Folking it up

Listening to: Radio 1

Music post time, yay! In my last music post, I said I might explore folk music next...and then I forgot :S. I remembered again while watching Later...with Jools Holland a couple of days back. I wanted to watch it 'cos of the Gorillaz performance (which was amazing), but another performance on there just blew me away. More on that later. But can I just say, Damon Albarn is looking rather delicious. When did he morph from the wannabe-chavvy Blur frontman into a Jude Law look-alike? Sneaky bugger. The years sure have been good to him.

But..erm...yes, back to the music. When you think 'folk music', you probably think 'hippy', and all the negative connotations that come with it. And what with me being all pro-mainstream and all, you won't find me camping out in a muddy field waiting to see some avant-garde band that plays their guitars like violins and vice versa (I dunno if such a band actually exists, but I wouldn't be surprised if it does). I suppose fans would be unimpressed with my attitude, considering Cambridge is home to a rather popular folk festival, but hey ho.

That said, certain folk artists (using the term loosely, perhaps) have managed to break the mainstream scene. I'm not sure what it is - it could be good management, good contacts with BBC DJs, or plain and simple luck - but it's worked. So here's my pick. I've mentioned a few indie folk rock groups before (Noah and the Whale and Fleet Foxes), so I won't include them here.

Frank Turner - The Road

I haven't listened to much Frank Turner (his solo stuff or his stuff with the Million Dead) but I ♥ this song. As he says at the beginning of the video, he did 24 shows in 24 hours, and the video chronicles the various gigs.

I really like the bit from about 2:36 to 3:15, where it appears he's returning to his punk roots.

Mumford & Sons - The Cave

This is a new-ish band from London. Their album Sigh No More has done very well here, and they get a lot of airplay. I like all their singles so far, but my favourite has to be this one.

There's something about the chorus that just makes me want to sing along at the top of my lungs.

Laura Marling - Goodbye England (Covered in Snow)

Ah, my favourite. I first heard Laura Marling's 'New Romantic' and I was hooked. There's something very...I dunno, it's like she's baring her soul for everyone to see. That vulnerability, with that voice and those melodies...wow. I love what I've heard from the new album so far - 'Devil's Spoke' makes me want to turn up the volume and start stomping around the room, and 'Rambling Man' makes me want to sit very, very still. But the single that trumps them all is this one. It is, in a word...sublime. As far as I'm aware, there's no official video for it...but as I alluded to earlier, the live version she did on Jools Holland blew me away, so I shall post it here for you. Sit down, calm down, and enjoy.

So yeah. There we have it. I think I might look at quirky indie boy groups next...I know, what a genre! lol

Hangin' Tough

Listening to: Nothing.

Firstly, please excuse the tragic pun! Although to be fair, you'll probably only get it if you're familiar with late 80s pop culture, and I'll be surprised if anyone actually owns up to that cardinal sin. But yeah, the reason for the pun: the breaking but-really-we-knew-it-all-along-so-it-wasn't-really-a-surprise news of the day is that the British people have voted for a hung parliament. In the 'first past the post' system prevelant here, no single party can win all 326 out of 650 seats required, so we have a stalemate. As it stands, even if Gordon Brown convinces the LibDems to form a coalition, it won't be enough to get a majority; indeed, the only way a Tory Britain can be avoided (assuming that is desired) is if the leading coalition is a patchwork of Labour, LibDem and a number of smaller parties with possibly opposing ideals and policies. That, to me, spells 'too many cooks...', but it's not for me to decide.

And therein lies a problem, as I see it. Let's assume I didn't vote Tory (that's not to say I did...). My vote is now effectively null and void, and the party I supported has the difficult task of deciding whom to form a coalition with...a task that I have absolutely no say in. I've heard a lot of people saying "I don't want to vote LibDem in case they form a coalition with the Tories". Well shouldn't those people be able to make that opinion known to the LibDems? The party has a responsiblity to its supporters; how can it gauge whether those supporters would rather be in the government with someone they dislike, or in the opposition? There have been lots of calls for porportional representation, but I don't think that alone can solve the problem.

But getting back to the overall result. I mentioned earlier that I didn't wholly agree nor disagree with any of the three main parties. What this hung parliament tells me is that I'm not the only one. The British people are as undecided about the next steps for the country as are the politicians representing them.

We live in exciting times, people. Uncertain, yes...but exciting, nonetheless.

Enfranchised!

Listening to: 'Gorillaz Special' on Zane Lowe [Radio 1]

My poll card

So I voted. For the first time. Ever. And can I just say, what an exhilarating feeling! There's something empowering about knowing that you just played a part in the future of the country.

It's also kinda scary. I mean, what if I've made the wrong choice? What if the party I voted for does a Hitler? What if they do nothing? What if they're crap? In that respect, I'm glad that I'm just one of many that cast their vote today.

I watched the three leaders' debates, weighed up the pros and cons of each party, and made my choice. It was difficult to find a party I wholly agreed with, or a party I wholly disagreed with. So I adopted what I learned from elections in Uni - single transferable voting. I think I chose the party that best represents my views, and is most likely to carry out my mandate. We shall see.

Going back to the issue of being one voter of millions. If the party I voted for gets elected, great! If they don't get elected, also great! It won't be a time to throw my toys out of the pram, or to cry 'foul', or to blame the system. It will, however, be a time to celebrate the fact that the people have spoken. We have to live with other people's decisions every day - government is no different. At least here we have a say. And if my preferred party ends up in the opposition, at least they can work to ensure that the ruling party doesn't mess up too bad!

I am thankful that government in this country works. It's not perfect, but it's not broken either. And the people care. I might disagree with some of them, but that's ok. We all want what's best for the country. And that is something worth celebrating. Something to be proud of. And I am.