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  - CORTINA DELUXX / DENIS JONES / LIZ GREEN / JOHN FAIRHURST / AIDAN SMITH / THE MISERABLE RICH
Cortina Deluxx - Cortina Deluxx 
Jojo Thomas (vocals, piano, chord organ) and Danny Norbury (cello) have known each other for over ten years, but only started playing music together in the spring of 2005. More time passed before they finally emerged from those early sessions to perform in public for the first time, appearing under various names: Mitten Blue; Jo and Danny; The Cortina Club; before finally settling on Cortina Deluxx, the name inspired by the little chord organ used on two of the five tracks appearing on this EP. The duo soon became a trio with the addition of Jon Thorne (Lamb, Martha Tilston, Lou Rhodes) on double bass.
This record is Cortina Deluxx's first release for humble soul. Subtly recorded in intimate sessions at the label's Manchester studio, the songs mark personal statements for Jojo. Starting with the haunting melancholy of 'Ready About?', the "Jojo" side continues with the bleak piano and cello minimalism of Cold Weather, which will leave you holding your breath until the very last note fades into the run out groove. Flipping over to the "Danny" side, you will discover the infectious, hypnotic groove that is 'Just The Same', followed by 'Going Home', where the piano's jolly bounce forms an ironic backdrop to the acerbic wit of the lyrics. 'Not the same' provides a fitting finale to the collection, an atmospheric reprise of Danny's wonderful cello arrangement from 'Just the Same'.
Final touches were added by the mixing talents of Andy Kingslow (Mr. Scruff, Elbow, Corinne Bailey Rae) and the beautiful cover photography of the exceptional Emily Dennison.
For those fortunate enough to witness the already legendary early performances of Cortina Deluxx, put the disc on your turntable and drift back to chilled evenings in the Carlton Club. For the rest of us, this record provides a good starting point in getting to know the words and music of a wonderfully talented band. Listen, enjoy, peace out.
You can listen to it here and buy it now from our online shop.
It's available on limited edition 10" vinyl & also as mp3s ready to download - enjoy! |
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Denis Jones - Humdrum Virtue
'humdrum virtue' is Denis Jones's debut album, the culmination of a journey that has taken Denis from his North West roots to London, Sweden, Berlin and back to Manchester, playing alongside such diverse acts as Coco Rosie, Ella Guru, Steve Tilston, Bent, Bone Box, Okkervil River, The Boats, Merz, Jack Rose and Chris Corsano. During this time he has forged a truly unique style, informed by an eclectic breadth of artists ranging from traditional songwriters like Nick Drake and Tim Buckley, via Bjork and Radiohead to experimental luminaries Herbert and Four Tet, a style that has been described as "One World era John Martyn mixed with Tunng and re-assembled through a basic channel filter".
'humdrum virtue' covers the range of Denis's output from the intimate acoustic beauty of "Four Water" to the multi-layered loops of "One Loop" and "Beginning", via the Waits-like blues monster track "£10 of Electricity", which features the powerhouse rhythm section of Jon Thorne, Luke Flowers and Paddy Steer. The album perfectly captures precious snapshots from an artist who has already proved his credentials as a live performer, with looped acoustic complexity straying from the chaotic to the sublime, always hypnotic and completely engaging. At a time when the loop pedal has become almost ubiquitous, Denis Jones effortlessly rewrites the rules and then breaks them again, bemusing and beguiling the audience, weaving a complex spell of beatboxed rhythms, samples and staccato guitars, over which his plaintive vocal glides with complex and heartfelt emotion. And what might be missed in the heat of one of these utterly compelling live performances becomes unavoidably evident on the album: a lyrical depth that is the equal of the instrumental wizardry, delivering storytelling in the grand folk tradition with a twist of Northern irony.
Teaming up with humble soul was the final piece in the jigsaw for Denis: at last he had found a label that shared his vision of pushing the boundaries, both with the music itself and with the packaging. Denis's self-designed and assembled industrial CD case uses carefully selected materials and processes which perfectly and intriguingly mirror the arrangements of the eight tracks on the CD; when you've finally recovered from falling in love with the packaging, put on the CD and prepare to be seduced all over again...
