Listen Up! No. 58: The Daredevil Christopher Wright - Stewardess

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Folk-rock devoid of both the cabin-fever presciousness of Bon Iver (who produces, incidentally) and the straw-hats 'n' banjos faux-authentic posturing of the Brit nu-folkers. Plus a beautifully shot vid. They still can't resist having ridiculous beards, mind.


The Daredevil Christopher Wright - “Stewardess” - official video - Sophie's cut from sofilms on Vimeo.

Listen Up! No. 57: Timbre Timbre - Until The Night Is Over

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Late night listening for xx fans who like think lo-fi is a dish best served spooky.

Listen Up! No. 56: Edwyn Collins - Losing Sleep

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Whilst many will never have heard of largely forgotten Scotch post-punks Orange Juice (who Collins fronted), most will recognise his distinctive vibrato from this 90s pop gem. Seasoned fans will be cheered that this track (taken from his new record of the same name) treads a more nostalgic path, mixing jauntified new-wave akin to Julian Cope's early solo work with plenty of spluttering guitar noise. Meanwhile, casual fans should stick around for an attention to hooks which remains undiminished.

Listen Up! No. 55: Zowie - Broken Machine

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Despite every atom of my critical grey matter being desperate to hate this sickly New Zealand synth-popper - not least because of the excrucitating PR gambit "Zowie is a futuristic cheerleader from the planet Wow!" - sometimes a track's so catchy you've no chioce but to smile serenly and say 'beam me up, Zowie'.Take me to the mothership!

Listen Up! No. 54: Brandon Flowers - The Clock Was Tickin'

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The only cut worth your attention from Flowers' solo debut, Flamingo - an overwhelmingly tedious, regressive mix of synth-pop and heartland-rock, where you're never more than a chord change away from knowing exactly where you are. And despite what the lyrics protest, it's not Las Vegas. Unsurprising then that this thoughtful, melancholic country-rock number failed to make the final cut, and is tacked on as a 'bonus'. Bonus indeed.