Twee bags

The title of this post is a bit mis-leading, as I actually like both the tracks I'm about to post.  I was going to write about some club bangers I heard on New Year's Eve but I'll save those for now.  Today's been a snowy day here in DC, or at least it was this morning (the sun's out now).  That meant a slow day for me, so I started listening to this six hour mix by Floating Points and Four Tet.  The length of the thing would be a total turn off normally, but since it's a slow day I've been getting through it.  

I've written about H. Hawkline before, and now he's got a nice new track out.  Here's hoping he tours the US as he's got an album coming out in February.


This track by the Cardigans was the first one I ever heard by them.  It randomly came back to me today and I was happy when I realised I wasn't humming Lovefool to myself.

Listening to this has reminded me how much I liked the Cardigans 2003 album 'Long Gone Before Daylight'.  I think I'll see if I still do.  

the Wales, part 1 -- H. Hawkline

I'm hoping this will be the first in a series of posts from me highlighting Welsh music I've heard and liked recently.  There's definitely something about certain Welsh acts that ties them together -- a wistfulness, a taste for the psychedelic, and definitely a singing style -- when you listen closely you can tell when a singer is Welsh; not all the time, but a lot of the time.

My first taste of Welsh bands was in the 90s when I got into Manic Street Preachers, Super Furry Animals, Stereophonics, and, to a lesser extent, 60 Foot Dolls and Gorky's Zygotic Mynci.  The act I'm going to highlight today reminds me a bit of the Magnetic Fields, at least in his singing voice; there's also a similar hint of folk and psychedelia, and a similar accent, to Gorky's frontman (and current solo artist), Euros Childs.  I quite like this track, which I heard on the radio the other day, not only for it's sound but also for it's lyrics.  It's by H. Hawkline, and I believe he's a solo act:

I looked up the other tracks from this EP on t'web and was similarly charmed by them -- I wouldn't mind getting the vinyl but it's adding up to a bit too much after currency conversion and shipping.  If only I was in some indie record shop in the UK....