How business should be.
Preparing and delivering a radio/Mixcloud show that operates under the banner of association with this esteemed website takes some organisation, thought and the occasional biting of tongue when faced with some of the appalling things going on in the world; not least the very recent stoking of extremist fires by our Home Secretary. The sheer lunacy and provocative nature of her shocking diatribes would beggar belief if it were not so patently clear that her political ambitions would sacrifice all of us without a thought if it allowed her to gain power. But this column, this week, is not about her it is about someone and something far better.
All of the music I play on the show (link at the bottom as usual) has been bought and paid for by me and as the number of shows racks up I am determined to make sure that it reflects as many current releases as it does the more weathered tracks. This entails a lot of Bandcamp surfing and reading of the pages of magazines and, of course, AUK. This year has seen some wonderful releases and many of them have been on the Loose Music label. I’m thinking of Margot Cilker, Jeffrey Martin, Isreal Nash and The Handsome Family to name a few. Loose has carved a niche that increasingly is seen as a guarantee of both quality songwriting and tremendous live performance. One of the latest signings for MD Tom Bridgewater has been the Norwich-based band Brown Horse who this week release their third single ‘Shoot Back‘. Having preordered the album I contacted the label to ask if I could have a download to play on the show. Tom Bridgewater got back to me immediately and sent all three singles. What a nice fella and what a great record the album is going to be when it comes out in January. This experience is contrary to many other labels I have tried to make contact with and reaffirms my belief that Loose is a shining beacon in an industry that often does not serve their artist’s best interests. I tip my hat to you, Tom and heartily recommend all those interested in the genre to visit the Loose website. It’s very easy to navigate and there are some fantastic bargains in the back catalogues. It is after all Christmas in a month or so.
So, apart from the new Brown Horse single what have I been listening to this week? Anais Mitchell is the answer and brilliant she is, speaking more sense in this song than Braverman could ever muster.
