Folky foursome Noah and the Whale have spoken out about the proposed closure of 6music on their blog.

The band said: “The BBC is currently facing great tragedy. A tragedy that will be catastrophic on all alternative music groups, new bands and unsigned artists.”

They called the radio station “one of the very few champions of good alternative music left in the mainstream media” .

FFS would like to join Noah and the Whale in urging you to make yourselves heard. Click here to find out how.

The band has recorded a cover of Tom Petty’s ‘Last DJ’ for 6music’s 8th birthday today. Check out the video below.

Last Dj by Tom Petty cover for BBC6 from charlie fink on Vimeo.

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I expect you’re wondering what Brian’s excuse is this time?

The silly old owl asked for your suggestions for drinking songs on his twitter @LordBrianWilson on Monday, then duly spent the day glugging acorn wine while listening to them. It was a ’scientific test to determine their suitability for purpose’, he tells us.

Now we don’t, for a moment, wish to suggest that the average For Folk’s Sake reader is a terrible lush, but we did get an awful lot of replies to Brian’s request for song suggestions. So Brian’s consumption of acorn wine went on rather longer than he had anticipated and he ended up rather tired and emotional.

Brian spent yesterday mainly groaning, and was in no fit state to communicate with the outside world. But today, finally, here is a thoroughly chastised Brian’s 26th playlist entitled “Down In One”.

1. George Jones – White Lightning
2. The Magnetic Fields – Too Drunk to Dream
3. Nancy Sinatra – Summer Wine
4. Mary Gauthier – I Drink
5. The Leisure Society – We Were Wasted
6. Roger Miller – Chug-A-Lug
7. Florence + The Machine – Hurricane Drunk
8. The Broken Family Band – The Booze and The Drugs
9. Tunng – With Whiskey
10. The Divine Comedy – Gin Soaked Boy
11. Grantura – Hymn For A Drunk
12. Tom Waits – The Piano Has Been Drinking [Not Me]

Spotify: Brian’s Mixtape #26: Down In One

If you’ve not got yourself registered on Spotify have a look at their website to learn more. And, if you need an invite (so you can use Spotify for free) let uncle Brian know in the comments section below and he will bestow one on you.

Have a flap around our mixtape section to find Brian’s previous efforts.

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• Album: Tunng - ...And Then We Saw Land
• Brian's Mixtape #21: An Education
• Brian's Mixtape #19: The Goose is Getting Fat
• Cheer up.
• In pictures: End of the Road festival
• The Leisure Society's The Sleeper wins Schmercury poll, we celebrate with competition
• The Leisure Society announce single and tour
• Latest free downloads
• Q&A with Schmercuries nominee Nick Hemming of The Leisure Society
• Festival: Joe does Green Man

Vinyl is awesome. I’m a sucker for the ceremony and (beyond that epic sound) vinyl records provide a pretty amazing canvas for artwork. We thought we’d make the most of that for Rachael Dadd’s new mini-album Moth In The Motor.

Rachael Dadd is a musician I’ve loved since my very first encounter with her. She’s a true DIY artist — recording at home, designing her own CD covers and sewing individual bags to house them. As a (way beyond the realms of obsessive) music fan, I still find myself showing off the handmade CDs I bought from Rachael a year ago. Even if there was nothing on the CDs at all, I’d have been happy enough with the visual alone. Luckily they were packed full of enough awesomeness to keep both my ears and eyes equally chuffed.

When it came to releasing her new Moth In The Motor mini album, it was obvious that a departure from this would be nothing short of the-most-unforgivable-thing-in-the-whole-world-ever. The title track is a subtly anarchic jab at unnecessary mass production, and a celebration of what can be achieved by collective hands & minds. It was a combination of this, Rachael’s love of art, and our desire to sustain that feeling we got from Rachael’s DIY releases that prompted us to launch the Moth In The Motor Arts Project.

The plan was to invite some of our favourite artists to create ‘one of a kind’ sleeves for the 10″ vinyl release. The artist sets the price of his or her work, and all the profits go direct to the artist. We’d hoped that this would be an opportunity to showcase talented hands and to create something that’s as appealing to the eyes as it is to the ears.

Thanks to the passion and talents of the artists involved, it seems to have worked. It’s been a great opportunity for us to tap up artists we’ve long admired from afar (Paul Alp, Jess Douglas)…some of our favourite musicians (including Alessi’s Ark)…to make some great new discoveries (NeltonMandelton, Jaaja Kumino Nobata)…and to revisit old heroes (such as Benjamin Phillips who was behind the amazing artwork on our Peggy Sue EPs). We’ve now received over 100 designs, have just packed up an exhibition at Cafe Oto, and I’m massively happy to announce a week-long exhibition at The Foundry which opens up on March 16th. Hurrah.

Outside music, Rachael is an accomplished textiles & linocut artist. The bags which provided a home to her earlier DIY releases were works of art in their own right, and having recently returned home from her Heads and Tails exhibition in Japan she was keen to add her personal touch to the new record. Heads and Tails is a collection of Rachael’s linocut prints, all fantasy animals which she dreamt up and tirelessly made whole. Upon her return to our shores the original linocuts were put to use to make the sleeves for an extra 200 limited edition Moth In The Motor records- each one different and hand printed. A true labour of love.

