Redwings, Guillemots

Redwings is not the most instantly catchy, recognizable, grand nor affecting Guillemots song. But it sums up why they're one of my favourite bands, and I'm so glad that in their recent tiny London gigs they've kept it as the last song in their setlist as it shows the band must cherish it as much as myself. The atmospheric opening and little touches here and there create a special little world which is specific to this song. In creating Through the Windowpane, Fyfe Dangerfield said (I'm paraphrasing here) that he wanted to make an album where you switch off the lights and just listen to the record like he used to. I find when listening to Redwings that it's the perfect example why you should give the album such close attention.

It's about leaving your best friend, as you share out your last bottle of whiskey. When closing my eyes and losing myself in the song, I picture two friends on the edge of a cliff near a lot of trees, sitting on a rug finishing their drink. The emotion overwhelms them both as the song builds into a crescendo, yet they still must leave each other. I love every instrument throughout which helps create the special atmosphere. It's utterly mesmerizing and has some really delicately moving lyrics (This is where the glass leaves the lens/A splinter in a chemistry of friends.) I don't think there's enough songs about friendships, nor do I feel there's as many songs as poignantly moving as this one. Bring on their next album which will hopefully be arriving within the next few months.

We Float, PJ Harvey

Stories From the City, Stories From The Sea is quickly becoming one of my most listened to albums. Every song has a certain tension, and the album is full of paradoxes as the title suggests - it's full of urban rock and soulful ballads - as she explores something truly modern whilst creating some wonderful melodies and textured sounds. Harvey makes this work magically, and I think that We Float is the perfect example of why I love the album so much. From the introduction of the percussion and piano sitting side by side in a really jarring fashion, followed by PJ's beautiful voice being introduced, supported by a real grasp of lyrical rhythm. The opening has some lines which just reel of wonderfully:

We wanted to find love
We wanted success
Until nothing was enough
Until my middle name was excess

To me, it's pure poetry as PJ does some laid back rock. Then the introduction of the chorus comes, and it's just really transcendental, perfectly illustrating the tension within the album and the song itself. I can't place my finger on why her voice, or this part of the song moves me so much. It's never occurred to me that this song could be about her relationship with Nick Cave until now, wouldn't that be perfect, or not: he hurt her, he turned to drugs (When you got lost into the city/Got lost into the night) which causes her heartbreak, but also her tranquillity as she reflects on the end of the relationship. It's bitter, it's soulful and heartfelt, it's just a work of pure beauty.

Evil Woman, Black Sabbath

'Cos everyone loves THE SABBATH!!!!

My Iron Lung, Radiohead

I'll be honest in saying that My Iron Lung has never come close to being my favourite Radiohead song, and probably not even one of my favourites from The Bends, but it just made a lot of sense to me today. It starts off slowly, almost dreamlike, as it develops into a song as rocky and angsty as Radiohead get. To me it's kind of a precursor to OK Computer as they're dealing primarily with the anxieties of the 90s, as well as the tiredness of their own career - being constantly made to perform Creep (oh how times have changed...) It could be about relationships and how they are kept alive when they may as well die (We're too young to sleep/Too cynical to speak), a commentary on society (We scratch our eternal itch/A twentieth century bitch), or, most likely, about everything I've mentioned and more. Their talent is to make their own concerns fit in with the concerns of wider society, as well as something really personal to many people.

The progression of the song really matches the lyrics perfectly. Yorke starts to simply contemplate all these things in his (and our) lives, as a guitar slowly creeps in. Then the more he thinks about it the more disgusted he becomes, which shows both in his voice and by the introduction of Selway's drums. By the end of the song the band break down, creating some really catchy rock in the process. I can't express how perfectly I feel Radiohead work as a band so that their arrangements match the lyrical content so harmoniously.

It speaks volumes for the band that something so well arranged, so subtly complex wouldn't rank too high on a fan's list of their songs. Though I suppose that's what happens when you keep putting out records with so many brilliant songs that work as a whole so brilliantly. Thus it's in songs like My Iron Lung, which so often go unrecognised, that you can observe just how talented Radiohead are.

Tightrope, Janelle Monae

Pop music is definitely not something I've been into recently, but with females such as Janelle Monae and Robyn emerging it's becoming a genre harder to ignore than it used to be. Tightrope incorporates many musical styles such as funk, RnB, soul, jazz and hip-hop to create a song for everyone to enjoy. Monae is extremely carefree in her attitude to music - she could easily be the next big thing - instead she chose to make an intelligent concept album incorporating ideas from Fritz Lang's silent film Metropolis, achieving more comparisons to Bowie than Britney. This shines through the song, as she sings

When you get elevated
They love it or they hate
You dance up on them haters
Keep getting funky on the scene

She certainly doesn't care what people think which is what enables this song to be so astoundingly catchy and instantly brilliant. It's no surprise she has Big Boi's support, as well as the media's, I just find it bizarre that the public haven't quite caught on yet.

