Introductions
It’s the first real week of my new blog, and you may not know me. I’ve decided to write this blog because I enjoy music, and because I think talking about the music we listen to and care about is the best way to find exciting new stuff.
I thought a nice way to start would be to introduce my music of the moment, and the band that sprung to mind were Lau : a modern scottish folk trio named for a kind of light they get in Orkney. If you want to know what kind of light, you’ll have to go visit (have a coffee at the reel while you’re there, and pass on my regards to the Wrigleys). The band consist of Kris Drever on guitar, Aidan O’Rourke on fiddle, and Martin Green on accordion. All three are fantastic musicians.
In the spirit of singling people out, I have to admit that I was wowed by Mr. Green’s performances on the two occasions that I’ve seen Lau. I’m an accordionist myself, and with all of the respect and admiration in the world for the brave men who taught me from the age of eight, I’d never before had an Accordion Idol. The man produces sounds I wouldn’t have thought possible from an instrument I claimed to know well, and must be seen to be believed.
The rest of Lau are just as fantastic, and really nice gents to boot. Martin just stands out because I have a chance to try and emulate him.
Other current favourites include Florence and the Machine, Passion Pit, Ben Harper, Beethoven, Ed Sheeran, and Biffy Clyro. More on them another time, I think. I’d be tempted to call that collection eclectic if I didn’t know many genres are unrepresented, but there’s one thing I’d like to add before signing off.
I’m into a variety of music, some of it mainstream, some of it less so, but I enjoy the mix. I think that it’s easy to dismiss popular music just because it’s popular, especially in the X Factor era of shake and bake popstars. That doesn’t mean that I can’t enjoy music in the top forty and admit to it. Maybe some day I’ll shock you with my preferences, but it’s important to know that they’re mine, and I will remain unrepentant.
This is from the