Totally biased post, what with having known Mara since we were 12 years old and we first discovered our mutual love of talking twaddle and laughing like loons. But delighted to see this piece about her in yesterday’s Guardian. One thing the commenters on the decline of an industry often fail to consider is how very, very painful said demise can be to those experiencing it firsthand. So while from the outside it sure looks like the music industry is rank with inefficiency and ineptitude and might as well be razed to the ground, it’s still tough for talents such as Mara who are left to twist in the wind. I suggested she Kickstarter her way into releasing her most recent album, but despite having wrested it back from the maw of EMI, there are still royalty agreements that make such an idea effectively a nonstarter. Shame, because it really is the most glorious piece of music. And despite my bias, I really wouldn’t say that if I didn’t mean it.

Anyway, in honor of Mara on this Friday afternoon, here are the IKEA ad and Vaughan Williams-inspired piece that are mentioned in the Grauniad piece, and a couple of cracking videos from days gone by.