For Folk's Sake » Alela Diane

Exclusive | Alela Diane reveals video for ‘The Wind’

Lynn Roberts — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 08:42:43 +0000

We’re very excited to be able to bring you the beautiful new video for Alela Diane’s song ‘The Wind’.

The song, which Alela wrote after a friend of hers was tragically murdered, has an inevitable darkness that is reflected in the video, shot and directed by Jason Reid and Darren Lund.

Alela explains: “Following the incident – I had a series of dreams in which an organ was playing itself – or rather a spirit was playing it, I don’t know. Life is short and Death is a hard act to follow – that’s this song.

‘The chorus, ‘The Wind’ part was written by Tom [Bevitori, Alela’s husband] years ago, and finally found a home in the verses I wrote – a mysterious collaboration, especially given the circumstances.”

‘The Wind’ is taken from Alela’s most recent album, Alela Diane & Wild Divine.

Alela will be supporting the Fleet Foxes on their European tour this month, as well as playing a headline show in London tonight. Tickets and details are here.

ALELA DIANE HEADLINING:

2 Nov London, UK Village Underground

SUPPORTING FLEET FOXES:
5 Nov Bergen, NOR Grieghallen
6 Nov Oslo, NOR Sentrum Scene
8 Nov Stockholm, SWE Annexet
9 Nov Malmo, SWE KB
10 Nov Copenhagen, DNK Falconer
13 Nov Chorzow, POL Rozrywki
14 Nov Zagren, HRV Tvornica
15 Nov Vienna, AUT Museums Quartier
17 Nov Rome, ITA Atlantico
19 Nov Bologna, ITA Estragon
20 Nov Milan, ITA Teatro Smeraldo

Live | Alela Diane @ St Panras Old Church, 06/10/11

Helen True — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 08:37:27 +0000

Seated on high-backed wooden chairs like the kings and queens of Narnia in Cair Paravel, Alela Diane and her Wild Divine hold court from the dais at St Pancras Old Church. Flanked by her husband and her father (both called Tom), Diane preaches to the long-converted with sincerity, wit and gentle artistry, and FFS gets to revel in the whole marvellous show.

‘Elijah’ opens up proceedings in suitably devout fashion, and Diane’s proclivity for church performances makes immediate sense. An artist with a firm rooting in country music (her dad clearly approves of what she’s doing, sitting next to her as he is), Diane exudes a calm dignity and owlish wisdom throughout.

‘Tired Feet’, inspired by a stroll around London which merged with one of her more vivid dreamscapes, warms the audience with its associated anecdote, confirming Diane’s respect for our glorious capital.

Plenty of tracks from debut studio album The Pirates Gospel make an appearance, most notably in the granny-channeling ‘Pieces of String’, and the rolling baritones of ‘The Pirate’s Gospel’ itself, all yo-ho-ho-ing, ‘big-bellied whales’, flesh and nails.

All the while, tealights flicker in the alcoves of the church, hands are folded in laps, and the gentle sway of the seated audience (and the standing late-comers who won’t fit on the pews) are the only visual indications that we’re not here for a sermon.

Despair-ridden ‘Love Grows Cold’ is a highlight for FFS – singing about tombs in a church seems almost unbearably apt – then Alela and Dan (the one she’s married to) walk the aisle together to reach the piano that lives at the back of the church. With the happy effect that the back row becomes the front row, the pair give a clear-as-glass rendition of ‘Desire’ to a twisted-round audience, before heading back to their fairytale thrones. And then they blow our socks of with ‘Suzanne’, an eerie, lamentful, darkly countrified version that lights up the church in a way God never could.

Read FFS’s review of Alela’s latest album here.

You can catch Alela Diane & Wild Divine at Village Underground in Shoreditch on 2nd November – more details here.

Editor’s picks… Johnny Flynn, Broadcast 2000, Anni Rossi, Alela Diane, Caitlin Rose, Mara Carlyle

Lynn Roberts — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 22:20:42 +0000

1. Johnny Flynn singing Amazon Love with his sister Lillie for Burberry Sessions. You can also still download the free 5-track EP that Johnny Flynn recorded with the brilliant Rockfeedback for the Independent here.