Track listing:
1. one loop
2. two slumber
3. third song
4. four water
5. five papers
6. £10 of electricity
7. 17
8. beginning
You can listen to it here and buy it now from our online shop.
It's available as a limited edition cd & also as mp3s ready to download - enjoy! |
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Liz Green - Midnight Blues
Liz Green has come a long way in just one year considering she has only released one single, the acclaimed ‘Bad Medicine’. She has hit everyone’s ‘one to watch’ radars from the Observer Music Monthly to Zane Lowe on Radio One. Added to this, after gracing the Mojo BBQ at this year’s SXSW, Liz impressed so much that the magazine listed her number one in their top ten acts to watch this year and invited her to support Rachel Unthank.
The second single ‘Midnight Blues’ is due for release on August the 11th and further demonstrates Green’s songwriting abilities and timeless voice, showcasing her “unique and distinctly British take on the blues” (Mojo). It describes a typical night out when it reaches tipping point; “I was trying to evoke that hazy three in the morning feeling at a house party when everything’s gone slightly wrong throughout the night” explains Liz.
The B side ‘I Do Wrong’ was penned by Brighton’s Stephen Burch who performs under the name The Great Park and is also one third of the band Blanket. The track is exclusive to this limited 7” release.
Track listing:
1. Midnight Blues (Green)
2. I Do Wrong (Burch)
You can listen to it here and buy it now from our online shop.
We have made it available on cd, limited edition 7" vinyl & also as mp3s ready to download - enjoy! |
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Liz Green - Bad Medicine
Liz Green's debut single Bad Medicine is on the A-side of this strictly limited edition 7" and French Singer is on the B-side with the cover artwork designed and drawn by Liz herself...
Sounding like the missing link between Karen Dalton and Jolie Holland, Green's voice is a timeless, effortless throwback, unique and indisputable. The self-explanatory (at least on the surface) b-side ‘French Singer' alludes to her aspiration to be as significant an artist as, say, Edith Piaf, and her hope to convey real emotion. Already her ability exceeds Green's far too modest nature. Ably supported on nimble bass by Stuart Eastham, Green would break the heart of even the most empty individual with her delivery of lyrics like, “If I act like I never had love, it's not as if I haven't tried”.
Green's introduction to music was an education in pop, via her Dad's mix tapes. Ranging from the Stones and Chuck Berry to Jackson 5 and Elton John, they inspired Green to pick up a guitar, although it took her another seven years to learn four chords! It wasn't until she discovered finger picking that she began playing ‘properly' and writing her own songs. The style she has developed also goes some way to explaining her love affair with country and blues.
Listening to Liz Green's voice should remind you of the rapture that can be derived when certain new music is discovered for the first time.
You can listen to it here and buy it now from our online shop.
We have made it exclusively available on cd, limited edition 7" vinyl & also as mp3s ready to download - enjoy! |
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John Fairhurst - Joys of Spring
Largely conceived under the stars, John Fairhurst’s beautiful debut, Joys of Spring, originated in bars, on beaches, and up coconut trees. His extensive travelling and raw musical experiences have informed these warm, sumptuous and technically brilliant songs, alongside influences as diverse as Hendrix, Miles Davis, Nick Drake, and Indian Sarod master, K. Sridhar, who stayed with Fairhurst’s family in Wigan.
“He spent fifteen years living in a cave in the mountains as he studied to mastery,” explains John. “This dedication has inspired me deeply.”
After spending years “drawing pictures of Stratocasters”, playing in heavy rock bands and listening to Captain Beefheart in his shed, John headed to South East Asia and beyond, where his own dedication to music was cemented. He worked alongside Maori gangsters, played slide guitar in a Bangkok blues bar, wrote for a traditional Thai dancer, and was tattooed with protective blessings by monks. Apparently, these markings mean John cannot be killed, which is lucky, since he was stabbed by a street gang not long afterwards.
