence and prettiness about what they’ve recorded, without the songs ever becoming saccharine. In fact at Wildest Dreams’ heart there’s something a bit darker and melancholy going on.
Take the track we’re streaming below. Dark Matter features a delicately appealing guitar loop and spectrally sweet vocals. But the troubled lyrics are not all sunshine and light: “If you go away, I won’t sleep at night. I’ll leave the curtains closed and forget my troubles in the dark.” Add to that some doleful tumbling drum sounds and as the tune progresses some layers of gloomy aquatic guitars and suddenly the song becomes that bit more inky.
A debut EP and gigs are due later this year, but for now Dark Matter represents a promising start.
Wildest Dreams - Dark Matter
