Ornithological Origami

London-based duo Paper Crows have been cropping up on some of my favourite music blogs the past few weeks.

The story goes that 18-year-old Emma Panas met 24-year-old Duncan McDougall at music college and, after forging a musical connection, began bunking off classes to go and work on their own songs.

Their debut single 'Stand Alight' is a delightful oddity, combining elements of post-dub with more downbeat moments that remind of Zero 7's earlier work. If it's all a bit lo-fi for your liking, fret not because the ever-reliable Monsieur Adi has worked his magic to make it more dancefloor-ready.

Paper Crows - Stand Alight



Paper Crows - Stand Alight (Monsieur Adi Remix)



Better yet is 'Cloudbustin Behaviour' the pair's inspired mash-up of Kate Bush's 'Cloudbusting' and Bjork's 'Human Behaviour'. Behold:

Car Parts, Bottles And Cutlery

Today, Sweden's Polar Music Prize was awarded to Italian producer Ennio Morricone and Icelandic singer Björk, two worthy winners.

As part of the ceremony in Stockholm, Swedish singer Robyn paid tribute to Björk by performing this gorgeous rendition of her song Hyperballad:



It's hard to gauge ice-queen Björk's reaction but how could she not be flattered? Here's hoping Robyn trills this cover one of her two sets at Electric Picnic this weekend.

Smoking Suburbia

These posters for Arcade Fire's 2010 World Tour are ever-so-slightly mindblowing. See the full set here.

Their latest album, The Suburbs, has been getting great reviews. Once I pry my eyes from these lovely creations, I might get around to investigating.

Imagine None Of This Is Real

Last weekend, at the Pukkelpop festival in Belgium, a misjudged stage-dive by Charles Haddon of London-based synthpop outfit Ou Est Le Swimming Pool resulted in the serious injury of a female fan.

It's been reported that, following the incident, members of the band were embroiled in a furious argument backstage. Hours later, Haddon was found dead in a car park, having commit suicide.

As a tribute to the late singer, whose promising career has been cut cruelly short, Frankmusik recorded this impassioned acoustic cover of the band's debut single, Dance The Way I Feel.

Frankmusik - Dance The Way I Feel



The dubiously-monikored eMDeeeMA have re-jigged Frankmusik's cover, setting it to some bleeps and squelches. The raw intensity of the acoustic version is blunted somewhat, but it's still pretty lovely.

Ou Est Le Swimming Pool - Dance the Way I Feel (FRANKMUSIK cover) (eMDeeeMA Remix) by eMDeeeMA

Ou Est Le Swimming Pool will release their debut album, The Golden Year, in October.

Jackie, Is That You?

Cripes. What would Kelso say?

I Live Among The Creatures Of The Night

Every now and again, a frothy female pop singer comes along that captures the imagination of the remixer/producer elite.

We've seen the likes of Ellie Goulding, Lykke Li, La Roux and, more recently, Florrie re-swizzed by some of the big name beatmakers. Now, it seems, it's the turn of 21-year-old Jade Williams, aka Sunday Girl.

Her recent singles, 'Four Floors' and Laura Brannigan cover 'Self Control', are understated pop gems, but it's these remixes by the likes of Diplo and Fenech Soler that have really piqued my interest:

Sunday Girl - Self Control (Fenech Soler Remix)



Sunday Girl - Four Floors (Diplo Remix) (Free download via RCRD LBL)



Sunday Girl - Four Floors:

Stuck On Repeat - The Montague Edition

Katy B - Katy On A Mission



Jamiroquai - White Knuckle Ride (Penguin Prison Remix)



Mark Ronson & The Business Intl - Lose It In The End (ft Ghostface Killah)



Robyn - Criminal Intent



Ellie Goulding - Lights (Messed Remix)



The xx - Stars (LAZRtag Remix) (free download)



Florrie - 911 (Florrie Mix)

Fringe Binge

For the third consecutive year, I've managed to land some work at ABSOLUT Fringe in Dublin. This year, I've got slightly more responsibility, meaning that, sadly, I probably won't be able to catch that many shows.

This is made all the more tragic by the outstanding calibre of this year's shows. Granted, I'm obviously a bit biased but take a look for yourself if you're not convinced.

Ms Miranda Sings is certainly excited...



Maybe it's because she's seen the trailer for this year's show by The Company?

I Feel It's Going Down, Ten Feet Below The Ground

I think circumstances can have a lot to do with a person's taste in music. Sometimes I wonder what I ever saw in the albums I once considered 'my favourites' but I appreciate that, at the time, they represented a time or place, a (seemingly) significant person or a state of mind.

Maybe in a few years' time, Perfume Genius (26-year-old Seattle singer-songwriter Mike Hadreas) won't make sense but, right now, he's all I can hear above the clamour.

Perfume Genius - Mr. Petersen



Perfume Genius - Learning

Monkey See, Monkey Do

Following on from my post about Neon Hitch and her endearing collection of covers comes a savvy mash-up of Ellie Goulding's 'Starry Eyed' with Two Door Cinema Club's 'What You Know'.

Girl's got game. Behold 'What Starry Eyes Know'.

Neon Hitch - What Starry Eyes Know (Two Door Cinema Club vs Ellie Goulding)

Tearing Off Tights With My Teeth

Listening to Lo-Fi-Fnk's newest track, 'Sleepless', is a bit of a head-fuck. It's an unpredictable journery involving sax solos, whistling, French vocals thrown in for no apparent reason but, somehow, it all seems to come together to create a slab of blissed-out, piano-driven pop.

Based on this and recent release 'Marchin' In', it sounds like the Swedish oddballs' sophomore album is shaping up to be quite something.

Nothing Compares 2 U

Janelle Monáe, added to the Electric Picnic line-up earlier this week, does her finest Sinead O' Connor impression in the video for 'Cold War', the song that should, by right, see her crossover to universal adoration.



Well played.

I Don't Need Blue Blood

Hannah Yadi is unsigned but, with the likes of Mr Midas Touch Neon Gold currently fawning over her, this is unlikely to be the case for long.

All the songs on the 23-year-old Londoner's Myspace are pretty decent but it's her most recent track 'Guillotine' that really sets her apart from the slew of aspiring alt-pop princesses currently clambering for our attention.

Sounding like a more cocksure cousin of Marina and the Diamonds' 'Mowgli's Road', the track sees Yadi framing layers of dramatic vocals with pounding drumbeats, choppy keys and synthy flourishes, the overall effect being pretty disarming.

Yadi - Guillotine



The track is currently labeled 'demo', although I'm not sure quite how she intends to improve it. Download it here. Right now, like.

[Image: Jack Davison]