Peter Darling is a singer songwriter from Kent. So Peter Darling is some bloke strumming his acoustic guitar and singing yearning odes to countryside times gone by, probably with too much facial hair like the rest of them? Ha.

They say that every song has already been written, but that doesn’t stop so many artists just replaying them. On Limehouse the musical canon has been well and truly absorbed, the best of it all being seemingly seamlessly merged into striking song writing, to plug back in again to the ever evolving musical cloud.
Having a seemingly symbiotic relationship with his craft, from the opener Sunland (Intro) that quivers and quakes its way across the strings to final song Never Outstay Your Welcome, a fun and frantic acceptance of the frustrations of teenage life, this is the sound of someone coming of age, and realising that amongst the dichotomies of black and white exist shades of grey and that can be damn good fun.  Honest Again is engrossing and energetic whilst Venus sounds like George Michael’s best ballad – in a wonderful way. Changer chugs along with real grit, the strong  vocals adding a layer of almost menace to the melody. A rampant and random amalgamation of hooks, fuzzy electronics and striking styles abound, and startle with the conviction and ability with which each is grabbed.
The entire EP (bar a cover of Air’s Venus) was written and produced by Peter himself, and is available to download for free from his bandcamp page. Talented and generous.

Through my various musical activities, I have recently been through the rigmarole of deciding upon artwork for a debut album, and a few singles too. Even if the days of digital downloading, when a 300×300 pixel thumbnail is the way the majority of people experience the artwork, this stuff matters. Depending on who you’re talking to in the music business, image is either everything or nothing, and album art is a huge part of this. Being a brand, or a band, comes down to what you transmit to the consumer or audience, and so artwork’s relevance cannot be underestimated.
In the absence of sonic evidence by which to judge music, most people will make an assumption based upon what they can see, projecting the attributes of the art to your band – a fact which was particular important in the days before internet streaming, when the record store still reigned supreme. A means of identification, a sales tool, a dialogue with your fans, a statement of intent – there is much more to the process that a pretty picture.
An image that has the potential to become an icon will immediately register with the viewers conscious. You only have to see some newspaper lettering or the colors neon pink and yellow side by side to think of The Sex Pistols’ debut ‘Never Mind The Bollocks’.
Sometimes it doesn’t matter – take The Beatles’ 1967 ‘Magical Mystery Tour.’ Dreadful cover, but the band did alright. Only a year earlier however Apple insisted that they alter the image on the sleeve of ‘Yesterday and Today’, after the squeaky clean Beatles being surrounded by raw meat caused outrage. The cover sayssomething about the music and the band, even if it is not wholly accurate.
Matching the music is important if you want to appeal to the ‘right’ audience. Swapping the covers of say an Anthrax album with those of a Britney Spears CD could lead to a whole host of problems. Jazz comes in smoky packaging images, metal bands do death icons, indie bands cast a different perspective on every day scenarios and boy bands are associated with shots of them standing looking shiny.
There are also the mundane factors and practicalities. If you can’t work out who a CD is by when you’re standing in store you’re unlikely to purchase it. Similarly the frustration caused by trying to find a record that is poorly titled on your shelf is likely to lead to you never listening to it. Stand out typography that is not intrusive will go a long way towards reaching the information serving objective.
As with most hugely important subjects, like say, life, there is no handbook or set of instructions as to what makes a good piece of album art. Everyone from The Clash, The Guardian and the NME have published lists of both best and worst album covers of all time, but it’s not that easy to see what distinguishes the two lists.
Dan from It’s All Happening believes that emotion is the key: ‘The best album covers are those that strike you, and the reason they do that is because they illicit some kind of emotion, whether that’s interest, a smile, or shock.’
The below are some examples of bands who got it right.

Oasis – (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? (1995)

A simple shot of slightly fuzzy London DJ Sean Rowley and album producer Owen Morris walking down Berwick Street in Soho, it inspired a generation and fitted into the band’s ethos: they make music for people like you.

Sonic Youth – Goo (1990)

A hand drawn comic allows the band to make a statement in an understated way.

Radiohead – In Rainbows (2007)

In some ways you could argue that it’s not art at all – just the album’s name repeated over a splodge. Exactly – you know who it is, you know that they are an ever changing entity, and that what is contained within will be hard to grasp, but still somehow feel right.

The Rolling Stones – Forty Licks (2002)

All institutions and brands need a logo, and this simple, exciting, immediate image became theirs. It even featured on Topshop t-shirts…

New Order – Power, Corruption & Lies (1993)

Could anything seem to be less fitting such a seething anarchistic title than a reproduction of the painting ‘A Basket of Roses’ by French artist Henri Fantin-Latour, usually found in the National Gallery’s permanent collection.  The UK release, with no text on the cover used a bold grid of colours that could be decoded by referring to a key on the reverse, to spell out the band name and album title.
This article was originally published on Inspiration Feed, a site dedicated to creativity, design and inspiration.

Albums we’ve loved

Veronica Falls – Veronica Falls
Almost exactly 18 months ago we interviewed a little known band called Veronica Falls in which they talk of their distaste for ‘labels’, ‘scenes’, ‘genres ‘, ‘tweeness’ and pretty much anyone or anything that tried to define or pigeon-hole them. Fair enough. They also talk about their plan for an album…and well, basically a lack of one. Fast forward 18 months and they’re headlining stages at Field Day, touring across Europe and the US and recording their debut album twice, scrapping one and re-recording the finally released version in 3 days. Who knows what that original version sounded like, but however bad they thought the original recording was, nothing can hide the sheer quality and variation in their song writing . From the perfect pop song clout of Stephen, the melodic roundabout of The Fountain, to the shadowy punch of Bad Feeling and the anthemic Come On Over, each track on this album delivers. There’s a layered craft to each and every song, from the harmonised vocals to the interweaving guitars, that makes this a truly brilliant album. Just don’t mention cardigans to them.