A stunning debut, Joys of Spring is an eclectic amalgamation of John’s incredible life to date; hazy summertime rhythms with masterful guitar techniques and an underlying sense of the worldwide music community. Guesting on the album are friends Nancy Elizabeth, Dave Rybka and Denis Jones, themselves locally renowned musicians, while James G. Wilson earns a songwriting credit with the poignantly beautiful Friends. Opener, Obnox Stomp, is “a good old foot-stamping dance tune”, and How Far How Fast is the result of jamming with “fantastically gifted percussionist” called Alfredo, whom he met in New Zealand. On the other side of the world, the experimental Shivver was born out of a concept track just outside Wigan...
Quite simply, Joys of Spring is a truly great achievement; with elements of John Fahey and Robbie Basho, it’s an album of outstanding creativity, lush eastern melodies, and at its heart, John’s unbridled zest for life.
You can listen to it here and buy it now from our online shop.
We have made it available on cd & also as mp3s ready to download - enjoy! |
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Aidan Smith - Allotments
Having already established his bashful genius with three acclaimed mini albums and the off-kilter quirkiness of debut long-player Fancy Barrel, Aidan Smith returns with the next chapter in his captivating story. Allotments takes the listener on an epic journey, visiting London, Paris and 'The Bull's Head' and introducing more of the tragi-comic characters that have peppered Smith's remarkable canon of work so far.
Reminiscent of Kurt Weill's woozy cabaret and Rufus Wainwright's touching melodrama, but anchored by a traditional pop ideology, Allotments is a perfectly-formed oddity; its realism and surrealism runs through every beguiling jaunt.
Opener Morning Was Your Picnic announces itself with dizzying brass and woozy organ, immediately confirming Smith's unparalleled understanding of melody, while lyrical vulnerability runs hand in hand with a streak of biting black humour.
Murder Ballad provides a fresh new take on the oft-ubiquitous Saturday night tale of woe, Smith's startling wit and candour sitting alongside barbershop quartet harmonies.
Future single, Wearing Your Clothes, is a sweet account of one man's adventures in his partner's wardrobe ("tie your ribbon through my thinning hair..."), while Lament Of A Victorian Prostitute, London 1865 is a tender, sideways look at the world's oldest profession. Dramatic arrangements and flawless musicianship send Smith's eccentric characters straight to your heart.
With breathtaking shows supporting Yo La Tengo, Badly Drawn Boy and Calexico already under his belt, Aidan Smith devotees are already hiding in parks, cafés and libraries across the country, but Allotments, arguably his finest achievement, is going to see numbers grow, and grow and grow...
You can listen to it here and buy it now from our online shop.
We have made it available on cd & also as mp3s ready to download - enjoy! |
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The Miserable Rich - Twelve Ways To Count
"Twelve Ways To Count" is the brilliant debut album from Brighton's The Miserable Rich, an acoustic band with heavy hearts, bright ideas and big tunes.
The Miserable Rich began with James De Malplaquet and Will Calderbank, who – influenced by Colin Blunstone's orchestral pop classic "Say You Don't Mind" and The Balanescu Quartet's covers of Kraftwerk tunes – decided to form their own chamber orchestra, a bar room chamber quintet, if you will. Mike Siddell, Jim Briffett and Rhys Lovell completed the line-up, and from the start, there was an agenda: 'The rules were simply to replace the guitar hooks with violins and cello parts', says Will. 'We were determined not to just write 'worthy' song-writerly tunes of love gone wrong'. Produced in James's front room, with 'copious cups of tea and lots of cake' to hand, "Twelve Ways To Count" was recorded over a period of six months, with no external outside producer to interrupt the band's warm chemistry. 'The sounds of Brighton's seagulls and James's squeaky chair, can be heard at different points throughout the album', says Will. The result is variously tender, dark, warm, thoughtful and euphoric, packed with stories about knife throwers and drunks and comely barmaids.
Track listing:
1. Early Mourning
2. Pisshead
3. Boat Song
4. The Knife-Thrower's Hand
5. Monkey
6. Muswell
7. North Villas
8. The Time That's Mine
9. The Barmaid's Canon
10. Poodle
11. Merry Go Round
12. Button My Lip
You can listen to it here and buy it now from our online shop.
