Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Promises, Promises


Pocketbooks have already started teasing us. Though their new album Carousel isn't officially due out until September (you can currently grab a copy from the lovely Oddbox Records), the first single "Promises, Promises" was made available yesterday.

The bittersweet lyrics about empty promises are almost poetic in their earnest, and the backing girly harmonies and sweeping strings just make an already great song greater. Basically, it's another Pocketbooks insta-classic.

Promises, Promises .mp3


Also, here's Don't Stop just because I like it.

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Everyone's Cup of Tea






































You know that wonderful moment when you get a new album and just have to sit down and listen to it? When your only distraction is the occasional sip of tea or nibble of cake and the ever-so-slight grit and warble isn't an imperfection but a reminder that music is personal and hand-crafted? It's not an everyday occurrence, but Fika Recordings would sure like it to be. To make every Fika release a special treat, a hand-selected bag of tea and recipe for something yummy accompany every order. A very neat concept if you ask me.

A good concept doesn't mean much if the goods don't back it up, and fortunately Fika delivers in spades. Red Shoe Diaries' new 10" EP When I Find My Heart is brimming with eloquent pop songs for "messed up grown ups," complete with all the cynicism that entails. Each track on When I Find My Heart does a great job of taking the band's astounding number of influences to bring some variety to the five tracks without making them sound disparate in any way. A little surf here, some folk there, and some good old fashioned jangly-guitar-pop everywhere.

Red Shoe Diaries launch party is tonight at 7:30 in London (that's the gig flyer up there)! You can purchase tickets here! They're also playing a free show in Nottingham tomorrow at Spanky Van Dyke's.

You can listen to the entire EP below.