2013 So Far (In A Playlist)

My blog is now in its third year of posting the music that’s grabbed me the most, floated my boat, captured my heart during the first six months of the year, in a historically strict twenty-five tracks. (I fully expect the person who first made me think of doing this will, as usual, come up with a far superior list).

You can play my 2013 tracks so far via YouTube or Spotify.

1. Mount Kimbie – Made To Stray
2. Daft Punk – Lose Yourself To Dance
3. John Grant – GMF
4. Kurt Vile – Was All Talk
5. Public Service Broadcasting – ROYGBIV
6. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Despair
7. Daughter – Youth
8. Suede – It Starts And Ends With You
9. Vampire Weekend – Diane Young
10. Boards Of Canada – Reach For The Dead
11. Haim – Falling
12. David Bowie – Where Are We Now?
13. Wolf Alice – Bros
14. Darwin Deez – You Can’t Be My Girl
15. Disclosure – Latch
16. Local Natives – Wooly Mammoth
17. Villagers – Passing A Message
18. Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds – Mermaids
19. Jessie Ware – Imagine It Was Us
20. Phoenix – Trying To Be Cool
21. Fuck Buttons – The Red Wing
22. Gaz Coombes Presents – One Of These Days
23. Foals – My Number
24. Kelis – Jerk Ribs
25. Queens Of The Stone Age – I Sat By The Ocean

A Happy Easter Glastonbury Mixtape

I never sleep well during a full moon. So if you add that to Tinnitus playing its wicked part in a lack of a peaceful nights sleep regardless of the lunar cycle, this week has been restless. At some point around 4am Wednesday morning I started trying to compile an Easter mixtape but all that kept popping into my head was songs from Jesus Christ Superstar and Blue’s All Rise (blame a catholic upbringing and drinking a lot of cider in a town that loved pop, tacky boy bands and R&B). Despite the fact that the mere mention of these songs runs the risk of creating unwanted earworms to anyone foolish enough to be reading I didn’t want to actually put you through hearing them.

Last night as I was sat sinking pints listening to my male colleagues talk golf and scrolling through my phone the Glastonbury line up was partly announced (I know there’s more to come because Thom Yorke in some guise wasn’t listed so I am still hopeful for John Grant and Yeah Yeah Yeahs in my wildest dreams). So instead of Easter this mixtape is based on those first knee jerk excitements as I glanced through the stages. I can smell the petrichor, sloe gin in hip flasks and the mud already.

You can play this on either YouTube or Spotify. Have a very merry Easter. ♥

1. Phoenix – Girlfriend
2. Tom Tom Club – Wordy Rappinghood
3. Solange – Losing You
4. Villagers – Becoming A Jackal
5. Foals – Milk & Black Spiders
6. The Rolling Stones -Ruby Tuesday
7. Devendra Banhart – Can’t Help But Smiling
8. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Nobody’s Baby Now
9. Nas – The Message
10. The Horrors – Still Life
11. Vampire Weekend – Diane Young
12. Haim – Falling
13. Local Natives – Breakers
14. Rodriguez – Inner City Blues
15. Peace – Bloodshake

Sunday Swoon. February 17th 2013.

1. The extremely generous 6 Music put on another set of free gigs at Maida Vale Studios and I was lucky enough to be front row with Jo for Richard Hawley on Valentines day (unlucky with camera’s picking up geeky side profile whoops and clapping shots). I loved the acerbic wit and cynicism from Hawley as much as I enjoyed watching him perform. All his albums hold a special place in my heart and it was perfect to finally see him live in such an intimate setting. Photo’s from the session on my Flickr.

2. Everyone I know adored Silver Linings Playbook, so like the book snob I am I decided to read the original book by Matthew Quick first. It’s a beautiful read, full of charming flaws and beautiful intimate moments. I would highly recommend it. I watched the film shortly after finishing it. The credits should read “really loosely based on the book”. Even small but significant moments in the book were eradicated or changed for no reason I could grasp (like a song choice which has important narrative attached to it for example). I would advise anyone to read the original and ditch the film.

