Ok, ok – it’s been a while! Hence six new artists for your listening pleasure today. Every week TOW plays two songs for the brilliant Tom Robinson on his BBC 6 Music Introducing show… here are our picks from the last three shows:
PAPER DOLLHOUSE – Daisies
Photo by Nina Bosnic
You’ve heard us rave about The Rayographs on the radio, now hear the first solo musings from their fabulous frontwoman Astrud Steehouder. Beautiful and often creepy tales from a forgotten time, written and recorded in either her bedroom or kitchen in the midnight hour. We love these simple tunes that are on her myspace and can’t wait to get the songstress onto the show for a live session. Watch this space. PS: New material from The Rayographs due soon too – whoop!
THE YOU AND ME ENSEMBLE – Here Comes Everybody
Who are the mysterious You And Me Ensemble? Thanks to Chris Read for getting in touch with us (always makes our job a million times easier) and for sending over the debut album which is out now on Special Blend Records. Chris Read helped master some of uber cool duo Hot Chip’s early stuff and Alexis Taylor rightly compares them to The Penguin Cafe Orchestra – it was on the tip of our tongue! The duo aren’t trying to prove anything to anyone but themselves – that they can make beautiful, atmospheric and original music that transports you a million miles away… where you count the dust particles in the air as you stretch out on an old sofa and drift off back to sleep on a warm summer’s afternoon.
GIRLS IN TROUBLE – Secrets/ You’re Always Watching
Photo by Anna Schori
After playing this track on Tom’s show, he tweeted me saying ‘Thank you for introducing me to Girls In Trouble!’ Well I have to thank the brilliant Wears The Trousers editor Alan Pedder for telling Alicia to get in touch with us. It’s fantastic being part of such a great network of people with excellent taste! Alicia Jo Rabins and Aaron Hartman are GiT, signed to brilliant New York Jewish indie Jdub Records and cite Nina Nastasia, Leonard Cohen, Emily Dickinson and Brigitte Fontaine amongst their influences. Alicia says the stories of the hardships experienced by women in the Old Testament have inspired her writing, which is ticking all our boxes!
SKATAN – Nobody
Taken from her debut album We Are Children With Different Titles, Nobody is the first single from Swedish singer-songwriter Skatan. Simone Andersson Wingfors was brought to our attention by the excellent Swedesplease blog, a constant source of great tunes from our Nordic brethren. Skatan joins that list with one of those voices that’s not easily forgotten, sometimes sweet and sometimes broken. We love this.
ABIGAIL SMITH – Oh Sam
This song WILL get stuck in your head. Guaranteed. Abigail Smith howls and wails Oh Sam with such addictive energy and sounding not just a little like Kate Bush – which is no bad thing. She’s a multi-instrumentalist, the results of which you will hear on her debut album Night Time Walking – she also has an eerie, beautiful voice to match. Oh Sam is the poppiest tune, where others really let the cello, viola and piano parts breathe. You can’t buy it in the UK but it’s available to purchase on her myspace.
SIGNE TOLLEFSEN – You, Me And The Brewers
Photo by Ro Halfhide
Signe Tollefsen is half-Dutch half-American, her music career took off after being discovered by an American producer whilst playing live in Amsterdam’s Vondelpark. Recording tracks (including this one) at Linda Perry’s studio in LA the result is sweet, sweet songwriting and a talent that should have her pounding on the door of the mainstream very soon. Tollefsen has been awarded all kinds of songwriting accolades in her homeland and supported the likes of Alela Diane and Ane Brun – now it’s time to see her take centre stage.