With a hey, and a ho, and a hey-nonny-no...

Ah, folk music. Beards. Tweed. Old men with beards and tweed. Right? Yes. But not always. Kate Rusby is just one of a handful of young mainly British folk artists who have slowly but surely made the genre semi-cool again. The Barnsley lass has released seven albums, which I am excitedly planning to rediscover over the next few months, starting with 1997's Hourglass, made up of both traditional folk songs and Rusby's own compositions.

And speaking of 1997, this is yet another classic album from that year, all of which celebrate their 10th anniversary this year, so I am planning to construct a post based around this fact. Stay tuned. In the meantime, break out your bodhran, dust off your dulcimer and enjoy the opening track from Kate Rusby's debut album.

Kate Rusby: Sir Elgamore

Plus, Ain't she purty?

You might miss me more than you think you will

Wine then cider then beer then wine then beer ... and you'll be fine. Or not, as the case may be. The end of uni binge has finished and all we're left with is awkward man hugs and empty rooms with blu-tac stained walls.

There's only one thing for it - a goodbye mixtape.

Some of these songs are personal favourites which hold memories of the last three years [although most of my current music collection has been acquired over that period], and some are just sad songs to say goodbye to.

The Postal Service: Sleeping In

Sparklehorse: Don't Take My Sunshine Away

The National: Brainy

Yo La Tengo: I Feel Like Going Home

Jon Brion: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind



By the way if you like the picture above, go here.

You don't know how lucky you are . . .

As I approach the final days of student life, nostalgia is the order of the day around campus. This theme has extended to my itunes library. As the saying goes, the old ones are the best, and I have rediscovered the very best of the old ones. The Beatles' The White Album [1968], and Joni Mitchell's Blue [1971] - are surely two of the greatest albums of the last forty years.

The incredible thing is that they're still going - Paul McCartney's new album comes out on June 5th, and Joni has a new one coming too, due in the autumn. Or 'fall' as my crazy American friends would say. I think you'd get pretty long odds on The Arctic Monkeys lasting quite so long. They don't make 'em like they used to.

Anyway, here are two of my favourite tracks from the respective albums.

The Beatles - Back in the U.S.S.R

Joni Mitchell - A Case of You

its alright. it'll be alright.

Last night was open mic at the Adelphi club, which made me sad as it is soon time to leave the greatest city in East Yorkshire.

I bumbled my way through a few songs before being completely and utterly upstaged by Bristol's Seagull Strange, who delivered one of the most uplifting, toe-tapping, foot-stomping, ear-flicking sets in recent memory. I can't really describe their sound without sounding trite and resorting to 'a cross between this and this' cliches, so in the words of George Michael, listen.

Seagull Strange: Sulla's Return

The album is called 'Better Angels of Our Nature', and it's out now. I recommmend.

I was going to go to see The Thermals tonight but am too sleepy and have to get up early to catch a very long train to the big smoke. So that's about it for now I'm off to my bed. I worry that no-one reads these things. If you are reading this, leave a comment and prove me wrong.

In the words of George Michael, fast love.

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I love your eyes my dear

Everybody has two or three artists or bands with whom we fall in love at a relatively young age. For pre-pubescent boys, at least one of these is usually a girl. My girl was Björk. I discovered her around the time of Post, her second studio album released in 1995, when I was a 10 year-old happy go lucky scamp. She was laughed at in the media, and labelled as a kooky Icelandic pixie due to her eccentric behaviour around this time.

My obsession grew in 1997 as I saw her live and with the release of Homogenic, one of a number of albums released in that year which shaped my musical taste, I was head over heels. Homogenic saw Björk experimenting more with dance beats, but making them sound beautiful, which I had never known before. 2001's Vespertine was another departure - ditching the beats, she employed Matmos and the result was a pretty, chiming, intricate work of art.

In 2001, she released Medulla, which is my least favourite album. WIth guests such as Rahzel and Mike Patton, the songs are made up only of human vocals, which, impressive as it is, means they lack something of Björk's usual warmth.

She returns this week with Volta, and like every other release, this is a Björk album that will certainly divide opinion. In a sense, this album is like all of her other albums rolled into one. The floating clouds of Vespertine [I See Who You Are] stand alongside the pumping beats first heard on Homogenic [Innocence], and the grandeur of Selmasongs, her soundtrack to the film 'Dancing in the Dark', released in 2000, can be heard in Dull Flame of Desire. The male voice on this track is Antony Hegarty, of Antony and the Johnsons.

Anyway, enough rambling. As you have probably guessed, I love Björk. Here are my two favourite tracks from the new record Volta, which is out now.

Björk [feat. Antony Hegarty]: Dull Flame of Desire

Björk: Innocence

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You must have more important things to do...

It's eyes down for a full house here in University land, where three years of sitting around watching Deal or No Deal and picking our teeth has come down to two weeks of actual work. Save your tears though, you shouldn't feel too sorry for us, mainly because if we stopped aimlessly surfing the net we'd be finished by now and lying in a booze-fuelled pool of vomit/blood/pizza.

To that end, I have been downloading a barrell load of good music recently, amongst which is the new album from Minnesota's Low. Drums and Guns is their eighth studio album, and sees a move away from their sunnier, catchier side as seen on Things We Lost in the Fire and The Great Destroyer, and more towards a Liars/Broken Social Scene-esque tribal-beat led sound. It takes a few listens, but it's growing on me more and more.

Low: Murderer

Low: Belarus

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The Holy Orders

The last few days have been taken up by worrying about life, wishing I was at Coachella, reading about tibetan buddhism and complaining about my wisdom teeth hurting. I lead a busy life.

Anyway as I am coming rather too quickly towards the end of 3 years in the metropolis of Hull, I promised I would post about some local bands. The Holy Orders are by far the best Hull-based band I have encountered during my time here. I first came across them when I saw lead singer Matt 'Edible' Thompson regularly on the open mic circuit, he is quite a character and a brilliant songwriter. His performances are powerful, energetic and witty. This is a song that he often plays solo during their shows.

The Holy Orders: Astronauts

In other news, looking forward to the new Interpol album . . . thinking of going to see Bright Eyes in Birmingham depending on what state my life is in . . . oh and finishing the old degree . . .

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