Elzhi – Elmatic
Here is an example of a clever concept that evolved into something far greater. A tribute to Nas’ seminal 1994 album Illmatic, Elzhi moves the scene from an oft-romanticised New York to a gritty Detroit, where shots go off at the funniest hours (Detroit State of Mind). El’s stark imagery cleverly references Nas’ phrasing but stripped of any glamorisation of project life, calling the hood a glasshouse the devil throws stones through. However, there is light amidst the shade. Memory Lane cheekily reminisces about being back in junior high ‘with your report card/Trying to make a B out of the letter F,’ and One Love is a touching tribute to ‘El’s girl who cooked me hot meals/Helped me when I got bills.’ Best of all, Will Sessions’ lush arrangements root the tracks in the rhythm and blues of Detroit’s own Funk Brothers, meaning that more than a simple tribute, Elmatic is one of the finest hip hop albums of the decade so far.

Grouplove – Never Trust A Happy Song
The sounds of a summer, toes wriggling in grass, beers bubbles cracking on the tongue, cheap wine at the side of bonfires, a moment of drunken epiphany shared with friends. The equivalent of a sherbet fountain – all fizz, fun and fiasco – but with the reality hit of liquorice that stops it all from being too saccharin and suggests these guys actually mean it. Never Trust A Happy Song They Say – with the euphoria evident in this trip of an album, this is contender for most dishonest album of the year. Love it.
Other long players that have  rocked It’s All Happening’s world this year include:
Summer Camp – Welcome To Condale
Elbow – build a rocket boys!
Feist – Metals
Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues
Pharoahe Monch – W.A.R. (We Are Renegades)
Radiohead – The King of Limbs
The Streets – Cyberspace and Reds
Tom Waits – Bad as Me
Big K.R.I.T. – Return of 4Eva
James Blake – James Blake
Bon Iver – Bon Iver
Kate Bush – 50 Words for Snow
Death Cab for Cutie – Codes and Keys
The Weekend – House of Balloons
Wild Beasts – Smother
Pete and the Pirates – One Thousand Pictures
Lanterns on the Lake – Gracious Tide, Take Me Home
Metronomy – The English Rivieria
Deer Tracks – The Archer
Art Brut – Brilliant Tragic

Tracks of the year

Bos Angeles – Beach Slalom
It may be all over in 2 minutes and 35 seconds, but this simple and youthful tale of a break-up stirs memories of teenage love and regret that had us hooked from the first listen. From the simple 2 note intro to the frenetic ending it encapsulates everything we love about discovering new bands. There’s nothing showy or over-thought, the recording sounds live and unpolished, and it seems to achieve everything it sets out to do with minimal fuss. The guitar part nods to Johnny Marr, the bassline’s got Peter Hook all over it and the hushed almost spoken vocals drift solemnly over proceedings, portraying a real sense of introspection and apology to what is ultimately a post-punk salvo of a track. They may never write anything as good as this again (we obviously hope they do), but Beach Slalom is as close to a genuine and honest guitar pop song as we could find in 2011 and we love it.
Bos Angeles – Beach Slalom 
Evans the Death – I’m So Unclean
Favourite lyrics of the year on this thrashy and reflective tale of heartbreak… “When I’m watching the shopping channel, I will think of you; When I’m making a sandwich, I will think of you; When I’m trying to get to sleep, I will think of you”.
I’m So Unclean by Evans the Death
Big Deal – Talk
Has the anguish and torture of being unable to articulate basic words of lust and longing ever been so perfectly articulated? A seething bass line, wiltingly cutting delivery, hollow haze and the killer line dished up with such nonchalance, ‘all I wanna do is talk, but seeing you fucks me up,’
Talk by Big Deal
Slow Club – If We’re Still Alive
A soft drum that taps like a heartbeat in angst, the chiming organ teardrops, forlorn yearning of Rebecca’s vocal, building layers reminiscent of 50s girl groups, the killer electric riff followed by an almost calypso beat, a bridge that curls and kisses its way in, all viewed through the eyes of two hopeless romantics. Perfect.
Slow Club – If We’re Still Alive

The live stage – our favourite gigs

Pulp – Take your pick. Brixton Academy, Reading Festival, Isle of Wight. All three were very special. He writhes , he poses, he grooves, and makes us all feel us all wanna be Common People.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuVSWe8RkJc]
Pete and the Pirates at Buffalo Bar, 22 Nov – Fist time we’d seen PATP in several years, and we’d forgotten how much we love them. Intimate venue, great tunes.
We Were Promised Jetpacks at XOYO, 12 Oct – What a gig. WWPJ debut album was a job to behold, but their second album released earlier in 2011 is probably my album of the year. They did not disappoint at XOYO (personal highlight being during their biggest hit Quiet Little Voices, when lead singer Adm was hit by a bottle of beer so instead of singing ‘we’re young again’ he creatively changed the words to ‘you’re a c**t’ whilst pointing at the perpetrator. Priceless. With support coming from the wonderful cheeky chaps and chappess that are Let’s Buy Happiness, this was an all-round great gig.

2.54 at Corsica Studios, 9 Nov – The night that it felt like everything came together for 2.54.