Colorado band A Shoreline Dream take the DYI approach full force, setting up their own label and distribution whilst bridging the gap between post-rock and shoe-gaze with their ambient landscapes, vocals chanting through a radio at the bottom of a well, and one-take room recordings.
Sunny Day Real Estate / Faces in Disguise Every song brings on a memory and this one is the most vivid. It’s strange, but my brightest visions are brought on by the sea and the sand, and this one takes me back to a day out in the dry heat of the desert when I thought I felt the tickling of some sort of love bug. Jeremy’s voice has never been better, and I can’t imagine production ever sounding more perfect.
‘This is a scary time for a lot of people, government-wise, art-wise, and especially business-wise,’ says Company of Thieves singer, Genevieve Schatz. ‘People seem to be very held back in what they’re willing to invest in — personally, emotionally, and financially. But at the same time, there’s a new, gutsy energy coming out right now, almost a generational thing. There’s a feeling that we’re at the edge of big change right now. Great art always rises up when change is going on’. These exciting — if uncertain — times are reflected in the eclectic sound of Ordinary Riches, an album that moves effortlessly from the seemingly jaunty, piano-led In Passing and the catchy pop tones of Pressure to the arena-ready sing-along chorus of New Letters and the Jonny Greenwood-ish guitar figures on Old Letters.
Animal Collective / My Girls It’s pretty much impossible to sit still by the end of this song. Say what you want about this band, but I find them to be one of the most fascinating bands around today. They sound like no one else. With every album, they transform into something new. Their songs become more accessible, but they stay just as indefinable as always. Not to mention that the lyrics in this song are absolutely beautiful.
The Beatles’ pop music and the wide spectrum of jazz music at large played an instrumental role in the musical upbringing of Brisbane-based singer-songwriter-interpreter and four times platinum selling Australian songstress, Katie Noonan. This facet of her musical education has never been more evident than in Katie’s new album, Blackbird — the music of Lennon and McCartney.
Joni Mitchell / Little Green This song is about one of the saddest things, choosing to give your child up for adoption. I can’t imagine the anguish and the pain and the guilt attached to such a decision. But this song is about that and it is beautiful. Somehow it is joyful though, also. It is from the incredible record, Blue, which I really think is a masterpiece. She was so young when she wrote these songs and they are simply amazing.
Ursula 1000 has established himself as one of the top international DJs. After relocating to NYC from Miami in 1998, Gimeno has become synonymous with New York music and lifestyle culture. He continues his APT monthly residency (seven years strong) and tours all over the world. His remix skills are constantly in demand, reworking tracks from Quincy Jones to Felix da Housecat to The Faint, as well as being asked to remix the theme songs from The Incredibles, The Powerpuff Girls and Sesame Street. He has also supplied music to a number of hit shows from Sex and the City, Ugly Betty, Grey’s Anatomy, and Yo Gabba Gabba.
Loop / Black Sun Great UK drone space fuzz rockers that I’ve been rediscovering. Their first few albums have been remastered are are finally back in the stream after being gone so long.
The Little Ones were formed in Los Angeles in early 2006. The summery-sounding band wear their influences (the Beach Boys, the Zombies) on their sleeves while composing some of the brightest indie rock of the new millennium.
Elbow / On a Day Like This We were in the UK when this record won the Mercury award. We finally picked up Seldom Seen Kid and were just floored. The whole record is really great and has such fantastic ideas going on. This song is so beautiful, lyrically and sonically. It’s been a permanent fixture in my morning routine. It just has that ‘I’m gonna take on the day’ vibe to it.
Brooklyn’s French Kicks, who have been creating music together for nearly a decade, have recently released their fourth album, Swimming. With each record, the band reinvent and refine themselves, constantly exploring new territories. Their latest effort is no exception. Allowed more artistic freedom by producing and mixing the record entirely themselves, Swimming features some of the quartet’s most melodic recordings to date.
Neil Young / Comes A Time Another one I just like and have been strumming around the house lately. Very sentimental, but I like ‘this old world keeps spinning round, its a wonder tall trees ain’t laying down’ Centrifugal force?
Brooklyn native, Los Angeles transplant by way of London, along the way The Angel has created a sound all of her own. The sound she has established through her recordings, remixing, producing and, most recently, scoring for film and television is an amalgamation of the many environments she has inhabitated.
Collie Buddz / Come Around Collie captured the classic vibe of Beres Hammond and Zap Pow’s Last War, using it as the backing track and giving it a whole new life. I love it! So when I was scoring a UK based TV show called, WEST10 LDN, I played this to Menhaj Huda, the director, and he just laughed at how perfect it would be for the scene where our main characters are looking to unload a kilo of hash. And in it went.
The Boston based Boys Like Girls‘ self-titled debut kicks off with the youthful enthusiasm of The Great Escape and closes with the sentimental ballad, Holiday. In between is emotionally-charged rock that isn’t afraid to wear its heart on its sleeve, digs a good pop hook and speaks volumes to anyone who has had their heart bruised. Aw!
Bloc Party / Sunday I’ve been into this song since A Weekend In The City came out a few years back. Awesome vibe, and great lyrics about sleeping late and waking up hungover. Who can’t identify with that?
Melbourne’s Winterpark will play a special Valentine’s Day single launch on Saturday 14 February at the Northcote Social Club in Melbourne. Playing tracks from their second album, Falling Men and Flying Dreams, which was released in late 2008 via MGM Distribution, Winterpark returns to the live scene following a successful east coast tour. Mixed by Casey Rice (Dirty Three/Tortoise/Grand Salvo) and mastered by Roger Siebel (!!!/Death Cab for Cutie/Modest Mouse), Falling Men and Flying Dreams takes the listener across contrasting musical landscapes that have been described by critics as ‘vast airy landscapes’, ‘tart, affectionate tunes’, and ’swirling nu-gaze’.
Ulrich Schnauss / Stars I love this guy’s production and aesthetic. He creates churning layered soundscapes, with soft but driving electronic beats. It’s sort of a bit like My Bloody Valentine meets Pink Floyd in Berlin, which has got to be a good thing.
The Walkmen are an indie rock band from New York City. The band formed with three members from Jonathan Fire Eater and two members from The Recoys in 2000. They prefer the unique sound of vintage musical instruments, most famously the clangy upright piano, and often recorded at their self-designed recording studio Marcata Recording, which used analog recording equipment before closing in 2006 after Columbia University bought the building that contained Marcata.
Bonnie Prince Billy / Goin’ to Acapulco He did a remarkable job of putting a unique spin on a classic. It’s no small feat, and it’s really impressive.
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.
