#orchidhunter

[noondaytune]

I Want It All - Geographer.

I love this sweet little track from San Francisco’s Geographer. It features Mike Deni’s soaring vocals against a shimmering backdrop of jangly guitars and arpeggiated piano. It sounds like the changing seasons, that weird filtered light we get at this time of year. Magical.

Contributed by @orchidhunter.

[noondaytune]

Stay For Real - Young Galaxy.

This haunting and brilliant new track is a statement of intent from one of my favourite bands, Montreal’s Young Galaxy. In a recent press release they said, “We must show empathy, compassion and love – even when faced with increasing existential threats, and fear and hostility.” 

Partnering with Arcade Fire’s charity Plus1, Young Galaxy are donating all the proceeds from sales of the single (iTunes link here) to defend the rights of the marginalized, supporting the ACLU in the US, PIVOT in Canada, and WAVE in Europe.

So support some great causes and treat your ears to a great piece of dreamy synthpop by purchasing the track today.

Contributed by @orchidhunter.

[noondaytune]

Swimming - Furniteur.

I’m really enjoying the dreamy electronic sounds of Washington DC’s Furniteur. The approach on new single “Swimming” is ethereal and nostalgic, with twinkling synths, tropical percussion, and Brittany Sims’ airy vocals to float away on.

Furniteur’s upcoming LP, “Perfect Lavender”, is out later this month on Prince George Records.

Contributed by @orchidhunter.

[noondaytune]

Twist Your Arm - Ten Fé.

How come some bands can release a debut record that sounds so effortless, like they’ve been making music together for years? London-based duo Ten Fé are such an act. Recorded in Berlin, their album is best-described as clean yet lush. Just take the gorgeous, soaring melody of the track we feature today: Twist Your Arm. It’s the kind of tune that makes a welcome home right in your soul.

Contributed by @orchidhunter.

[noondaytune]

Keep Running - Tei Shi.

The world is in turmoil, but there’s new Tei Shi to soothe and inspire. Her sensual, breathy vocals, the evocative hazy synth lines, and groovy bass lines blend together into something wonderfully atmospheric.

Look out for her debut album “Crawlspace” at the end of March.

Contributed by @orchidhunter.

[noondaytune]

Future Politics - Austra.

I’m very excited that Austra has finally followed up 2013′s excellent “Olympia” with a new album, named after the single featured here: “Future Politics”. It’s propulsive electronic rhythms and Katie Stelmanis’s soaring soprano vocals are Austra’s signature sound, refined and distilled into the essence of what made their first albums so great.

I think she pretty much sums up the new record’s theme of a world in flux when she sings, “I'm not a coward like them, I don't need more money”. There’s a bright optimism here, a sense of determination. Now more than ever, we need radical artists to dream up our possible utopias. Austra does so, beautifully. 

Contributed by @orchidhunter.

[richleighton]

Success! Saw my first West Coast lady slipper orchid in the wild on Sunday! This is the mountain lady slipper orchid! (phone photo) I've already uploaded the good photos to my website.... look up the link in my bio. #orchid #ladyslipper #WashingtonState #PacificNorthwest #PNW #orchidhunter #MountainLadysSlipper #Cypripediummontanum #Cypripedium #wildorchid #nativeorchid #botany #rareplants #plants #flowers

[deepdarkwoodsdiary-blog]

Part 1). I'm on a train right now in Morocco, marveling at how bizarre and alien the local newspapers can seem to an outsider. I am reminded of a time when a young man’s life took a strange turn because of something he saw in a newspaper. Often in life we can see, in retrospect, how a single seemingly insignificant event was the preface to an entire chapter which, through a long series of chances and choices, forever altered the course of our lives. For my old friend John Cotterill, the threads of fate became tangled and began to alter their weave one morning as we sat sipping espressos together on Leicester square. He was reading the paper and his eye was caught by an advertisement. Tucked amongst quaint articles about the Leeds Flower Festival and a minor city disturbance caused by an escaped sheep herd was an ad for a book shop. The ad was almost entirely devoid of useful information such as an address or telephone number, and showed only the shop’s title with a small ominous little picture below it and an even more ominous sounding slogan below that. John pointed it out to me and I shrugged. He ripped out the page and tucked it in his pocket. We were roommates at the time, enjoying a summer artist residency at a bucolic abode on the edge of town. I, the more visual of the two, with oft painted hands and a satchel of sketchbooks, he; the sculptor, but more of an engineer really. “Functional sculpture” was how he described it. A week or so after the newspaper incident I noticed that John had altered his routine. Usually the early to bed and early to rise sort, John had begun to stay out later in the evenings. I was frequently awoken by his nocturnal returns, and after a few weeks of this mysterious itinerary I finally found out why.