Days, The Kinks

It takes a truly talented band to put an optimistic spin on grief and for it to not sound too contrived, but The Kinks do it perfectly here focusing on the memory of their lost one, and the 'Days' they provided them with. It's quietly reflective and truly haunting. I love the erratic guitar and the steady drum beat as well as the strangely euphoric vocals.

Time of the Season, The Zombies

If you ever think about the late 1960s, and what it would be like if you were there, it should almost certainly be soundtracked by The Zombies. You've probably heard the song before, it's been referenced in all kinds of places. This song perhaps belongs more to the Summer months, but it's my birthday today, so I can afford to be happy. It's so psychedelic, sexy and simply joyful, I love the harmony when they sing the title, as well as the ending - a minute's instrumental which is just bliss. If you like it then give the album Odessey and Oracle a listen which was #23 on NME's recent list of 'Best 100 Albums You've Never Heard.' I guarantee it will challenge The Beach Boys for a spot on your Summer playlist or brighten up the dark Winter's days ahead.

This Old Heart Of Mine (Is Weak For You), The Isley Brothers

Probably a lesser known Motown classic, it's always been one of my favourites of the soul compilation records. It's such a bittersweet song, lyrically, telling the story of this man who's so in love with this girl it barely matters if she plays him around a hundred times. Melodically, though, it's simply blissful, the strings are beautifully arranged, the percussion perfectly positioned, and that brass! The solo sounds quite simple, but it's extremely effective, emphasising the euphoria of the lead singer when he gets his lover. It's a song full of ups and downs, and even though the inevitable outcome for the singer might not be the happiest, you can't help but share his pleasure of being in love.

I Want To Be Well, Sufjan Stevens

Sufjan Stevens started out as what can only be described as a Christian Elliot Smith, doing lovely Biblical folk (is that possible, you ask?!) One album, a few EPs, a Christmas CD, and a serious bout of illness later he came back with The Age of Adz. The sound throughout the album is really strange as he mixes auto-tuned vocals next to a beautifully modern juxtaposition of folk and electronica.

This song's a highlight. It's as self-indulgent as anything you've ever heard, it's definitely not for everyone. Yet it's so passionate, you realize the song writing process was a truly cathartic process as he screams the title repeatedly. It's an astounding transformation, full of excess and success.

L'estat (acc. to the widow's maid), Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti

The title pretty much sums up this song, it's just utterly bizarre. From the opening seconds, you are entered into this strange odyssey of sounds which are wonderfully textured so the song really does benefit from a high volume on a decent speaker system. I love loads of little details, for example, the little popping sound you get at 3.15 in the song. The effect of the guitars remind me of old Megadrive games, and the song is just as fun as Sonic was when you were 7 years old. I've never paid any attention to the lyrics, but they are just as surreal as the sound:

"Madame Morse Estate
Fell one summer's day
Rolling down to the water
Where the madams made pants
To her mother, she loves her"

No idea what this is about, but I can't get enough. Round and Round, from the same album was Pitchfork's #1 song of 2010, but I think this also measures up as one of the songs of the year.

In a Jar, Dinosaur Jr.

http://vimeo.com/7014296

So the first real post, and the inspiration came when I was preparing an egg sarnie and drinking my morning coffee whilst listening to Dinosaur Jr.'s incredibly catchy, guitar driven album You're Living All Over Me from which this song is taken. The song opens wonderfully, a little drum fill and then it leaps into a deliciously self-deprecating phrase: "I'll be grazing by your window/Please come pat me on the head/I just wanna' find out what you're nice to me for." It shows the humility and almost embarrassment of first love, Mascis' uncertain, desperate, voice is synthesised with a rocking guitar and bass which suddenly erupt and quieten throughout the song. The imagery in the song is full of gore, the scars and scabs of a woman's relationship appear in a clear jar which are "plain to see" - evoking the singer's heart-on-sleeve approach to singing. I think the song is about a relationship between a young man, and an older lady  ("You know I'm young and stuff"), and perhaps her previous heartbreak and coming to terms with a new relationship with this boy. Whatever Mascis is trying to say though, I'm not really bothered, I enjoy just singing along to this lo-fi, fuzzy, melodic noise without a care in the world...

If you enjoy this, you'll be happy to hear that J Mascis has a new solo album out within the next few months. Or check out other Dinosaur Jr. stuff, this seems to be a less popular song, I struggled to find a decent Youtube clip... so I had to settle for a hyperlink to a different site which hpefully won't put you off giving this gem a listen!

Why a Blog?

People often ask me 'what am I listening to?' or 'recommend me a song', in addition to this I've been wanting to write about music for a while now, but never wanted to be one of those guys 'with a blog'. I've gotten over this though, and people said it would be a good idea, so with a hangover (still!) at 2am, my blog begins. I will post the song on the page, and I'd really appreciate some comments - just if you like it or not, or even something more detailed if you wish. Will probably take me a while to make my blog look nice which I will probably be changing everyday for 2 months, and to get to grips with it, but I hope y'all enjoy it as much as I hope to. I may divulge in rantings on films occasionally, but for starters I'll just stick with this song of the day idea, which I think is pretty accessible.