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2. Broadcast 2000‘s set on Marc Riley’s 6 Music show from last year. The band plays Get Up and Go, Rouse Your Bones, All is Said and Done and their version of Regina Spektor‘s Us. Listen, listen.

Broadcast 2000 BBC 6MUSIC LIVE SESSION + INTERVIEW by broadcast2000

Head to B2000′s website for his Shed Sessions – recordings from his home studio featuring Emily & the Woods, Lucy Rose, John Smith and Laura Moody.

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3. Here’s a gorgeous performance of Own Side Now that Caitlin Rose did for the Guardian’s “How I Wrote…” series. It’s just perfect.

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4. LOVE this new(ish) Anni Rossi song – Land Majestic. It’s a getting ready to go out/driving sort of track I’d say. And it’s available for free download. Hurrah!.

5. This is a sad story. Nick from the Leisure Society is selling the guitar he wrote the first album on. Which means that TWO Ivor Novello nominated songs were composed on this guitar so it is worth at least a million pounds. If you have a million pounds bid on it now.

6. Our Helen is in love with Mara Carlyle. A pal of Willy Mason, who collaborated with him when he played a gig in South London a while back. I’m loathe to link you to a MySpace, but it’s all I have. Sorry.

7. Fancy a snoop around Alela Diane’s house?

ALELA DIANE & WILD DIVINE from More Dust Than Digital on Vimeo.

Album: Alela Diane & Wild Divine

Helen True — Thu, 12 May 2011 12:24:17 +0000

Filigree-wearing femmes, gun-toters and life stories in three minutes are staples of country music that FFS adores, and Alela Diane’s third studio album has served to deepen our adoration. As if we needed any help.

Her rich, clear vocals are like blue glass, curving through this expertly-composed 10-track album with more grace and poise than a tutu-wearing swan having an early-morning swim.

You’d be forgiven for assuming that ‘Of Many Colours’ is about a certain biblical technicolour dreamboat, but Diane’s oh-so-subtle reworking reads the moods of her lover as rich, velvety colours. The subject of her musings moves from indigo, through ebony to emerald (“come the morning”). This odyssey in various hues is gently arresting, and strangely addictive.

In fact, all the songs on Wild Divine are songs of stages: their complex structures never revert to a simplistic verse/chorus/verse progression, and many riff on past classics (the spelling lesson of ‘Desire’ brings the Tammy Wynette classic ‘D-I-V-O-R-C-E’ powerfully to mind, for example).

Break-up song ‘Long Way Down’ is light and fatalistic, asking “when is it too soon to walk, when to run dry of talk?” with a nonchalance that makes the end of an affair seem not all that bad. Ending with the galvanizing line “it’s been done before – you can work it through”, it made FFS feel a bit of a wimp for all the bawling we’ve done over shattered hearts in the past.

We’re not head-over-heels with Alela Diane & Wild Divine, but she’d doubtless advise us not to be anyway. It’d probably end in tears.

Alela Diane & Wild Divine – 3rd album due in April

Lynn Roberts — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 18:03:11 +0000

It’s all go on the albums-to-look-forward-to front today, as Rough Trade announces the release of Alela Diane’s 3rd album, intruguingly named ‘Alela Diane & Wild Divine’, on 4th April.

Alela wrote the album on the road in 2009 and finished it in 2010 with her husband and guitarist Tom Bevitori. She recorded it with REM and Nirvana producer Scott Lim – his first producing work in seven years.

The tracklisting sounds a bit Bob Dylan-y a bit Leonard Cohen-y and a bit Dolly Parton-y.

1. To begin
2. Elijah
3. Long Way Down
4. Suzanne
5. The Wind
6. Of Many Colors
7. Desire
8. Heartless Highway
9. White Horse
10. Rising Greatness

Alela Diane & The Wild Devine will play three UK dates in May in London (Scala, 12 May), Manchester (Band on the Wall, 13 May) and Brighton (Pavillion Theatre 14 May).

