This weekend on Friday and Saturday both Pitou & The Visual play TivoliVredenburg in Utrecht, for ‘Walk The Line: Indie #2’! Check out the Covid-proof event here. 
This Sunday 16 August we’ll be present at the yearly edition of the independent record label market, at Tolhuistuin in Amsterdam. Find us alongside labels such as: Subroutine Records, Snowstar Records, Bloomer Records, Paradiso Vinyl Club, Excelsior Recordings, Beggars Group, Caroline Benelux, Subroutine Records, Coaster Records, Geertruida and more. Free entrance, more info here.
We will be bringing a big batch of fresh new merchandise, which will also be listed in our webshop soon.
Today we bring you Avocet’s debut album ‘Lend Your Garden’, the Scottish trio’s ‘wonderfully arranged, impeccably played, beautifully sung, global roots kissed, swinging folk gem’.
It is available on all streaming services (listen online here), or on CD – which can be ordered through our webshop.
Some lovely reviews have trickled in… find a selection below… 
. Big thanks also to 3VOOR12 for placing the album on their ‘Luisterpaal’, BBC Scotland for the airplay, and Celtic Music Radio and Cam Glen Radio Glasgow for ‘album of the week’ features!
‘I’m utterly captivated by the debut LP from Avocet. They’ve built on their enchanting 2018 Borrowed Seed EP with a wonderfully arranged, impeccably played, beautifully sung, global roots kissed, swinging folk gem for Mink Records. A genuinely stunning debut LP.’ – The Slow Music Movement ‘You can hear the same vibe in Avocet, pacey yet gentle, clarity of guitar and harp resonating together, knitting the music into a wonderful cloth (…) the great interplay between Iona and Sam is better than ever. Sam’s guitar work is clean, clear, precise, but full of soul and above all, under-stated. Nothing flashy, but very, very good.’ – Folk Radio ‘From a musical point of view it’s a feast of beautiful harp- and guitarwork, but the other musicians on the album contribute to a sound that keeps sounding slightly more out there than just ‘folky’ or ‘Celtic’ (…) Avocet’s music goes beyond the ‘folk’ genre somehow and manages to maintain the listeners attention.’ – Erwin Zijleman, de Krenten uit de Pop blog (NL) ‘It begins by laying out its influence on the jazzy folk blues circling guitar notes and puttering percussion of ‘Sell Me To The Wind’, Zajac inviting you on the musical journey (…) A Malian influence seeps into the breathily sung march beat title track, psychedelic guitar notes weaving across the hypnotic melody on a song addressing global conflicts and the desire to “be free from those fighting a war so separate from me” (…) Harp and guitar skimming across the underlying bassline like light reflecting off water, ‘Glarabi’ is an instrumental, the title of which may or may not be a variation on Gl’Arabi, a reference to a Sufi mystic. (…) Like the bird, the trio navigates the folk currents with dexterity and are ready to take flight.’ – folking.com ‘This is a band with something new and fresh to offer to the Folk scene of today, which is kind of ironic really, as they are so obviously influenced by Folk revivalists of the 60’s and 70’s. I think it’s the inclusion of the sparkling harp and Iona’s seductive vocals that set them apart from their peers and that’s not taking anything away from the other gifted musicians on the album, it just gives them that touch of stardust that others may lack. It’s a stunning debut recording that will captivate with it’s versatility and differing styles, from Psych Folk to Blues, to Jazz and all with a contemporary ambiance, a real must have if your looking for something to refresh your Folk collection.’ – Real Music Net ‘The album feels soft and calming, with a perfect mix of instruments. Zajac’s voice is just sublime.’ – 3VOOR12 ‘A wonderfully arranged, impeccably played, beautifully sung, global roots kissed, swinging folk gem for Mink Records. A genuinely stunning debut LP.’ – The Slow Movement
‘A must album for everyone’s collection.’ – Celtic Music Radio
We are very grateful for all the support so far and can’t wait to hear what you think.
Torii have just released a new music video for single ‘Forward Retreat’, premiered on U.K. platform Under The Radar Mag! You can read the full article here. Much thanks to Dom Gourlay for the kind words. The Dutch national broadcaster 3VOOR12 also did a lovely feature on the video, calling Torii’s album ‘one of their favourite rele`ases of the year’.
Based on a concept by French artist Pauline Bauvin then filmed in France during the annual festival of Gayant in July 2019 by keyboard player Jilles van Kleef and Bauvin, the video for “Forward Retreat” focuses on medieval folklore. Van Kleef takes up the story.
