DIARY: DAUGHTER LIVE AT SHEPHERDS BUSH EMPIRE

I was really tired that day, having just completed day one of Half Term Club with JFC, and nothing was more perfect to soothe me than the sound of Daughter. Performing on Tuesday evening at London's O2 Shepherds Bush Empire (where I've been to 3 times in only the last month), they played a big set to close their UK tour for "If You Leave" and it was just magical. Mellow and delicate, so rich and ultimately very sad, it was a beautiful show, mesmerising too from start to finish. They even squeezed in that ingenious Daft Punk cover from the now infamous Radio 1 Live Lounge appearance – such a treat, I'm so pleased.

MAG: LONDON GRAMMAR STRONG ON LATER... WITH JOOLS HOLLAND

London Grammar performed "Strong" live on Jools Holland's show this week. Big news.

MAG: JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE TKO OFFICIAL VIDEO

So everyone's talking about it, Justin Timberlake's latest music video. For the Ryan Reichenfeld-directed "TKO", Justin gets totally knocked out in a most literal and extreme translation as he's hit with a frying pan, dragged along a long gravel road by a lorry before eventually being driven off a cliff. It views as entertaining as it does described in words, that must have been a fun brainstorm meeting. "The Complete 20/20 Experience" was gradually unveiled over the past 10 months and perhaps this is the final campaign before he hits the road for his worldwide tour next year, and that's a road that ought to end slightly better than the one in this video.

DIARY: HALF TERM FOOTBALL CLUB 10.13

With it once again Half Term for schools, I was on the pitch for the past three days and always a pleasure it is. May I just mention my marker layout tekkers please.

MAG: MS MR FANTASY MØ VINDAHL REMIX

Fresh off releasing the "Bikini Daze" EP, MØ and her producer-cum-live-guitarist Ronni Vindahl have teamed to drop this brilliant remix of MS MR's "Fantasy". Whilst the mix starts off uncannily similar to FKA twigs' sound, the tune quickly develops into distinct 'MØ', including her classic chant-like cries and the chorus has even been re-recorded with her own buoyant vocals. It's very good and very catchy. As good as the original is, the track feels rejuvenated, seemingly as with everything MØ touches. Girl on a mission.

MAG: SHY GIRLS SECOND HEARTBEAT

Shy Girls has been biding his time over releases, having only trickled some select songs since the 2011 "Sex In The City" EP, but with news of a brand new EP release "Timeshare" imminent, this stunning R&B-rooted soulful number "Second Heartbeat" was unveiled this week. You've got to listen to it because it's a whole 'nother breed of mellow.

MAG: SOHN LESSONS OFFICIAL VIDEO

Officially unveiled today is the video for SOHN's recent single "Lessons". Shot with some lovely cinematic qualities, the visuals of a man seemingly trying to move on mistakes made correspond splendidly to the intense, continuous, almost metronomic beat of what is a beautifully emotive track. The single is available to purchase now.

MAG: NEW BALANCE M576GWG

From: Hypebeast

I like these. A solid release from New Balance for Fall 2013, the washed green, suede 576 is an addition to the Made In England collection for the autumn season and it looks good. I'm going to take a couple of days to deliberate, bye.

BLOG: APPLE NEW IPAD + OS X MAVERICKS

All right, so most of it's blah blah blah as usual, but the product is good and I'm impressed. It's been a bit hit and miss since the loss of Steve Jobs, perhaps understandably, but it seems Apple are slowly on the up again (barring iOS 7 that is, that's still a piece of shit that needs improving). The iPhones were all right, but the new iPads announced yesterday look mighty fine. Smaller, thinner and lighter but boasting more power and better screen resolution, the new iPad Air and iPad Mini are updates that are more than welcome. I'm tempted.

And there's more because Mavericks is out now and available for free, as the merging of iOS and OS X is inevitably imminent – which, while I'm absolutely terrified of, does appear to be good news for all concerned as Apple encourages its consumers to all be up to date for better efficiency and subsequently higher benefit. iWork and iLife are free upgrades too. Oh and not just the free thing, but Mavericks is actually a decent upgrade, with processing speeds up to 1.5x faster (which I still find really impressive for a piece of software) and some neat refining of interface throughout, especially having skipped Mountain Lion myself, I've finally managed to discard of the notoriously atrocious skeumorphism that couldn't be shredded on iCal and Address Book. That in itself is a cause for celebration alone.

MAG: MILOSH SLOW DOWN OFFICIAL VIDEO

Having settled since the release of a debut album as Rhye, Milosh has been working on some solo material of late, drip-feeding bits here and there online and today we've been given an official video for "Slow Down". An emotional number stripped back to his ridiculously soft vocals and Valtari-like solemn piano chords, the video records a single continuous shot of his wife, Alexa Nikolas, driving to the song. Handled with such delicacy, it's an entrancingly powerful, stunning bit of footage that needs nothing more. And she's so beautiful.

