‘Making Time’ by The Creation

Last night I fell asleep reading a section of Simon Reynolds’s Retromania where he was talking about his encounters with a revivalist mod at university who was obsessed with the likes of The Creation. This track, which fittingly/paradoxically may be a paean to modernism (I’ve never quite understood the lyrics), was the one that seeped in. It was the bit around 1:58 specifically, that woke me up. Fucking hell. Bowed guitar. Now there’s a transcendent moment. I should set it as my alarm.

Posted by Mandrew.

‘From The Morning’ by Nick Drake from Pink Moon

A strange night, part 3

Posted by Matt Poacher

‘Old Southern Medley’ by John Fahey from The Transfiguration of Blind Joe Death

A strange night, part 1.

I had a very strange night, partly due to a period of only hovering above sleep, but mainly due to invading children, stricken with new-house dreams. It meant I was also invaded with multi-competing narratives: pendulous voices escaping from bedtime books and several songs that seemed to bleed into one another more and more as the night went on. One strand was definitely a clutch from the Fahey tune, the Shackleton one was more a general murk, but I’m pretty sure it was from Fireworks or Deadman. Anyway, after finally falling, I snapped awake at 5.30 and the Drake song came through clear as a bell.

Posted by Matt Poacher

‘Fireworks’ by Shackleton from Fireworks EP

A strange night, part 2. 

Posted by Matt Poacher

[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]

‘All The Things’ by Tha Pope from Bangs & Works Vol.1

I awoke with Beyonce, lucky me. She was a bit out of sorts though. 

Posted by Mandrew

‘For Want Of’ by Rites Of Spring from Rites Of Spring

I seem to have woken up with a piece of past caught in my throat.

“Emo”

Posted by Mandrew

Sometimes by James from Laid

Laid by James (ha!) was an album that soundtracked my Sixth Form life. A group of us listened to it constantly. The joke of the title, the racy lyrics, Tim Booth’s attractiveness, it all added to their allure. Then there was Eno’s involvement, taking this rather bland pop group and making them infinitely more interesting. I heard this on the radio the other night and forgot how much I love this track and the album. The lyrics were vivid, the music exciting. The acoustic guitar was rattling in my head first thing this morning, mirroring the wind that was howling through an open window.

Posted by Rich Hughes

Something Vague by Bright Eyes from Fevers and Mirrors

I remember first hearing this. I worked in an office in poor old Staines, it was 2001 or something, and I’d managed to find a way to illicitly get on the internet. Streaming was pretty much in its infancy, and I found this track on, I think, the Insound site. At the time it sounded like someone being stretched on some emotion rack and having their voice creak out from the gaps between their bones. It wasn’t until later that I found out more and realised Fevers and Mirrors was largely a concoction and that Oberst was something of a magpie. Still, no matter. This still gets to something in the heart of me.

Posted by Matt Poacher

‘A Kid Who Tells On Another Kid Is A Dead Kid’ by Nation Of Ulysses from 13-Point Program to Destroy America

“Live boldly and walk the shining path of righteousness.” Thanks to our good friend Mr Dave Knapik for replanting the seed of the revolutionary fruit of Ulysses in my mind.

Posted by Mandrew

‘Tell Me Why?’ by Sindecut from Changing The Scenery

There was no way it wouldn’t be this that rumbled storm-like into my head first thing, having remembered it yesterday evening and, without the record to hand, reloaded this YouTube video about fifteen times. A bittersweet soul-hip-hop hybrid with that almost oppressive foregrounding of bassline that marks it as definitively British.

Posted by Mandrew