Walking Through That Door - Future Islands
when the night falls oh so low
we may lose control
life is hard
and so am I
And with these opening words, Eels arrived on the scene. 16 years later, it’s still one of my favourite albums.
I’ve fallen in love for the first time
and this time I know it’s for real
I’ll Believe In Anything - Wolf Parade
There are times when the thousands of dusty MP3s in your digital music library all feel old and flat and tired and uninspiring, times when you wonder just what the point of music is anyway. Apologies To The Queen Mary, released in 2005, was one of those albums that restored my faith, something that sounded fresh and authentic and earnest (In The Aeroplane Over The Sea was another). Here’s the video from one of the stand-out tracks on the album, I’d encourage you to check out the rest — “give me your eyes, I need sunshine”.
Good As Gold (Stupid As Mud) - The Beautiful South
I want my sun-drenched windswept Ingrid Bergman kiss
not in the next life, I’ll have it in this
Quiet Little Voices - We Were Promised Jetpacks
quiet little monsters creep into my head
The Prodigal Son - Two Gallants
so I’ll take to the hills to live savage and free
I don’t need nobody, nobody needs me
Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks - The National
all the very best of us
string ourselves up for love
without you it’s a waste of time
Needles And Pills - Peter Bjorn And John
Peter Bjorn And John are probably best known for the Young Folks whistling riff, which I heard most recently on a Homebase advert. You’ll know it if you hear it. They have plenty more to offer besides that.
I made a bridge between us then I slowly burned it
So Come Back, I Am Waiting - Okkervil River
so come back and we’ll take them all on
Old music Wednesday travels to 2005 for one of the best songs about drug addiction ever recorded. Merry Christmas!
Winter 1 - Pete And The Pirates
you’re a problem that comes to mind
New music Friday welcomes a track from 2011’s One Thousand Pictures.
The Cowboy… / Dead Flag Blues - Godspeed You! Black Emperor
GYBE are one of my favourite bands but their songs aren’t really suited for mixtapes or parties so it’s hard to get the word out. For Old Music Wednesday here’s a small sample from Dead Flag Blues called The Cowboy… presumably the soundtrack to said cowboy walking through a post-apocalyptic landscape.
Arms Against Atrophy - Titus Andronicus
the rest is yet to reveal itself to me
For New Music Friday, Shakespeare’s lamentable tragedy in the form of a band.