3. After stumbling into the John Peel tent during Glastonbury 2011 and being hypnotised by Darwin Deez live I have been itching to see him again. He was in my top 5 at Glastonbury that year, a unique performer. Last week at Heaven (to a remarkably young audience, or I’m getting terribly old) he immediately transported me back to a very happy place. Who doesn’t love insane but tightly choreographed dance routines littered through their gig!

4. Vic Reeves has an art exhibition at The Strand Gallery called Hot Valve Leak: Visual Ramblings of Vic Reeves. And it is a ramble. At times bonkers and at other times classic seaside scenes. It shows there is more depth to him than what we grew up with on TV. The exhibition is free and worth a visit for inspiration and giggles.

5. On the day Foals third album Holy Fire was released I was lucky enough to be wedged in front of the tiny stage at Rough Trade East with friends to watch them perform live. The new songs sound gigantic live, like no room can contain them. It was also beautiful to hear Spanish Sahara at the end of the set. Adore this band deeply, and My Number has to rival any song as an “it’s over” anthem.

Sunday Swoon. November 11th

I am settling into a new, very busy, job and haven’t found much time to blog of late. However, I woke up extra early to draft this. Mainly because of the two gigs I’ve been to this week, possibly the best I’ve been to all year.

1. The Foals return and I’ve had their track Inhaler on repeat an unhealthy amount of times this week. More dirt and bass than the wistful crisp beauty of tracks on Total Life Forever. February feels like a torturous amount of time to wait for the album. Yannis is genius. Can’t wait to see them at The Royal Albert Hall in 2013.

2. We stood utterly speechless, crammed shoulder to shoulder at XOYO on Monday night to watch Tom Krell (a.k.a How To Dress Well). My immediate reaction was “I bet Prince creams his pants listening to this album” and I stand by that. Live it is almost impossible to grasp how he hits those notes, my brain kept on nudging me to say “he’s actually doing that, that’s him”, this unassuming polite character. The atmosphere he creates is stunning. The crowd reaction to his a capella encore was like nothing I’ve ever heard before.

3. I am back working within walking distance of the best burritos in London, this makes me extremely happy. By far the most successful hangover cure I’ve stumbled over and frankly would pay good money for one right now for that reason. If you ever get a chance check out Daddy Donkey’s on Leather Lane Market.

4. My second gig of this week was Adam Bainbridge (a.k.a. Kindness) at Heaven. I blogged about it the moment I got home so if you missed that post you can read it here. It sums up all that seeing him live means to me, and his album will definitely end up in my top 5 this year.

5. The Rolling Stones have (sort of) arrived on Carnaby Street in London. Christmas Decorations made out of gold records glinting in the light to celebrate 50 years of the band. There’s also a little pop up shop opened perfect for Christmas stocking fillers. Items thankfully reasonably priced. One More Shot was released this week.

The Letter ‘F’ Mixtape.

This weeks mixtape is delivered by the letter F. It’s part shoes off folk and part dance on sticky floors. Featuring a track from The Futureheads genius A Cappella album, a Foals track which never fails to give me shivers (the good kind) and a Flaming Lips track for anyone that suffers the occasional crisis of confidence. Annoyingly my very favourite group beginning F weren’t on Spotify so please enjoy the video from Fox below. Noosha Fox, the original girl crush.

If you’re a Spotify user click here to play the mixtape and if you’re in a country with no Spotify you can play via YouTube here. ♥

1. The Flying Burrito Brothers – Dark End Of The Street
2. Feist – The Bad In Each Other
3. Fleetwood Mac – Gypsy
4. Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues
5. Field Music – She Can Do What She Wants
6. Foals – This Orient
7. Friends - I’m His Girl
8. Friendly Fires – Skeleton Boy
9. The Flaming Lips – Do You Realize?
10. The Futureheads – Meet Me Halfway

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Sunday Swoon for 6 Music

Today is 6 Music’s 10th birthday and my ears tell me I owe them a special dedication so this weeks Sunday Swoon is especially for all involved and the people with impeccable taste that fought so hard to save the station. I dread to think how many bands I may have missed out on, that have become integral to my life’s soundtrack, had it not been for this music station. A huge thank you and here’s to another 10 years.