We've made it available on cd & also as mp3s ready to download - enjoy! |
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The Miserable Rich - The Time That's Mine
The Time That's Mine is the second single from Brighton's The
Miserable Rich, following on from the well received double a-side Boat
Song/Pisshead.
It's a short and sweet song about a subject everyone will relate to: the
monotony of working every day with only the weekend to look forward
to. "The rhythm is meant to suggest the commuter train I used to
travel on to go and teach in Eastbourne" says James, following this
up with the wry comment "I'm not really comfortable with the idea of
deferred enjoyment."
It's the acoustic guitar which provides that rhythm, and the guitar is
joined by a string arrangement which confirms that the subtle beauty
of the first single was no accident: this band can play.
"Monday, Monday, Tuesday, Tuesday, three more days til Friday"
sings de Malplaquet, with the same seductive ease with which the
working week takes over our lives, but leading us in the end to the
optimism of the final flourish "Some day, some day, we'll fly away, one
day when I get my way..."
The CD only release also features a remix of Boat Song by fellow
Willkommen Collective band Sons of Noel and Adrian, and a remix of
album track North Villas by Atlas Crease. And just as a little added
extra, there's also the much talked about cover of Hot Chip's Over and
Over.
You can listen to it here and buy it now from our online shop.
We've made it available on cd & also as mp3s ready to download - enjoy! |
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The Miserable Rich - Pisshead/Boat Song
The Miserable Rich's double A-side single 'Pisshead / Boat Song' just so happened to be the first two songs lead singer James De Malplaquet wrote on his guitar, so it's only fitting that the two should be released together and presented on limited edition 7" vinyl in hand finished sleeves.
Originally as a joke, James wanted to "write something pretty with a big fat swear word in it" so, after sifting through the dirty corners of his mind, he settled on 'Pisshead'. Based around the joys of bumping into drunks on the street, 'Pisshead' captures the fluctuating behaviour of a typical boozer as they start off aggressive and pushy and finish off maudlin and soppy. "The second verse sort of hints at why it all started and the middle section is what they call a moment of clarity, then, of course, it starts all over again", James explains.
'Boat Song' looks to a more sensitive side of life. "As parents look after us as children, later on in life they need the same care, patience, love and attention" James notes. Wanting to capture a lot of the things which are redolent of our childhoods and equally precious winter years – anoraks, packed lunches, fairytales and lullabies - James wrote this song out of gratitude and reassurance towards his mother who was worrying about what growing old might bring.
From the embers of The Grape Authority, Brighton's The Miserable Rich, formed by Will Calderbank and James de Malplaquet, began with one main objective: to turn the traditions of indie, folk and electronica on their collective head. Quickly growing into a modern chamber quintet, providing a home for Mike Siddell (Lightspeed Champion, Kate Walsh, Hope Of The States), Rhys Lovell and Jim Briffett (Clearlake), they spent the summer of 2007 bringing woozy downer-folk together with the spiralling beauty of simple strings and de Malplaquet's astonishingly versatile voice.
Working within their fledgling Wilkommen Collective, alongside alt-folkers Shoreline, Moonshine~Moonshine and The Leisure Society, regular hometown shows helped establish the reputation of The Miserable Rich, leading to the release of this stunning single.
So there you have it – a drunken jig and a late lullaby.
You can listen to it here and buy it now from our online shop.
We have made it available on cd, limited edition 7" vinyl & also as mp3s ready to download - enjoy! |
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![Liz Green - Bad Medicine [CD]](http://www.humblesoul.net/catalog/images/bad_medicine_cd_disc.jpg "Liz Green - Bad Medicine [CD]")
![Liz Green - Bad Medicine [MP3]](http://www.humblesoul.net/catalog/images/the_wrong_stuff.gif "Liz Green - Bad Medicine [MP3]")
![denis jones - humdrum virtue [MP3]](http://www.humblesoul.net/catalog/images/denis.jpg "denis jones - humdrum virtue [MP3]")
