I’ve started doing these weekly playlists, inspired by mr Paul Kaaya. Here is the first of these, compiled from the week of the 26th of April to the 3rd of May.
1.) Why Can’t We Be Friends? - War
Just a very catchy song. I think I first heard it in the Simpsons or something but it was on the radio on one of my dad’s dodgy soul programs and i realised how massive a tune it is. The band clearly had a lot of fun recording it as well, with lots of laughter and applause as people put forward their verses about peace, clearly made up on the spot. Despite a very repetitive chorus, its doubtless a great song.
2.) Die By The Drop - The Dead Weather
The new single from Jack White and Alison Mosshart’s band is much stronger than cuts off their first album, with the Drums more interesting, the guitar riffs heavier and tones even cooler with nice vocal interplay between White and Mosshart. Having listened to their stream of ‘Sea of Cowards’ (just the once, mind), I cant wait to get my hands on the album on May 10th.
3.) Aerodynamic - Daft Punk
I’ve been getting into Daft Punk a lot recently - this being part of one of my revisitations of their albums that have happened consistently since I first got a copy of ‘Discovery’ for my birthday in 2001 - spurred on by my attempt to learn the ridiculous solo from ‘Digital Love’ the other day. This has always been my favourite of theirs, with a fantastic guitar tapping sample and a great beat that, despite being mimicked, has never been surpassed in their rock/house crossover style.
4.) Mercy, Mercy Me (The Ecology) - Marvin Gaye
Another one I hadn’t heard for a while but after discovering a fantastic Strokes version with none other than Eddie Vedder and Josh Homme (omg!), I felt compelled to revisit the classic ‘Whats Going On’ album and this stood out for me, being a fantastic song in its own right and being one of the best cuts off this exceptional album. I love the sax solo.
5.) O Green World - Gorillaz
After the triumph of ‘Plastic Beach’ and an extreme jealousy of those who caught their Roundhouse shows, I decided to give ‘Demon Days’ a spin on a long journey home from a friend’s way out West in Eastcote. I was reminded of how great an achievement this album truly was and how staggering it was to hear at 11. It stands up as a personal classic today, with tracks like this and ‘All Alone’, despite not reaching the hit status of ‘Dare’ or ‘Feel Good Inc’, are amazing tunes in their own right, with this having a fantastic tune and, similar to the Marvin Gaye song, poignant, environmentally-focused lyrics.
6.) Night Time - The xx
Everyone by now knows how great the xx are, with their unique sound and intimate lyrics. This is my fave of theirs at the moment, with beautiful vocal lines, as always, and intriguing lyrics. People should check out the hilarious covers project ‘The oo’. The oo on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music …
7.) Sweet Gene Vincent - Ian Dury and the Blockheads
Awaiting the DVD release of the excellent ‘Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll’, in which Andy Serkis put in an amazing performance as the larger-than-life new wave poet/singer, I listened to the great band’s best of again, on which this stood out for once. A beautiful tribute to the music Dury grew up with and was influenced by.
8.) Witness (1 Hope) - Roots Manuva
Roots Manuva is and has been for quite a while my favourite British Rapper. I recently introduced Sam to his genius through a playlist (up soon) and, of course, had this on loop for quite a while afterwards. His biggest hit, with some fantastic electro production and a great dub remix, this needs to be heard as much as possible.
9.) The Killing Moon - Echo and the Bunnymen
A Classic. I recently bought a mandolin to play in my band and this was the first song I learned to play, due to the awesomely evocative part in this song. I have always loved this song and recently bought their ‘Songs to Learn and Sing’ comp and showed it to a few friends. This is the best place to start, being a great pop song with something clearly darker going on under the surface. The Pavement cover is also great.
10.) Get Innocuous! (Soulwax Remix) - LCD Soundsystem
Having seen LCD last week and it being one of the best shows I’ve ever seen, with a hearty mix of old classics (Losing My Edge, Yr City’s A Sucker) to previews of the new album (I Can Change, Pow Pow) proving them to be a great, great band. This was reccomended to me and I was not disappointed. This 10 minutes-plus track never gets boring or tiresome, with the Belgian maestros making this already-classic cut from ‘Sound of Silver’ even more danceable and interesting, with every idea in the song developed to its natural conclusion, from Nancy Whang’s catchy vocal to Murphy’s more dramatic deep chants. Tune.
11.) You Already Know - Bombay Bicycle Club
Bombay are one of my favourite bands at the moment. I have loved them ever since I got the Evening/Morning single a few years ago. I recently re-listened to this tender b-side having heard it performed beautifully at an acoustic show at Pure Groove, with Steadman’s vocals sounding even sweeter 2 years on, blending well with the woman’s voice and a nice guitar line.
12.) Length of Pipe - Billy Childish
I was recently introduced to this British blues man, a massive inspiration to my heroes Jack White and Graham Coxon. His fantastic lo-fi, raw guitar riffs, and soulful lyrics about an untrustworthy woman, despite not being particularly inventive make the most of standard blues ideas to lead to a classic song and a great way to start my quest into his enormous canon.
More next week
-Emmett
