Band members ry2K (Ryan Wilock), Beckstein (Jeff Beck formerly of Seismic Crew) and TDB (aka Tommy Causevski) have been establishing themselves on the music scene under a variety of monikers since the early nineties. They eventually came together as The Angry Kids in 2005, under the leadership of ry2k, who founded Popular Records (now owned by EMI) and was responsible for signing, breaking, and marketing gold and multi platinum artists Eiffel 65, Darude, ATB and Tim Deluxe. Success for The Angry Kids came swiftly. In 2006 the band acquired the sampling rights to the retro-classic track I Ran (So Far Away), by A Flock of Seagulls, which was an instant hit selling 80,0000 copies worldwide, and saw the group earn over 1600 plays at US Radio alone.
The Sex Pistols / Nevermind The Bollocks Here’s The Sex Pistols If you don’t love The Sex Pistols, you don’t know music. The Pistols embodied everything that music should be, and to top it off, all the songs are timeless. Never will the fury they created ever be replicated. There has never been a band as important to music after their implosion. As a tribute to my heroes, I never comb my hair.
The inscrutable J.G. Thirlwell was dropped on this planet some time ago to bestow sonic majesty, chaos, violence & beauty and cunning linguistics on an unsuspecting earth. A Brooklyn-based Australian ex-pat, Thirlwell has used many names for his many visions: Foetus (and its many name variations), Steroid Maximus, Clint Ruin, Wiseblood, DJ Otefsu, Manorexia and Baby Zizanie. Over the course of more than a dozen albums he has stretched from yearning orchestral soundscapes, meticulously organized chaos, electronic swathes, blistering big band pastiche, crunching hard rock and even inventing stupefying collisions of genres and forms with a raw emotion and irresistible musicality.
Ratatat / Shiller I dig this cinematic searching sound and melody, and the Brian May-like guitars.
Formed in Leeds in 2004, The Plight’s first practice was in the particularly rock and roll location of an abandoned office block on the outskirts of the city. The Plight began to tour the UK extensively, playing anywhere that would have them, their hard work paying off in 2006, when Leeds label Thirty Days of Night picked released their self titled MCD that summer. Since then, they have shared stages with the likes of Sick of it All, Bring me the Horizon, and a full UK tour with Gallows.
The Clash / Spanish Bombs I wore out a tape of London Calling in my art class at school. My art teacher was an old punk and had watched the video of London Calling on the side of the river. He was cool, and used to let me put The Clash on everyday. I saw Evil Dead II for the first time in his office one afternoon.
The Fratellis wasted no time in becoming Scotland’s biggest musical export thanks to their 2006 Tony Hoffer (Beck, Air) produced debut album, Costello Music. Their hit singles Henrietta, Creeping Up The Backstairs, Whistle For The Choir and the epic Chelsea Dagger helped define the summer of 2006/07. The Fratellis latest release, Here We Stand, is a ferocious, glam-tinged, handclap-assisted stomper of a sophomore album.
Bruce Springsteen / Thunder Road I love Bruce Springsteen. There’s a level of cheese that if you go over it becomes really great. Springsteen is probably the most underestimated songwriter in rock n’ roll. I’m not sure if this is his best song, but today, it’s my favourite.
Consisting of producers Lil’ John, Riot and Conductor, alongside MC Kalaf, Buraka Som Sistema have released a slew of breakthrough singles, torched the blogosphere with their M.I.A-starring viral video for Sound Of Kuduro, featuring M.I.A. DJ Zonobia, Saborosa and Puto Prata and wowed audiences in over thirteen countries with their spectacular, dance-driven stage show at the heart of Kuduro. Now with their debut long-player, Black Diamond [Fabric/Enchufada through Inertia], finally about to drop, have become the driving heartbeat of the headline-grabbing global ghetto-funk revolution.
Daft Punk / One More Time This came out during a time when there weren’t many people putting nice loops into dance music, so it was like a breath of fresh air. I remember a lot of people hating it when it came out, but seven days later, they were singing the lyrics at the top of their lungs.
