Music March 10 - Hello, Strange Days
I wonder sometimes if I should try keeping a monthly list of stuff I've been hammering on the iPod. The problem is I'd do it one month and then forget, but: if you don't do the first month, you can hardly do the rest. So: here is March. With streaming links, because I am laaaazy.
1) 1. Plastiscines - Barcelona
Say, whatever you want, but the beat goes on - better for us to stay away.
Girl band! Guitars! Harmonies! Yeah, pretty much doomed to like this one.
2) Rachael Yamagata - Be Be Your Love
Everything's falling, and I am included in that, Oh how I try to be just okay
If you've never heard Rachael Yamagata sing, then you're very unlucky; she has this gorgeous, smokey, powerful-yet-vulnerable voice, and she can sing heartbreak as beautifully as anyone I've ever heard.
3) Gigolo Aunts - Where I Find My Heaven
Monday morning is only for the brave.
Sad 90s one-hit wonder or not, I heard this on 6music on Saturday and it gave me the warm fuzzies. It's a lot less annoying than other 90s one-hit wonders, in that it has, you know, a tune. And is lovely.
4) Frank Turner - A Love Worth Keeping
I guess you never know... choice until you have something to choose
Frank Turner is a legend, and the album this is from - Love Ire & Song - doesn't have a duff track on it, but this lovely thing is a stand-out. It makes me long for something I'm not even sure I've ever had - but in a good way. I say "it", I really mean "everything he ever bloody writes".
5) Charlotte Hatherley - Again
Lucky, lucky me... It's the one thing that I'll never be
Charlotte Hatherley > Ash. The facts are these.
6) The Cardigans - Been It
Master man, I'm never better than your latest plan
Hadn't heard this in years, randomly remembered it today. Nobody ever did girly guitar pop better than this lot, but this wasn't a single so may remain undiscovered. My I recommend you fix that? :)
7) Anna Nalick - Breathe (2am)
Can you help me unravel my latest mistake? I don't love him, winter just wasn't my season
Yes okay, it's been used in Grey's Anatomy, but don't hold that against it. Heh. It's a little bit different from your usual Girl Song Used In Big Drama fare; the lyrics are better, for a start...
8) Beck - Already Dead
Nothing's measured by what it needs
I'm not one of those people that worships Beck, but Sea Change is a beautiful album. This is a short reason to listen to the whole thing.
9) Spinnerette - Baptized By Fire
Pick your heart up off the floor, hold it gently now and go, to the place you were meant to know
There are many reasons why it's shit that Jon Richardson is no longer on the radio: personally, I'm going to cite the fact that I'd never have heard this song about getting the hell on with your short life were it not for him, and now he's GONE, grrrr. Still, we'll always have this tune.
10) Kathleen Edwards - Back to Me
I've got lights you've never seen, I've got moves I've never used
Kathleen Edwards is who I want to be when I grow up. She's clever, she's fierce, she has a voice that you don't forget in a hurry, and okay she sometimes sings about hockey. Not in this case, which might encourage more of you to listen, mind. :)
11) Jónsi - Go Do
Go sing, too loud - make your voice break, sing it out
Himoff Sigur Ros does solo tune; to the surprise of nobody it is ace.
12) Howling Bells - Digital Hearts
Radio wars, change the station, my digital heart is suddenly aching, I'll never hear my favourite song again
This needs to be played every day on 6music until they save it. Not just because it's cracking, but listen to the words!
13) Lloyd Cole and the Commotions - Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken?
Well you better get ready now baby, are you ready to bleed?
I only wish I'd heard Lloyd Cole earlier in my life; jingly jangly indie schmindie at its very finest.
14) Camera Obscura - Lloyd, I'm Ready To Be Heartbroken
Hey Lloyd, I'm ready to be heartbroken, cos I can't further than my own nose at this moment
Yeah, I'm that girl. The one that puts the original song and the song inspired by it next to each other in a playlist. :) But I heard Camera Obscura's song first, and it was ace enough to make me seek out the titular Lloyd. I love indie, I don't even care. Call me twee. :P
15) Dresden Dolls - The Perfect Fit
I'm not exceptionally shy, but I've never had a man, that I could look straight in the eye and tell my secret plans
It's almost at the top of my Most Played list, I basically haven't gone more than a few days without listening to it since I first heard it, and whatever shit Amanda Palmer gets herself into she'll always be responsible for this. I know there must be a million girls in a million places who have secretly screamed along "I'm good for nothing, will you love me just the same!" Or, not so secretly. Time hasn't made this one resonate any less for me.
16) Laura Marling - Devil's Spoke
All of this can be broken - hold your devil by his spoke and spin him to the ground
I've only just discovered Laura Marling, years after everyone else. So everyone will probably already know how amazing this is. :)
17) Rilo Kiley - A Man/Me/Then Jim
It's my gradual descent into a life I never meant, it's the slow fade of love
Snuck up on me to become my favourite Rilo Kiley song. Beautiful vocals, heartbreaking lyric. What more can you ask of them?