BLOG: MØ BIKINI DAZE EP

MØ's debut EP is finally out, after months of waiting. And it majestically delivers, without fail, consisting of 4 exquisite tracks from her repertoire – two of which had not been heard before. Led by the Diplo-produced stunner "XXX 88", the colourful EP shows significant contrast to Karen Marie Ørsted's personality, juxtaposing her already notorious outlandish, extrovert aggression with a more vulnerable side to her youthful image, revealing some very rough-edged rawness that captures a hauntingly emotive sound that we've not heard much before. The fourth track "Freedom (#1)" in particular is so stripped back, almost a capella, and leaves nothing for her to hide behind, showing a great sense of fragility or sensitivity that can't help but grab you.

I've written about my enthusiasm for her and her music many a time now (read all things MØ here), and you sense it's all gearing up to fuller record soon. She's confirmed that this EP is very much a lead-up to the album and not a spontaneous side project or something like that. We've been treated to some incredible songs already and I just can't wait for her to now produce something cohesive for us to delve over and really get the opportunity to hear her full sound. Perhaps more will be revealed in her London show within the next fortnight at XOYO, at which I will be raving like there's no tomorrow. Or something to that effect.

MAG: HONDA THE IMPOSSIBLE MADE POSSIBLE

This is just great. Notorious for their creativity when it comes to ads, Honda have done it again with this brilliant campaign for the new CR-V Diesel and its fuel efficiency. Making what seems impossible possible being the theme, it's optical illusions and perspective play aplenty in this wonderfully smart video that shows things for not quite as they seem. Whilst the idea may not be the first of its kind, the execution is stunning and irresistibly fun. "Let's do those things that can't be done."

DIARY: CHVRCHES LIVE AT SHEPHERDS BUSH EMPIRE

Yesterday evening was Round 5 for CHVRCHES, this time at the O2 Shepherds Bush Empire. The first full set I've been to since the release of their incredible album, it was so so enjoyable. Supported by Thumpers (who were pretty good themselves), we were treated to every single track off the LP plus "Now Is Not The Time" and "Strong Hand" – a total of 14 songs if I'm not mistaken. Sure I've seen them many times now, most recently at Boiler Room TV, but that also means I can really say they're getting better every time. Lauren's vocals were so on point last night, despite her being run down with the common cold (which only made the performance more impressive), the lightwork was brilliant, and sonically their set has never sounded fuller. Every punch and every beat felt so rich, and add to that their mastery of hooks and climaxes, I just can't get enough. Album tracks "Tether" and my personal favourite "Night Sky" are absolutely amazing songs live, the former I had never seen them play before. Two more dates I'm already scheduled to be at coming up next year, but for now I've had a filling dose of CHVRCHES' gigs and I've been nothing short of overjoyed every time. So much love for them.

MAG: SIGUR ROS RAFSTRAUMUR CYRIL HAHN REMIX

This is a pretty big deal, Cyril Hahn has made this official remix of Sigur Rós' Kveikur track "Rafstraumur". Accompanied by this fascinating animation illustrated by Sigga Björg, it's a tastefully done reworking by a man who's been receiving a lot of love in the industry, recently working with Shy Girls for his debut single as an artist. And this Sigur Rós remix is sure to propel him further, a name to remember.

MAG: ACTIVE CHILD FEAT. ELLIE GOULDING SILHOUETTE

Now available to listen to is this heavenly piece of music by Active Child featuring Ellie Goulding. In fact the entire new record "Rapor" is streaming now, but this track is something else! I know I couldn't be more biased for Ellie, but when her voice kicks in for the second verse, it's spine-tingling and overwhelming, like a weight is taken off the shoulders and a gateway is opened. Just beautiful.

MAG: TA-KU SONGS TO BREAK UP TO EP

From: Ta-ku

Producer, beat-maker and self-professed genre-killer, Ta-ku is a man with superb talent and a good sense in music. The latter may be a given for all musicians (considering said title) but Ta-ku has a track record of finding beauty where others have missed, evident from his series of original remixes, but finds a relatable sanctuary for all kinds of listeners around the globe. The new EP "Songs To Break Up To" epitomises that, using pure sonic emotion to craft his message and to really share an experience – and I mean that in the least clichéd, most genuine way possible. It's an incredibly well-made record, a showcase of fine artistry. Must listen.

BLOG: FOOTBALL TYPE #870

Masterminded by Rick Banks of Face37, a new book was launched last month that celebrated the art of typography in football. Combining his two favourite things, as a designer (devising Type Trumps for example) and an avid Bolton Wanderers supporter, it's a wonderfully presented artefact that tackles a unique but undeniably beautiful subject. And for me too, as somebody whose life basically revolves around design and football too, what a gem of a product.

