JSkins

I'd suggest that the homespun, restrained feel of this album is all part of its slow-burning (and not inconsiderable) charm. Respectfully: http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/jgfd

which is also pretty sweet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnL96oSKVSc

There's something massive - daunting, even - about them that really resonates, I just find it hard to penetrate on record. That said, I'm really looking forward to getting hold of this.

They were ace at Green Man a couple of years ago. I'm going to have another go though...

The wrongness of levels in 'I Am Trying To Break Your Heart' broke my heart. It got much better though.

And thanks s_p_g, I believe she does. Or at least did at Green Man!

Was a lovely, lovely weekend as ever.

A fine read as ever

indeed.

!

To be honest I´m sold on the simple fact they have a song called ´The Narwhal´...

Heartening to see he´s as eloquent as he is (or sometimes seems) angry.

Ta higjoe

She´s great (evidence: http://www.blogotheque.net/St-Vincent,3519). Look forward to the record, especially after this review.

Do you know who´s putting it out?

SURELY there´ll be new stuff soon. He played a great set at Field Day last year, pretty sure there was a new song with a bit of a darker vibe to it.

White Shoes, To All The Lights In The Windows...heck, Snake Hill´s a real charmer too. Plus on Roosevelt Room he sounds as fierce and embittered as did in the Desaparecidos days. Great review.

...to be fair.

honestly Andrzej!

Although in all fairness, I would've done exactly the same. What she says about the whole affair makes plenty sense.

apparently so!

Apparently.

I'm not too savvy to the world of Spotify yet, it has to be said.

Buriedfed by Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson - all complementary to the very healthy list...

is colossal

though additions would include:

Cursive - Caveman
Fanfarlo - The Walls Are Coming Down
Elvis Perkins - Shampoo
Mirah - Generosity
Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings - Inspiration Information
Andrew Bird - Effigy
Emmy The Great - First Love
Papercuts - You Can Have What You Want
M.I.A. - O...Saya
Laura Gibson - Funeral Song
The National - So Far Around The Bend

Dang, it's been a good year thus far...

He is indeed awesome

this effectively embraces and incorporates them into the piece itself. It's not to everyone's tastes (but then, neither is Wolf himself), but undeniably impacts upon the reader and is born out an honest passion for its subject, which is much more than can be said about plenty music journalism.

Ahem. Incidentally, Patrick Wolf was great at Latitude a couple of years ago.

They're certainly in a similar, literate-muscular-folk-rock vein.

Get on Doomsday. It's rollicking, and there are 'nuff superb live versions floating around...

Can't wait for the album

can't wait to hear this...fine review

This will be amazing

on-song Regina = amazing

and very much in keeping with the thrust of the review, which is concerned with everything FFS have going for them should they fulfill their potential.

Definitely do! She's great, and I can't stress how wonderful 'Funeral Song' is.

I should probably clarify, elaine_yarr - it doesn't look like this will get an official UK release 'til May unfortunately, though if your computer does kick back into life it's only $4 today...

I can see what you're are striving towards, but in your rush to condemn a singer I doubt you've ever really listened to, you've missed the point by some distance.

So many of my favourite bands take years to break, and discovering them when there are healthy back catalogues to enjoy is a real pleasure. And it is gratifying to see Elbow doing so well these days.

I do think, however, for indies it's difficult to avoid the trappings of, for example, the standard pluggers/mixers/PRs/street team stuff: as much as you can encourage a band to develop and grow (which is what all worthy managers and decent labels should be doing anyway) - to not throw yourself into those things (and, subsequently to not be delighted when an act gets a session on the likes of Zane Lowe, for example) - would generally result in puzzlement, and perhaps a sense the band weren't being thrown "out there" as such. I suppose you just have to hope that enough great bands will eventually come good via a combination of steely defiance, talent and folk who genuinely believe in them (take Okkervil River, for example).

But yeah, great article, and full of valid points.

Apologies Huntervessel!

Ta Jordan - and yes, first disc is sometimes a 10 for me too...as stated, just a few things stopped it reaching such heights.

Love that Ryan Adams tune!

TTTigers = awesome-o. The tribal element comes into its own live, I think.

And succeed in making me slightly jealous too...

And in terms of the subjects she addresses, yes, there have been plenty of songs written about thee subjects, as tacitly hinted in the review.

It depends, I suppose, on where you peg Lily Allen in the lexicon of ‘pop’ music these days, and who you deem her contemporaries. Are they willing to engage with these matters? Or rather just work off a conveyor belt of anodyne pop songs their management bid for?

Whichever way you look at it, Lily Allen – due to her clever wordplay and brazen refusal to keep her mouth shut where probably she often should – has always been far more interesting than your average. And though that doesn’t always come off on this album, it’s one of the central points made above, and it’s the reason people will continue to commend her and her music.

I just saw yours actually. Agree to disagree I guess - I find this a rich, expansive listen. Title track and 'Epistemology' especially, where the lyrics fit perfectly.

It's warm and beautiful and everything Post-War should have been but wasn't, quite.

are mad-good...

I think this is a brilliant album, and wrote as much elsewhere. But to me it feels a little bit like - this is really, REALLY good, but 'I Am A Bird Now' felt like something Antony - by virtue of who he is, and its deeply personal nature - was born to make.

Whether that's sidling up to or influenced by the accepted 'classic' status that album holds, or positing an unfair weight on one record, I don't know, but I do think it's better. Splendid reviews though.

I think I read somewhere that 'Aeon' was about his dad...?

Gorgeous stuff.

and in certain instances, plain wrong.

- People read DiS because they're interested in "good" music, yes? I think the site still - as it always has - reflects this, and will certainly continue to do so. If that means not covering something widely considered unworthy of the column (monitor?) inches then so be it, but rest assured the most exceptional new (and established) bands will feature, even if it's because but one member of the writing team is wild about them. Some shit ones will too, and I'm sure not everyone will agree on everything. That is, however, sort of the point here.

- Similarly, if you really think someone's done a poor job in their appraisal of something (in your stated instance, you = very wrong, both factually and generally), you're encouraged to point it out - to write your own take on it, even, and usher people that direction. Interaction, innit.

- The site is undergoing something of a major transition, as Sean's both pointed out and apologised for; technical issues are being addressed in as much as that's possible when core staff has been so significantly, drastically reduced.

- To complain about a lack of diversity when this week just gone has seen acts as disparate (in every sense of the word) as Angil & The Hiddntracks, Vampire Weekend, Animal Collective and Mastodon feature is a bit misguided, to say the least.

- And in terms of filtering the best stuff out there, to me this seems sensible, and again - what the site's always been about. Simply: there is SO much music being released, via an increasing amount of platforms, obtainable in an ever-greater (mind-boggling, to me) variety of ways. To cover it all would be ill-advised and frankly impossible. On top of that, many music journalists are barraged with information regarding new bands/releases/tours everyday; more so those who've been doing it a while, even more so editors of respected and influential websites. It's easy to lose a little enthusiasm for music when you've just received another email asking whether you've listened to _'s "brilliant" new single on their MySpace or realised quite how high Kevin Rudolf is escalating up the UK charts this Wednesday (No. 6, apparently). Decisions on what to cover are thus constantly being made.

- Finally: to separate DiS into mainstream/underground factions would...actually, I'm not even going to get started on that one.

But seriously, take the blinkers off and have another look. I really don't want to be coming off all precious and overly defensive here, but feel these are pertinent factors.

her cover of 'Famous Blue Raincoat' on Songs III is also completely wonderful. "Spooky drowndey girl"? Nice Andrzej!