Annie Dressner interview and session

Annie Dressner

New Yorker turned Londoner Annie Dresser dropped by the studio to play tracks from her stunning East Twenties EP, including our favourite Heartbreaker.We chatted about sad songs and her love affair with London - here the interview and watch the session tracks below

Cambodian Space Project & Mary Ocher - BBC 6Music Introducing

Every week we get to play two tracks for Tom Robinson on his excellent BBC 6 Music Introducing show... you can listen again here.

The Cambodian Space Project - Broken Flowers

Kak Channthy is the lead singer of Phnom Penh Band The Cambodian Space Project. She's been called the Rock MIA in Asia, with which we wholeheartedly take umbrage. MIA wishes she had an iota of Kak's edge. Not only is she now a rock diva in her homeland, but she's also a women's rights activist, enlisted by the UN to speak in her country. As a young woman Kak was kidnapped from her village and sold into sex slavery in Phnom Penh - but her escape and meeting with now co-pilot Australian guitarist Julien Poulsen, has turned her life around. Julien found his muse and his route into fulfilling his dream of revitalising Cambodia's psychedelic rock days, with echoes of 1960's Cambodian singing legend Ros Seretysothea. Broken Flowers is an original track, but do also check out their covers of Venus and House of the Rising Sun too, as Kak admits she sings rock music better than love songs... we say, rock on...

Mary Ocher - On The Streets Of Hard Labour

We've just spent half an hour watching Mary Ocher videos on youtube, mainly the ones from her War Songs album which is from 2008, but luckily for us who were late to catch on, she re-released in March of this year on Germany's fine Haute Areal Records. Describing her is tough. Born in Moscow and raised in Tel Aviv, now based in Berlin. Mary describes herself as a singer-songwriter, poet, and DJ, with a background in film. Excellent. You might remember her from Mary and The Baby Cheeses who were a 'highly noted band in the Israeli underground circles'. All we know is that On The Streets of Hard Labour is one of tracks of the year, we love her heavily accented singing in English, the sparseness of the music: electronic, contemporary and yet definite shades of a spooky Soviet past.

New music: New Zealand's Tiny Ruins - fantastic

Tiny Ruins is New Zealand singer-songwriter Hollie Fullbrook. We've been sent her album Some Were Meant For The Sea and have been immediately captivated by her quiet, thoughtful, often sad songs. Hollie has a glorious voice too... one for when you're feeling a little sorry for yourself.



We like this video of her playing live for Balcony TV - looks like a lovely evening in Auckland...

What's tickling our earbuds in July - part 2:

Kate Daisy Grant



Don't let the 'Daisy' in her name fool you - there's a dark underbelly to Kate Daisy Grant's writing which is compelling, intriguing and makes for a great listen.


Anna Madeleine - Milk and Water





Name your price for this little beauty from Hackney one woman electronic music making machine (and more) Anna Madeleine.

Citizen Helene - Citizen Helene EP



Thanks to the also-brilliant Mary Epworth for putting us in touch... what a glorious voice, fine turn of phrase and above all catchy tunes.

Annette Berlin - Remedy (Don't Pick Me Up)

Find more Annette Berlin songs at Myspace Music

Bristol's Annette Berlin popped us over this single recently... she's also the big voiced vocalist for Big Joan. Post the birth of her twins last year she's just started gigging again - happy days for us!

Tanya Auclair interview - Origami EP

Tanya Auclair is a one woman music making machine. Using body percussion techniques, looping and her own lovely voice she has now self-released two EP's; Thrum and now Origami.

Thrum she gave away for free on Bandcamp: http://tanyaauclair.bandcamp.com/ - nice lady.

Tanya grew up in west London and has worked with jazz drummer Leon Parker and producer Yult to name drop a few others who've recognised her enormous talent. Listen in to hear us try not to sound too merry whilst quaffing cider at our local...

  

TOW on 6 Music - Seaming and Ana Silvera

Every week TOW plays two songs for the brilliant Tom Robinson on his BBC 6 Music Introducing show... here are our picks from this week's show:  

Seaming - Dreaming

Seaming's debut solo album is out soon on Honalee Records and we await it's arrival with baited breath! You'll know this songstress' voice as she's been a staple vocalist for Ninja Tune's Homelife these passed few years, including being the stunning and, what we love about her the most, slightly weird voice on Mr Scruff's, Beyond. This track, Dreaming, is gorgeous... at once softly dark and mysterious and then operatic in it's scope.

Ana Silvera - Salome
TOW had the absolute pleasure of sharing a bottle of red wine with London born singer-songwriter Ana Silvera after Alice Gun's album launch a few week's ago. After giggling hysterically about dog's with underbites we discovered that Ana is a singer... well, she wasn't exactly forthcoming but our mutual friend Stuart wouldn't let us go home without yelling 'Ana Silvera! Salome!' at us several times. Ana is operatically trained and her songs are rooted in a classical sensibility and lyrics which seem better suited to a book of Rennaissance poems than 'modern' song lyrics. In Salome she breathe's new life into the figure from the New Testament... something about John the Baptist's head... Bible geeks will know what she's on about...