So I bought a copy. One of just 1000 actually, with all profits going to the Football Foundation, released on the year of The FA's 150th anniversary. A lovely feature of the project is that each issue is numbered 1 to 1000 accordingly, hand-printed with official Premier League shirt numbering provided by Sporting iD. I went for 870, not with significant reason, just a combination of all the 'good' numbers being sold out and my liking for each of the individual digits 8, 7 and 0. Meh. It arrived at the start of this week and I can't stress how perfect it actually is, a fascinating exploration of typographical treasure from the old and new, popular and iconic, that have graced the great players, teams and footballing moments. I wish I had come up with it.

There's still a few numbers available so if it sounds like something interesting to you, have a look and nab yours before it's gone. Because it will be, having been released to unsurprising critical acclaim and reactions of joy. Like me. This book makes me happy.

From: Face37

DIARY: JFC HIGH FLYERS

Just as a small note, yesterday evening's JFC session with my boys and girl was superb. Hands down the best football I've ever seen this group play – a masterful passing game. Even dreamt about it overnight. Well done, Coach.

MAG: GEMS NEW SINGLE MEDUSA

I just heard GEMS for the first time, a duo from Washington DC with a sound not dissimilar to the likes of Beach House. This is their latest single "Medusa" to be part of their forthcoming EP of the same name. Enchanting and dark with lovely female vocals, it fits effortlessly into my playlist next to BANKS, FKA twigs or even The xx. My attention on them will be enthusiastic as they approach the release of that EP in November.

DIARY: ELEVEN POUNDS FOR A TRAVELCARD

£11 and the fucker only lasts a day. That is ridiculous.

MAG: POLIÇA WARRIOR LORD OFFICIAL VIDEO

Poliça's sophomore album is nearing ever closer and this is the next step to "Shulamith". Track number four on the record (and the fourth preview that's been offered to us), "Warrior Lord" has been described by Channy Leaneagh as their favourite song on the album, and its video was unveiled this week. Perhaps the most reminiscent track of their debut material, it's a song that holds that unmistakable Poliça sound, mystic and atmospheric. October 21 is the album release date and I can't wait to hear more.

DIARY: CARDHOLDER LOST

From: Victate

So a bit of a shit weekend then. Prolonged work to complete, last minute uni preparation stress, start of my annual sickness. And to top that all off I lost my beloved Victate cardholder. Left on the bus on my way to football, I just feel so stupid. The bus journey wasn't more than 10 minutes long, I had the cardholder in my hand and I must have just left it on the seat as I made my way off the vehicle. Debit card, Oyster card, student ID, driver's license, some money... What a downer. But the biggest loss of all is probably the accessory itself. Worn for about two years, the leather embossed monogram was looking mighty fine, picture perfect you could say. The product shot for the Victate website above is probably one of the last pieces of evidence for my cardholder, sat in the middle in between a brand new piece and Edd's. I always thought mine was just right. I'll get over it but I must admit I'm hurting right now.

MAG: CHVRCHES FULL PERFORMANCE ON KEXP

Live for KEXP 90.3FM Seattle, CHVRCHES played a little set last month and it's available to watch in its entirety and in 1080p HD. Shame they had some technical trouble, particularly for "Recover" (which is slightly ironic), but there's nobody better placed to provide adorably awkward, impromptu pleasantries than CHVRCHES' very own Lauren Mayberry. The band talk about "classic Mayberry sarcasm" and "classic Mayberry optimism" in their recent radio appearance for Zane Lowe, but this is definitely classic Mayberry banter.

BLOG: HAIM DAYS ARE GONE

Out with a bang this week is HAIM's debut album "Days Are Gone". In fact pretty much everything that has to do with the sister act is a bang, considering how loud and excited they are together. That is, in a positive way of course – Este, Danielle and Alana have the collective personality of a bunch of sisters who sinply never grew up and it's an energy so infectious and brilliant. Hearing them as guests on radio, they don't just outnumber the DJ but out-talk, out-present and out-everything else too.

Since watching the band rock out iTunes Festival last month, I've been completely hooked to their music and this album has been a constant feature in my daily playlist. Revamping soft rock, their mix of instrumentation, raw-edged harmonies and intricate rhythms offer a refreshing indie sound that is so easy to the ear. They seem to really understand the emotions that their chords and riffs connect with, and the record shows great maturity for a band one just might associate the term 'immature' with.

Very likeable and very credible, I rate them highly and am so pleased for their success. They seem to really be enjoying themselves and taking their opportunity in the industry by storm. Flying real high right now (on a HAIM, you might say). For sure their days are nowhere near gone just yet. (Fuck, what a terrible couple sentences to end with.)

DIARY: 9.13 MONTHLY PHOTOGRAPHS PART TWO