Obligatory Holiday Post, Other Shit
So yeah, it’s been a while. I’ve been extremely busy over this holiday break doing absolutely nothing and listening to the Dodos and Noah & The Whale on repeat, as well as getting started on my lengthy-ass best of ‘07 lists. And since Noah & The Whale are all over said year-end lists, what better way to celebrate today than with a very special Christmas track from everyone’s favorite new British folk collective. “To Cyril At Crunkmas” is the band’s contribution to Puregroove’s Christmas Mixtape, which also features festive contributions from the likes of Lightspeed Champion and Eugene McGuinness. Those interested in hearing the rest of the tracks can hear them at the special MySpace pages Puregroove has set up for the mixtape - Side A is here and Side B is here - and Noah & The Whale’s cut is available for download below.
MP3: “To Cyril At Crunkmas” - Noah & The Whale [Alternate Link]
In other Noah news, the band recently became the first act to sign on with the lovely Young & Lost Club girls to put out their debut long-player. Young & Lost now have a deal with Universal and as a result are able to expand into the full-length market, and Noah & The Whale look set to become Y&LC’s flagship artist in 2008. Their first single since signing with the label two months ago will be “2 Bodies 1 Heart”, the demo of which I threw up here and extolled it’s brilliance when I first introduced the band way back when, and it was made available for download from iTunes on Christmas Day. The 7″ won’t drop for two more weeks however, but when it does it’ll come backed by the amazing “Rocks & Daggers”, which could do pretty well as a single in its own right. I’ve had the demos of these tracks for ages, and I recently acquired a solid grip of the re-produced album versions of many of their songs, and it looks like their as-yet-unannounced debut album is shaping up to be something very special. Get at the demos of “Bodies” and “Rocks & Daggers” below, and be sure to stream the finished version of the A-side on their MySpace or pick it up on the UK iTunes at your earliest convenience.
MP3s:
“2 Bodies 1 Heart” (Demo) - Noah & The Whale [Alternate Link]
“Rocks & Daggers” (Demo) - Noah & The Whale [Alternate Link]
Just wait until you hear the final versions. Seriously. Oh, and James Copeman’s gone and directed another fantastic video for “Bodies”, which you should once again check out here if you’re one of those Wes Anderson types.
And it wouldn’t be a Noah & The Whale post without some news on frequent Noah collaborator and often-time video co-star Laura Marling, who recently followed up her excellent My Manic & I EP with a lovely new digital-only single just in time for the holidays (a physical release will follow next month). The Manic EP has proven to be one of my favorite releases of 2007, and new single “Ghosts” unveils a new, fuller sound for the shockingly young singer-songwriter. Where “New Romantic” and “My Manic & I” made their money on bare-bones arrangements that highlighted her unbelievable vocal and lyrical talent, “Ghosts” is a whole new animal, demonstrating a pop sensibility only hinted at on her earlier releases. It’s opening verses embrace that familiar Marling sound, but before too long the track erupts into an unrestrained climax of group vocals (no doubt featuring the Noah & The Whale boys), pounded keys and galloping drums. Yet another awe-inspiring single from Miss Marling then, and its getting to be really exciting to watch these two acts as they rise to the top of this so-called new folk scene.
MP3: “Ghosts” - Laura Marling [removed]
And finally, it wouldn’t be a Christmas post without some kind of totally awesome sonic treat for you to flip your shit for, and I’m pretty confident I’ve got just the thing. We’re probably all at least mildly familiar with the most recent New Young Pony Club single, “Get Lucky”, by now (or at the very least you’ve heard the MSTRKRFT remix), but you seriously haven’t lived until you’ve heard the Outlines take on the track. In what is probably the best and most obscure gem I’ve come across all year, the B-side to the 7″ release of “Get Lucky” featured the “Outlines Remix” of the track, but this is more of a cover than anything else, as the French trio scrap all of the original vocals and instrumentation and start over from scratch. I was of the mind that “Get Lucky” was NYPC’s weakest single to date - I mean, it’s perfectly fine, but it’s just kind of there, y’know? - but in the context of Outlines’ jazzy hooks and those smoother-than-smooth falsetto vocals it’s all of a sudden like the best thing ever. Seriously, I’m physically unable to get enough of this shit. Merry Christmas and I hope you feel the same way.
MP3: “Get Lucky” (Outlines Version) - NYPC ((highly recommended)) [Alt. Link]
And finally, I’m going to take advantage of this whole Christmas spirit thing I hear so much about and cheekily direct your attention to that PayPal donations link over there beneath the secondary GWFAS logo on the page. I’m planning a fairly significant overhaul of the site for sometime in the first half of ‘08, complete with new reliable hosting that actually works, a classy redesign and a shit-ton of other new features, but those things don’t exactly come for free. Thus, whatever you feel like donating - $5, $10, sexual favors, etc. - would be more than appreciated, and I look forward to seeing you guys back here soon for our massive, empire-toppling, ship-sinking best of 2007 extravaganza.