fairsharemusic Blog

You might recognise this chap’s voice from the latest Internet Explorer 9 Advert floating around on television at the moment, in which his single ‘Too Close‘ is featured.

Alex Clare is a London musician with plenty of swoon and a whole load of soul. After the release of his debut ‘Lateness of the Hour‘ in July last year, this eclectic singer landed a number 1 album in Germany and was potted by Reggie Yates as his ‘Song of the Day’ for a cover of Prince’s ‘When Doves Cry‘.

From jungle rhythms to innumerable Jazz undertakings, Alex Clare has both a resonating sound and a crease-less demeanour. Tracks like ‘Treading Water‘ and ‘Up All Night‘ do well to highlight Clare’s ability to merge his mahogany vocals with a drum and bass modernity. Showcasing an interesting ability to mix both the soulful with the youthful. Download ‘Lateness of the Hour’ for just £5.99.

Like Ronseal, the title for this years The Great Escape Festival does exactly what it says on the tin; introduces you to the best in new music. Founded in 2006 and based in Brighton, this 3 day flurry of music covers nearly all genre’s and promises over 15,000 music lovers a heck of a good time. We’ve compiled but a small selection of some largely brilliant acts that lucky ticket wielders should be sure to check out:

He’s not a lonely dear, he’s a Loney Dear, so the pseudonym goes. Emil Svanangen is a Swedish musician that has four self-released album’s under his belt. That’s right, when you look under commitment in the dictionary, you’ll probably find Emil’s photo. Signed to record label Sub Pop in 2006, Loney Dear has toured with Andrew Bird, performed with chamber orchestras and been creating delicate indie-folk the entire way along.  His beautifully crocheted music will surely melt you if the shy Brighton sun doesn’t.

Lianne La Havas and Zulu Winter

Featured as last weeks ‘Single of the Week’, Lianne La Havas is a musician that quickly rose to prominence after a phenomenal performance on Jools Holland. With crystal clear vocals and a tour with Bon Iver on the cards, La Havas is as slick as she is versatile

Tribal rock meets indie pop is the best way to describe Zulu Winter. Comprised of five guys from the hub that is London Town, the band released their first single ‘Never Leave‘ in 2011 on Double Denim Records. Since then they’ve been featured as  Guardian ‘New Band of the Day’ and on Independent’s ‘Ones to Watch’ list. Their debut album ‘Language‘ released on May 14th is set to be a festival topped phenomenon.

Bleeding Heart Narrative

Bleeding Heart Narrative is the name, orchestration is the game. A concept brilliantly achieved with six members of the band to boot. Led by songwriter Oli Barrett, BHN released their debut album ‘All That Was Missing We Never Had In The World‘ in 2008 on Tartaruga Records. Ever since, the band have recieved rave reviews (including one from The Quietus, featured below) and have swelled into a musical concoction of energy and rhythm.

“Musically sumptuous and highly arresting… pulled off with an enviable sense of beauty and inspired musicality” - The Quietus

Download music from all these mentioned acts and we’ll give 50% of the profits to a charity of your choice!

Ever since the release of their self-titled debut album, Django Django have received incredible reviews, including a 5/5 from the Guardian and 8/10 from NME. The band, described as a ‘new modern classic’, performed their groundbreaking new single ‘Default‘ on Later with Jools Holland last night. Check out that fantastic live performance:

Known by his Beastie persona ‘MCA’, Adam Yauch was a co-founder of the most astounding trio that had ever graced hip-hop, the Beastie Boys. Still a constant favourite, the Beastie Boys were a welcomed surprise to the industry, defining what it meant to be ambitious and influential. Yauch was not only a prolific musician and film-maker, directing the video to the band’s very own ‘Intergalactic‘, but also a defender of tibetan rights and a buddhist. Pivotal to one of the most brilliantly goofy and unique acts music had ever seen, Yauch is a musician that is sure to be missed.

If you can feel what I’m feeling then it’s a musical masterpiece
But if you can hear what I’m dealing with then that’s cool at least
What’s running through my mind comes through in my walk
True feelings are shown from the way that I talk
And this is me, y’all-I M.C.,
Y’all my name is M.C.A. and I still do what I please

To celebrate the exclusive release of the Hard Boiled Sweets OST this week we have been trying to work out what our favourite movie soundtracks of all time are. Which turns out to be no mean feat. There are so many iconic film soundtracks both past and present that is pretty hard to know where to start. There are obvious composers which jump to mind. The greats such as Ennio Morricone, Vangelis and John Williams have earned their place in the halls of fame as some of the greatest film composers of all time. But they add another problem – which of their many film scores should be included on the list?

For me there is nothing better than the Jurassic Park Soundtrack by Williams. That one iconic bar of music immediately takes you back to the moment of wonder in the film, and I have yet to grow tired of hearing it. But including this means ruling out similarly amazing soundtracks such as Star Wars and ET, for fear of focusing to much on one individual composer.

There are also the artist orientated soundtracks, that often work so brilliantly. Take The Graduate by Simon & Garfunkel or Trouble Man by Marvin Gaye, these soundtracks work just as well stand alone albums by the bands than just mere accompaniments to films.

Then there are the cult movies, whose inventive soundtracks have helped propel the films into the major leagues. Films such as Juno and The Life Aquatic are compiled with wondrous little gems by a variety of, often unexpected, artists that add to the films kooky and appealing natures.

So check out our favourites, and please give us a shout if we have missed anyone out!