Lusaint - 'Everything'

Optimist favourite Lusaint has released a dreamy new demo that's just too good not to share. Get a load of that voice! Happy Wednesday readers xx

Jacob Collier - Jerusalem

I may not be much of a rugby fan but I do love a bit of acapella, so I'm grateful to the England team and their affiliation with Beats by Dr Dre for bringing Jacob Collier's stunning rendition of Jerusalem to my attention by way of their World Cup advert.

Have a listen.

Brandon Flowers - A long time coming

Typical isn't it, you wait five years for a new Brandon Flowers track and he releases two at once! I'll forgive him the agonising wait though, as I'm told he's been quite busy with some band called The Killers in between times. King B's been dropping cryptic hints about his upcoming solo album The Desired Effect on Twitter since last September though and now, with the release date just weeks away, we're finally getting to revel in its gloriousness. Here are the new videos for your audio/visual pleasure.

Out of The Blue - Christmas Single

Fancy an early Christmas present? Feast your eyes and ears on this - It's the annual festive cover version from The Optimist's favourite Oxford based acapella group Out of the Blue. The boys received some high praise earlier this year when their mash-up of Shakira songs went viral and got the seal of approval from the woman herself. Now they've tackled Mariah Carey's festive classic ' All I want for Christmas is you' and accompanied it with a suitably charming video filmed on location at their University.

It's for Charidee so if you want to download it you can, here

Check out OOTB's 2013 effort in the Optimist's advent calendar

The Killers - Joel, the lump of coal

It's the most wonderful time of the year folks, and once again The Killers are endeavouring to make it that little bit more wonderfulerer with the release of their annual Christmas song in aid of Product Red. This year they've teamed up with fellow Las Vegan Jimmy Kimmel to create this completely surreal and oddly poignant triumph of a Christmas song. Say hello to Joel, the lump of coal.

Download from iTunes to support the campaign.

Lo Fang - You're The One That I Want

If it's good enough for Baz Luhrmann, it's good enough for The Optimist. Enjoy Lo Fang's gorgeous take on this Grease classic.

Once - The Musical

The Optimist spent Saturday night watching Olivier award winning musical Once, at London's Phoenix Theatre. In the words of Iggy Azelia: I'm proper fancy - or something along those lines.

Begin Again

There are some films that you know you're going to love before you've actually watched them; 500 Days of Summer and Gatsby for example. When I heard the words 'New York', 'Musical' and 'Keira Knightley' I knew Begin Again would be the same. So here's a slightly redundant recommendation, for the new film by John Carney - Oscar winning director of Once (SOLD!)

Today I am mostly listening to ...

Mark Beaumont of NME gave this album a 0/10 review. Not because it's bad you understand, but because it's destined to earn the talented musician a few more Brit Awards. The write-up actually contained the line "I wish I could say there's a place in Hell reserved for Tom Odell" - You'll be glad to know that The Optimist, like any other civilised human being, doesn't stand for that kind of misplaced bitterness.

An Optimistic Advent Calendar - Day 24

I hope you've enjoyed spending December with The Optimist, and today's final advent offering is sure to bring a smile to your face.

An Optimistic Advent Calendar - Day 18

Ding Dong Merrily on High! Welcome to day 18 of 'An Optimistic Advent Calendar'. From now until the 24th, I'll be bringing you a daily dose of Christmas cheer by sharing all sorts of festive makes and bakes, things to see and do and of course, lots of pretty pictures - all served up with an extra handful of seasonal sparkle. So pop back tomorrow for another look.

An Optimistic Advent Calendar - Day 16

Ding Dong Merrily on High! Welcome to day 16 of 'An Optimistic Advent Calendar'. From now until the 24th, I'll be bringing you a daily dose of Christmas cheer by sharing all sorts of festive makes and bakes, things to see and do and of course, lots of pretty pictures - all served up with an extra handful of seasonal sparkle. So pop back tomorrow for another look.

An Optimistic Advent Calendar - Day 15

Ding Dong Merrily on High! Welcome to day 15 of 'An Optimistic Advent Calendar'. From now until the 24th, I'll be bringing you a daily dose of Christmas cheer by sharing all sorts of festive makes and bakes, things to see and do and of course, lots of pretty pictures - all served up with an extra handful of seasonal sparkle. So pop back tomorrow for another look.

An Optimistic Advent Calendar - Day 13

Ding Dong Merrily on High! Welcome to day 13 of 'An Optimistic Advent Calendar'. From now until the 24th, I'll be bringing you a daily dose of Christmas cheer by sharing all sorts of festive makes and bakes, things to see and do and of course, lots of pretty pictures - all served up with an extra handful of seasonal sparkle. So pop back tomorrow for another look.

An Optimistic Advent Calendar - Day 10

Ding Dong Merrily on High! Welcome to day 10 of 'An Optimistic Advent Calendar'. From now until the 24th, I'll be bringing you a daily dose of Christmas cheer by sharing all sorts of festive makes and bakes, things to see and do and of course, lots of pretty pictures - all served up with an extra handful of seasonal sparkle. So pop back tomorrow for another look.

An Optimistic Advent Calendar - Day 3

Ding Dong Merrily on High! Welcome to day 3 of 'An Optimistic Advent Calendar'. From now until the 24th, I'll be bringing you a daily dose of Christmas cheer by sharing all sorts of festive makes and bakes, things to see and do and of course, lots of pretty pictures - all served up with an extra handful of seasonal sparkle. So pop back tomorrow for another look.

Shot at the Night

The Killers are one of the few bands that continue to make truly beautiful narrative music videos. Shot at the Night, set against the bright lights of Las Vegas, Nevada, features Bella Heathcote and Max Minghella as a couple making the most of their chance meeting. Take a look.

I love Richard Curtis

He's the man that brought us Renée as Bridget Jones, tore our hearts in two when he reimagined the life of Vincent Van Gogh for Doctor Who, introduced us to The Vicar of Dibley and even had a hand in the script for War Horse. Oh, and he's the writer of Love Actually which also makes him responsible for the painfully cute scene between Keira Knightley and Andrew Lincoln which spawned a million flip board marriage proposals, plus ... he made Colin Firth speak Portugese.

Lucy Rhiannon

Recently, The Optimist was invited to the city of Manchester to see singer/songwriter Lucy Rhiannon's latest gig. Join me for a reflection on a wonderful evening of Sangria and songs.