Morning kids. What an awesome week we’re having, no? Some daft bugger has closed all the blinds in the office today, so I’m taking far more coffee breaks than is strictly necessary to try and wrest back some sunshine.
I went airsofting last night with some friends (think paintball, but indoors and with BBs instead of paint) and tripped whilst heroicly pegging it away from the other team… consequently I’ve completely knackered my shoulder. I’m sat here, high on ibuprofen, trying not to move. My poor wife (who is 8-months pregnant and can barely move, too) had to help dress me this morning. Oh how the mighty have fallen, eh! So, if you see me around this weekend, be gentle otherwise I might cry at you.
Anyway!
Today’s playlist is courtesy of Mighty Mike Sheldrick and is entitled Barefaced Optimism. Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to expect here, but this whole playlist works really well. Nothing like a sunny day and some undeniably classic tunes to cheer you up! Make sure to hit the read more link to see what Mike has to say about this mix – worth reading.
Morning folks. I’m posting this via the magic of scheduled publishing… wooooo… let me know what Friday’s like yeah? I’ll keep it short and sweet today, since I’m away galivanting in London-town. Today’s playlist comes from staff member Mike Sheldrick and is entitled “Easy Sunday”. Enjoy!
Love, Dave
Mike Says:
Well hello again my friends. Today, the aim of the game is to relax. It seems to me that in this ever rushed, fast paced lifestyle we find ourselves in, seldom do we make time to sit down, relax and enjoy a little bit of quiet time. With this in mind, I have selected a small collection of tunes with the simple task of soothing the soul. So, I hope you find yourself in a position to perhaps put your feet up, relax, and let the gentle tones of today”™s track list refresh your mind.
We start with Lionel Richie, and I think you”™ll agree, a very ”˜Easy”™ way to introduce our theme. And in turn, I can think of no better way to conclude than with What a Wonderful World. Last time I heard it, myself and my better half were on a bus, on a daytrip from Rhodes town on the way back to our apartment. Without wishing to sound like a total wettie, it literally brought a tear to my eye. And I must say, it is delightful to be reminded of the power of music from time to time. But anyways, enough from me, I”™ll let Gomez and co speak for themselves. So yes, it may be autumn, but hang it. Open the window, for ”˜Here Comes The Breeze”™! Enjoy!
Hi folks. Oh man, Wednesday came about quickly, eh? But, I’ll tell you what, I’m very glad we had the Bank Holiday this week. Who doesn’t love a 4-day work week? Not us, that’s for darn sure.
Today’s playlist has the potential to split opinions down the middle. We’ve always said we’re all for diversity, and we really, truly mean that. We don’t want a hundred playlists all identically sounding and made up of ‘in’ bands. So, I for one am very excited about today’s effort by Spotisfaction contributor Mike Sheldrick. I encourage you to listen to this one even if it’s not normally your cup of tea. If you still don’t approve, fair enough, but feel free to let us know why in the comments!
Anyway, I’ll hand over to Mike for his blurb below: [Dave]
Mike says:
Greetings, fellow travellers of the sound waves. And in this episode, we”™re going to do things a little differently. In a break from the more traditional style of playlist we”™ve come to know and love, I wondered perhaps if you”™d like to join me on a little journey, back to the oh so simple days of childhood (well mine to be precise). Back to when I were a wee young lad. Times were simple back then, I”™d go to school, come home, do my homework (yeah right), rinse and repeat as necessary. But I digress. Back then, I also played the trumpet. I spent many of my former years attending local orchestras and brass bands, and because of that, I was exposed to a lot of classical music.
Hi guys. Thom and I had the world’s most important debate today. A debate that has the potential to split our nation right down the middle. A debate so fearce and volatile that we’ve both had to have a bit of a sit down and a cup of tea to recover… That’s right, folks, a debate about which Limp Bizkit cover on Spotify was the best one (not including Richard Cheese or Vitamin String Quartet)…
I think it’s Faith, by some dude called George Michael. He’s taken the song and made it his own. Respect.
Anyway, today’s playlist is by Mighty Mike Sheldrick. Friday 13th? Overrated.
