My mini festival...

Headed off to Hyde Park to see Arcade Fire + guests. I like the Hyde Park gigs - they are like mini-festivals but in central London - finish nice and early so its easy enough to get home, and you don't have to take a day off work.

The full line up (well who I saw anyhow...) was The Vaccines, Beirut, Mumford & Sons and Arcade Fire. It was good weather (I missed the rain), I hung out with Sue and her friends and drank some cider (I NEVER normally drink cider!), and generally had a very good afternoon. Highlight for me were definitely Mumford & Sons - just felt more 'personal'. Arcade Fire were great, but it was uber rammed by then so I felt quite removed from them. Still good - but they are better in a smaller venue I think.

But I'm now having a full on crush on Mumford & Sons - cute band and great music!

Shed load of the letter 'S'

This letter took me a while to get through... I had to make notes on my phone as I finished an album as I knew I wouldn't remember by the time I came to type it up!!

Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers - The National
Safety - Richmond Fontaine
Salty - The Mutton Birds
Sam's Town - The Killers
Saturnalia - The Gutter Twins
Sawdust - The Killers
Scissor Sisters - Scissor Sisters
The Second Gleam - The Avett Brothers
The Secret Migration - Mercury Rev
See The Light - The Hours
The Seldom Seen Kid - Elbow
Send Away the Tigers - Manic Street Preachers
Separated by the Sea - Findlay Brown
Separation Sunday - The Hold Steady
Set Yourself on Fire - The Stars
Seven Swans - Sufjan Stevens
The Shaky Hands - The Shaky Hands
Shaun of the Dead - Soundtrack
Shocking Pinks - Shocking Pinks
Showbiz - Muse
Siberia - Echo & the Bunnymen
Sign No More - Mumford & Sons
Silence is Easy - Starsailor
Silent Alarm - Bloc Party
Since I Left You - The Avalanches
Singles - Suede
Sirens of the Ditch - Jason Isbell
Sky Blue Sky - Wilco
Sky Motel - Kristin Hersh
Sleep Mountain - The Kissaway Trail
The Sleeper - The Leisure Society
Slideling - Ian McCulloch
Snowflake Midnight - Mercury Rev
So Much for the City - The Thrills
The Soft Bulletin - The Flaming Lips
Sojourner Box Set: Nashville Moon - Magnolia Electric Co
Sojourner Box Set: Shohola - Magnolia Electric Co
Sojourner Box Set: Sun Session - Magnolia Electric Co
Sojourner Box Set: The Black Ram - Magnolia Electric Co
Some Cities - Doves
Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle - Bill Callahan
Songbook: The Singles: Vol One - Super Furry Animals
Songs for Polar Bears - Snow Patrol
Songs for Silverman - Ben Folds
Songs for Northern Britain - Teenage Fanclub
Songs from the Front Lawn - The Front Lawn
Songs from the Victorious City - Anne Dudley / Jaz Coleman
Songs in A&E - Spiritualized
Songs of Strength and Heartbreak - The Mighty Wah!
The Sound Inside - Breaks Co-Op
Sound of Silver - LCD Soundsystem
Souvenirs - The Duke Spirit
The Specials Singles - The Specials
Speed of the Whippoorwill - Chatham County Line
Stadium Arcadium: Jupiter - Red Hot Chilli Peppers
Stadium Arcadium: Mars - Red Hot Chilli Peppers
The Stage Names - Okkervil River
Star Time (Disc 1-4) - James Brown
Stars of CCTV - Hard-Fi
Stay Positive - The Hold Steady
The Stereo Bus - The Stereo Bus
The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses
Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea - PJ Harvey
The Story - Brandi Carlile
Straitjacket Fits - Straitjacket Fits
Strange Angels - Kristin Hersh
Strangelet - Grant Lee Phillips
Streets of our Time - Danny & The Champions of the World
Strings - Kristin Hersh
Strip-Mine - James
Stutter - James
Subiza - Delorean
Substance - New Order
The Suburbs - Arcade Fire
Summer Teeth - Wilco
The Sun Came Out - 7 Worlds Collide
Sunny Border Blue - Kristin Hersh
Superabundance - The Young Knives
Surfer Rosa/Come on Pilgrim - The Pixies
Surviving the Quiet - Seafood
Sweatbees - My Morning Jacket
The Swell Season - Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova

So from my notes... Delorean - Good - atmospheric, a bit dancy. Didn't think Brandi Carlile was anything special. Liked Duke Spirit - rough girl singer! Really like Spiritualized - thought it would be more dancy than it was, Leisure Society - very good. Melodic and soft - a bit folky. Kissaway Trail I also really liked - sort of country-ish. Really liked Avalanches as well - bit dancey with a bit of rap sound too, Shocking Pinks I liked - sort of NZish. Stars reminded me of NZ music as well. Gutter Twins I described as being a bit 'Nick Cave-ish'.

Also didn't realise how many albums there were by Kristin Hersh that started with S!