Crystal Fighters, In The Summer Single Review

On their new track, In The Summer, Crystal Fighters continue to produce their own groundbreaking brand of folky electronica. Combining ecstatic electronic wizardry with traditional Basque folk instruments, captivating vocals and catchy, jocund lyrics.  

Imagine a Basque native in a swooshy dress, atop a sunny mountain, banging a tabor drum, dancing happily to a frenzy of electronic beats.  The juxtaposition of the two genres seems unimaginable at the best of times. Jumbling folk music and contemporary electronica conjures up a hodgepodge of noise, not to friendly on the ears. (Picture Joan Baez strumming a synth guitar, or Chromeo ditching their talk box for a harmonica). But Crystal Fighters music is anything but unfriendly to the ears. It is a unique fusion, producing a genre defying sound that scintillates and sets the band apart from their contemporaries. 

As the band do the rounds at the festivals this July and August, this song will definitely be a crowd pleaser and as essential to Summer as the flake in the your 99.

Silver Columns, Cavalier Single Review

Silver Columns crept into music lovers gaze last year as an enigma, wrapped up in tinkly stardust noises that were as sparkly as their name purveyed. Since then the mysterious, faceless duo have revealed themselves to their cult fan base as Adem and Johnny Lynch aka the Pictish Trail, two artists who would not have been suspected to be behind the dizzying, dreamy electro beats of Silver Columns, both having their musical roots in mellow, acoustic, folky genres. 

The duo released two limited edition white label singles before revealing their identity, 'Browbeaten' and 'Yes, and Dance' which both combine synths with whispy, honey-dripped vocals with a slight Bronski Beat feel.  These two singles brought the duo into the limelight and earned them a dedicated group of followers.

They are now releasing their third single, 'Cavalier' the first proper release off their label 'Moshi Moshi', (Au Revoir Simone, Hot Chip, Slow Club) and the first track from their forthcoming album 'Yes, and Dance'.  It’s an odd sounding bit of electronica, starting off with pulsating space organs and breathy call-and-response vocals with fluctuating pin-ball noises sprinkled here and there, which while pleasant enough lack any real substance and the song never really reaches a culmination that makes you want to listen again.  It fails to seduce your ears in the way that 'Browbeaten' and 'Yes, and Dance' do, but two out or three isn't bad so perhaps the album, out on the 24th May, will hold some more gems.

I Am Kloot, Sky At Night Album Review

The Sky At Night is a magical, ethereal collection of songs with a oneiric quality and an uplifting melancholia. In the opening track Northern Skies, John Bramwell’s lyrical beauty and warm vocals begin to tell a story as he invites us to 'see the stars and constellations and sit beneath their congregations.' Through beautiful melodies and heartfelt lyrics the story sparkles with    instrumentation and airy percussion. To The Brink is a lonely tale told from the bottom of a whiskey bottle with a sadness resonating from the crescendo of the orchestral arrangements. Lately takes the album down a bluesy jazz road which emerges again towards the end of the album on tracks Radiation and Same Shoes, with Bramwell’s vocals lingering over saxophones, cellos and violins. Behind the intricate strings, subtle drums and moving narrative there is a beautiful simplicity to this album, and an undertone of heartache from a lonely walk home under a twinkling night sky.  

Columbia Road Review

On Sunday in East London there are always handfuls of people wondering along clutching enormous bouquets of flowers, their resplendent colours wrapped up in messy brown paper bags. If you ever wondered where they've all come from, it's mostly likely Columbia Road Flower Market, and they probably got those beautiful blooms for "THREE FORRA FYVAH."  Columbia Road is a magical, bustling little market, located down a cobbled street between Shoreditch and Bethnal Green, it is the only place in London where you'll find rows of little old beer-bellied men with fags dangling from their mouths shouting "tulips, tulips, two for a fiver", in the huskiest cockney accent around.  The market is a wash with colour, flowers in every shade of the rainbow sparkle from either side of the road, from fox gloves to fuchsias, lilies to lavender there isn't one plant you won't find here, whether you're a serious gardener or someone just looking for some peonies for your window box. As well as the market, hidden behind the flower sellers there are rows of unique shops, cafes, bars and bakery's, and a handful of busking musicians strumming double basses and guitars while you wonder along.  The market starts at 8am and runs until around 3pm, it's best to get there either really early or really late, really early to beat the flower mobs and avoid getting a cherry blossom in the nose and really late to get a bargain as the vendors scramble to sell off the last of their flowers.  No matter what time you get there,  Columbia Road Flower Market is whimsical and a lovely way to spend a lazy Sunday.

Broadway Market Review

On a beautiful summery Saturday in London there is no better place to be than wondering down Broadway Market.  Sandwiched between Regents Canal and London Fields, Broadway is one of London's most exciting and culturally diverse markets.  With some 80 stalls lining the street selling an eclectic mix of goods from local farmers, world cuisines, arts and crafts people, Broadway is an amalgamation of the best of every London market but without the hype or crazy prices. The market has everything you could ever want, from fresh flowers, to rhubarb rose cupcakes, Portuguese roast hog to Caribbean curry, an entire stall devoted to selling old buttons and ladybird books and delicious cake stalls selling the most gigantic eclairs in the world. Not to mention an ever growing vintage clothing section with the best sparkly sequinned jumper rail in London.  And while you peruse all the beautiful stalls there is the ever present double bass player, serenading the passers by from underneath a cherry blossom tree with his lively baritone covers of songs both old and new. The market is also home to some excellent bars, restaurants and cafes; The Gossip Cafe is a little hidden gem in the market, with free wifi and more flavours of tea than you could shake a tetley bag at, all of which arrive in a little teapot with a complementary custard cream, (everyone loves a free biccy).

Broadway is a lively enchanting market with an unpretentious charm that makes it irresistible and the perfect way to spend your Saturday afternoon.