Effortless cool + a voice like syrup with a slightly grated edge = enchanting Swedish songstress Lykke Li. Everything from her album artwork; Youth Novels is her debut album, to her incredulously high bun as she performs, offers an aspirational sense of cool. She has also successfully pulled off the hareem/pirate pants look on stage (no mean feat!) Check out her music on MySpace or her website and prepare to be charmed.
Anthony (of the Johnsons fame) has created a beautiful one-off dress for Yoox, to be auctioned off for Sylvia Riviera Law Project. SRLP fights for the rights of transgendered people that cannot afford legal representation. The dress will go on eBay this month and I’m sure it will be WAY out of my budgetary league (could have potentially been an answer to The Quest!) Anthony’s dress is carefully designed and seems to me, to hold the same sensitivity as his delicate lyrics and vocals. I shall keep my eye on the dress and hope it makes plenty of money for Anthony’s designated charity.
Last night I went to see a Nouvelle Vague gig; a truly visual and acoustic delight. For those of you unfamiliar with the French fancy that is Nouvelle Vague, they are essentially a covers band but with a truly unique twist. The idea is to never forget the initial punk or new wave background of each song, keeping the simple fundamental chords, while working with young singers who have never heard the orginal versions. This allows the quality of original songwriting to happen in a completely different/organic way. There is an original, 60’s jazz feel to each song with a giant soupçon (excuse my poor juxtaposed qualifier!) of bossa nova thrown in. Their album artwork is equally inspirational, epitomising the French cinema movement of Nouvelle Vague. Last night, the performers, who vary with each album/track/gig, were a style explosion on stage. They writhed and shimmied across the stage, synchronising their artful dance moves. Take a look at my Flickr photos here (excuse the blurring!) and indulge your ears with some Nouvelle Vague.