The Moth In The Motor exhibition runs at The Foundry (Old Street) from 16th-22nd March, with incidental music from Rachael Dadd & friends on Thursday 18th. You can see all of the designs at www.brokensoundmusic.com/moth.htm.

Three massive cheers for the collective. Three massive cheers for vinyl.

The Making of The Moth and the Motor

The 10" is cut onto acetate

Handmade promo CDs

Cutting the lino for the back

The tracklisting on the back of each sleeve was hand-painted using a linocut

A selection of the 300 sleeves. Each one is different.

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• Review: Rachael Dadd - Moth in the Motor
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• Call for artists: Album cover designs wanted for Rachael Dadd mini-album
• Call for artists: Album cover designs wanted for Rachael Dadd mini-album

Rushing to get to a venue for 6:20 to see the support act may seem a bit strange, but that’s what we did, as Sparrow & the Workshop were supporting Idlewild at a venue in Wimbledon that was seemingly run by the elderly. The headliners finished playing by 8:30 and everyone was promptly thrown out. It was actually pretty brilliant to be able to have a night out and a night in, but that’s neither here nor there.

Sparrow and the Workshop came out, got set up and waited for the DJ — who was apparently too emotionally attached to the Jeff Buckley song he was playing to fade it out — to turn the music off. Once he did they started with the rather excellent ‘Into the Wild’, a song that encapsulates what’s so good about the band, great country-folk melodies and harmonies with a raucous backbone.

Each musician in Sparrow & the Workshop brings their own musical ingredient. Frontwoman and acoustic guitarist Jill O’Sullivan’s country vocals are cuttingly pure — but more haunting banshee than soothing angel. Gregor Donaldson is a phenomenal drummer, his dexterity is sometimes astonishing. As well as that he’s that most elusive of things, a singing percussionist, whose warm Scottish baritone adds harmonic depth to Jill’s vocals. Guitarist and bassist Nick Packer scuzzes things up nicely with a layer of distortion and noise.

Sparrow & the Workshop don’t sound like any other band. Rather than melding together, their clear influences sit separately to form a unique layered sound, which really comes into its own in a live setting.

Words: Joe Innes & Lynn Roberts

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• Brian's Mixtape #20: The Big Freeze

There’s nothing strikingly different about …And Then We Saw Land, Tunng’s fourth record.  All of the main ingredients for a modern British folk album are present – the harmonies, cheerful melodies and casual banjo are all present and correct.  Though there are, of course, the little moments that define the album clearly but briefly as a Tunng record, for the most part a blind taste test would leave even the most well-versed in the genre unsure as to which band they are listening to.  Certain tracks, such as ‘It Breaks’ could just as easily be Make Model or any number of other, similar bands.

Nevertheless, a record cannot be judged on how easy it is to guess the artist – if that were the case The Cheeky Girls would have been the critical find of the century.  No, rather than settling lazily on the fact that …And Then We Saw Land sounds like a great deal of already existing music, it’s worth asking how bad that really is?  British folk at the moment is enjoying a bit of a renaissance.  The genre has become accessible, and has managed to do so without sacrificing any of its values or more obscure instrumentations.  Mumford & Sons are being played by Radio One on a daily basis, 6 Music’s plight is bringing more and more attention to the genres it represents.  To sound like the epitome of folk is no bad thing – it means that the artist is listenable whilst also being truly representative of the modern genre.  Tunng have certainly managed this, drawing on influences from the last thirty or so years of folk music – ‘October’ owes as much to Simon & Garfunkel as it does any artist from this century, a gentle and swooning song that will certainly have a part in sound tracking my autumn when the season inevitably rolls around. ‘Sashimi’ might even owe a small debt to The Who, but more importantly is as fresh as it is familiar.  …And Then We Saw Land is an album that breaks no new ground, but is all the more listenable, all the more enjoyable, for that.

Listen on Spotify

Tunng’s MySpace

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Here at FFS we get sent tons and tons of music every week. We try to listen to it all and we pick up on the things that grab us. Sometimes something we’ve listened to on MySpace and decided we’re not that keen on takes off and we’re left wondering whether we’ve missed something.

Such is the case with Marina & the Diamonds. I was sent a link to her MySpace back in 2008. I can remember having a listen, deciding it was throwaway diva powerpop and moving on. Since then there has been a lot of press and exposure but nothing that’s made me think again.

Then a couple of weeks ago Marina Diamandis, the woman behind the sparkly moniker, turned up on BBC 2’s This Week singing ‘I Am Not A Robot’ accompanied only by a piano. Her voice, stripped bare, is quite remarkable.

So, here I find myself on Spotify listening to her album The Family Jewels. On the opening track ‘Are You Satisfied’ her vocals sound a bit Amanda Palmer-lite. And it becomes apparent quite quickly that a lot of her songs start interestingly but are all given a generic pop chorus fit for the masses. I don’t know if the public need a melody and beat rammed down their throat to understand them, but that seems to be what they’re getting.

