M3 Volume 15… Available Now
UPDATE: I’ve uploaded the mix to SendSpace for those of you who are experiencing difficulty with Megaupload and the individual downloads; link is available below.
[artwork adapted from the photography/scrapbooking of Devonte Hynes]
Those of you who have been reading with even the slightest modicum of consistency have likely picked up on the increased focus on singer-songwriters and folk acts. This is a considerable departure from the typically Britpop and electro-heavy leanings of this site, and to tell you the truth, I’m a bit surprised to. Heading into my summer abroad, I’d largely written off singer-songwriter folk types altogether, only to return to the states with a healthy obsession with the genre. I mean, I was asked to scout Noah and the Whale for my boss back in May and immediately wrote them off as a second-rate Neutral Milk Hotel ripoff with barely a second thought. Now it’s six months later and I’d consider them one of the best bands to come out of the UK all year.
This newfound interest in folk now comes to a head in M3 Volume 15. Spotlighting nearly all of the essential players in London’s new folk renaissance (may I call it that?), the mix is a crash course in British folk music in 2007. All of the acts featured here possess a connection to the scene, though some are more tenuous than others. Jaymay, for example, is an American (the only non-Brit on the mix), but the majority of her success - and her major label deal with Heavenly - is rooted in the UK. There’s a pretty substantial arc of time here too, with some acts preceding the folk explosion by a bit (Jeremy Warmsley and, to a lesser extent, Emmy The Great) and others still yet to secure a deal or put out a release of any sort to this point (Thom Stone, Florence and the Machine, Tom Williams).
Perhaps the best thing about the London folk scene is its incestuous nature. Emmy The Great is on everyone’s tracks (Jeremy Warmsley, Lightspeed Champion, Noah and the Whale, et. al) and Florence has collaborated extensively with Lightspeed and Kid Harpoon (and LC’s Dev Hynes is now apparently the “Machine” in Florence and the Machine). Adele is best mates with Jack Penate and Jamie T, Noah and the Whale’s Charlie is dating Laura Marling (he also produced her My Manic & I EP) and Kid Harpoon and Kate Nash were also rumored to be romantically linked for a while. The result is a flourishing artist community of talented musicians producing some of the best music in the world right now.
Everyone will have different favorites here, but “Jocasta” is probably my favorite thing on this and exclusives from newcomers Thom Stone and Tom Williams (who drops an excellent cover of Regina Spektor’s “Hotel Song” here) are not to be slept on either. Adele and Florence are easily the most gifted vocal talents here, Jeremy Warmsley and Laura Marling are likely the best pure songwriters and Noah and the Whale could well be the most promising act of them all. So yeah, join me in revelry of London’s next great contribution to the international music community and check out the mix below.
High Resolution Artwork: [Front Cover] [Back Cover]
Download: M3 Volume 15 [follow link] [Alternate Link]
M3 Volume 15:
01. “Hometown Glory” - Adele
02. “Riverside” - Kid Harpoon
03. “Myrtle Parade” - Eugene McGuinness
04. “5 Acts” - Jeremy Warmsley
05. “Waiting Game” - Lightspeed Champion
06. “Jocasta” - Noah & The Whale
07. “Canopies and Grapes” (Demo) - Emmy The Great
08. “Gray or Blue” - Jaymay
09. “Five Years Time” - Noah & The Whale
10. “She Knows” (Demo) - Thom Stone [EXCLUSIVE]
11. “Sea Green, See Blue” - Jaymay
12. “New Romantic” - Laura Marling
13. “Girl With One Eye” (Demo) - Florence and the Machine
14. “Hotel Song” - Tom Williams [EXCLUSIVE]
15. “Nicest Thing” - Kate Nash
So there you have it. Anyone you think I missed? Got any other artists who you think might fit in with this lot? I’m well aware of others like Nic Dawson Kelly, Alan Pownall and Jay Jay Pistolet making the rounds in venues throughout London and they just didn’t make the cut this time, but I’m definitely open to whatever recommendations you may have for me. Hit the comments, y’all.
In other news that mildly pertains to this mix, check out Kate Nash. Bitch covered Black Kids! And now it’s official: the Black Kids hype machine is completely out of control.
MP3: “I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You” - Kate Nash
Thanks to Panda Toes for the track; those kids are killing it on the regular these days. Alright, I’m out.
October 31st, 2007 at 1:45 am
this shit is hot. thanks derek
October 31st, 2007 at 2:46 am
damn it tmac
October 31st, 2007 at 2:49 am
The file you are trying to access is temporarily unavailable.
October 31st, 2007 at 3:42 am
thanks was just telling myself i needed to look around to see if i could find any other bands like half the ones on the mix, you missed peggy sue and the pirates out!
October 31st, 2007 at 4:20 am
love.
look up a little band called cloud control… they just released their first EP in australia.