18) Emma Pollock - Hug the Harbour
My trust lies in your precision
This one does have the tune, but it's mostly here for the lyrics. As ever, open to interpretation. :)
19) Yeasayer - O.N.E
But I thought you should know, you don't move me any more
They might not be any good! I have no idea! But this is an excellent tune that came to me as a "similar artist" to Hot Chip, so that'll do me nicely.
20) Roddy Frame - Reason For Living
What would it matter if the world seemed to shatter, is it the world you believe in?
Ah, the song I looked for for ten years after hearing it on the radio without a clue where to begin and then fell across totally accidentally while searching livejournal for something random, I dunno, pictures of Nathan Fillion or something. It will never leave my life again, and I just go through life with these lyrics in my head.
21) The Temper Trap - Sweet Disposition
Reckless abandon, like no-one's watching you
This one I have tried to shake off because it's sort of... there's something terribly obvious or something about it, which apparently isn't easy to explain. At the same time it's lovely and it keeps getting put on repeat. There it is.
22) Malcolm Middleton - Somebody Loves You
There's never enough blood for the heart and the head, a world is rocked without a word being said
Malcolm Middleton is my second favourite Scottish person, but that lyric might well be my favourite. By anyone, ever, Scottish or otherwise.
23) Great Lake Swimmers - Everything Is Moving So Fast
What does it feel like to fall, in slow motion despite it all?
Ah now this I will rave about until someone falls in love with it as much as I did: heard it, of all places, on a Hockey Night in Canada montage, but was just sitting there going "fucking hell that song is gorgeous" on that first listen. Sometimes those songs are good because of the montage, but this one's amazing on its own: favourite song so far this year, and definitely the one I sing along to the most. :)
24) Siobhan Donaghy - Halcyon Days
So wake up hope, it's dark and lonesome, I can hardly, hardly get open my eyes
Siobhan Donaghy is amazing, and more people should know this. The entire album this is from, Ghosts, is wonderful otherworldly pop brilliance and it was hard to pick one from it since the whole album's getting a lot of plays, but settled for this.
25) Lloyd Cole - Don't Look Back
I used to wake up early, I used to try to believe, but life seems neverending, when you’re young
Yes okay, this is him without the Commotions but it's still the second jingly jangly indie schmindie tune by a bloke called Lloyd on the same playlist. Regardless! It's GOOD jingly jangly indie schmindie.
1) 1. Plastiscines - Barcelona
Say, whatever you want, but the beat goes on - better for us to stay away.
Girl band! Guitars! Harmonies! Yeah, pretty much doomed to like this one.
2) Rachael Yamagata - Be Be Your Love
Everything's falling, and I am included in that, Oh how I try to be just okay
If you've never heard Rachael Yamagata sing, then you're very unlucky; she has this gorgeous, smokey, powerful-yet-vulnerable voice, and she can sing heartbreak as beautifully as anyone I've ever heard.
3) Gigolo Aunts - Where I Find My Heaven
Monday morning is only for the brave.
Sad 90s one-hit wonder or not, I heard this on 6music on Saturday and it gave me the warm fuzzies. It's a lot less annoying than other 90s one-hit wonders, in that it has, you know, a tune. And is lovely.
4) Frank Turner - A Love Worth Keeping
I guess you never know... choice until you have something to choose
Frank Turner is a legend, and the album this is from - Love Ire & Song - doesn't have a duff track on it, but this lovely thing is a stand-out. It makes me long for something I'm not even sure I've ever had - but in a good way. I say "it", I really mean "everything he ever bloody writes".
5) Charlotte Hatherley - Again
Lucky, lucky me... It's the one thing that I'll never be
Charlotte Hatherley > Ash. The facts are these.
6) The Cardigans - Been It
Master man, I'm never better than your latest plan
Hadn't heard this in years, randomly remembered it today. Nobody ever did girly guitar pop better than this lot, but this wasn't a single so may remain undiscovered. My I recommend you fix that? :)
7) Anna Nalick - Breathe (2am)
Can you help me unravel my latest mistake? I don't love him, winter just wasn't my season
Yes okay, it's been used in Grey's Anatomy, but don't hold that against it. Heh. It's a little bit different from your usual Girl Song Used In Big Drama fare; the lyrics are better, for a start...
8) Beck - Already Dead
Nothing's measured by what it needs
I'm not one of those people that worships Beck, but Sea Change is a beautiful album. This is a short reason to listen to the whole thing.
9) Spinnerette - Baptized By Fire
Pick your heart up off the floor, hold it gently now and go, to the place you were meant to know
There are many reasons why it's shit that Jon Richardson is no longer on the radio: personally, I'm going to cite the fact that I'd never have heard this song about getting the hell on with your short life were it not for him, and now he's GONE, grrrr. Still, we'll always have this tune.
