Patrick Wolf concludes a triumphant year with the release of the third single to be taken from his critically acclaimed album, The Bachelor – the powerful and beautiful, Damaris. The single is semi-autobiographical and centred on the loss of love, it was inspired by a tale discovered whilst Patrick went to seek out his English roots after a period of heartbreak and the ending of a relationship that was much documented in the song The Magic Position.
Tracing his father’s roots, in East Sussex, Patrick stumbled across a small wooden cross engraved with the name Damaris among the gravestones of his ancestors. From that moment he began researching who Damaris might be and it came about that the wooden cross told a larger tale then anyone could have imagined. Damaris was a gypsy or heathen, unwelcomed by the Catholic Church at the time. Lewis, the son of a priest, fell in love with Damaris and the two got caught up in whirlwind of forbidden love. The star-crossed lovers were forbidden to marry and Damaris is said to have died of a broken-heart (suicide).
Patrick related to these sentiments at the time and so narrated a song from Lewis’ tragically frustrated perspective. It is important to consider the story behind the song when you are listening as it deepens the meaning. As the track is instrumentally overpowering, the usual fanfare vocals would not be an option and so the track starts with soft, smoky vocals instead. The special, unique aspect of Mr Wolfs music is that is well thought out, personal, and intensely moving.
Toro Y Moi, a 23 year old from South Carolina, is getting ready to release his debut album Causers of This. There’s already word of a second full length album in late 2010 with a completely different sound. This is Blessa from Causers of This, the first single of the album.
It’s been said that he’s of a currently unnamed genre but I don’t think we should get ahead of ourselves about how original this act is. His sound, in my opinion, can be summed up in a number of genres which is the mark of any interesting artist. There’s elements of funk, break/big big beat but I think the defining genre would have to be trip hop. It’s like The Avalanches, Shuggie Otis and Four Tet met and decided to transcend to a higher dimension for a jam.
_1 / Technology is a Dead Bird is now available as an instrumental version with a minimum price of just $5. Mars Argo and Titanic Sinclair have given you explicit permission to use their songs in your YouTube videos. They only ask that you link to them in the sidebar of the video and it’s non-commercial use only. You can download the instrumental version of Technology is a Dead Bird here.
_2 / Technology is a Dead Bird is to be released on CD and vinyl formats. Mars Argo have said they are “on the way”.
_3 / Mars Argo now have a merchandise store with districtlines. There are two rather dashing T-Shirts on there for sale at the moment.
The flamboyant, fantastical and unfathomable Irrepressibles are set to release their stunning new debut album Mirror Mirror. Led by composer and artist Jamie McDermott, the band are a ten piece performance orchestra that, through the power of their instruments can transport and transfix, break moulds and collide worlds.
Fusing European orchestration with pop melodies and soaring cathartic vocals, Mirror Mirror is a theatrical, playful and emotionally passionate album. From the dramatic opener My Friend Jo to the galloping rhythms of Anvil, from the yearning echoes of Forget The Past through to the intensely intimate In This Shirt, the album is a beautifully constructed exploration of McDermott’s stories of love, anger, lust and loss.
The Irrepressibles sound has been compared to early David Bowie and Kate Bush however Mirror Mirror is quite unlike anything you have heard before. As the album unfolds there is so much more to discover, enchanting musical offerings that hold surprises at every turn.
Jónsi Þór Birgisson of Sigur Rós has begun to reveal his new solo album side project ‘Go’. He’s not giving much away at the moment but I’m sure all will become clear in due course. In the meantime, there’s a free track available to download on his website at jonsi.com once you’ve signed up to the mailing list. Be sure to click the letters of Jónsi on the homepage, it plays snippets of other songs from the album. The ‘j’ is amazing.
Boy Lilikoi – Jónsi
From the tags on this mp3, it is revealed that the album is to be called ‘Go’ and is set to be released worldwide on April 5th 2010. Unlike most of his songs, the lyrics this time are in English. I’m not sure whether the rest of this solo album will be in English but it could show Jónsi trying to gain a more foreign listening audience.
Go Do
Animal Arithmetic
Tornado
Boy Lilikoi
Sinking Friendships
Kolnidur
Grow Till Tall
Around Us
Hengilas
Indie Music Finds was started in April 2009 as a place for people to find something new. It’s now being written by two people both living in the U.K. I try and keep it quite diverse so rummage around a bit and I’m sure you’ll find something you like to take away with you.
Contact
For music submissions and advertising enquiries, contact indiemusicfinds(at)googlemail.com
