new &/ newish: Anchorsong, Lisa Hannigan, Darcy James Argue's Secret Society and Zara McFarlane

Before we start here's a little goodbye to DJ Jimmy Saville. A bizarre and loveable ball of energy who passed away this week. A British institution, the original DJ, TOTP presenter, marathon runner and tireless charity fundraiser. Watch this and acquaint yourself with a fascinating human being.

• Anchorsong is a Japanese producer based in London on Tru Thoughts who's released a new single, Ghost Touch, along with a free B-Side, Plum Rain, available for free here. Check out the live video (keys, samples, beats, all properly live) too.

Ghost Touch by Anchorsong

• I had never really warmed to Lisa Hannigan before hearing today when I listened to here new album Passenger. It's terrific. Perfect for a Sunday spent indoors reading the paper. Watch the video too, as Lisa sings and plays through paint storm.

Lisa Hannigan- Knots by MMMusic

• Started reading about steampunk this morning, literature, art and music set in steam-powered Victorian Britain. From the wiki I linked to Canadian composer Darcy James Argue and his orchestra, Secret Society. I downloaded Infernal Machines, their jazzy, orchestral 2009 album on New Amsterdam Records. I had a look into what they're up to now. As it happens they're about to unveil an epic musical fable, about a master carpenter commissioned to build a carousel on the tallest building in the world being constructed in Brooklyn. Featuring visuals from Danijel Zezelj, live animation, projections, video and of course music, Brooklyn Babylon is set to be a spectacular spectacle. Find out more here. It runs Nov. 9 - 12th in Brooklyn's BAM Harvey Theatre. Fingers crossed for dates in Europe.

BROOKLYN BABYLON trailer from Danijel Zezelj on Vimeo.

Darcy James Argue's Secret Society - Transit by merkinconcerthall

• And finishing with yet more jazzy sounds is news of a debut album by Zara McFarlane on Gilles Peterson's Brownswood Recordings. Her voice blows me away. One of the finest records I've heard all year, can't wait to catch her live.

Zara McFarlane - Chiaroscuro by Brownswood

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