Photograph by Tom Oldham

Talented Oxford pop-folk band Stornoway (a Scottish town which appears on all UK televised weather reports) released one of the best songs of 2010 (Zorbing) and garnered rave reviews for their debut album Beachcomber’s Windowsill and live performances.  They will release new album Tales From Terra Firma in early 2013.  To get a feel for the vocally (in particular) gifted band and the new songs (but certainly not the “quite different” recorded versions or live sounds of the band), check them out on Sounds from a Room (on a boat moored on the Thames) HERE.  The first song’s harmonies are worth the price of admission alone.

After, you can get a better feel for the recorded Stornoway below on their official videos for Zorbing (love the trumpet at 1:43), Watching Birds, and I Saw You Blink.  After the official videos are great live vignettes on BBC and A Takeway Show for La Blogotheque.  We hope to see them in the States in 2013, having missed their brief tour here a few years back.

OK, we get it.  We’d watched a snippet or two of neo-soul singer Miguel and been unimpressed earlier this year.  Must have been an off day or three.  Since then we’ve caught various videos that convinced us of the error of our ways.  Check out below the second coming of Marvin Gaye singing various songs from his album Kaleidoscope Dream.  At bottom, following some winning live performances of Miguel’s justifiable smash hit Adorn and others, is the official video for Adorn.  Marvin must be smilin’ down from above.  He sings so well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9PoWVOMI8k&feature=em-uploademail-new

Ryan Adams is one of our all-time favorite singer-songwriters, and he is finally getting the respect from fellow songwriters that he’s been due.  Check out Adams (with Don Was on bass and former Cardinals member Cindy Cashdollar on dobro) singing new-ish song Shining Through the Dark off of the soundtrack of Judd Apatow’s new move This is 40.  A beauty.

The Colbert Report completed its year last night, and at the end of the show Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, Mavis Staples, Sean Lennon and the Harlem Gospel Ghoir finished up Colbert’s Christmas Carol Week with a cover of John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s Happy Xmas (War Is Over). Check it out below.

One of the more innovative “new” artists, Dan Deacon (and his large entourage), appeared for the first time on national TV last night on Jimmy Kimmel Live.   Check out Deacon and crew killin’ on True Thrush off of his phenomenal album, America.   Deacon added to the proceedings by lighting up the crowd with his own audience-participation smart-phone app, which you can hear/see more about after the Kimmel performance.

Another band lighting up the Best Albums of 2012 lists is (yet another) Brooklyn-band DIIV, with their album Oshin (you know, like the sea).  Check out the band below playing Doused from the album last night on the Letterman Show.  Awkward and repetitive.  Kinda like us.  We like it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHIeqrG5-KQ&feature=em-uploademail

LA sister-band HAIM is receiving deserved praise on this and the other side of the “Pond.” Check out the band on BBC’s Radio 1 performing their strong song Don’t Save Me below.  After, watch them ably rock Fleetwood Mac’s quintessential blues-rocker, Oh Well HERE.  Make sure to catch ’em in Cali when they come home.

At last night’s Concert for Sandy Relief, Coldplay’s Chris Martin performed a winning set and brought out R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe for a duet on Losing My Religion.  Watch below beginning at 1:40 (after Blake Lively’s talk) as Martin performs a captivating solo acoustic Viva la Vida, followed by Losing My Religion with Stipe, capped off by an apropos Us Against the World done solo by Martin on piano.  There are a lot of Coldplay/Chris Martin haters out there, but you won’t find any here.  To the contrary.

Each night this week Stephen Colbert is covering classic Christmas carols with his guests.  Last night Michael Stipe (doubling up on his appearance at the Concert for Sandy Relief), and actor Mandy Patinkin joined the show’s host for Good King Wenceslas.  Tonight Jeff Tweedy, Mavis Staples and Sean Lennon will join Colbert.  Set your DVRs.

The who’s who of music (forgive native son Bon Jovi’s inclusion–gads) came to NYC last night to play the Concert For Sandy Relief.  The Rolling Stones, The Who, Bruce Springsteen, Kanye West, et. al made it a musical night to remember.  The night was chock full of goodness, perhaps capped off by a reunited Nirvana (with Paul McCartney acquitting himself incredibly well on lead vocals and Bo Diddley-guitar riffs).  Check ’em out below playing Cut Me Some Slack.  Dave Grohl beat the crap out of his drums (shocker), long hair flailing, veloured Krist Novocelik held down the bottom line (tandem-ing well with McCartney at one point), and an ever-smiling Pat Smear filled in ably on rhythm guitar.  Great stuff.  Oh, and if you can, please go donate to the Sandy Relief effort HERE.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIWdotxMKC4&feature=player_embedded