more random pictures

just did these a few minutes ago - the grass in the first one is ridiculously green, I'll probably change it at some point

'Strange Folk'

I'm trying to save my pennies for a visit to London on Friday to visit a few exhibitions, but I was drawn to something in HMV today - this new compilation 'Strange Folk' - a celebration of the last 40 years of 'strange' folk.

tracklisting:
1. Beth Gibbons & Rustin Man - Mysteries (mp3)
2. The Lilac Time - Morning Sun
3. Donovan - The Song of Wandering Aengus
4. Espers - Flowery Noontide (m3u clip)
5. Tunng - Fair Doreen (mp3 clip)
6. Forest - Fading Light
7. Barry Dransfield - The Werewolf
8. Magnet - Maypole
9. The Eighteenth Day of May - The Highest Tree (mp3 clip) (live mp3)
10. Vashti Bunyan - Here Before (mp3 clip)
11. Devendra Banhart - Now That I Know
12. Tyrannousaurus Rex - Great Horse
13. The Incredible String Band - Saturday Maybe
14. Adem - Everything You Need
15. James Yorkston & The Athletes - Heron (mp3 clip)
16. King Creosote - pH 6.5
17. Joanna Newsom - Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie (live mp3)
18. The Pentangle - House Carpenter
19. Alasdair Roberts - Sweet William's Ghost

-------------------------------

the next day...

Right, now that I have actually listened to it a few times I can properly comment!
I don't usually buy compilations because I much prefer to have full albums with all of the tracks in their original context. I already have a few of the more 'obvious' tracks here (Espers, Devendra, Adem, Newsom, Pentangle), which is perhaps why I bought it; I had some idea of what I was getting. It is also a good introduction for me to some names that I had heard floating around, but never got 'round to investigating.
I'm not too sure about Tunng; I enjoy folk, and I enjoy some electronica, but their blend of the two just doesn't capture me all that much. They'll probably be one of those bands that I will be determined to like, so I'll make myself listen again and again until I love them!
I laughed with joy when Magnet's 'Maypole' kicked in - a few years ago I sat back as two of my stoned/drunk friends kept on rewinding 'The Wicker Man' (which apparently they're remaking with Nicholas Cage in Edward Woodward's role...) to try and decipher the lyrics to this song. Now I'll be able to smugly drop into a conversation that I own a copy of the song!
I was pleased to find The Eigteeth Day of May on here too. They were a band who's CD I had spotted while browsing in Borders a couple of weeks ago and to which I was drawn for some unknown reason. Now I know that my mystical attraction was justified as the track on here shows them to be a perfectly pleasant folk band!
I love Joanna Newsom, but I was a bit disappointed by the track on this compilation because the volume levels seem to be all over the place. I don't know if it's a demo of the album version, or if the compilers are just crap at making compilations, but at points during Newsom's song the volume crackles as it peaks. Because I'm not much of an aggressor I won't do anything about it though! I'll just be British as smile and say it's fine.
The exclusive Alasdair Roberts track is probably the highlight for me - it is simply beautiful! It contains the line "...no earthly man...", so I'd assume that it comes from the same batch of recordings as his album of the same name; it really should have been included! I would say it was worth the £10.99 alone, but then I'd remember that I could probably have found it for free (albeit illegally) via Soulseek.

?random picture?

I randomly took a few pictures with the crappy little thing that is my instant digital camera thingy, and played with one of them.
I have no idea why I did it; it looks too much like a stock picture; it bears no relation to the project I'm currently working on for college - but anyway, here it is.

the sky 24/02/06

Josephine Foster

(picture sneakily stolen from 100songsising.com)

A big thanks to Luke Parker who runs the Josephine Foster Fan Forum for keeping us JF fans up to date with the latest news on her forthcoming album, 'A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing'. April 11th - very exciting!


Josephine Foster songs:

Josephine Foster

from 'Hazel Eyes, I Will Lead You'
1. The Siren's Admonition (clip)
2. Hazel Eyes, I Will Lead You (full song)
4. Stones Throw from Heaven (full song)
6. The Golden Wooden Tone (clip)
9. Good News (clip)
11. The Pruner's Pair (clip)
12. Crackerjack Fool (clip)

from 'There Are Eyes Above'
3. Teeter Totter (clip)

from 'Little Life'
10. Hells Bells are Ringing (full song)


Josephine Foster and the Supposed

from 'All the Leaves Are Gone'
1. Well-heeled man (clip)
5. Deathknell (clip)
7. Jailbird (Hero of the Sorrow) (clip)
9. Who Will Feel Bitter at the Day's End? (clip)


Born Heller (Josephine Foster & Jason Ajemian)

from 'Born Heller'
1. I Want To (clip)
2. No More Lamps in the Morning (clip)
3. Mountain Song (clip)
5. I Am a Guest in Here (clip)
6. Lulu Fellows (clip)
10. Lullaby #5 (clip)
11. Big Sky #4 (clip)


Josephine Foster, Nick Castro & Marissa Nadler live on WFMU 29/11/04
1. Little Life (JF with NC and MN)
2. Deep Deep Sea (NC)
3. Mr. John Lee (Velveteen Rose) (MN)
4. Silly Song (JF)
5. No Sweeter Thing (NC)
6. Box of Cedar (MN with NC and JF)
7. Well-Heeled Man (JF)
8. Jack of All Seasons (NC)
9. Annabelle Lee (MN)
10. Who Will Feel Bitter at the Day's End? (JF)
11. Princess of the Islands (NC and MN)
12. Photographs (NC)
13. Virginia (MN)
14. Bed of Solid Stone (MN)
15. Deathknell (JF)
16. Don't Wait Mary Jane (JF)

Alasdair Roberts

(picture sneakily stolen from roughtraderecords.com)

To celebrate the fact that Alasdair Roberts made a brief, but enjoyable, appearance on BBC4's 'Folk Britannia' television program last night, here's all the mp3s of the man himself that I could find.


Appendix Out

the 'Lieder für Kaspar Hauser' 7"
An den Nachthimmel Gewöhnt
Ein Grauerstar in der Kavallerie


Alasdair Roberts

from 'The Crook of My Arm'
1. Lord Gregory
4. The Magpie's Nest

from 'Farewell Sorrow'
4. I Fell in Love
5. I Went Hunting

from 'No Earthly Man'
5. The Two Brothers

Session Planet Claire, 07/05/03
1. When a Man is in Love He Feels No Cold
2. Carousing
3. Farewell Sorrow
4. What Put the Blood on Your Right Shoulder, Son?
5. Lord Gregory
6. I Went Hunting

WFMU session 20/10/03
1. I Fell in Love
2. Down Where the Willow Wands Deep
3. Kilmahog Saturday Afternoon
4. The Whole House is Singing
5. Farewell Sorrow
6. The Banks of Red Roses


Amalgamated Sons of Rest (Will Oldham, Jason Molina, and Alasdair Roberts)

7. I Will Be Good

the woods out the back

kestrel on a damp day in January 2006