10) Kathleen Edwards - Back to Me
I've got lights you've never seen, I've got moves I've never used
Kathleen Edwards is who I want to be when I grow up. She's clever, she's fierce, she has a voice that you don't forget in a hurry, and okay she sometimes sings about hockey. Not in this case, which might encourage more of you to listen, mind. :)
11) Jónsi - Go Do
Go sing, too loud - make your voice break, sing it out
Himoff Sigur Ros does solo tune; to the surprise of nobody it is ace.
12) Howling Bells - Digital Hearts
Radio wars, change the station, my digital heart is suddenly aching, I'll never hear my favourite song again
This needs to be played every day on 6music until they save it. Not just because it's cracking, but listen to the words!
13) Lloyd Cole and the Commotions - Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken?
Well you better get ready now baby, are you ready to bleed?
I only wish I'd heard Lloyd Cole earlier in my life; jingly jangly indie schmindie at its very finest.
14) Camera Obscura - Lloyd, I'm Ready To Be Heartbroken
Hey Lloyd, I'm ready to be heartbroken, cos I can't further than my own nose at this moment
Yeah, I'm that girl. The one that puts the original song and the song inspired by it next to each other in a playlist. :) But I heard Camera Obscura's song first, and it was ace enough to make me seek out the titular Lloyd. I love indie, I don't even care. Call me twee. :P
15) Dresden Dolls - The Perfect Fit
I'm not exceptionally shy, but I've never had a man, that I could look straight in the eye and tell my secret plans
It's almost at the top of my Most Played list, I basically haven't gone more than a few days without listening to it since I first heard it, and whatever shit Amanda Palmer gets herself into she'll always be responsible for this. I know there must be a million girls in a million places who have secretly screamed along "I'm good for nothing, will you love me just the same!" Or, not so secretly. Time hasn't made this one resonate any less for me.
16) Laura Marling - Devil's Spoke
All of this can be broken - hold your devil by his spoke and spin him to the ground
I've only just discovered Laura Marling, years after everyone else. So everyone will probably already know how amazing this is. :)
17) Rilo Kiley - A Man/Me/Then Jim
It's my gradual descent into a life I never meant, it's the slow fade of love
Snuck up on me to become my favourite Rilo Kiley song. Beautiful vocals, heartbreaking lyric. What more can you ask of them?
18) Emma Pollock - Hug the Harbour
My trust lies in your precision
This one does have the tune, but it's mostly here for the lyrics. As ever, open to interpretation. :)
19) Yeasayer - O.N.E
But I thought you should know, you don't move me any more
They might not be any good! I have no idea! But this is an excellent tune that came to me as a "similar artist" to Hot Chip, so that'll do me nicely.
20) Roddy Frame - Reason For Living
What would it matter if the world seemed to shatter, is it the world you believe in?
Ah, the song I looked for for ten years after hearing it on the radio without a clue where to begin and then fell across totally accidentally while searching livejournal for something random, I dunno, pictures of Nathan Fillion or something. It will never leave my life again, and I just go through life with these lyrics in my head.
21) The Temper Trap - Sweet Disposition
Reckless abandon, like no-one's watching you
This one I have tried to shake off because it's sort of... there's something terribly obvious or something about it, which apparently isn't easy to explain. At the same time it's lovely and it keeps getting put on repeat. There it is.
22) Malcolm Middleton - Somebody Loves You
There's never enough blood for the heart and the head, a world is rocked without a word being said
Malcolm Middleton is my second favourite Scottish person, but that lyric might well be my favourite. By anyone, ever, Scottish or otherwise.
23) Great Lake Swimmers - Everything Is Moving So Fast
What does it feel like to fall, in slow motion despite it all?
Ah now this I will rave about until someone falls in love with it as much as I did: heard it, of all places, on a Hockey Night in Canada montage, but was just sitting there going "fucking hell that song is gorgeous" on that first listen. Sometimes those songs are good because of the montage, but this one's amazing on its own: favourite song so far this year, and definitely the one I sing along to the most. :)
24) Siobhan Donaghy - Halcyon Days
So wake up hope, it's dark and lonesome, I can hardly, hardly get open my eyes
Siobhan Donaghy is amazing, and more people should know this. The entire album this is from, Ghosts, is wonderful otherworldly pop brilliance and it was hard to pick one from it since the whole album's getting a lot of plays, but settled for this.
25) Lloyd Cole - Don't Look Back
I used to wake up early, I used to try to believe, but life seems neverending, when you’re young
Yes okay, this is him without the Commotions but it's still the second jingly jangly indie schmindie tune by a bloke called Lloyd on the same playlist. Regardless! It's GOOD jingly jangly indie schmindie.