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Ok, so first off I must iterate the fact that this particular run down is in no particular order, nor is it a definitive list of the best British record labels of all time (as if such a breakdown could ever be truly quantified). It is simply a list of some personal favourites within the British...MORE>>

Australian born Lisa Mitchell has recently been making waves that have  charted their course up from the South Pacific & found themselves lapping gently  against our frigid shores. Something of an underground sensation on her home continent, Mitchell’s debut EP, Said One To The Other, topped the Australian i-Tunes chart without any major label backing, subsequently she signed to London’s Little Victories label, and thus a gorgeous intercontinental courtship ensued.

Mitchell’s ember has been smouldering for the past two years with relatively little happening on the British Isles for her. Admittedly, she recorded her debut full length here, notably with the help of Ed

Harcourt, but apart from the odd show over here the majority of here live outings have been for our southern hemisphere cousins. A rather unsatisfying trade-off considering the weather over there.

Mitchell’s brand of down-tempo pop has, however, not gone totally unnoticed here. Following the release of her debut LP, Lisa was corralled into supporting dreadlocked folk-twit Newton Faulkner on his UK headline tour. There is

something rather unpalatable about this proposition. Not only does Mitchell outweigh Newton in the song-writing stakes, she also has bucketfuls more personality than  Mr. Faulkner, such, being put further down the bill is something I can’t quite fathom.

But aside from highlighting the musical injustices undertaken by the music buying public, Mitchell’s stint with Faulkner did allow her to promote her debut & instill her wonderfully rosy world view upon a whole new demographic.

Mitchell’s songs are lushly painted vignettes, highlighting the complexity of life’s simplest moments. Songs such as Clean White Love display Mitchell’s keen eye for the idiosyncrasies that give life it’s colour & romance. The gentility of Mithcell’s subtly layered vocals & minimalist instrumentation are reminiscent of Broken Social Scene, yet despite this fairly obvious comparison, this takes nothing away from Mitchell’s undeniable charm.

I’m not entirely sure of the current climes in Australia, but I am fairly sure that they are somewhat more enjoyable than our current mix of cold, wet, drizzle. Such, I’m sure it’ll be something of a treat for Ms. Mitchell to undertake a rather expansive tour of Australia after spending some time amidst the drizzle. And whilst her sunny outlook may not be exactly applicable to our current weather systems, it’s music that reminds of summer & can’t help but raise a smile.