Day 8 - 'As the Snowflakes Fall' - Smith & Burrows

A wonderful thing happened yesterday.

I was late for work - that isn't what was wonderful, by the way; that's a regular occurence - and I was waiting for my Gingerbread Latte in Starbucks when Smith & Burrows sublime 'When the Thames Froze' came on the shop music system.

While I was contemplating how good it sounded to hear it somewhere else other than my house or car, the girl asked for my order and instead of asking my name for the cup said "It's Blagg, isn't it?" (OK she didn't actually say 'Blagg' but allow me a bit of artistic licence, fer Gawd's sake).

So a track from Smith & Burrows' under-the-radar Christmas gem of last year and recognition - and I'm really not that much of a regular - from one of the World's leading Coffee Emporiums. I like to think she sensed a kindred spirit: 'Tax Avoiders of the World unite' as Morrisey should have said.

Anyway, S&B's 'Funny Looking Angels' came in so late last year that by the time I'd ordered it and my copy had arrived, I barely got a couple of week's worth of plays out if it and I'd been looking forward to listening to it this Christmas from about August on. It doesn't disappoint this time around either. Love Tom Smith's (The Editors) voice.

'As the Snowflakes Fall' is one of Andy Burrows' (Razorlight, We Are Scientists) songs and this post originally had a live version from a Union Chapel gig in Islington 2011 - how'd I miss it? - on it that is pretty good. But after I found the recorded version though, I just had to replace it; it's quite haunting, bleak and exquisitely Christmas-y.