Every week TOW is lucky enough to pick two songs for Tom Robinson’s brilliant BBC 6 Music show, the spot goes out every Monday morning at around 2:30am. Here are our picks for the past two weeks:
Pick 1 – Emily Arin – Hidden Flame
When I contacted Emily Arin online, she fired a quick email back to me straight away with some MP3’s attached and said, ‘I’m off to tend bar now, will be in touch soon!’. Considering that she lives in the small village of Montour Falls in Schuyler County, New York (she’s originally from LA) I so badly wanted to be in that little bar in that little village. Imagining it’s dark wood panelling and red chequered table cloths, the hockey on the TV, like something out of one of my favourite 90’s tv series Northern Exposure.
Emily is currently recording her debut album with Espers’ Greg Weeks and she is giving away her Slipstream EP free now. Infact sign up to her mailing list at emilyarin.com and you get a free download. It’s all about the giveaways! She says her influences range from Hank Williams and Memphis Minnie to Leonard Cohen, Nick Drake, Caetano Veloso, Tom Waits, Sybille Baier and Gillian Welch.
Pick 2 – Fanshaw – Diana
Fanshaw is the musical persona of Olivia Fetherstonhaugh *you say it ‘Fanshaw’ I didn’t know this, you’ll hear Tom breaking the news to me as I tried to get my mouth around her surname.* Olivia resides in British Columbia and her album Dark Eyes is out now on Mint Records, a fine independent record label based in Vancouver.
This, her debut, has *only* taken 5 years to complete and is really quite breath-taking. Apparently she can take up to a year to write one song, easily done agrees Tom R – wadda I know?!
‘Diana’ is captivating – we especially love the *ha ha ha* Laurie Anderson-esque breathiness.
Pick 3 – Maika Makovski – Game of Doses
Andalucian/ Macedonian Maika Makovski played live for TOW a few week’s ago – and we had a ball. Such a lovely, warm and funny person – with a blues rockers voice on her that’ll send shivers up your spine. Her third album Maika Makovski caught the attention of super-producer John Parish (PJ Harvey) is set to launch her into the stratosphere (she’s HUGE in her homeland, Spain). After playing for us she headed out to SXSW, where according to her Facebook updates she had a fine time. Scroll down this blog and listen again to her playing live – FAB.
Pick 4 – Mursego – Subir Arriba Baixar Abaixo
Mursego is Maite Arroitajauregi and this track will blow you away. Have you heard anyone attack a cello like this? Really very awesome. Mursego means ‘bat’ in Portuguese and she’s told me she makes music with “a hoop, pedal loop station, chiflo, Chinese subjects of gossip, flute of piston, pandereta, ukelele, keyboard with lights of colors, autoharpa, rhymes, palms, improvisation and voice.” Thanks Google translator!
She says she is preparing her new album which will include subjects of “speech of Finland, red blood cells, the beach in summer, a war of vampires in old Europe and of a stroll by the snow.” Lovely! We can’t wait.