Posts Tagged ‘Emmy The Great’
September 26th Mixtape Guest Blog from Dan Thompson
When future generations are told about the riots that happened in 2011 I sincerely believe that Riot Clean Up will be discussed with equal importance with those that caused the mayhem and destruction. One man started a movement that single-handedly empowered people to reclaim their communities. Riot Clean Up is a revolution at its greatest, I remember saying at the time it was the greatest form of anarchy I have ever witnessed. He also promotes creative reuse of nations empty shops which is a genius idea in the current economic climate.
Dan Thompson also has superb music taste . I knew a mixtape from him would be literal music to my ears as soon as I knew he adores The Longpigs track On & On so this blog is an exciting post for me, just the introduction to Devon Sproule on its own! My introduction is complete as his diverse choices will say it all. Over to Dan.
“A mixtape is a difficult thing for me. I love so much; the sounds of a low slung punk bass rumbling one minute, a battered double bass being plucked the next. I like ukulele, and big Marshall stacks. Anything with horns is good; but then I’m partial to a capella too. I adore all things British and I love seeing weird Americana live. Music is in my head all day, every day like a soundtrack. Sadly I can’t play anything so the decks in the corner of my office are the closest I get to musical creativity. This isn’t my desert island discs by the way, which would take me months of work and crafting. It’s a snapshot and has all been played in the last few days” ~ Dan Thompson1. Devon Sproule – Keep Your Silver Shined (From the brilliant album Keep Your Silver Shined; a perfect snapshot of the America I’d like to live in. Devon Sproule grew up on a commune and she’s at her best on this album producing lyrical magic over lovely, loose recordings).
2. Dusty Springfield – Don’t Forget About Me (One of the sexiest songs ever, with Dusty smouldering over an awesome backing band. Pure heartbreak From Dusty In Memphis – one of the greatest albums of all time. Up there with Trout Mask Replica, Modern Life Is Rubbish, Little Lights, Searching For The Young Soul Rebels and the rest).
3. Get Cape Wear Cape Fly – Morning Light (If ‘It’s kicking off’ is the slogan of 2011 then Sam Duckworth is the soundtrack. Cool chap, with a great band alongside him).
4. Dexys Midnight Runners – Dear Robin (Impossible not to have something from an album that’s so perfectly formed. Tight, hard and soulful. I have this on vinyl; great sleeve image, perfect typography, awesome liner notes. everything is just right).
5. Lord Terror – Calypso War (The master calypsonians sings about the calypso tradition’s move to Britain. ‘The terror wants war – WAR!’).
6. Hayman, Watkins, Trout & Lee – Dirty Tube Train (My biggest failing? Girls on trains. There’s something about train travel that gets me falling in love and running away for a new life. This is more filthy than romantic but hey… A CD I kept after closing a record shop that I’d accidentally bought).
7. She Makes War – Slow Puncture (Oh – and girls with tattoos and push bikes and songs. They also bring out the romantic in me. Watch the video. This is a lyrical beauty. A song that gets under your skin. Had a sneak preview of her second album and it is shiny, sparkly, sonic brilliance).
8. Emmy The Great – A Woman, A Woman, A Century Of Sleep (A slightly gothic moment from Emma-Lee, sometimes labelled lazily as folk but much darker than that. Has an edge of New York art house weirdness. I was very into the Sister, Siouxsie and Danielle Dax as a teenager. A gloomy blackness still lurks in my soul like bats in the belfry. Or something).
9. Sufjan Stevens – Impossible Soul (Not a song, more a suite of songs. Magnificent and epic should be wrong – I live in Keith Emerson’s hometown, I know how bad it can get. But this is proof that it can work. *Inspirational chorus ‘Boy we can do much more together – it’s not so impossible’).
10. Gene – We Could Be Kings (Worthing’s Dome Cinema on the sleeve, photographed by Rankin. I’ve been playing a lot of Gene lately; largely forgotten, but so much more intelligent than Shed Seven or Oasis. From the good old days).
*Other inspirational lyrics I like at the moment are Devon Sproule’s ‘Dress sharp, play well, be modest’ and Sam Duckworth’s ‘the inconvenient truth is that the power’s with you’
August 14th Mixtape
I can’t remember the last time a week traipsed & pulled me through such a wide range of emotions. Utterly exhausted but ultimately ending it on positive feelings. I hope this weeks mixtape echoes that emotion.
I’ve swept streets after the riots. Been made redundant so wondering what my next move will be & how much to panic. Shed tears over lives lost, shed tears over homes & businesses lost. I’ve felt overwhelming support from friends & loved ones. I’ve felt utter joy at bees on a rooftop, pollinating flowers on the Southbank with high-rise buildings looming grand behind them. I’ve had my first official review of a live event put up on a website that is not my own, Sound Revolution.
I started the week sitting in front of the news for hours watching London fall, it was literally heartbreaking. Then the madness spread to other places. Initially, for a split second, I thought I’d feel ashamed of a city I love so much, it made my stomach turn and left a bitter taste in my mouth. But instead, because of the selfless & amazing actions of others, I have never felt so much pride. Pride in communities, human nature, charitable actions & deeds. So many people played their part and if I could somehow throw you a party & shower you with good karma then I would. Instead this playlist is for you, the people who have inspired me this week, a lot of you strangers that I will never meet. Thankyou. ♥
- Marvin Gaye – What’s Going On
- Blur – Tender
- David Bowie – Heroes
- Julian Casablancas – 11th Dimension
- Two Door Cinema Club – Something Good Can Work
- Patrick Wolf – Together
- OK Go – All Is Not Lost
- Bill Withers – Lean On Me
- Paul Weller – Brand New Start
- Elbow – One Day Like This
From Desk Till Dawn 