Monthly Archives: November 2010

The Playlist, pt. 9

Posted on November 28, 2010 by

Listen on: Spotify / we7* 51. Flying Lotus ft. Thundercat – ‘MmmHmm’ On his largely through-composed album, Cosmogramma, Steven Ellison’s glitchy IDM is at its freest and most expansive. ‘MmmHmm’ is the centrepiece, its smooth samples dragging the experience into … Continue reading →

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Janelle Monáe – Koko, London – 8 September 2010

Posted on November 25, 2010 by

Ten great gigs from 2010: #5 Since surfacing in 2007, Janelle Monáe’s most notable fans have included Prince, Big Boi and Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs. Starting her recorded career with a conspicuous image, an android alter ego, a grand concept piece … Continue reading →

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The Playlist, pt. 8

Posted on November 20, 2010 by

Listen on: Spotify / we7* 44. PJ Harvey – ‘Broken Harp’ Taken from the piano-and-wailing White Chalk, ‘Broken Harp’ marks a clean break from Polly Jean’s previous tough rock anthems. She arrives at a more ragged compositional style and deliberately … Continue reading →

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Interview: Yann Tiersen

Posted on November 19, 2010 by

Edited from a conversation at The Duchess, York, on 10 May 2009 (interview conducted for The Yorker). Yann on… …his new music I always wanted to write songs with a really acoustic part and a really electric heavy part, and … Continue reading →

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Rufus Wainwright – Colston Hall, Bristol – 23 April 2010

Posted on November 18, 2010 by

Ten great gigs from 2010: #4 The operatic son of a musical dynasty, Rufus Wainwright took a step back from the compositional pomp of his back catalogue when his mother, family matriarch Kate McGarrigle, died in January. The resultant album, … Continue reading →

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The Playlist, pt. 7

Posted on November 14, 2010 by

Listen on: Spotify / we7* 37. Los Campesinos! – ‘Miserabilia’ “Miserabilia to show the kids” is the central idea of LC!’s second-album highlight. Boy-girl vocals and a shoutalong chorus combine with catchy hooks in a song shot through with retrospective … Continue reading →

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The xx – Stylus, Leeds – 8 March 2010

Posted on November 9, 2010 by

Ten great gigs from 2010: #3 (based on an article written for The Yorker). “This isn’t the same as the Cockpit.” Oliver Sim’s mid-set declaration elicited enough laughter from the crowd that it would have been easy to ignore its … Continue reading →

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