#told by Jacquie Lyn

[notasapleasure]

Music meme

rules: Tell us 10 songs you’re obsessed with right now and tag 10 blogs!

I was tagged a little while back by @mardymaid - thank you! As usual, I won’t tage anyone else for now, but please feel free to do this if you like.

It took some time to work out what I was coming back to again and again at the moment, but these things presented themselves: I'm on a folky kick, and fixating on things I want to put in playlists inspired by the Lymond Chronicles. That's not everything in this list, but it is a good proportion of it...

1. Bella Hardy - The Queen of Carters Bar Still the best track on the new album: Tam Lyn from the point of view of the Faery Queen (I maintain...though I guess it could be an older, wiser Janet): 'watching you pretend to be the things you aren't' as a young newcomer is 'plucking at my roses.' I often struggle to believe in a happy ending for this folk song, so I like this bittersweet modern take a lot.

2. Bella Hardy - Heartbreaker Two and a half minutes of precisely over-the-top ballad with swelling music and melodrama that's just barely held together. I sometimes think I should feel guilty about enjoying this so much. But it's too much fun to feel guilty about.

3. Offa Rex - The Old Churchyard I forgot this album existed for a while! I love Olivia Chaney's voice, and this is the stand out track on the album, which does a good Fairport Convention revival, even if it's less striking overall than I remembered.

4. Pentangle - When I Was in my Prime My favourite kind of Pentangle, a minimalist showcase for Jacqui McShee's voice. Unhurried, unforced, simply told and simply, but deeply felt.

5. Jim Moray - The Straight Line and the Curve Songs about John Dee! And then John Dee turned up in 'The Ringed Castle'. Curating the cultural aspects of my life well. I love the variety on this album, but this is a particular high point: Dee's words and a pavane-like rhythm, with Jim's voice actually quite restrained.

6. Lisa Knapp feat. Alasdair Roberts - Hunt the Hare Pt. II Two voices that work very well together, hers light and breathy, the hare skimming over the long spring grass; his nasally, reedy, but powerful and dogged as it follows her, steering along with the rhythmic guitar and drum.

7. Leonard Cohen - You Want it Darker I love his growly old voice, like a suave Tom Waits.

8. Anne Briggs - Fine Horseman Look, I was already in love with Jerott Blyth, and then he pretended to be drunk at a horse show and out-rode trained janissaries and kept up with Francis Crawford in acrobatics, shooting and horsemanship. I pretty much died it was so awesome. And I had this gorgeous, melancholy version of Norma Waterson's song stuck in my head afterwards.

9. Kate Bush - And So is Love Just look at the video. Jacket/hair/lipstick goals. Ok, also it’s another song for Blyth.

10. Maxïmo Park - The Hero And one for Francis Crawford...

#music meme #music #meme #enthusing