Land of Talk feature Elizabeth Powell, a former punk who got her start playing her own anti-rock anthems on the local scene of Guelph, Ontario, during her mid-teens. Upon her college years, with stints playing with the Aaron Riches Nuclear Family Band and the Valentines behind her, Powell set her sights on a solo career in the late ’90s. Gigs in and around Ontario and Quebec eventually led to the formation of Land of Talk in 2005 with Bucky Wheaton and Chris McCarron.
Bon Iver / Re:Stacks This song changed my course, emotionally. I can’t tell you how, but it levelled me. Everyone I have played it for, or who has heard it, has had same to similar reactions. This is a song I will listen to well into my twilight years.
At age 15, Peter Moren formed the band Peter Björn And John. After a long struggle in the musical trenches, three albums, loads of gigs, and numerous stints at the university and various day jobs, Peter Bjorn And John finally met well-deserved success with their album, Writer’s Block. In his spare time, Moren recorded his new solo album, The Last Tycoon. The album is stripped down (Moren plays most of the instruments himself), and although there are certainly melodic pop songs, the album feeds more from a folk and singer-songwriter tradition than the eclecticism prevalent on Peter Björn And John’s recordings.
Björn Skifs / Det blir alltid värre framåt natten This is the 1978 Swedish Eurovision song festival entry from Sweden. The lyric is really quite corny, but touching at the same time. It’s about this guy having an okay life, but missing his ex. Of course, it doesn’t translate that well to English, you miss the details. Björn Skifs is a really big name in Sweden still. He was the first Swede ever to top the American charts with Hooked On A Feeling. This is is a staple on the tour bus during my solo tours.
Formed in mid-late 2005, The Seabellies have quickly built upon the already-considerable reputation of their frontman, Newcastle singer-songwriter Trent Grenell. Joining him on stage is his younger brother, Kyle, along with Antony Martin on piano and keyboard, and guitarist and bassist Eddie Garven. The most recent additions to the line-up are Sean Kelleher on drums and Stephanie Setz, rounding out the band and taking on the viola, metalaphone, melodica, keys, and anything else the band can find to add into the mix of sounds.
Broken Social Scene / Ibi Dreams of Pavement This song appeals to me no matter what mood I am in as it has that perfect blend of pain, despair and celebration, all rolled into one. It’s always a little confusing to listen to, because it feel like fun hurt, and that is the beauty. It has the best siren guitars and drum-fills award to boot.
Named Best New Artist of 2008 by iTunes Canada, the Montreal foursome Winter Gloves endearingly dub themselves ‘glock-rock’ for their use of the oft-ignored glockenspiel. The band began as the solo project of Charles F, who created the early Winter Gloves recordings that make up Let Me Drive EP in his own home using a single microphone. The project soon evolved into a four-piece ensemble that also includes Pat Sayers, Vincent Chalifour, and Jean-Michel Pigeon.
Chad Vangaalen / TMNT Mask I recently discovered the voice of Chad Vagaalen. It was such a shock that I wasn’t sure I would spread the news or keep it jealously for myself. The whole album is a hit, but this song stands out and brings together two of my childhood icons: the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and cheap Casio keyboards.
Girl Talk has been known to underground audiences for several years, but it wasn’t until 2006 that Gillis crossed over and caught the attention of a larger audience. While his first album, Secret Diary (2002), was full of purposeful glitches and noise, his subsequent albums, Unstoppable (2004) moved closer towards danceable mixes of varying genres. With the groundbreaking Night Ripper (2006) and now the fourth Girl Talk album, Feed The Animals, he reaches nirvana with a creation that is centered on re-inventing instant party starting pop. As a re-mixer, Girl Talk is also in hot demand having tweeked tracks for Beck, Tokyo Police Club, Grizzly Bear, Simian Mobile Disco, Peter Bjorn and John, Of Montreal and 2007’s Thrill Jockey mega-mix.
Beyonce / Single Ladies This is one of my favorite Beyonce tracks ever. It has so much energy, and the chorus gets dark in a great way. The clapping never stops. The video is a flawless execution of a performance style clip. It’s perfect.
My Secret Playlist is a music discovery website and weekly email publication. We invite our favourite bands and musicians to give us the rundown on their eight favourite songs right now. These are their words on the music that inspires them.
