Alex: from London with Love (Love From London is an ongoing series where correspondents Alex Kenning and Izzy Lawrence introduce us to bands generating excitement across the pond.) There are only around 25,000 inhabitants of Shetland, (a subarctic archipelago that lies north east of Scotland – thanks Wikipedia!). One of those is talented musician Astrid Williamson, who has forged a successful career in music. She’s a [...]
In her new single, Dance , Astrid Williamson has made the idea of cutting a rug one with her one of the scariest, yet inviting propositions imaginable. The track is released on April 9 and is taken from her album Pulse , which is out now via One Little Indian . You can listen below to the song, along with the excellent Pour and the haunting Underwater . Astrid Williamson - Pulse by One Little Indian Records
It finally happened. Winter arrived. Snow fell and we woke up this past Sunday with about three inches of the stuff. I'm glad it didn't arrive earlier, as Friday saw me at KSVR for a four hour stint of music. The first two hours flirted with folk music and the latter half was full-on garage rock, garage pop and psychedelic pop. Much of the 10 to midnight show came courtesy Finest Kiss , who posted some great 2011 lists. Taking [...]
Björk maakte op haar jongste album Biophilia een wat uitgebluste indruk. Misschien dat alle inspiratie in die vermaledijde app zat. Met veel fiducie ging ik deze ep dus niet in, maar dat bleek volkomen ten onrechte. En ergens is dat...
Astrid Williamson - 'Pulse' (UK Release: 22 Aug '11) // Words: Simon Opie Astrid Williamson has produced a steady stream of solo albums since 1998’s Boy For You' without major recognition, although she possesses a quite exceptional voice and writes really good songs. 'Pulse' is something of a bold change of musical direction, so will it bring a change of fortunes too? Williamson has a beautiful voice [...]
Words: Saam Das It's September. Already. Another month goes by and another singles column is complete. As ever, ten of the best singles of the month and no dating advice to be seen anywhere. Or at least not here. Because that would be terrible. Anyway, the photo above hints at the winner of the August single of the month. To listen to that track and more, keep reading. Noah And The Whale - 'Life Is [...]
Of all the tracks on Scottish singer/songwriter Astrid Williamson 's daring and decidedly different new album Pulse (August 30) we think the best of the lot (and there's a lot of good to choose from) may just be the title track. Williamson has always been known for her way around a perfectly formed but unpredictable melody but this time -- with Brian Eno cohort Leo Abrahams taking the production wheel -- the musical bed is a slightly disheveled but ultimately comfortable foundation of electronics and atmospherics. What might have been earlier a standard [...]
We're used to being surprised by Astrid Williamson , a fine Scottish songwriter who has consistently impressed with a rare gift for moody and melodic folk/pop. Her sinfully overlooked, self-produced 2009 album Here Come the Vikings expanded the more personal sound of her first two albums with a brisk, bracing energy and a full-band interplay. But nothing quite prepared us for Pulse (August 20), a bold creative left turn that takes Williamson's songcraft and reinvents it in a completely new, electronically powered incandescent light. Working with producer and collaborator Leo Abrahams, [...]
Thinking of Snow Patrol reminded us of "Run", the Brit megahit that started it all in '03 and a song that is something of a classic, covered last year (nicely, we may add) by Leona Lewis. But our favorite version is from fellow Scotlander (by way of the Shetland Islands) Astrid Williamson : a magnificent, spacious read that falls somewhere between atmospheric ballad and towering anthem. With a voice that's sounds like it's been steeped overnight in a vat comprised of equal measures of cigarettes, whiskey and tears, Williamson digs to the core of "Run" in a way that [...]
Study in picture boxes. A mix, of sorts. With love. Diamond Day - Vashti Bunyan Ngakula Ngakula - F. Kenya Your Heartache and Mine - Hari and Aino Sun Lips - Black Moth Super Rainbow Death in the Park [...]
Time to sweat to the oldies and dance through UI’s archives with your friends at Flashion Backward to see what ancient creaking box of treats lies in wait for our greedy, pawing, spandex-wearin’ pleasure. Today we’re dancing it out with Astrid Williamson, who always has something interesting and piquant to say. In addition to all of the opinionatin’ this Shetland-born lass stays busy with her solo work, experimental band The Bilderberg Groop and collaborations with bands like Oskar. She cranks out pensive lyrics a la Sinead O’Connor like “Please forgive my pursuit [...]
"Already Gone" fue la canción que Kelly Clarkson eligió para presentar en el programa de David Letterman. Toki estuvo en la radio MPR y presentó la canción "A Different Mirror". Astrid Williamson fue a la WXRN y tocó "Shoosh". Comparte esta anotación
Enjoy last week's magnificent performance of 'Shoosh' in the feature below. STREAM: Astrid Williamson - Shoosh
As you may have noticed, along with the lack of posts going on around here, the Graboid has seemingly disappeared as well the past couple of weeks. To catch everyone back up to speed, I've decided to post the album releases from the past few weeks that we've missed along with everything from this week. I'm sure I may have missed some releases, but I think I've covered most of the important stuff for the most part. As usual, let us know what album(s) you've been excited about and if we managed to forget anything! [...]
Maybe it's a result of being raised amidst the harsh, sometimes bleak environs of the Scottish Shetland Islands, but singer/songwriter Astrid Williamson has never been averse to exploring the raw, stripped bare aspects of the creative music-making process. Her husky voice has a rugged naturalness that can take the most lovely melody and add a touch of bracing realism, challenging the listener to dig deeper emotionally into her lyrics to find the naked, sometimes brutal core of a song. Now [...]
When I came across the name Astrid Williamson , I took notice, due to the fact that my name is Alan Williamson. Then I saw the title of her new album, Here Come The Vikings , and that brought up the tale handed down through my family for generations that we're descended from Vikings who raided the Orkney Isles centuries ago. Then a quick online search told me that Astrid Williamson is from Shetland, the islands to the north of Orkney. Hell, we're practically related. Maybe, maybe not, but this new album of hers has a song that [...]
Maybe it's a result of being raised amidst the harsh, sometimes bleak environs of the Scottish Shetland Islands, but singer/songwriter Astrid Williamson has never been averse to exploring the raw, stripped bare aspects of the creative music-making process. Her husky voice has a rugged naturalness that can take the most lovely melody and add a touch of bracing realism, challenging the listener to dig deeper emotionally into her lyrics to find the naked, sometimes brutal core of a song. Now [...]
Another week, another set of new releases - with this week headlined by none other than R.E.M.'s Accelerate , which is currently sitting on my desk, ready to be listened to at some point this week while i'm at work. A few other releases that i'm anxious to check out include Sun Kil Moon's April , EPs from both The Electric Pop Group and Annuals , Mono in VCF's self-titled debut, and Yelle's Pop-Up . There's some other stuff that piques my interest, but [...]
Today's free and legal mp3 downloads: Astrid Williamson : "Hozanna (acoustic)" [mp3] other Astrid Williamson music blog posts: @lhb @hype @elbo.ws Flight of the Conchords : "Ladies of the World" [mp3] from Flight of the Conchords (out April 22nd) other Flight of the Conchords music blog posts: @lhb @hype @elbo.ws [...]
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[Listen] Daft Punk - "Horizon" (Japanese Bonus Track)
MP3: Daft Punk – “Horizons” (RAM Japanese Bonus Track)
Giorgio Moroder – Live at Deep
Introducing: Swords
