exile on main street

One of my favorite albums of 2011 is the debut longplayer from Hurts. It's a brace of solid pop songs in the late 20th century style (ie. thoughtful lyrics, muscular production with electronic flourishes). Theo Hutchcraft delivers every track with a range of emotion and a strong, immediately identifiable vocal.

Very much in the tradition of British pop in the vein of Depeche Mode, Pet Shop Boys, et al. Not confined to being a studio concoction, they managed to fit in quite a lot of touring in order to spread the Hurts mission statement.

And now, Hurts are ready to launch version 2.0 with the release of "Exile", their sophomore effort. "The Road", the first taste from the elpee, was just delivered to the interwebs. It's a moody, thundering, widescreen track which, perhaps, hints at a darker sound for the duo.



"Exile" will hit the "shops" in March.

joy to the world

Just in time for the festive season, Tracey Thorn has delivered a video for "Joy", the opening track on her Christmas themed longplayer, "Tinsel And Lights".

Filmed in Lille, a beautiful village in northern France on the border of Belgium, the video sees Tracey wandering around the town's twinkling parade of Christmas lights. Gorgeous!



More than just a Christmas album, "Tinsel And Lights" is a rare gem. It's one of those elpees that transcends the traditional brace of Christmas songs and is an album that can be enjoyed at anytime of the year. By no means and easy feat.

"Tinsel And Lights" will likely end up toward the top end of my favorite albums of the year. Stay tuned!