Ok, it”™s Monday. It”™s the springtime of our lives. This playlist is all over the shop, much like my mind right now. I can”™t centre on anything right now. My mind is alive and the sun is out. I”™m WRITING IN CAPS happy right now. Shut up, Thom. I”™d planned to do some work on this site this weekend but events happened. I will conspire with Dave to bring you a better Spotisfaction experience soon. I”™ll do a news post earlier later with some further details (fingers crossed).
Right, here is todays playlist.
1. Miyavi – SURVIVE
2. The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart – Come Saturday
3. Japandroids – The Boys Are Leaving Town
4. Ungdomskulen – Osaka
5. Ulrich Schnauss – Nobody”™s Home
6. Bon Iver – Skinny Love
7. The Dodos – Fools
8. James Holden – Lump
9. Luke Abbot – Whitebox Stereo
10. Four Tet – Sing
11. Royksopp – The Girl And The Robot
12. Anthony Shakir – Here, There & Nowhere
13. Esben And The Witch – Skeleton Swoon
14. Yeasayer – Ambling Alp
15. Bear In Heaven – Lovesick Teenagers
16. The XX – Crystalised
17. Jose Gonzalez – Heartbeats
18. Cornelius – Drop
19. The Velvet Underground – I”™m Waiting For The Man
20. Sparklehorse – Don”™t Take My Sunshine Away
21. Streetlight Manifesto – Riding The Fourth Wave
22. Beastie Boys – Shake Your Rump
23. The Rural Alberta Advantage – Don”™t Haunt This Place
24. Titus Andronicus – Upon Viewing Brueghel”™s “Landscape With The Fall Of Icarus”
25. Joy Wants Eternity – Above The Clouds Lies Eternal Sun
26. Sonic Youth – Sugar Kane
27. Ash – I”™m Gonna Fall
Okay, I”™ve had one or two comments that my later blurbs are a bit more tame than the early stuff I was putting up. Simply put, I”™ve shifted my style for this format. I could sit and write half a paragraph that no-one reads, pouring my heart and soul into a detailed analysis of each track. But I”™m not here to review my playlists, I”™m here to draw attention to some of the highlights and justify why I”™ve added them. With that in mind, here is a quick run down:
Kicking this off with Miyavi with “SURVIVE”. Anyone who knows me knows that I”™ve got a big love for Japanese music. This is the only thing I can find on here other than some of the more recent Dir En Grey stuff.Miyavi is actually quite a talent himself, he is fantastic at guitar, a great showman and is actually part of the superband SKIN with Gackt (Malice Mizer), Sugizo (Luna Sea) and Yoshiki (X Japan). Check out his cover of Nirvana”™s “Blew” here to see the man in action. This track, whilst not my favourite Miyavi track, still seems to have a certain funk to it”™s step.
The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart were my favourite band this weekend. As I had already put “This Love Is Fucking Right” on a playlist previously, I decided to put “Come Saturday” on as well, as it reminds me of waking up on a Saturday morning and having a cigarette out of the window whilst watching the world go by.
Ungdomskulen”™s track “Osaka” takes the place of the song I was going to put into this playlist, which was King Crimson – 21st Century Schizoid Man. Nobody wanted an 11 minute prog rock epic this early on a Monday though, did they?
Everyone knows I like James Holden. I rate him very highly indeed. The track “Lump” was taken from his awesome album “The Idiots Are Winning”. If this track tickles you as it does me, then make sure you check it out. Along with the follow up track by Luke Abbot entitled “Whitebox Stereo”.
The XX is a band that I didn”™t click with at first, although I had a huge amount of respect for what they were putting out. “Crystalised” is the first track that clicked with me, which is why it is here. It”™s got the minimal.
I couldn”™t run a playlist without a Sparklehorse track in memory of Mark Linkous, who died earlier this month. I would seriously recommend Sparklehorse to anyone, and “Don”™t Take My Sunshine Away” is as good a place as any to start.
I”™m going through a bit of a Streetlight Manifesto crush at the moment, this track is basically being used to bridge Sparklehorse and the next track – Beastie Boys – “Shake Your Rump”. Little known fact, I know more Beastie Boys lyrics than actual English words. This track, taken from the fantastic album Paul”™s Boutique, is often just kicking around my head, causing me to bark out lines and hooks from it like some angry new yorker with tourettes.
The Rual Alberta Advantage are a great find. Seriously, check these guys out. “Don”™t Haunt This Place”.
Finally, rounding up the playlist is the sublime “Sugar Kane” by Sonic Youth and Ash”™s “I”™m Gonna Fall” (Taken from the oft overlooked album Nu-Clear Sounds). I figured this was a good enough end to a playlist that has been a bit all over the place.
More to follow”¦ Bears and robots for now, Sailors.
Thom
(Twitter)