Called ‘the most ear-shatteringly loud garage/shoegaze band you’ll ever hear’ by the Washington Post, A Place To Bury Strangers were named by NME as one of the Ten Best Bands of SXSW 2008. Their debut release earned them a Best New Music distinction and they have toured with the likes of Nine Inch Nails, MGMT, and Holy F**k.
All The Saints / Farmacia All The Saints is one of those bands that just writes some of the most bad-ass parts on the planet and this is one of those songs where the drums are beating like a machine gun as waves of noise build up, only to drag you down. You end up feeling uncomfortable and wanting to kick someone’s ass.
Ylajali is the debut full-length from Syntaks, the Danish duo of Jakob Skott and Anna Cecilia. In Ylajali’s beautifully scorched sonic landscape, acres of drones run beneath Cecilia’s wordless sighs; Skott’s beats crunch like autumn leaves while synthesizers swell, flourish, and disappear. Songs either tramp through hazy forests until they fade into the dark (the Boards of Canada-esque, Love Camp 23), or stack tone upon tone like translucent building blocks, building to forceful, near-operatic crescendos.
The Cure / Plainsong This is probably the best album opener of all time. From the distant tinkle of bells to the huge synth-pad explosion, it’s a prime example of how to open the show. Everything sounds muddled together in just about a perfect way.
Crimea X is the coming together of two offbeat, disparate characters, DJ Rocca (Ajello, Super Sonic Lovers, Maffia Sound System) and Jukka Reverberi from 90s Italian glam cult rockers, Giardini di Mirò, who have often have been compared with the sound of Mogwai, Arab Strap, and Godspeed You! Black Emperor.
The Smiths / Ask I saw them playing live on Italian TV. It was during the 80s when I was extremely young, and I’ve never stopped listening to this song.
For their latest album, Stuck In Lalaland, French duo, The Penelopes, left their home studio for that of Arnaud Rebotini, the man behind Zend Avesta and Blackstrobe. They cover Statik Dancin, the original anthem praised by James Murphy, and revisit the Beastie Boys’ Sabotage. Their friend Chloe Delaume takes vocals on the songs Stains and 4′47.
Slowdive / When The Sun Hits We’re big fans of shoegazing tunes. While everyone tends to mention My Bloody Valentine, we actually prefer Ride and Slowdive. In general, we like songs with a real pop music approach. These bands have the perfect balance between pop music and noise.
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.
