Updates

I said I'd blog more about my life, so here goes:

I'm getting more in the groove of things at Pulse, and even though I'm still working like a fiend, it's nice to be making some headway. I'm fleshing out our blog, and in the past two weeks have interviewed The 405, Saveur, and VICE. Getting the ball rolling!

I made these Nutella buns from the Saveur post. Mmmmm.

I saw Alt-J at Bottom of the Hill a couple weeks ago, and realized it was the first gig I'd gone to in almost two months. TWO MONTHS. Crazytown, right?! The show was great, and not just because the Mercury Prize winners are absolute geniuses: it turns out I'd really missed the live music fire-in-your-belly, and because I saw the early set, I was in bed by 10:30. I call that an old lady win-win.

After the show, my friend and I discussed a) how on earth you can accurately classify Alt-J (does 'art rock' really cut it?), and b) how soon their triangle hand gesture will become a meme/Instagram competition. Feel free to share your opinions on these urgent topics in the comments or on Twitter, as all I'm talking about currently is sleeping, the apocalypse, and baked goods. Save me from myself.

[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/64819931" params="" width=" 100%" height="166" iframe="true" /]

I realize I forgot to share a true highlight of the year with you all: I interviewed Laura Marling. I owe the delightful folks at Mxdwn my hearty thanks, as they allowed me to geek out with one of my musical idols. See the full interview here. She has a new album coming up, about which she says: "I’m really happy with it, I’m proud of it, but I think I can say that it will be a challenge to listen to." Challenge: accepted.

A few of the things I've been listening to this week: Capital Cities - Caught these guys at Mezzanine a few months ago, haven't looked back. Their disco-pop is addicting. To Kill a King - Loved this London band for a while, and their LP will be out in February. Check out recent EP Word of Mouth. Dry the River - Just released an acoustic version of LP Shallow Bed! Intense hits like 'New Ceremony' have a totally different feel. Papa - still loving their recent new single, 'Put Me To Work', which is a bit more amped up than their A Good Woman Is Hard To Find EP. Listen here. The aforementioned Alt-J. Bonus: 'Matilda' quotes Johnny Flynn. Patch and the Giant - A Folkroom find. If you want to be transported to a 16th century English pub, check out this band's drinking-song vibes. Haim - Just one word for new single/B-side 'Don't Save Me'/'Send Me Down': obsessed.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiqIush2nTA&w=560&h=315]

Folkdates

By 'Folkdates' I wish I meant 'dates in which folk music was discussed and/or heard' (I'm looking at you, Charlie Fink doppelgänger in the corner), but in this context I mean updates. Folk updates. Get it? Thankfully, the winter season seems to bring out the best in acoustic music; I guess it's natural for folkies to get in the Christmas spirit, but there's plenty of non-seasonal folk popping up as well, like Three Blind Wolves' new single 'Parade' on Spinner. Anyway, onto the updates:

Anyone who's ever met me has probably heard about Folkroom, the label/folk night that showcases an increasingly wide variety of artists from ye olde Londontown. I visited one of their nights at The Queen's Head when I visited London last year, and co-founder Stephen Thomas even wrote me a guest post a while back. I'm a fan.

For the holiday season, Folkroom artist Lucy Cait has been running an advent calendar on her new website, lucycait.com. From giveaways to gingerbread recipes to new songs, these treats are way better than the usual advent offering of stale chocolates. Lucy's music is the gift that keeps on giving, and she seems to have quite a bit up her sleeves for 2013.

[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/70672059" params="" width=" 100%" height="166" iframe="true" /]

My past few Christmases have been accompanied by the excellent For Folk's Sake It's Christmas albums, and this year is no exception. The latest version features some of my favorite up-and-coming UK folksters: Ellen and the Escapades, Tom Williams, Gerard & the Watchmen, Feldspar, Admiral Fallow, Gibson Bull, Stylusboy, and more.

[bandcamp album=2366929901 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=grande2]

Feldspar doesn't just cover one of my favorite Christmas songs on the FFS album ('In the Bleak Midwinter'), they've also released a video for awesome original track 'The Flat and Paper Sky'. Watch the video below, and catch them at my all-time favorite London pub, The Old Queen's Head, on January 16th.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VePQN8Nr9P8&w=560&h=315]

Props to the old lady getting inked in the church.