October 31st, 2007 at 6:52 am
Awesome
October 31st, 2007 at 7:05 am
Although - Kate Nash = ginger chav bint who mistakes parochial prosaicness with talking to the kids. Bah. Sack off that Mockneyness, NOW.
October 31st, 2007 at 9:00 am
long time reader first time post.
Living in Glasgow and having been unfortunate enough to spend some time living in London, i’d just like to say that london is a shit hole and the music scene is full of ‘baw-bag-wanks’. I really detest this perception that london is some sort of Mecca, get up north and revile in the unpretentious brilliance of the anti-london scene. …..but that aside, cheers for the latest instalment.
Oh and Frightened Rabbit are the future!
October 31st, 2007 at 9:07 am
why did you call kate nash a “bitch”?
October 31st, 2007 at 11:25 am
Anyone else having a real *bitch* of a time downloading this? Either I get “file temporarily not available” or it hangs forever … and then when I refresh, tells me “bandwidth exceeded” because I’m already downloading it! (I’m not).
And, of course, downloading the songs individually is a pain in the ass, too, since they prematurely “finish” when they’re only half-downloaded.
Sigh — looks like good stuff, but I feel like a kid with his face pressed against the toystore window.
October 31st, 2007 at 12:32 pm
ditto to the guy above :[
October 31st, 2007 at 1:27 pm
Everyone should check out Jonquil, who are from Oxford (close enough to London). Their new album is amazing. Highly recommended:
http://www.myspace.com/jonquiluk
Give Lions and Whistle Low a listen.
October 31st, 2007 at 2:04 pm
I take it then that Dave won’t be heading to King Tuts on Sunday to check out Emmy the Great?
October 31st, 2007 at 2:28 pm
I very much enjoy Kate Nash’s cover!
I also enjoy the nu-folk (I’ve seen that term banded about recently).
Good call on Jocasta and She Knows.
October 31st, 2007 at 2:29 pm
Oh, and obviously Canopies and Grapes.
Best song Emmy’s ever done. She’s still not played it live whenever I’ve seen her.
October 31st, 2007 at 2:55 pm
hey i just wanted to say that Tom Williams does infact have a release out right now! it is called THE PENGUIN EP and can be bought on www.unlabel.net
also check out his page on www.myspace.com/williamstommusic
He is really really amazing - definately worth a listen!
October 31st, 2007 at 4:23 pm
thank god we live in an age when covers can me made mere months after the originals. what a world.
derek you should make a cover of this comment
-carrie
October 31st, 2007 at 4:36 pm
thanks a bunch for the final version of Jocasta, really diggin’ both Noah & the whale and Laura Marling! This blog should run for president, if Stephen Colbert can, so can you Derek!
October 31st, 2007 at 5:23 pm
Alright I’m re-uploading the mix to SendSpace for those of you who are having problems with Megaupload and the individual downloads.
And Kristoffer, my grandma is way into genealogy and shit like that (because that’s all old people really can be into, right?) and discovered that Barack is like my 146th cousin 30 times removed or something like that. I guess our ancestries crossed somewhere in the 17th century, so yeah, I basically AM running for president.
October 31st, 2007 at 5:36 pm
Oh and Ell, thanks much for the Cloud Control tip, they rule.
October 31st, 2007 at 6:12 pm
Great mix Derek! You should check out Johnny Flynn & the Sussex Wit. Caught them supporting Iron & Wine on Saturday and was very pleasantly surprised… believe he’s collaborated with Jeremy Warmsley too, just to further your theory
October 31st, 2007 at 7:58 pm
I hope you mean “5 Verses” and not “5 Acts”
November 1st, 2007 at 5:45 am
its ok.
theyre my latest love affair…!
November 1st, 2007 at 5:46 am
Listen to Adam Gnade!
From the whole weird folky youthmovies/Jonquil thing.
November 1st, 2007 at 7:31 am
Wonderful. Thanks a lot!
November 1st, 2007 at 8:49 am
i’d like to add that to the list on a modern folk legend (ex Million Dead front-man) Frank Turner. if you don’t have the luxury of being able to head up to Nambucca (Holloway, North London) to see him, or if your in the U.S he’s doing anumber of dates in Florida, New York and California untill the 16th of Nov.
here’s the link, go and enjoy: http://www.myspace.com/frankturne
November 1st, 2007 at 8:50 am
sorry the full link is:
http://www.myspace.com/frankturner
November 1st, 2007 at 9:07 am
Loving this latest M3. Seriously, I cannot get enough of these collections.
Have a look at the Panics or the Waifs (both Australian bands) if you get a chance - very lyric-oriented, acoustic-type bands.
November 1st, 2007 at 10:17 am
This bloke plays in Laura Marling’s band and also opened for her a couple of times on her tour with Noah and the Whale.
www.myspace.com/jessequin
November 1st, 2007 at 3:21 pm
very glad tom williams was on this release, he’s been the soundtrack to my past two summers!
great as usual!
