The February episode of the Quiet Corners podcast for 2010 ‘Keep in Mind’ is now online, it is available via the usual iTunes/podcast subscription or downloadable as an MP3 via the Podcast page. The track list is as follows:
‘Keep in Mind’
February 2010
‘Arrived/Departed’ The Mercury Program
‘Wide Eyes’ Local Natives
‘From A Sinking Boat’ The Magnetic Fields
‘Drowning Men’ Fanfarlo
‘Piano Music’ The Tindersticks
‘This Time Around’ The Radio Dept
‘Muskratting’ Wildcatting
‘Taste the Floor (Peel Session)’ The Jesus and Mary Chain
‘Temporary People’ Joseph Arthur and the Lonely Astronauts
‘Like The Ocean, Like The Innocent Pt. 1…
…The Innocent’ The Besnard Lakes
‘Magic Arrow’ Timber Timbre
‘Hard to Find (Original)’ The American Analog Set
‘Hard to Find (Reprise)’ The American Analog Set
Sorry it is a bit a late but it has been a busy couple of weeks and I’ve not been able to listen to as much music as I would like. Hopefully getting an iPod at the end of the month so I’ll have it all with me at all times. Comforting thought.
Starting at the older end of the scale, the Jesus and Mary Chain recording is from a John Peel session from 84 and it is rather wonderful. Some hints of Shoe Gaze before it even emerged a few years later. At the newer end of the scale, finding out The Radio Dept. had a new album out made me very happy. This incredible band kept me stocked up on smiles in the early to middle of the last decade. So, so good. Be sure to get hold of ‘Lesser Matters’, absolute gold. Likewise the new Besnard Lakes (podcast regulars) album is rather special as is the new Magnetic Fields and the new one by The Tindersticks (fond memories of the mid 90s). Finally, anything released by The American Analog Set is going to be awesome, including the new b-sides and rarities album. Feeew, and I haven’t even mentioned all of the other bands included. Hunt them out too if you are feeling them, you won’t be sorry. It’s all a bit faster paced than usual this month, roll on springtime with warm air and music coming out of open windows.
The cover is from a cold but clear winter’s day in Southsea tinkering with filters. The back cover is a flooded carpark in Suffolk by an old abbey.
I finished the artist studio photo project the other day with a visit to jewellery designers Sarah Macrae and Sharon Justice’s shared studio. It was really interesting to see them at work and see the different processes and tools. How many pliers and cutters?
Last weekend I had a flying visit up to Southwold in Suffolk and managed to find the time to go visit one of my favourite places in the whole world, Covehithe. The place is suffering dramatically from coastal erosion but it really became noticeable to me when the path my friend Bryony and I cycled along 6 months ago along the cliffs had all but fallen away. It is hard not to worry about the wonderful beach and woodland and the medieval church.
I had a few requests recently for a sunset photo of Southsea I posted over at Forever Circling to be posted up big enough for people to use as wallpaper on their computers. I’ve uploaded a 1600px wide version so feel free to download it and resize it for use as a wallpaper on your Mac, PC, etc. Click on the image below to download.
The first episode of the Quiet Corners podcast for 2010 ‘Kisses the Shore’ is now online, it is available via the usual iTunes/podcast subscription or downloadable as an MP3 via the Podcast page. The track list is as follows:
‘Kisses the Shore’
January 2010
‘Morgenspaziergang’ Kraftwerk
‘Backwell’ BEAK>
‘Young Fight’ Amusement Parks On Fire
‘Romans 109′ The Mountain Goats
‘Fire Harbor Day (Swiss Transport Remix)’ A Red Season Shade
‘River’ Akron/Family
‘A Remedy’ Still Light
‘Weaving Spiders Come Not Here’ Blueneck
‘Any Colour You Like’ The Flaming Lips &
Stardeath and White Dwarfs
‘Siva (Peel Session)’ Smashing Pumpkins
‘That’s When My Headaches Begin’ Northern Portrait
‘Come By Storm’ Laura Gibson
‘Dead Deer’ Evening Hymns
‘November 1st 2008, Lakefield, Ontario’ Evening Hymns
Not sure where to begin with this month’s podcast episode, how about from the end? Evening Hymns are wonderful and the new album Spirit Guides is very special. Northern Portrait wear their love of The Smiths on their sleeve, in a good way. The same can be said of A Red Season Shade with their obvious love of Mew, although not as apparent with the song I picked. Check their Interiors album, very good. Likewise check that Flaming Lips cover album of Dark Side of the Moon, amazing. What more can be said about Smashing Pumpkins and Kraftwerk? Untouchable. I picked a softer, more organic song from Kraftwerk and I picked a 1991 John Peel session recording for Smashing Pumpkins, Billy sounds young. Oh, and before I forget, BEAK> are from Bristol and include the mighty Geoff Barrow from Portishead. The album was recorded live in one room with no overdubs or repair, quiet awesome. Check the video below to see BEAK> in action during a recording session.
The artwork are two photos taken down at the beach during a bike ride, trying to cycle home before the rain storm hit.
Continuing the Making Space studio visit project I took photos of painter and ceramic artist Pete Levy and glass and ceramic artist Kate O’Connell. Both studios were fascinating insights in to the artist and their practices.
As part of a project I’m working on with my new job I’m shooting Super8 and photos of the artists who share studios at Making Space in Leigh Park as part of a documentary about the craft centre. The first artist to be interviewed is Ami who is a fashion designer, jeweller and illustrator and owner of Mia Mai, here are a couple of photos from the shoot.
As well as the roll of B&W film I shot and developed back when the snow first fell I also took a couple of rolls of colour too which I just got back from the lab. Despite being primarily black and white themselves the little dashes and tones of colour add that something extra. This one photo is of canoe lake, which totally froze over, with the pier in the background. I’ll be putting the rest fo them up on Forever Circling soon (all this week it is going to be photos from my Hayling Island cycle ride).
I’m sure everyone in the UK has enjoyed the snow over the last week (unless they were stranded in their car overnight). On Wednesday, when the falling snow was heaviest, I braved the cold and walked down to the seafront and then to the pier and the skatepark to explore the familiar, heavily changed by the snowfall. The skatepark I found to be really interesting to look at, the concrete transitions and shapes looking quite different with just the top peaking out of the white. I’ve put photos of the skatepark and of the pier from the hand developed roll of B&W film up on Forever Circling, here is a sneak peek.
I spent about a week or so before, during and after Christmas on trips to see friends and family including visiting Brighton and a road trip up to Suffolk and Essex. So glad I got to see so many people, it has been a while since I’ve been to Brighton and Essex in particular. New Year’s resolution is to return more often.
