Willy Mason: Restless Fugitive

I've had Willy Mason stuck in my head all day, and it might well have been a sign as it led to a little free download discovery, which is always nice. Willy Mason, the sharply-dressed music maestro from Massachusetts is (I'd say, and I know others may argue) our-generation's answer to a better-spoken Bob Dylan. Better-spoken in the fact that he doesn't mumble as much. With that in mind, he's worth a quick checking out, go to his website to get the free track here, or his bandcamp here - try listening to Oxygen or Save Myself; most people seem to know them but they don't ever know where from! And if you ever do get to see him live, it's always fun to shout "I love Willy!"

Moonrise Kingdom

I never thought I'd feature Bruce Willis or Edward Norton on my blog, but here goes: Moonrise Kingdom is a combination of big big names and a small small story. And Wes Anderson does it beautifully, blending sugary-sweet scenery, props and music with a dreamy, if not a grown-up, storyline. Based around two twelve year-olds, Sam and Suzy, running away from home/scout-camp, their journey takes them through the forests and fields of the little island of New Penzance and throws them into fights against Scouts, storms and Social Services, in order to prove their love for each other, and for the little beach they call Moonrise Kingdom. It's a humorous, heart-wrenching and overly-pretty film that everyone should see, at least once. If only for the little guy in red (Bob Balaban).

Visit Moonrise Kingdom's website here, or you click here to watch the official trailer.

Christof: Honey Tears EP

I was rifling through my music library, and realised I never took the time to tell you about some of the artists I wrote about as Music Editor for my university's magazine. One such artist is Christof, who performed before The Staves when I went to see them. I'm going to be honest now, and say I enjoyed Christof wholeheartedly more (along with his tales of sausage sandwiches and accidentally naming his website "Christ of Music"), and afterwards picked up a copy of his EP, Honey Tears (which is also the name of the track below). So here's a snippet for you all, one of his best tracks, and a link to his website here if you fancy listening to some more...

 

Thank You, Communion Records

Humble but brilliant beginnings led to humble but brilliant achievements: I thought a quick pause to ponder over the wonder that is Communion Records was in order, so I decided to write a little blog on them. Thank you, Communion, for finding (and being founded by) some of the loveliest artists around and just being one of the loveliest record companies around too! I especially like your weekly newsletters, and the free downloads from some of the nicest artists (Daughter, Pete Roe, etc.).

~ If you haven't been there already, I'd suggest you head down to their website and have a look here.

Slow Club: Beginners

Beginners, perhaps of a rise in popularity, thanks to the humble fan Daniel Radcliffe's performance in their new single's video? I certainly hope so. The only real way of communicating my appreciation for Slow Club is to parade around their streets playing their albums over a loud-speaker; their music speaks for itself. So go snap it up quick, download it, put it on your record player and love it.  (For starters, you can pop over to their website here).