November 2nd, 2007 at 12:46 pm
definately!tom williams is also my highlight, the only cover on there, but why?he’s a mighty fine songwriter, check out his myspace/williamstommusic SERIOUSLY
November 2nd, 2007 at 6:21 pm
hi derek, I’m a longtime listener, first time caller and I don’t care how great your singer is: there is only one adele, (no last name) = me
November 2nd, 2007 at 6:47 pm
this mix looks sweeeeeeet. waiting game is getting spun on a lot on my record player.
November 2nd, 2007 at 8:41 pm
Derek, I also have become an unexpected admirer of the London folk scene!
I saw florence and the machine play her second ever gig, which was amazing. Lightspeed Champion does anything for the kids, and some of his covers are hilarious. Seeing Emmy on tuesday at kings college.
One band you missed: SLOW CLUB! I think you might have covered them on here before but me and you or apples and pears deserves a place on this mix.
Nic Nell is doing very different stuff but glow is another great track from a london singer/songwriter.
OI, to Dave the jealous northerner! Come back when you have some talent!
xx
November 2nd, 2007 at 11:09 pm
wow that Black Kids cover is horrible
November 3rd, 2007 at 12:03 am
Great mix. I just re-discovered your blog and have been loving it. Cheers.
November 3rd, 2007 at 7:02 am
I second the Slow Club recommendation. I love those Sheffield chap/esses
November 3rd, 2007 at 8:55 pm
can u use badongo instead for uploading next time? It is impossible for me to download anything at all from megaupload or sendspace, as i live in Mexico and i think every other person outside the US is having the same problem.
Thanks man!
November 3rd, 2007 at 9:00 pm
ALSO!!!!!!!!! If i try to download song by song every freakin song stops downloading at some point with the song incomplete, its impossible!!! owwww now im pissed off, i love ur blog but this situation is serious man, please do something about it. im sure im not alone.
November 4th, 2007 at 10:07 am
wonderful mixtape/cd
November 4th, 2007 at 7:09 pm
PS I know and love that escalator in the artwork!
OLD STREET TUBE if I am not mistaken.
November 5th, 2007 at 7:41 pm
There are other people in the Laura Marling camp too.
Check out Andrew Davie, and Marcus Mumford. Also listen to the person above who talked about Johnny Flynn. He is recording his album at the moment in Seattle and sure to be big.
November 6th, 2007 at 2:51 am
Thanks sooo much. What a fantastic mix.
November 6th, 2007 at 9:08 am
could do with some jamie t acoustic versions might suit the collection better but he s still the master and the godfather of the scene despite being 22
November 18th, 2007 at 3:21 pm
[…] Also, Good Weather FOr Airstrikes released Vol. 15 of their M3 mixes. D/L it here. […]
November 19th, 2007 at 4:26 pm
Love this compilation, just happened upon it by accident.
Inspirational.
Thanks for everything, a breath of fresh air.
November 21st, 2007 at 1:51 am
[…] http://www.goodweatherforairstrikes.com/test/2007/10/31/m3-volume-15-available-now/ […]
November 25th, 2007 at 6:19 am
[…] But while I’m normally uplifted to see a new post from Deryk float to the surface, I give twice the love for one of his compilations. Consider these as bite-size Zeitgeists of music, shifting in tone, mood and purpose seemingly at will. Back when I first gave him a try, I found M3 Volume 12 Parts 1 and 2, which were organized along the theme of “the first disc revolving more around dark guitar rock tracks and the second disc focusing more intently on dark pop songs and electronica tracks”. And there I had my awakenings to the joys like Patrick Wolf, Paul Epworth, Tokyo Police Club, and, most importantly of all, Justice. Therefore, very influential on me. M3 Volume 13 would later make a decent going away present as my best friend went off to Uni, and in turn convert his girlfriend to the Electro that we had since found and made our god. M3 14 (The D.A.N.C.E Edition, appropriately) showed me a sign of how far I’d grown, featuring few songs I hadn’t found around the place already, and even seeming a little thin on the ground to me. But still, one of the worthiest primers for newcomers to the movement around. M3 15 - a change in tack that proved GWFA more than a one-horse pony, with a focus on singer/songwriters inspired by a sabbatical in the UK in the name of career advancement. […]
November 30th, 2007 at 1:31 pm
Although I really like the Adele track I can’t help thinking it sounds a hell of a lot like Amy Winehouse singing Sia’s Breathe Me.
January 1st, 2008 at 5:55 pm
[…] Download it here. It’ll get caught in your head. […]
February 1st, 2008 at 3:59 pm
hola guadalupe como estas
February 19th, 2008 at 1:35 am
i love it. I found some new artists to play at my church youth dances =P