STOCKHOLM:
ANNA JARVINEN
Jag Fick Feeling
OK, so she was born in Finland, but has made Stockholm her home and it’s the perfect place for her sound – a mix of the pure pop that Swede’s have always perfected and enough folk fairy dust to keep things interesting. So part pixie, part bombshell, just the girl you want to meet when you step off the plane.
SHEFFIELD:
AUTECHRE
Quaristice
I'm keeping it real (and local) with my selections this month. Sheffield might not be top of your holiday hitlist, but it's home to Autechre and the magnificent Warp label, so it surely deserves some attention. It's still pretty minimal and industrial stuff, but there's a light dusting of warmth to reward the intrepid listener.
EDINBURGH:
BOARDS OF CANADA
Music Has The Right To Children
More electronica from slightly further north, but this time it's slightly more accessible. A lovely ethereal feel pervades this landmark album, with the lo-fi sound only adding to the charm.
NEW YORK:
VARIOUS ARTISTS
Fabric 30
Fabric30: Rub’n’Tug
New York may have been the epicentre of skinny-jeaned art rock in recent years, but it’s also the place where the disco inferno was first set ablaze. LCD Soundsystem might be hipper, but these boys are the party-goers choice, famed for their deep, twisted house music and even more twisted loft parties. Brought to here courtesy of a London superclub!
PARIS:
TTC
3615
The sound of this city is fuelled by its suburbs and their rich hip-hop heritage. These enfants terribles blend the trademark laconic flow of French MCs with the Gallic Metallic electro sound that’s been fuelling dancefloors on both sides of the channel recently. You don’t have to know the mother tongue to learn the dirt body language.
BRIGHTON:
NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS
Dig!!!Lazarus Dig!!!
I've cheated a bit as Cave's obviously not a native, but he lives in Brighton and he's a personal favourite, so this latest release gets the nod. It's lighter on the slow jams, with the emphasis on the raw, garage-rock style heard recently on his Grinderman side project.
CAMBRIDGE:
JAMIE LIDELL
Jim
Duxford Aerodrome, rowing and Jamie Lidell - Cambridgeshire's got it all. This is another fine blend of soul and funk from the former wearer of giant babygrows. Following on from 2005's excellent 'Multiply', Jim follows Lidell as he continues in his quest to redinterpret the classic sound of Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye and of course, Prince.
GLASGOW:
THE DELGADOS
The Great Eastern
The lack of guaranteed sunshine might not attract you, but it’s heart and soul should. This epic indie masterpiece is typical of the Glasgow school of rock – blustering but delicate, soaring but touching, bitter but sweet. Its silver linings sparkle even in the lowest of skies, although not enough to save the group from disbanding recently!
ENGLISH COUNTRYSIDE:
JACK ROSE
Kensington Blues
If you go down to these woods today you might be in for a surprise. Steeped in the traditions of ragtime and raga instrumentals and players like Fahey and Basho, Rose uses 12 strings and a few fingers to spin hypnotic yarns and weave witches’ spells that take you from the marshy banks of a river to watching the sunset from the top of a great oak
DUBLIN:
MY BLOODY VALENTINE
Loveless
Kevin Shields made a welcome appearance on the soundtrack to 'Lost In Translation', contributing some beautifully fuzzy incidental music and the track 'Sometimes'. This album is a different proposition althogether - it's a pristine and melancholic sonic tour de force that shaped a generation of future musicians.