These Things That Stir Me Will Not Deter Me

Another highlight of last week's Bandcamp Friday purchases was a new song by Jo Bartlett. 

 

Drawing A Line (ghost tape no.2) is a lovely burbling, bass-heavy number replete with cassette hiss percussion, occasional jangly guitar and Jo's vocals floating and weaving through. As the sub-title suggests, it's a track from Jo's forthcoming album Ghost Tapes 1-9, due out on 26th April. 

 

Jo also has a band, Kodiak Island, who debuted with the Play To Your Strengths EP in 2022 and followed up with a new song, Innocence, late last year.

 

Back in December, I was 'introduced' to Jo's solo music via the Hardway Bros remix of her song Camden, released earlier in 2023 and a track which immediately secured a place in my end of year Imperfect List. 

 

Jo is no stranger to the remix, however. Polaris, a track by her former group The Yellow Moon Band got The Time & Space Machine treatment from Richard Norris way back in 2009.

It was a casual click onto Jo's music site Indie Through The Looking Glass and the 'About Jo B' page that provided the forehead slapping moment when I realised that Jo's been here all along and I hadn't made the connection. 

 

Case in point: It's Jo And Danny, whose folky pop I greatly enjoyed in the early 2000s.

Not afraid of the rework and reinvention even then, Let It Happen was remixed in 2003 by King Creosote.

 

Oh and Jo Bartlett and Danny Hagan also founded the Green Man Festival. Wow. And wow.

 

If you've got free time, I'd recommend a visit to Indie Through The Looking Glass, it's a fascinating - at times frustrating, at times heartbreaking - read of Jo's journey through music. Inspiring stuff.

 

And after you're done reading, then straight back to Bandcamp. A large chunk of Jo Bartlett's back catalogue, including It's Jo And Danny, The Yellow Moon Band and C86 contenders Bluetrain, is available. Absolutely make a beeline for her material from the last 18 months and work your way back.