Hey guys. I trust you’re well this fine morning? So, The xx are Mercury winners, eh? I’d like to say I called that one after they featured on my very first playlist for Spotisfaction ;). In all honesty, though, I would have liked to have seen Foals win it, but that might just be because Foals ”“ Total Life Forever is one of my top 5 albums of 2010 so far. The xx are relentlessly hard workers and by all accounts pretty nice boys and girls, so fair play to them.
Today’s playlist is one of my own (I do like to get a bit self-indulgent every now and again, as you may have noticed!) and I hope you enjoy it.
Take it easy,
Dave
My blurb:
This playlist is simply some of my favourite tracks at the moment. Very few of them are cutting-edge new, and very few of them are particularly challenging or esoteric. This is, probably, the most accurate representation I could come up with of my current taste in music (which, of course, is in a constant state of flux as I discover more and more stuff). I’ll quickly mention one or two particular tracks, and then let you get on with your day.
Zero 7 are a band that need very little introduction. A few of us had tickets to see Sia in October, but unfortunately she’s pulled out. I love her work with Zero 7, which is why I included this particular track. I’ll be honest, I’ve not given Zero 7’s later work (after Zero 7 ”“ The Garden) much of a listen for one reason or another, but perhaps seeing this track in the playlist will encourage me to revisit them.
Jaga Jazzist are a band that are not well known enough for how incredibly awesome they are. I’ve heard them compared to a ‘jazzy’ Holy Fuck and Battles (although I don’t think that really does them justice), but I think their sound is so much more complex than that implies. If I had to compare them to another band, I’d liken them more to Ratatat crossed with The Cinematic Orchestra, particularly in the way they’re able to subtly layer a song together expertly and really tell a story with their work despite an absence of vocals. They’re one of the bands I keep returning to regularly (they are my second-most played band, after Park), and even if only one person listened to them off the back of this recommendation then that makes me a happy guy. I would start first with Jaga Jazzist ”“ A Livingroom Hush and then move onto their 2010 album, Jaga Jazzist ”“ One-Armed Bandit.
Post War Years are a band that have been on my radar for quite a long time now (Spotisfaction contributor Craig Haynes was close friends with the band’s vocalist/bassist Tom O’Hare at University) and those that know me will know I raved long and hard about one of their earlier singles, Black Morning. Although I completely missed the arrival of their album Post War Years ”“ The Greats and the Happenings on Spotify last year, I finally got round to searching for them again recently. It’s a treat, and has been on constant repeat for me over the last week.