‘I Am Not A Robot’ is the best track by miles, the way Marina uses her voice as an instrument is showcased nicely and in this case the synth and drum machine suit the theme of the song.

I won’t listen to this album again without the overproduction making me want to pour acid in my ears, but minus that and some pretty cheesy lyrics, Ms Diamandis could turn out to be something pretty special. Looking forward to album number two.

~~~~

Twitter response to Marina

I asked FFS’s Twitter followers what they thought of Marina and the Diamonds. Here’s what they said:

@mattcollinsongs: Overrated nasal rubbish! They’ll be gone in 18-24 months.

@johnjones81: Marina is like a poor man’s PJ Harvey

@The_GalleryCafe: Definitely style over substance

@werewiththeband: think its when Radio 1 gets hold of them that I get bored

@darlinglaura_: I just love Marina.

@deferredsucess: Marina = likeable pop fodder

@ARoseBtT: honestly bit meh but probably need to give a proper chance

@arteeeee: I don’t get the fuss and both are way overproduced. I saw Marina on the TV once singing acoustic and that was way better.

@solitaryblossom: (Marina+Ellie) < Florence

@drunkcountry: Overblown & drenched in production booth interference; nowhere near as good as the stadium gig in her head, her bedroom demos had far more character.

@TisforTaekwondo: Marina & the Diamonds I love!

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Listening to Have One on Me for the umpteenth time, I still find myself irrationally and spontaneously bursting into tears at the gentle phrasing and subtle moments. There is no biological reason why my hormones should be so out of whack, and therefore the only explanation for my behaviour is something deeply and uniquely powerful hidden within Joanna Newsom’s latest creation, something that it seems almost laughable to try and capture through mere words.

Superficial listeners of Newsom’s music may have her down as simply a spinner of fairytales, armed with nothing more than an unbridled imagination, a harp and an ethereal pitch. How disgustingly inadequate this assessment proves to be. The courtly drums and pipes of the meandering title track may transport you to a world of Countesses and tarantulas, but it is in fact the contrast of Newsom’s fantastical imagery with her simple honest observations that cut to your core with sheer human feeling, which marks her out as a lyricist.

‘In California’ exploits the poetic vulnerability of nature (goldfish being stolen from their golden state, the cry of the cuckoo) to emphasise the pleading of the chorus, and the submission in her confession, “Sometimes I am so in love with you”. The hymnal opening of ‘Baby Birch’ lulls you into a false idyll before a distant clanging guitar, infectious rhythm and Newsom’s cooing usher in a darkness hidden in the lyrics. Even the joyous country-pop lilt and jazz-bar breakdown of ‘Good Intentions Paving Company’ thinly veils a tale of aching hearts.

‘Does Not Suffice’ tells of the farewell ritual of packing up your belongings after you finally realise “It does not suffice to merely lie beside each other/As those who love each other do”. It is the most straight-forwardly honest song on the album, and therefore the most powerful, as the woeful piano and shrieking strings merge into a frenzy of noise that invades your consciousness like the inescapable pain of a broken heart. Eventually it all fades away, leaving only silence, and an overwhelming feeling of emptiness that something beautiful has come to an end.

In the song it is a relationship that has run its course, but in the real world it is this tremendous two-hour musical adventure that has wrought such havoc on your emotional state. Like the sweetest of loves, its ending makes your insides ache and the world feel like it will never be the same again.

Words: Lois Jeary

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Imagine FFS’s delight when we received this beautiful hand-stitched CD cover in the post.  Causing FFS’s other half to comment rather cynically “She’s got you figured out”.

Well perhaps she has, but that doesn’t alter the fact that the EP inside, All You Need, is a lovely slice of upbeat acoustic folk-pop, produced by Karl Odlum who has previously worked with FFS favourites David Kitt and Fionn Regan.

Check out Maria’s MySpace for more.

On top of her wonderful music and superior sewing skills, Maria has also commissioned friend-of-FFS Anika Mottershaw to produce a video for her, which we think shows she’s a woman of great taste, too.

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Elbow's Guy Garvey's show is on Sundays 10pm-midnight

Ladies and gents, we’ve been so impressed with the letters in defense of our favourite radio station that we’ve had the privilege of reading. The 6music listeners who came across our request to be copied into emails have been an overwhelmingly articulate, passionate and polite bunch.

Wouldn’t it be great to be able to wear our support proudly emblazoned across our collective chest, or pinned proudly to our lapels?

Thusly we’re asking you to submit designs for “Save 6 Music” t-shirts and badges. We’ll then present the designs online, ask you to choose which ones we should produce in bulk, then get a load made up and sell them as cheaply as we can manage through some sort of online shopping wizardry.

I for one think it’d be just lovely to be able to spot like-minded people in the street. After all, we’re all in this together.

Send any designs to savesix[at]forfolkssake[dot]com.

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• Save 6music: Noah and the Whale lend support with video
• Save 6 Music: Your letters to the BBC Trustees
• BBC Confirms 6Music to be axed
• Folked Up: Stephen Thomas on the potential demise of BBC 6 Music
• Emmy the Great defends BBC 6music