Blog: For Folk’s Sake Radio – if you don’t like lovely, you won’t like this

Lynn Roberts — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 19:20:53 +0000

On Sunday I popped down to London Fields Radio to record the first ever FFS radio show in a cafe against a background of the clatter of crockery and the hum of Hackney-ites chatting.

There’ll be a monthly-or-thereabouts show from now on, with the next one being probably the most Christmassy radio show of all time.

That chap you can hear is my friend Mark Higgins, who as well as being a nice man, knows how to produce a radio show. He has his own show called Bitter Fingers, also on London Fields Radio.

I think I probably said about 25 different things were lovely over the course of the hour, so if that will annoy you, certainly don’t listen to the show here…

For Folk’s Sake, Vol. 1 by Londonfieldsradio on Mixcloud

What we played…

Pirates’ Gospel by Alela Diane

BIT OF BRIAN: Brian’s Playlist #26 – Down in One

I Drink by Charles Aznavour
This isn’t on Brian’s playlist, because it’s not on Spotify (has anyone else gone off Spotify a bit recently?) but in the words of Bob Dylan it is “a devastating drinking song by the Frank Sinatra of France”. The lyrics are brilliantly cutting.
We Were Wasted by the Leisure Society
If you didn’t listen to the words of this pretty song, you’d never guess it was about getting home drunk after a night out. According to frontman Nick Hemming, The Leisure Society are in the final stages of recording their second album. I cannot WAIT to hear it.

Feet of Courage by Nancy Elizabeth

Robots by Dan Mangan
FFS-er Stephen Thomas interviewed Dan Mangan after his Union Chapel gig back in October. Read it here.

ALBUM OF THE SHOW: Sea of Bees – Songs for the Ravens

Sidepain by Sea of Bees
Sea of Bees is the marvellous Jules Baenziger from Sacramento, California. She records with producer and very nice man John Baccigaluppi. There’s an interview Anika Mottershaw and I did with the pair of them coming soon on FFS. Jules will be back in the UK in January. Check out dates on her MySpace.

Tiger Mountain Peasant Song by First Aid Kit

INFLUENCES: Neutral Milk Hotel and Laura Marling

In The Aeroplane Over The Sea by Neutral Milk Hotel
Made By Maid by Laura Marling
Laura Marling’s old MySpace cited NMH as one of her influences. I see that as a good excuse to play both Laura Marling AND Neutral Milk hotel and call it a feature.

O Little Town of Bethlehem by Emily & the Woods
Here we have a little sneak preview of our forthcoming charity Christmas album For Folk’s Sake It’s Christmas. Emily & the Woods recorded a gorgeous version of this carol for the album – and if those harmonies don’t make you swoon you are surely dead inside. Read our recent interview with Emily here.

Dance Music by the Mountain Goats

Live: Divine Comedy / Alela Diane Duo: Salle Pleyel Webcast, Paris

Lynn Roberts — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 14:14:25 +0000

I don’t know if this really counts as a live review, even though I watched it live. I suppose that is the only dilemma with the webcast, as everything else about it seems to be brilliant.

They’ve become something of a trend recently, and being a student a free gig you can watch from your bed whilst eating cereal very much appeals. Big names to webcast have been Arctic Monkeys and U2, my favourites have been The Indelicates and The National. However all have been eclipsed by a fantastic evening from The Divine Comedy.

Shortly after seven the Alela Diane Duo took to the stage. This was just Alela Diane and her father, which sounds like it would be uncomfortable, but it wasn’t, it was wonderful. I had not encountered the music of Alela Diane before, but I will certainly be encountering it in the future. She played a beautiful and captivating set for just shy of an hour. This was the first webcast I know of to have included a support act, and most people weren’t expecting it, but none were disappointed. In the unexpected absence of Neil Hannon for the first hour we were kept in more than adequate company as Alela wove delicate tales wrapped in soft, harmonic melodies accompanied with a frankly beautiful voice. I was so mesmerised that the cheese toastie that constituted my dinner for the evening had been left unattended and resolidifed as I stared at my laptop screen captured in some fine folk tunes.

