Shuffleblog #53

The first five songs on shuffle on my ipod, first day back into the crushing inevitability of work following the Easter bank holiday season 2011:

Loudon Wainwright III - Fame and Wealth
Frank Turner - A Decent Cup Of Tea
Ox.Eagle.Lion.Man. - The Drowned and the Saved
Doctor Octoroc - Ryu The Red Nosed Ninja
The Mountain Goats - Song For Lonely Giants

Shuffleblog #52

The first five songs on shuffle on my ipod, Easter Sunday 2011:

Neko Case - If You Knew
Roddy Woomble - Under My Breath
James Kochalka Superstar - All The Boys Just Wanna Rock
The Beatles - Paperback Writer
The Shangri-Las - Right Now And Not Later

Arrested by Song #4: Hip Hop in Development

I was introduced to today's song, which I was reminded of recently by the helpful shuffle on my ipod, by my friend, bandmate and co-conspirator Alex Hawkins, who subtly put on the below video one lazy spring afternoon while we were failing to study. It's since become one of my all-time favourite hip-hop tracks, falling just short of knocking the Beastie Boys' 'Rhymin and Stealin' from the top spot. I'm no expert when it comes to hip-hop, but I enjoy older, more intelligent artists who leant towards social commentary (NWA, Public Enemy etc) than any recent chart-botherers. I do occasionally have bizzare cravings for Snoop and Dre which are easily satisfied and love a bit of crossover, but my tastes will always be dominated by whiny indie-rock. This track, however, is a summer anthem which is smooth, accessible and bright. Hip-hop can rarely be described as lovely but this is always the word which springs to mind. It is a relaxing song, and one whose lyrical content is beautiful and asks, in subtle, sweet exclamations, what happened to all the love, at least a decade before the bland chart-guff of the Black Eyed Peas asked the same question. Open some juice, put this song on and chill in the sun.

Shuffleblog #51

The first five songs on shuffle on my ipod, 18th April 2011:

Eisley - Memories
Hall & Oates - You Make My Dreams
Grizzly Bear - Ready, Able
R. Dean Taylor - There's A Ghost In My House
The Ramones - Ignorance Is Bliss

Shuffleblog #50

The first five songs on shuffle on my ipod, a sunny Sunday:

The Age of Rockets - An Ocean Away
Joe Hisaishi - Spring
Belle and Sebastian - Dear Catastrophe Waitress
The Weakerthans - Left and Leaving
Maoists of Aix - The Sanctity of the Italian American Family

Arrested by Song #3: Off the beaten Pavement

So after the horror of the previous 'Arrested by Song' post I'd like to prove I do listen to non-twee music occasionally. An example which has crept back into my earphones this week is 'Jenny and the Ess-Dog' by Stephen Malkmus, from his wonderful eponymous solo album. It's one of my favourite songs lyrically because it tells a beautiful and moving story, made all the more so by Malkmus' lazy drawl. His slacker vocals set the tone for the song, which describes life going by in a haze as a relationship, clearly doomed from the start, falls apart.

Musically it's a winner, with immediate entry vocals and a Beatles-esque opening which segues neatly into a few seconds of noise in the middle of the song before calming back down and concluding the story with the precision and talent of the finest of novelists or scriptwriters. Well done, Stephen. I salute you.

Arrested by Song #2: Guilty Pleasure Alert

A wise man once told me that there's no such thing as guilty pleasure songs, only jaded opinions. He was drunk, and lying to make me feel better about whichever crap band I was banging on about, but he had a point. If you enjoy a song then don't let anyone tell you you can't because it's uncool.

I'm not mentioning this because I'm in need of vindication, of course. I'm unabashed about my love for the band Hellogoodbye, and especially their new album, Would It Kill You?, which you should totally go buy. But the song which has arrested me this week is an early song of theirs, in fact the first song they (or their frontman Forrest) wrote. It's called 'Bonnie Taylor Shakedown [2k1]'.

It appears on their self-titled EP which I only came by recently and which was knocking around before their major label debut Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs! and assault on the mainstream with their uber-poppy mid-to-late noughties hit 'Here (In Your Arms)'. Don't pretend you don't remember it. You do, and you love it. Stop lying.

Anyway, it's twee, it's high school, it's sickening teenage synthy twaddle and I love it. It's a damn catchy chorus which I can't stop humming to myself at work. I think it's because it tastefully borrows just a couple of lines lyrically from an old folk song and makes them into modern pop, which is always a winner. Check it out.