London Music... and Lots of Links

I've finally stumbled upon the local London music scene, particularly the anti-folk scene which is teeming with talented artists I've begun to obsess over. I obsess over finding mp3s, then YouTube videos, then local shows, etc. I had been beginning to feel "old," in that I seemed to like few new bands surfacing in the past year. But hope has arrived in the form of Noah & the Whale, Laura Marling, Jeremy Warmsley, Emmy the Great, and Jaymay. They are all London-based (yet another reason London is great) and I'm already marking my calendar for their shows.

Another find that's kept me up until dawn... the Black Cab Sessions, not to be confused with HBO's racier Taxi Cab Confessions. Basically, musicians passing through London are filmed performing a song (usually) unplugged in the back of a cab. Check out the website for some cool performances, my favorites being The New Pornographers, The Raveonettes, Noah & the Whale/Laura Marling, St. Vincent, and the Daniel Johnston videos.

This post seemingly belongs on my other blog, Touch My Clickwheel, but it's somewhat relevant. Hooray for music! I also love the Juno soundtrack and flaunt the fact that they used two of my favorite Belle & Sebastian songs. Alas... the actual movie doesn't come out in London until February. Good things come to those who wait I suppose.

Hooray for Humans!

I re-entered the world of human beings today for a whole eight hours and returned to work at the fine establishment Ellis Brigham. I was all smiles because despite the good company of my flatmate Tom, it was sooooooo nice to see friends again. Sure, I have to zip jackets a million times and tag racks of clothing and answer phones. But it was great! I probably won't be singing this tune all the time, but working at EB has possibly been one of the best decisions I've made out here in London. I feel more at home in the store than I do at LSE and for sure, I see a lot more friendly faces. This isn't to stress that LSE is crap; it isn't. It's to stress that EB is great, at least for me (since I only work 3 days a week).

Yesterday I went out and took advantage of some winter sales that made London prices seem almost as cheap as the US. I bought myself a Christmas present or two and it felt damn good. I'm seeing a friend from high school tomorrow, which is yet another crazy example of how I see more friends passing through London than DC. Cheers.