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.