New music tip for 2010 3: Divorce

"This is the future!" shouts one enthusiastic fan at a recent Divorce gig in east London. I was there watching the uber-loud, uber-shouty five-piece from Glasgow and had my hair blown back by what felt like an industrial-sized bad-ass hair dryer.

Sinead Youth's vocal stylings make my throat ache in sympathy. The 20 year old (yes, 20) screeches and yells her way through the four tracks on their debut EP Divorce: 'Early Christianity', 'Pipedown', 'Juice of Youth' and 'Scissor Fight'.

Listening to the EP you'd imagine this banshee-voiced chanteuse as a total hard nut punk, far too scary and intimidating to ask for an autograph. However, onstage Sinead cuts a rather sweet figure in a little green dress and a big pink hair clip to keep her thick blonde curly locks out of her eyes. When I talk to her after the gig she breathlessly thanks me and then introduces me to her Dad, who has just witnessed his first Divorce gig - his eyes were ever-so-slightly wild.

Backed by Andy, Vicky, Hillary and VSO this band are a sight to behold. Full of energy and with a punk spirit that is so, so, so addictive - yup, this is the future.

New music tip for 2010 2: Rayzaflo

Rayzaflo is from Jackson, Mississippi and she makes phat rhymes. Yup, there's nothing sadder than someone like me trying to get down with the kidz and the flow. So I am going to stop. 

This young rapper is no doubt going the same way as Rye Rye who we fell for in 2008. The young star from Baltimore was picked up by DJ and producer Blaqstarr and then Ms. Paper Planes herself MIA swooped down from on high and took her under her wing. It seems the same is happening to Rayzaflo if her top friends are anything to go by.

'MYSELF I GOT MY OWN SWAGGA SO GET YOUR'Z!!!' she says on her myspace, leaving me head in hands wondering about whether I've ever had any 'swagga' and what the hell I've been doing with my life.

New music tip for 2010 1: Vuk

Vuk is a Finnish-American force of nature, who says "the pump organ is a very underrated instrument". But of course! Her second album Plains is out now and I missed her perform at Barden's Boudoir a few months ago. Darn it. 


Vuk, is mainly the lady in the picture with the fox on her head. Ah-hem. She writes everything and plays what you hear on her albums, but live she enlists friends Loupine and Janne Lastumäki to form a trio. 


Vuk are genre-busting, if there was an impromptu rap on one of the tracks I'd say that would pretty much do it. What album is complete without an impromptu rap? Now that's a whole other topic for another time. Dark, mysterious, funny and completely melodramatic - TOW loves Vuk.

Reasons to be cheerful in 2010 pt 1: Nina Nastasia

   
Click on the player and you will hear Nina Nastasia's new single 'You Can Take Your Time'.

I first met Nina Nastasia in 2006. She was over from New York playing some shows in London supporting her then new album On Leaving - her first for Fat Cat Records.

John Peel was a massive Nina fan and champion, she played no less than 6 sessions for his Radio 1 show and became firm friends with the broadcaster and his wife Sheila in the years before his untimely death in 2004.


My friend Louise Kattenhorn was John's producer at the Beeb and so had also become good friends with Nina. That's how I met Nina and her partner (and musical organiser) and Rasputin-look-a-like Kennan Gudjonsson.  

Nina played one of my earliest sessions for The Other Woman, I was still nervous and finding my feet as an interviewer (yup, still am) so when Nina explicitly said she didn't like being asked the question, 'So... how do you write your music?' - creasing my brow into a 'thoughtful and insightful' expression I went right ahead and asked just that. 

It's a lazy question and I am amazed she didn't freak out and yell, 'I just told you that's a ridiculous question and I hate being asked it you total numpty!'. She answered patiently and quietly about how she doesn't really think too much about it, the songs just come. Luckily, I've seen Nina and Kennan over the years since for Vietnamese food in Dalston and to hang out at Lou's place and she hasn't written me off, to my surprise and utter relief.


Nina is the artist's artist. Ask any respectable singer songwriter about her and they will tell you that without doubt the New York-based musician is one of the greatest songwriters of a generation. 

Nina should be one of the most talked about and over-played artists, however I am still appalled at the amount of people who have never heard of her. She attracts some fanatical fans alright, who'll follow her around Europe to every tiny gig in every tiny bar talking to her intensely after each one - but when will she be in London selling out the Shepherd's Bush Empire, or headlining the Park Stage at Glastonbury...? 


Pixies/Nirvana producer and general big-man-on-campus Steve Albini has produced the major chunk of Nina's output and has raved about her in interviews. So why hasn't the mainstream music press bitten? Even the good people at Volvo saw the light, using the whimsical 'Our Day Trip' in one of their ads. 



Nina's last album You Follow Me was recorded with Dirty Three drummer (and regular Nina band member) Jim White and was a staple on The Other Woman's playlists in 2007.


I can't wait for her imminent return in 2010 with a new album on Fat Cat Records.