1. The sense of community that 6 Music creates with its listeners is a huge part of the charm. Shaun Keaveny’s middle-aged shout-outs, Lauren Laverne’s memory tapes, Just having a text/tweet/email read out can make you feel instantly connected. There’s a great piece in The Independent today where the presenters are described as ‘radiating warmth’ and I can’t sum it up better than that. The people who do the talking in between the tracks play equal importance to the excellent, diverse, I can’t believe they’ve just played that, eclectic, makes your heart stop music.

2. Sometimes 6 Music burns a small, specific, joyous memory into your mind. New Years Eve 2010 the boy and I were sat in my flat necking champagne listening to 6 Music’s top 100 countdown of the year before heading to Kentish Town Forum to see Foals. Spanish Sahara was their number 1 as we predicted the further down the list they got without it being played. After we jumped in a cab to see them welcome in 2011 live. This song still gives me goose bumps. Best new years ever.

3. Sunday afternoons are no longer about roast dinners and Last of the Summer Wine, it’s all about lying in bed and having a Huey Jarvis sandwich. If you’re a sexy nerd then the mixture of these two starkly contrasting presenters (and lets not forget music legends) banishes all thoughts of Sunday blues. Adore the energy Huey gives me for Jarvis to then calmly talk me off the ledge.

4. When it comes to Steve Lamacq my list of thanks is exhaustive. He gave me Sissy & The Blisters. He told me about John Peel’s Shed (the play). I was lucky enough to take part in ”Good Day/Bad Day” last year where I chose Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Date With The Night. But, possibly above all those things, he once played this Stan Freberg track on his show. ”Lammo” was discussing songs you loved as a child, apparently he was obsessed with Sh-Boom. Now I am. This track has me grinning like an utter fool every time I put it on.

5. I think any 6 Music fan would place Adam & Joe in their top 5. There have been occasions where I’ve been close to wetting myself with laughter (see pom pom party and the Royal wedding song wars). Saturday mornings used to truly be my happiest of hours, I miss them. ♥

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December 12th Mixtape. “Heartbreaking but redemptive”

This mixtape is for someone on Twitter who gave me the challenge of compiling tracks that were;

“heartbreaking but redemptive. A journey from the end of things to the start of something new”.

My life has a constant soundtrack, it keeps step with me when I’m dancing, whispers at my shoulder when I’m at a loss, brings forgotten memories to the forefront of my mind, a companion when I’m alone. I usually write about the tracks I pick but felt this would take something away from the songs I’ve chosen. I want the person I made this for to find their own meaning in the lyrics. Enjoy.

 If you’re a spotify user click here to play the mixtape, for YouTube click here. ♥

1. Blur – No Distance Left To Run
2. Antony & The Johnsons – Hope There’s Someone
3. Peggy Lee – It Never Entered My Mind
4. James Taylor – Fire & Rain
5. LCD Soundsystem – Someone Great
6. The Kills – The Last Goodbye
7. Walker Brothers – No Regrets
8. Sam Cooke – A Change Is Gonna Come
9. Foals – Spanish Sahara
10. Mercury Rev – The Dark Is Rising

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October 10th Mixtape – Dedicated To Great Men

Had someone told the 11-year-old me that as an adult I would not have to spend ninety minutes putting together a mixtape, that I could drag MP3 files onto a tiny machine in mere seconds and not be restrained by the length of a TDK90 I would have, quite frankly, thought someone was spinning me a sci-fi yarn. I would have paused a moment to look at just how deranged their eyes were and then gone back to puzzling if I could fit one more track on to Side A, hand hovering over play + record. Gone back to cutting out a new inlay for the cassette box to write the tracklist on, tearing pages from an exercise book. Gone back to sneaking around the house, borrowing from my families music collection.

I have a first generation iPod, I have been plugged into it and in love with it since I purchased it in 2001. It has never broken or ran out of battery half way through a long train journey. I still marvel that I am carrying  the majority of my music collection around with me. Steve Jobs, you helped make a little girls sci-fi dreams come true.

