2023

Here’s a recent tune by Lorelle Meets The Obsolete, the Mexican band I saw on the spur of the moment on Tuesday night. I’d never heard of them but it was a great decision to go, and now I’m discovering their records.

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The National – Weird Goodbyes

18th September 2023 · 2020s, 2023, Music

When The National first got popular, after several years on the fringes of success, their critics dismissed them as miserable middle-aged men making music for miserable middle-aged men. Well they’re my favourite band so I guess that’s me.

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Last night I went to see Mick Harvey of the Bad Seeds unveil his latest collaboration – a collection of duets with Amanda Acevedo at the beautiful church of St John of Bethnal Green.

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You don’t often come across new sounds. And it’s even rarer to find a completely new genre of music. This one, which I suppose is a modern variant on “chill-out” music, is apparently called “barber beats.”

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SBT – 13th St. #2

11th September 2023 · 2020s, 2023, Music

Last night I went to see Sarabeth Tucek at The Lexington. And the song I most wanted to hear was this autobiographical number about her childhood.

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Last night I lost my oldest and dearest friend, Ben Buchanan. He slipped away shortly after 11pm, with his beloved Maria, Max and Penny at his side. I said my goodbyes to him a few hours earlier.

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Mereba – Space And Time

10th September 2023 · 2020s, 2023, Music, Soul

Maybe I’ve got a bit soppy because I’m feeling a bit sad and fragile but Mereba’s haunting electro-ballad hits me right there. Especially its lyrics.

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Nas – Slow It Down

9th September 2023 · 2020s, 2023, Hip-Hop, Music

Here we are on the hottest day of the year and I’m reflecting on the hottest gigs I’ve ever attended. One of them, on a night like this, was by Nas at the 100 Club.

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Beirut – So Many Plans

4th September 2023 · 2020s, 2023, Music

If there was an instrument I’d lock away in Room 101 it’s the ukelele, that scratchy little four-stringed guitar so beloved of hipsters. Yet I’ve always had a soft spot for Zach Condon.

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Christina Vantzou and John Also Bennett collaborate as CV and JAB on this beautiful piece of peaceful piano music – a soothing balm for the pains and frustrations of everyday life.

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