Mercury Music Prize 2010

So, as I said I would, I've written some thoughts about this years Mercury Music Prize... before and after

But this time they're over at http://honourbeforeglory.com/blog.html

Link to the email subscribe will be updated shortly as well

Many thanks for reading this blog and hope you continue to read through Honour Before Glory internet portal

Moving On

As you've probably noticed, more and more of my ramblings have centred around my latest endeavors with / as Honour Before Glory, and as that project becomes more established, it seems silly to keep these musings as a seperate entity to that

In building the new website for Honour Before Glory, I've switched to a new blog that is embeded within the site, and hosted by those folk at tumblr. I'll be doing all my updates on there from now - Honour Before Glory related, as well as my production work and other random crap.

I'll put my annual thoughts on the Mercury Prize up sometime soon for starters and I'll try and update the email feed as well

Honour Before Glory on tumblr

Honour Before Glory website (new site coming soon)

Soundtrack to this post: Goldheart Assembly

Camera, Action

Bit of movement with Honour Before Glory. I've spent the last couple of months demo-ing furiously and me and Simon went into the studio last weekend to lay down drums for 7 new songs. That process is continuing this weekend. Minute by minute updates on twitter

Before we hit the studio, a few of us got together to take some shots of us in band like form with our great friend Carmymac. They're still in the airbrush phase (joke), but below are some 'out-takes'

Honour Before Glory play our only date of the summer at Harrogate Fringe Festival on Saturday 31st July. More information here

Soundtrack to this post: Dirty Projectors, Wild Nothing

World Unite

There's an exciting band out of Manchester at the minute called WU LYF

World Unite: Lucifer Youth Foundation

Not sure of much else about them, apart form that they sound great

wulyf.org

worldunite.org

wu lyf facebook

Soundtrack to this post: Foals

From Bon Iver to...

I've been stuck listen to some of the big indie albums of the last couple of months - LCD Soundsystem, Foals, The National and Massive Attack - but a couple of other things have caught my eye - both offshoots of Bon Iver, and unsuprisingly on the amazing Jagjaguwar label

GAYNGS is a project from founded by Ryan Olson consisting of 23 musicians, including Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, Rhymesayers rapper P.O.S, and members of Solid Gold.

"With each song written at 69 BPM’s, and tripped-out transitions from song to song, it is truly an audio experience from start to finish"

Download GAYNGS - The Gaudy Side Of Town

Download GAYNGS - Faded High

SEAN CAREY is one of the brilliant percussionists for Bon Iver. In the past couple of years he patiently crafted a record in his time off from the band

Download SEAN CAREY - In The Dirt

Soundtrack to this post: Wolf Parade, Lone Wolf

The World Cup

This time 4 years ago, I was about to spend the month travelling the globe, a road trip through Europe, hitting Paris, Berlin, Brussels and Amsterdam - then over to play 3 shows in America (New York, San Fransisco, LA), back to Berlin for a holiday, before heading off on what was probably Forward Russia's funnest tour with Youthmovies and The Scare

I'll always remember that time and the World Cup. I watched England vs Trinidad & Tobago midair over the Atlantic on a flight from New York to San Fransisco. I watched England vs Equador in a beer garden in Germany before playing a show to 5 people (including the brothers Foulger of Duels)

The defeat to Portugal was the strangest, that was watched in the departure lounge of East Midlands airport, a strange amend-um I headed on holiday to Berlin for a few days. We boarded the plan a Carragher took his first spot kick. No one really knew what had happened until we landed, but we everyone assumed we lost

In Berlin there were no games in the city, but Germany were playing Italy in the semi-finals - we watched the game in the fanzone in the Tiergarten infront of the Bradenburg Tor - part of an estimated crowd of 1 million people. Truely amazing

And we were pretty much on stage during the final at Oxygen Festival in Dublin. When we heard it was penalties we raced accross the site to see the final moments where everyone was crowded around a little TV set

This year, I'm immensely looking forward to watching as much of the World Cup at home with my friends, mostly I hope around the corner at Headingley Stadium, which boasts the largest outside screen in the UK.

Excitement has been increased and spurred on by a weekend recording again with Arthur Rigby & The Baskervylles talking almost non-stop football, football stickers and fantasy football. I make little apologies for the dominance the football will have on my twitter the next month.

Soundtrack to this post: Wu Lyf, Gayngs, Laura Marling

James

Sorry for the lack of posting in recent weeks, I've been busy creating life:

I've still been busy working though - check out this track from Wingman

More soon...

Soundtrack to this post: Wolf Parade, Kill Keneda