However that set had to come to an end, and with it as per usual the audience were granted an interval. For those watching at home, we didn’t really need an interval, we could go to the loo and get drinks when we wanted, and I personally didn’t want to risk doing so then as I had no idea when Neil Hannon would be coming on, as no announcement was made to those of us at home. This was a rather dull half hour of the evening, but it was more than made up for by what followed.

Neil Hannon strolled onto the stage, he sat at the piano, and he launched into a fantastic solo rendition of Our Mutual Friend. My favourite song in the world at the top of the show, I didn’t think it could get better, I thought surely it was all downhill from here. But Hannon rolled out all the hits starting with a rousing rendition of Tonight We Fly. Hits followed, as did a surprising few rarities such as Your Daddy’s Car which I hadn’t heard in far too long a time.

Highlights included If, I Like, Don’t Look Down and a marvellous cover of MGMT’s Time To Pretend, which has left me with the distinct impression that there is no song this man couldn’t cover spectacularly. A personal favourite was a tangent in the middle of At The Indie Disco where he embarked on performing the intro to Blue Monday acapella.

Throughout the evening his banter was a delight as always, an effortlessly charming man. No other artist could get away with putting disclaimers at the beginning of his songs for shoddy playing, forgetting lyrics on a few occasions, and spending five minutes emptying a bag of old tissues, train tickets and various other tat and yet be so wonderfully entertaining at the same time. You find yourself almost wishing for a mistake if only to hear him comically recover.

At the end he received a standing ovation not only in Paris, but also in the living rooms of many following it on Twitter. He came on for an encore dressed in a rather splendid bowler hat to perform The Complete Banker, one of the few tracks to be performed from the new album, but also one of the best. Followed by a superb version of National Express. A song usually defined by it’s big brass refrain and guitar solo, converted to Neil sat at a Grand Piano, and it was one of the best versions I’ve heard of it.

Surely that would be enough, but he came back for yet one more final encore where he performed Can You Stand On One Leg from the latest album Bang Goes The Knighthood. A song which to me sounds like a cross between Serge Gainsbourg and Morecambe And Wise. It was a perfectly jovial way to end the three and half hours I had spent watching. And for those of you who are curious he held that note for just as long as on the album.

Divine Comedy are without a shadow of a doubt my favourite band, and this webcast only served to further establish them as such. I have never managed to see them live yet, but with events like this I certainly will be making the extra effort to attend in future, even if it means going to fair Paree.

Words: Sam Schafer

Brian’s Mixtape #27: Hot to Trot

Helen True — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 09:20:45 +0000

Following last week’s shameful booze-fuelled fiasco, Brian’s plunged like a lead balloon into a pit of depression so deep and wide that it’s been necessary to rescue him from his slum of a nest and reinstall him (temporarily, we hope) in a cosy shoebox at FFS HQ. This way we can keep an eye on the old bird, keep tabs on his booze consumption and encourage him to engage in activities which might lift his spirits.

Along with steering clear of the wacky wine, Brian’s been encouraged to cut down on the time he spends in front of a screen and get outside in the fresh air for a wander. We tasked him with composing a playlist for his sunny morning walk, and whilst the songs he’s selected certainly fulfill this brief we’re not convinced that he’ll return from his promenade any happier than when he left.