As for music, those first records I used to listen to. All those artists were inspired by Bert Jansch. Johnny Marr, Neil Young, Jimmy Page, Graham Coxon and Paul Simon all sit on my iPod. These talented men looked to quiet, unassuming Bert, wanted to emanate him, be at his level. He not only led the British folk revival in the 60′s with Pentangle, he was an inspiration to ground-breaking guitarists.

Both men will be sadly missed in this world.

My choices this week as usual reflect what I’ve been listening to most. The songs I’ve discovered, songs that have come on shuffle at just the right moment, songs that have been brought to me by friends, songs that came on the jukebox and made me sing a long in pubs, songs I think everyone should listen to.

The tracks have not been chosen as a tribute as such, my words above hopefully  serve that purpose.

If you’re a Spotify user click here to play the mixtape. ♥

1. Foals - This Orient (This album was hands down my album of 2010 and it remains close to my heart this year. I was dragging my feet walking along this week when I unexpectedly found myself suddenly on a canal path, this came on shuffle. I smiled to myself the whole way through).

2. Theme Park – A Mountain We Love (I like the messiness of this track, so many noises happening behind the vocals “tell me nothings wrong, tell me nothings right”. It’s like a bloody great headache. Play it loud, roll up your sleeves and pretend you’re on a dance floor).

3. Zulu Winter – Let’s Move Back To Front  (I am lucky enough to have a very cool friend who is equally obsessed with music as I am. She is called Priyam, I miss her as she’s buggered off to Australia. Across oceans she gave me this song this week. Cowbells unite us across the miles).

4. Metronomy – Corinne (Regular readers of this blog are probably shouting “we get it, you love Metronomy”. Yet I still persist on adding their tracks every few weeks. The sped up live version is an epically brilliant challenge for your feet. Ten months in to 2011 and this is still firmly my favourite album this year).

5. Yeasayer – O.N.E (Love how such an upbeat song can have such sad lyrics. Yeasayer are, in my eyes, the indie girls version of a boy band).

6. Lucy Rose – Scar (Talented, pretty Lucy Rose. I think she’ll be one to keep an eye out for. This song is really close to my heart at the moment, the lovely Lolita sent it to me. It makes me well up every time I hear it, but in a lovely sad way.. yes, there’s such a thing).

7. Lanterns on the Lake – If I’ve been unkind (This album came to me thanks to Rough Trade alerting me to it. I played it three times in a row as soon as I heard it and booked tickets to see them immediately. Sometimes an album just grabs you, sends shivers and sighs through your body. I lay on my bed with headphones on, I felt like it was my soundtrack. It’s just stunning).

8. Joni Mitchell – This Flight Tonight (With this weeks passing of Bert Jansch its no surprise I’ve been revisiting a lot of folk albums I loved as a teenager. Blue is such a stunning piece of work, it stirs up the teenage poet in me).

9. Bert Jansch – October Song  (For a great man who inspired so many people. When Lauren Laverne played this on 6 Music this week I cried at my desk and let the tears plop onto my keyboard).

10. Gordon Lightfoot – If You Could Read My Mind (This is one of the most heart breaking songs ever penned, I can’t listen to it without welling up. It’s just beautifully sad. It felt fitting to end on this).

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#19 A Song From My Favourite Album. 30 day iTunes Song Challenge

Again, this has been another tough choice so I’ve had to go for a track from one of my favourite albums that means a lot to me right now at this very moment. This album saw me through sad, bad & happily mad times last year. Foals also rang in 2011 for me, I’m usually a passive participant in NYE celebrations but they made that start of this year pretty amazing for me.

As we drank bottles (& bottles) of champagne before heading to the forum in Kentish Town we listened to 6 Musics countdown of best songs in 2010. As it got closer and closer to number 1 I think we both held our breathe for this track to come on knowing it hadn’t been played yet. When the ethereal opening bars played it made us tingle, then hours later we were leaning against the barriers, front row, listening to it live. It has, at different times, made me cry & smile. Today it’s making me grin from ear to ear. ♥