La Loupe

wherein we take a closer look at some of our very favourite bands!

From the depths of my external hard drive: Lesley Gore

June 20, 2010
From the depths of my external hard drive: Lesley Gore

Lesley Gore – Maybe I Know Lesley Gore – Look of Love “She wasn’t the most soulful girl group singer by a long shot, but she projected an archetype of female adolescent yearning. Her best songs survive as classics, particularly the irresistibly melodic “Maybe I Know” and “Look of Love” (both written by Ellie...
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A Look Back: Primavera Sound 2010

June 15, 2010
A Look Back: Primavera Sound 2010

At long last, Letters have no Arms is pleased to present you with our official look back on Primavera Sound 2010. What were our highs? Our lows? Our favourite food? Scroll down, where all will be revealed!
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Review: ‘Strange Powers – Stephin Merritt and the Magnetic Fields’

April 27, 2010
Review: ‘Strange Powers – Stephin Merritt and the Magnetic Fields’

It’s not often you get the chance to see the ins and outs of the evolution of your favourite band. Particularly if that band isn’t U2 or Metallica. All the more reason to be thankful to Kerthy Fix and Gail O’Hara, who spent ten years following Stephin Merritt and The Magnetic Fields, and have made something...
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What Emily Did

November 18, 2009
What Emily Did

I can honestly say I’m a fan of pretty much everything Emily Haines has done so far, musically. There is Metric of course, and there is her solo stuff, but there’s also – let’s not forget – her many wonderful collaborations. Some, like “Anthems for a 17-year Old Girl“, seem to be universally loved...
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Words

November 4, 2009
Words

Low – Words Saturday Looks Good to Me – Typing Sandbox Astronomy – Lost Languages Jeffrey Lewis – Alphabet Jordaan Mason – What’s In Your Head Radiohead – These Are My Twisted Words Please tell me you’re one of those people who love looking up words in dictionaries. Good. Thanks for that. I like...
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Pavement for Dummies

September 18, 2009
Pavement for Dummies

Unless you’ve been in a cave somewhere recording video messages to the great Satan on your webcam, trapped inside a large bear outfit, abusing Kurt’s avatar (now those are three words I never thought I’d write), under a table somewhere hiding from swine flu, too busy following Terminal Man, worrying about your missile shield,...
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La canción de aquel momento en que soñabas con un tiempo que nunca quiso volver.

March 7, 2009
La canción de aquel momento en que soñabas con un tiempo que nunca quiso volver.

***pic*** Nosoträsh is currently my 4th most played artist on Last.fm. This is largely due to one album of theirs, the sheer musical joy that is “Popemas”. If I had a top 50 albums that say a little something about who I am, this would definitely be one of the 50. One of the...
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Sin Canciones

March 5, 2009
Sin Canciones

♥ pic ♥ As you probably read in the last post, my beloved fellow co-blogger (also known as Steven in this thing called “the real world” or something) is now in Spain. And so I’ll take advantage of this opportunity to make a little tribute of my own to this sunny sunny country which...
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Emmy the Great, the Cute, the Talented, the Melancholic, the Sweet, the Magnificent

February 13, 2009
Emmy the Great, the Cute, the Talented, the Melancholic, the Sweet, the Magnificent

*by Ahren Hertel* I don’t think we’ve ever written anything about Emmy the Great. Which is weird because, if you had asked me a year ago to give you ten reasons for starting this blog, five of the reasons would have been variations of “to make everyone love Emmy the Great”. Well, it seems...
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Spare a thought for poor old Ryan Adams (and his underappreciated career)

January 30, 2009
Spare a thought for poor old Ryan Adams (and his underappreciated career)

As some of you might already know, prolific songwriter Ryan Adams recently announced he would be leaving the music business, explaining that he’s sick of being taken for granted and is battered by the road. “i lost more than anyone will ever know (hearing, someone i loved, my sense of dignity, a never ending...
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Songs about books: a mix tape

October 9, 2008
Songs about books: a mix tape

Awesome songs about books, everyone. 1. Akron/Family – Franny/You’re Human “Please Lord give me strength to be nobody ’cause I am not my thoughts’ (“Franny and Zooey” by J. D. Salinger) * 2. Modest Mouse – Bukowski “Woke this morning and it seemed to me That every night turns out to be a little...
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In 1984 I was hospitalized for approaching perfection

June 22, 2008
In 1984 I was hospitalized for approaching perfection

Choosing a favourite Silver Jews lyric is a bit like choosing a favourite jelly bean. When asked, you might reply ‘apple’, or ‘cotton candy’, or even ‘cherry’. Yet, your favourite will change the very next time you eat another. And you listen to Silver Jews for words. The music itself is almost incidental to...
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I do not exist. I donot exist. Ido notexist. Idonotexist.

May 26, 2008
I do not exist. I donot exist. Ido notexist. Idonotexist.

I fell in love with a band. I fell in love once and almost completely. Well… actually I didn’t only fall in love once, it happens to me every now and then. The remarkable thing in this case, however, is that we’re talking about a post-hardcore band. ‘Say what?’ Post-hardcore, apparently, although they’re quite...
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