And first, the news! So recently it was announced that John and Edward, fronted by aging buffoon Louis Walsh are to release a second god awful travesty. Yes my friends. It is regrettably true that those two Irish pillocks (affectionately?) shortened to JedWard, have surpassed all logic and reason with their release of their personal answer to the Nuclear Bomb, a cover version of Blink 182”™s ”˜All the Small Things”™ (along side their new debut album). For those that may not know, John and Edward are 18 year old twins, who earned their reputation for covering poor renditions of tunes like the ”˜Ghostbusters Theme Tune”™ and ”˜Vanilla Ice”™s Under Pressure”™ during last year”™s series of X-Factor. The main problem was that they were at the time subject of much entertainment, because they simply weren”™t good enough. How they made it into the knockout stages was a mystery to many. Nevertheless, they battled through the rounds with their out of sync jumping and cringingly tuneless vocal musings. Surprisingly, they made it to the 6th knockout round of the competition. Thing is, these boys need no encouragement. It”™s not really a fair plan to expose them to the public in this way to be the subject of mockery. Whilst the novelty of watching these boys progress through the rounds bastardising tune after tune was admittingly entertaining at first, their sheer lack of quality soon became tiresome. To the point where, for many weeks, they were booed, live in front of an audience of millions. And now, as previously mentioned, they have landed a large record deal, 2 singles and an album. On what grounds? Success?
It”™s very quiet at Spotisfaction Towers right now. Everyone is out doing busy things. Dave has gone on a trek to find himself. He found himself sat in front of his TV in his pants watching”¦ whatever it is the people of the daytime watch. Some god awful show no doubt, a loud mouthed presenter barking at a family of criminals to change their ways. Yes, because your angry little-penis rant will really accomplish what a 2 year stretch in a correctional facility failed to do to these people. I shudder to think that TV such as this is allowed to exist. That”™s why I don”™t watch TV. That and Big Brother. Oh, and soaps. I mean, seriously guys”¦ come on. I digress”¦
Today”™s playlist is by the standup gentleman known as “WastedLegend”, aka Mike Sheldrick. A long serving, long suffering friend of mine. I”™m quite excited about this one, truth be told. Hardcore Mike is hardcore. I”™ll leave the rest to him.
Ballads of a Broken Man ”“ Playlist by Mike Sheldrick (@Wasted_Legend)
Creep – Radiohead
The Scientist – Coldplay
Dry Your Eyes – The streets
Blinded by the Sun – The Seahorses
Original – Leftfield
40 Days – Lali-Puna
Image of you – Red Snapper
Six Says – DJ Shadow
Everybody Hurts – REM
Mr Nicholls – Coldcut
Hallelujah – Leonard Cohen
Fast Car – The Rock Masters (Tracy Chapman cover)
Open your window – Reverend & The Makers
Get yourself together – Tahiti 80
The Warmth – Incubus
Hello – The Seahorses
Everything will be alright – The Killers
The title should explain the main theme of this playlist. I wanted to create a mini-symphony of tracks to play that really captivate the emotions behind the moment you hit rock-bottom. The tunes compiled here are a few numbers that I think best tell the story of a mind going round in circles trying to make sense of a situation. Taken literally, the songs listed here may demonstrate emotions you might feel during a break up, but this isn”™t necessarily the theme. Rather, the tracks are meant to hold a sense of understanding that you can connect and relate to.
Starting with “Creep”. Reminding me of my days at school, I can picture a lost soul wandering round the courtyard feeling like a very small fish in a very big pond, struggling to fit in. The next few tracks sort of reflect a mind in pieces questioning all angles, The themes get a little darker towards the middle, towards the lyrically intense “Mr Nicholls”. I felt that to help ease the mood, I introduce a masterpiece of song writing from the legendary Leonard Cohen. Having seen this live at Glastonbury a few years ago, I can remember being reduced to tears as I witness a chorus of countless thousands waving their arms as he serenaded us with his deep and purposeful voice. Continuing in a refreshing vein, the list concludes with a few tracks that I feel still have a soulful sadness whilst also maintaining a sense of quiet optimism. However desperate the situation, two things you should remember.
You are not alone.
No matter how dark the night, the sun will always rise.
