Focus Music Notes. "Out of the Blues". Popular music through the decades

Ben Howard releases his new single, ‘Keep Your Head Up’ on the 26th September. It is taken from his forthcoming debut album, ‘Every Kingdom’ on the 3rd October 2011, released through Island Records. Check out the video here Every Kingdom is a record that young  & has been brewing within himself for at least a couple of years. And yet its careful attention to detail, with tight, homespun harmonies and folk-informed arrangements, could only have been fully realised after relentless road-testing of these songs on stages across the UK and Europe. It has been an explosive introduction to a broader audience in 2011 for 24 year old Howard. Having only signed his record deal with Island Records at the beginning of the year, Ben had already accrued a hefty fanbase through sheer hard touring and the word of mouth support that followed. His initial success was predominantly buoyed by the incredibly supportive surf community that nurtured Ben in Devon and Cornwall after pulling

On 18th April, over five years on from his debut album, Tom Vek returned to the public eye with a brand new single A Chore and news of his highly anticipated second album Leisure Seizure. It ended a huge amount of speculation as to the whereabouts of the enigmatic, London-born artist who disappeared from the public eye after his debut album We Have Sound became a cult classic following it’s 2005 release. Now, following the brilliant critical response to Leisure Seizure and a sold out UK tour, Tom Vek will release new single Aroused. Recorded in his own east London PALLET studios, Aroused is a prime example of Vek’s self-coined ‘beat rock’ – a more controlled, consistent and elaborated version of the unique, raw sound of his debut album. Meanwhile, following a sold out UK tour, Tom Vek has announced more live shows. Vek is set to play the Reading and Leeds Festival and Bestival before headlining a 2000 capacity show at London’s Shepherds Bush Empire on 16th November. Tickets for the O2

Like a bolt from the blue, The Drums return with their second album, ‘Portamento’ to be released on September 12th through Moshi Moshi / Island Records. ‘Portamento’ - released just over a year since their debut - reveals a band tugging lightly at the boundaries of their sound while still retaining their recognizable sonic signatures. Sweet rushes of melody and brittle synthesizer sheens colliding with wiry Spector-esque guitar lines are still very much present, but singer, Jonny Pierce’s lyrics have assumed a deeper, personal tone and coupled with the band’s own more expansive production, ‘Portamento’ is a more complex, but ultimately more rewarding listen than their debut. Emerging from Brooklyn via Florida in 2010, The Drums initially caught the ear of the indie world with their ‘ Summertime! ’ EP - an escapist collection of beach pop fantasies – which preceded their self-titled debut album, released in June 2010. ‘The Drums’ has gone on to sell 200,000 albums world-wide, reflecting

James Morrison releases his incredible third album “The Awakening” on Island Records on September 26. The album, his first for the label, was produced by Bernard Butler and was recorded at Konk studios in London. It follows the huge global success of James’s previous two albums which, together, have sold more than 4.5 million copies worldwide. His 2006 debut album “Undiscovered” topped the UK album chart whilst the 2008 follow-up album “Songs For You, Truths For Me” included “Broken Strings”, the collaboration with Nelly Furtado which sold in excess of 1.5 million copies. “The Awakening” also includes an amazing collaboration, this time with Jessie J on the track “Up”. This, and one other track, was produced by Mark Taylor. All other tracks were produced by Bernard Butler. James Morrison said; “Working with Bernard Butler on this album has brought a whole new dimension to the songs. For me this album combines influences stemming from my deep love for classic soul – Marvin Gaye, Stevie