“In Northern France and Belgium folklore, “giants” are figures representing fictional or factual characters. Originating in medieval rituals, the tradition dictates giants being carried by one or more people walking and dancing in the streets during carnivals, parades and processions. Their size varies depending on the region of origin. They usually depict archetypes of the town such as the bourgeois and the peasant or historical figures of local relevance. Each giant has its own history, they are born, they marry, they have children. The music video was filmed in Douai (a commune in Northern France) during the festival of Gayant in July 2019. The legend of Gayant (“giant” in Picard language) dates back to the 16th century. Gayant is one of the oldest giant pageants, starting in 1530 during a procession honouring Saint-Maurand, the protector of Douai. The ancestral cultural practice has been kept alive since then. Every year, for three days, the festival takes place where Gayant and his family composed of the giant’s wife Marie Cagenon and their three children, Jacquot, Fillon, and Binbin, are carried through the city.”
Today marks the second anniversary of the release of Pitou’s second EP ‘I Fall Asleep So Fast’! We can’t believe it’s been two years since we released this beautiful record by a truly remarkable artist.
To celebrate, we have a 20% discount in our webshop for the record on 12” vinyl and CD. Valid until May 18th. Use code: IFASF2 at checkout. We ship worldwide.
Click here to order the CD, and here to order the vinyl.
A note from Pitou:
“I Fall Asleep So Fast turns 2 today. Some songs stay in the past and some songs travel with you through the years. The title song is one that has travelled with me. Guy Garvey kindly said: ‘hearing the vocals to this song is like watching a high-wire act’ – and that is exactly what performing the song still feels like and means to me. I miss playing, but will continue working on my album in the meantime. Hopefully we will see each other some day after all this. ❤️ Pitou”
The EP received a sea of critical acclaim from major platforms and radio stations such as NME, Clash Magazine, Line of Best Fit, The 405, DIY, Europavox, BBC 6 Music, BBC Radio 1, Radio X (all UK), Radio FIP (FR) 3FM (NL), and many more. Pitou was named one of the 12 ‘Talents For 2018’ by 3VOOR12 (the music department of the national broadcaster) in The Netherlands, and ‘One To Watch for 2018’ by The Independent.
‘Regimented but gentle (…) Mechanical but empathic. Like Tinkerbell serenading you from the far side of a wormhole, or an archangel contemplating eternity in some heavenly hall of mirrors.’ – Gigwise
‘Spellbinding”; “heavenly”; “unique”. The adjectives that have been deployed to describe her music are as numerous as they are effusive. And as her fingers dance across her guitar strings, it’s easy to be mesmerized — whether viewing the world through the prism of alcohol (“Give Me A Glass”), dealing with self-doubt (“Be Delicate”), or the wonders of new love (“Debt Of A Lover”), her songs flutter and float like a cloud, slowly coalescing into grand shapes and forms. Sometimes, as Pitou proves, less really can be more.’ – Europavox
’I don’t know exactly how to describe this, but Pitou’s songs reach straight into my soul. Her way of singing instantly brought tears to my eyes. She creates intimate, minimalistic and above all beautiful folksongs, with mysterious melodies that remind one of Alela Diane, Laura Marling or Julia Holter. Not overly sentimental, but intimate and powerful.’ – Noisey VICE NL
Despite pandemic madness, we decided to go ahead and release something digitally, for you to chill and groove to in quarantine. Out today, hailing from Glasgow: MONICA- ‘Celebration’: stream the album here.
in The Scotsman newspaper! ‘Their debut album ‘Celebration’ has been out digitally for a couple of months, and is well worth seeking out for its lean soul pop chops, mellow folk-tinged reveries and the sultry influence of The Blue Nile in its laidback warmth.’MONICA are a multi-generational band of musicians and artists based in Glasgow who have been making music together in various forms and guises for over a decade.
The band, made up of Andrea Marini, Lloyd Herriott, Ariane Jackson, Simon Shaw, and Ian Stoddart, all hail from different musical backgrounds and bring different musicality to the combined sound making MONICA.
Originally forming around the solo material of Marini, they subsequently moved away from the folk-based sound of his 2004 debut, drawing from a much broader pool of references, creating a sound of ranging influences from across the musical spectrum; Curtis Mayfield, The Blue Nile and The Durutti Column are amongst their many touchstones as well as dub, minimalism and kosmische musik.
Their debut album, Celebration, has been in the making for a while and has arrived through experimenting with songwriting and groove-based improvisation, drawing on their established experience of playing together. This is evident from their synthesised sound that clearly draws from a complex range of musical influences.
The album was recorded in Glasgow & Inveraray by Geoff Allan, Matthew Burrows & the band. Artwork by Ariane Jackson-Marini.