Some proper heartbreakers have found their way into this week’s playlist, so Brian might be in need of more drastic action by next week:

Isobel Cambell & Mark Laneghan – Rambling Man
Casiotone for the Painfully Alone – Streets of Philadelphia
Simon & Garfunkel – Bleecker Street
Aretha Franklin – Walk on By
Kimya Dawson – Wandering Daughter
Nick Drake – Road
Alela Diane – Every Path
The Divine Comedy – Going Downhill Fast
Nick Drake – Strolling Down the Highway
Radiohead – Street Spirit (Fade Out)
Nancy Sinatra – These Boots are Made for Walkin’

Listen on Spotify: Brian’s Mixtape #27: Hot to Trot

Our Spotify Inivtation amnesty continues – if you need one let us know and we’ll make a request of the ever-generous posse of FFS readers. Similarly, if you have any going spare let us know and we’ll give you the opportunity to do a good deed for a stranger, providing them with an lifetime’s supply of free music.

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

Brian’s mixtape #24: Because We Want To

Brian — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 14:03:54 +0000

Readers, we’re a little worried. After his absence a couple of weeks ago, Brian’s been acting a bit strangely. He used to be such a lovely tidy, polite owl but now Brian’s stomping about like a petulant teenager, his roost is an absolute shambles and he’s taken to shouting “boring” whenever he loses interest in a conversation. Frankly, it’s alarming.

We think you’ll be able to see the change in Brian in this week’s mix. It’s thematically rather messy, and he’s chosen to call it “Because We Want To”. He’s stopped short of including Billie Piper’s 1998 atrocity of the same name though, thank goodness.

Despite Brian’s waywardness, he’s certainly not lost his wonderful taste in music. Every tune is a gem. FFS is going to be listening to this for a long time to come.

Stars – Your Ex-Lover Is Dead
Eels – Hey Man (Now You’re Really Living)
Regina Spektor – Fidelity
Amadou & Mariam – Mouna
Joni Mitchell – Night In The City
Field Music – Them That Do Nothing
Belle and Sebastian – Roy Walker
Alela Diane – The Pirate’s Gospel
Band – Up On Cripple Creek
Jackson C. Frank – Blues Run The Game

And here it is in all its rebellious glory on Spotify (which Brian says should be renamed Spotif-awesome – he’s not good with puns…) Brian’s Mixtape #24: Because We Want To

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.

EP: Alela Diane and Alina Hardin — Alela & Alina

Lynn Roberts — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 09:28:22 +0000

When this collaboration between Alela Diane and her touring companion Alina Hardin opens with ‘Amidst the Movement’, one of Diane’s trademark gutsy folk songs that defies you not to join in with its sing-along chorus, it’s easy to think this EP is merely a supplement to her well-received album To Be Still. It soon becomes clear, however, that this offering is much more than that – it is a master-class in the sublimely simple beauty of classic folk music, delivered by two equally impressive songbirds.

After Hardin’s voice has taken the lead on her own track ‘Crying Wolf’, they spring another surprise on you with the perfect marriage of enchanting voices, unobtrusive guitars and the timeless tale of ‘Matty Groves’. Alela roots this tale of adultery in the tradition that it stems from, her voice providing a world-wise anchoring below Alina’s lighter voice which floats gracefully overhead.

Throughout the EP, these women’s voices complement each other perfectly and add exquisite layers of character to each other’s songs, yet it is when they are pitched perfectly equally on the three covers, including ‘Bowling Green’ and Townes Van Zandt’s ‘Rake’, that the results are most haunting.

Words: Lois Jeary

For Folk's Sake » Alela Diane

Exclusive | Alela Diane reveals video for ‘The Wind’

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Live | Alela Diane @ St Panras Old Church, 06/10/11

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Editor’s picks… Johnny Flynn, Broadcast 2000, Anni Rossi, Alela Diane, Caitlin Rose, Mara Carlyle

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Album: Alela Diane & Wild Divine

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Alela Diane & Wild Divine – 3rd album due in April

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Blog: For Folk’s Sake Radio – if you don’t like lovely, you won’t like this

What we played…

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Live: Divine Comedy / Alela Diane Duo: Salle Pleyel Webcast, Paris

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Brian’s Mixtape #27: Hot to Trot

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Brian’s mixtape #24: Because We Want To

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EP: Alela Diane and Alina Hardin — Alela & Alina

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