Pree are another band, along with the truly brilliant Donny Hue, who are signed to the excellent Washington/New York label The Kora Records.  There’s precious little information on them to be found anywhere (and, at the time of writing, the label website is down) so I guess that all I can do it tell you what I think of the music.  No harm in that of course.

It’s very much of a type with the likes of Cocoroise and Feist and all that lot, with a slightly thick female vocal enlivening music which is equal parts indie, folk and fairytale.  It is infinitely less cutesy than some of the bands to which it might be compared, and never anything like as shrill as people might fear given the description.

In the Parlour is the official preview track, and given it’s only a five-song EP I didn’t really feel at liberty to ignore that request.  Personally though I find that song a little on the straight-backed side to be the best representation.  When I think of this record it is more of the upright step of the strings on Lack of Fight or the truly beautiful richness of the piano on Light Fails.

While it starts well, in the sense that I have no criticism of the songs at the beginning, I would probably say that the really special ones are, in my view, towards the end.  It’s a nimble EP though; economical, well assembled and lovely.  Highly recommended.

Pree – In the Parlour

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MySpace | More mp3s | Buy from The Kora Records

This week I welcome you to the absolutely 100% guaranteed non-controversial podcast.  Nothing to see here. Move along.  Although, it might be slightly controversial, just possibly, around two thirds of the way through if you are excessively religious or perhaps if you have some objection to pointing and laughing as Jade Goody dies of cancer or Pete Doherty and Amy Winehouse slowly expire in the full and relentless gaze of the public eye.

Has anyone seen the film Deathwatch?  It’s set in Glasgow in the 1980s and almost entirely obscure, despite an amazing cast: Romy Schneider, Harvey Keitel and Max von Sydow.  What it amounts to is that a woman discovers that she is going to die, and then a TV company ask to buy the rights to film her last weeks.  It’s a bit over the top at times, but a pretty visionary movie nevertheless.  It’s always disconcerting where something like that makes a prediction which proves to be so uncannily true.  I think the scariest thing about 1984 is how utterly determined the species seems to be to make sure that it comes true.

If you can find a copy, I’d recommend that you watch it.  It’s pretty hard to track down though – we had to get ours from Amazon France for some bizarre reason, so good luck to you.

Toadcast #60 – The Blandcast

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1. Belle & Sebastian – Women’s Realm (04.41)
2. Clem Snide – Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Your Grievience (09.00)
3. Pree – Light Falls (17.05)
4. Frivolous Laura – A Lullaby (20.22)
5. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – Statues (27.27)
6. The Low Anthem – Oh My God Charlie Darwin (37.18)
7. Kill It Kid – Burst its Banks (41.31)
8. Pete Doherty – The Last of the English Roses (49.03)
9. R.E.M. – Perfect Circle (59.41)