I NERD FOR STORNOWAY: stornoway - 5 songs (live @ mercury lounge july 8)

[for my 10 fans of the site (i'm going to start using that more often now!), you know that we've been nerding for the oxford based stornoway since late february. their brand of earnest folk mixed in with superb 4 part harmonies and heartfelt lyrics have given us one of the better debuts albums of the year.

last week the band took a break from their hectic/sold out festival schedule and came across the pond to perform 2 low key showcases for the NY crowd. i attended their 2nd show at the mercury lounge and managed to record 5 numbers of their all too short set. alot of the singalong fans knew the band from oxford and via the internet (me included) so it was pure joy to FINALLY get to experience them live. as you'll see they do not disappoint. promising a return later this year, go and check out the band when they come back and tour the US!]


Stornoway - I Saw You Blink (July 8 @ Mercury Lounge)
[the song that started it all for wongie. still genuine enough to bring a smile to my face even after the 1000th listen!]

Stornoway - Fuel Up (July 8 @ Mercury Lounge)
[my current sentimental favorite to plug walk the ipod soundtracked streets of new york to. drive on fans!]

Stornoway - November Song (July 8 @ Mercury Lounge)
[as a bonus, brian left his mic and gave us an acoustic performance of this song. truly beautiful, you could hear a pin drop during this whole time (bar the annoying talking chick standing behind me)]

Stornoway - We Are The Battery Human (July 8 @ Mercury Lounge)
[continuing their completely mic free stance, the whole band got in on the game and gave us this LOVELY future singalong anthem. this also marks the first time we get to see jon ouin move from behind the dark corner into the much needed frontline]

Stornoway - Zorbing (July 8 @ Mercury Lounge)
[their final song of the evening, featuring the full band (including violin and trumpet). already so sweet and lovely, i can only imagine what this band will sound like in a year's time! we heart stornoway!]

NEW STORNOWAY!: stornoway - watching birds

stornoway - watching birds
[finally a good video from the stornoway camp (plus any song that ends with a kazoo deserves a listen!) sadly it's been censored in the UK... maybe too much chess playing is illegal?]

NEW STORNOWAY!: stornoway - zorbing

stornoway - zorbing
[OH MY GOD, can these boys NOT make a decent video? either they're allowing their mates to shoot these nothing video compositions, or they have no sense of visual taste. wtf?! thank goodness they are so brilliant as a performance band cause if i didn't know better, i'd write them off based on this blergh video!]

WONGIE SONG OF THE WEEK: stornoway - i saw you blink (live @ watch listen tell) / zorbing

stornoway - i saw you blink (live @ watch listen tell)
[oh my gosh, these oxford boys had me at hello! a tenor lead vocal that transforms into four part harmony mixed with a quirky surprising musicality filtered through a funnel of happy. it's enough to make me implode with glee! joy joy joy!]

and if you want to hear more, check out their debut single 'zorbing' below!

stornoway - zorbing

AUDIO LEAK: stornoway - i saw you blink

stornoway - i saw you blink
[how much do we love this song? we went stornoway crazy with their live performance of this song a few weeks back and now we find the studio (demo?) version of this amazing ditty. will they release this as a single already? just signed to 4AD, this hopefully will lead to a proper debut soon too!]

LIVE WONGIE: stornoway - fuel up / zorbing (live @ later with jools holland)

stornoway - fuel up (live @ later with jools holland)
[my new favorite band of the moment continue to showcase their talents with this rousing performance they gave on jools holland last november. god this song gave me goosebumps!]


stornoway - zorbing (live @ later with jools holland)
[crowd favorite indeed! you can hear the audience fall in love with them. can't believe they are still unsigned!]

WONGIE SONG OF THE MONTH: stornoway - i saw you blink

stornoway - i saw you blink
[our previous song of the week has been elevated to 'song of the month' status! thank goodness the track holds on to it's greatness even when they are presented in the form of rabid country boys like in this shite video. hang the director!]

LIVE WONGIE: stornoway - zorbing (live @ bbc introducing)

stornoway - zorbing (live @ bbc introducing)
[nice!!! the boys sound much more polished than a few months back and ready for crossover success! can't wait to hear the rest of the debut album at this point!]

WONGIE SONG OF THE WEEK: the morning benders feat the echo chambers orchestra - excuses (live @ yours truly presents)

the morning benders feat the echo chamber orchestra - excuses (live @ yours truly presents)
[omg, last week i went a tad crazy when i discovered stornoway, now i continue my OMG streak with the discovery of this berkeley based band the morning benders. with their full appreciation of the wall of the sound, the boys recently invited the echo chamber orchestra to record an insane doo-wop 60's pop anthem. i can listen to this over and over again! simply brilliant! if you like what you hear, the great folks at rcrdlbl have offered the song as a free mp3 (though not as brilliant as this version)]