So, as is the current trend, I was asked for my ten favourite records of the decade for raggedwords.com. The link for the list, which includes a few thoughts of mine on each choice, is here.

Also the site has some more top-of-the-decade lists from other great artists like Tune-Yards and A Hawk And A Hacksaw.

In other news, probably a bit more touring come March. Will let you have more details as they come through.

Have a good new year ok?

Marklandx.

Liz and I got back yesterday from a week’s tour with Great Lake Swimmers around the country (and Ireland). It was a lot of fun and somewhat rewarding, especially as we rearranged the songs in a way I hadn’t done before, and did a couple of songs we hadn’t played live before. New experiences all round. Plus Great Lake Swimmers are great folks. If you came and saw, I hope you enjoyed. If you didn’t make it, maybe see you next time?

I played a live acoustic session on Bob Harris’s BBC Radio 2 show on Saturday evening, confusingly with Gideon Coe (although he was a nice man, so no harm done). For reasons I won’t go into here I’ve always preferred to go electric, but this particular occasion went well at least. Anyway, you can listen to it via the BBC iPlayer here until this coming Saturday.

Just a quick note to say if you look over to the left of the screen you’ll notice a ‘Shop’ link – this is a new thing, and has all sorts of Sleeping States items available for purchase on it. Please take a look around and make yourself welcome.

Goodnight.

I just noticed that I drafted the following as a blog post back in January, but never posted it. It was a draft of writing that became part of something else. I thought I’d post it now since it was just sitting there…..

—————————

Setting out as morning comes again; every day, so many times we never see you anymore. But, oh, this is what you leave us with – the coast at your cheek, a Norfolk maze (the name of which I forget now), the bones of lost towns lay before your gaze.

And lights flicker out before the rising sun. There you will see them (following the meridian), they’re rising from the bones, from sleep, everyday… something about that anyway – I’m sorry, the details drip away, and over time we have remembered less, and even less.

And so you’re setting out. We never see you, but ever further down the coast you describe for us. Is your goal in other places? Or another time?

Every day, so many times, we never see you anymore. But, oh, this is what you leave us with – these old memories in stories, the hearts of which I forget now. But over time you still provide light impressions of the rising sun.

This is how we see you. With a smile, I will forget. You will forget me too.

I forgot to mention it at the time, but a few months ago one of my songs, ‘Rings of Saturn’, was used in a new piece of video art called ‘The First Studio Visit’ by the artist Ryan Gander for an exhibition at Villa Arson gallery in Nice, France, which ran until last week I believe. The exhibition was called The Die is Cast and exhibited old and new works by the artist. I’m a big big big fan of Ryan Gander’s artwork and could listen to him talk on the subject (which he’s done on numerous public occasions) all day long, so it was an honour for my stuff to be included in his stuff. I was just reminded of this occurrence now and thought I’d share.

That is all.

'Missing object' by Ryan Gander

]]> http://sleepingstates.wordpress.com/2009/10/30/interrobang/feed/ 0 sleepingstates 'Missing object' by Ryan Gander http://sleepingstates.wordpress.com/2009/10/28/tirra-lirra/ http://sleepingstates.wordpress.com/2009/10/28/tirra-lirra/#comments Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:27:56 +0000 sleepingstates http://sleepingstates.wordpress.com/?p=74 ]]>

In the Gardens of the North came out in Australia and New Zealand this week! Thanks to the guys at Etch’n'Sketch for that.

In other news, the London date with Great Lake Swimmers has moved to the Jazz Cafe in Camden. That’s on the 18th November.

Also, if you have the chance to see Francois and the Atlas Mountains on tour (which they are on at the moment), please do! His new songs (album and EP) are amazing and the live show is super, super fun.

Here’s his new video:

Hello friends, I am playing these places on these dates:

11/11/09 : Komedia – Brighton (UK) (+ Great Lake Swimmers)
13/11/09 : Crawdaddy – Dublin (EIR) (+ Great Lake Swimmers)
14/11/09 : Speakeasy – Belfast (UK) (+ Great Lake Swimmers)
15/11/09 : Glee club – Birmingham (UK) (+ Great Lake Swimmers)
16/11/09 : Deaf Institute – Manchester (UK) (+ Great Lake Swimmers)
17/11/09 : Metropolis – Bristol (UK) (+ Great Lake Swimmers)
18/11/09 : Scala Jazz Cafe (Camden) – London (UK) (+ Great Lake Swimmers)

Going to sort out an online shop soon.
Hope you are well?
Markland.xo.

Yesterday I walked through a forest of Japanese Maple trees with my loved ones and made banana flapjacks. Recipe below*. What did you do this weekend?

Ingredients

Brown Sugar – 80g
Butter – 40g
Margarine – 60g
Oats – 250g
Salt – pinch
Banana – 1
Honey – 3tbsp
chocolate (optional)

Making Method

1. Melt the butter and the Margarine in a deep saucepan over a very low heat
2. add the brown sugar and 3 tablespoons of honey and mix well until you have a liquid substance.
3. Mix in the oats, if you find it easier add them in gradually stirring and covering the oats with the mixture
4. add a pinch of salt.
5. Mash the banana into a liquid pulp and mix into the oats (this will take a good few minutes to ensure that the banana is fully mixed in).
6. Get a knife and spread the oats evenly over a baking tray.
7. Place the baking tray onto the middle shelf in a preheated oven (gas mark 5, 220 C) and bake for 15 minutes, checking the progress regularly. Take out when the mixture starts turning a darker colour.
8. Stand for a minute or two, cut the flapjack into as many pieces as you wish
9. You may find it best to leave the flapjack for a few hours to cool down although you can eat them striaight away.

*not mine by the way. It was, in fact, courtesy of the lovely folks at Google.

So things have been busy in the Sleeping States arena lately, I assembled a band and went on tour around the UK for two weeks, and I put an album out. And then I got swine flu, which is why I’m only telling you now.

But yes, I have a new album out! It’s called In the Gardens of the North and is available on LP, CD and MP3. You can buy the mp3s from iTunes, among other places, and both physical formats from all good record shops around the country. If you buy the CD from Pure Groove you can get a limited edition screen-printed poster with it, and it’s signed too (if you care about such things). You can also buy the LP from there too.

I also put a cassette single out! The tracks for this are:
Side A: Gardens of the South / Final Island
Side B: Early Morning in Feltham

‘Gardens of the South’ appears on the album, and the other two tracks are exclusive to the tape. You can buy the tape from Rough Trade, among other places. There’s also a video for ‘Gardens of the South’, which I posted in an earlier post (scroll down).

Think that’s it for now. If you’re down Bristol-way tomorrow Sleeping States are playing at the Cube with Fringes and I Know I Have No Collar, who are both brilliantz.