Bob Dey’s Tank Engine Man is produced by the unique partnership of Mr. Bob Dey and Mr. Talent. Mr. Talent acts as a sort of surrogate musician for Mr. Dey (who doesn’t have the time or training to pursue his musical aspirations himself) by recording and performing the songs that Mr. Dey writes. Together they create an interesting blend of many influences, which coagulate into what Mr. Talent refers to as “weird rock music.”
Jack Kittel / Psycho This song has a disturbing theme, but the music and vocals are performed almost tenderly. Thus, by the time the lyrical content reaches you, it completely mows you down. Mr. Dey is always reminding me of the “Law of Contradiction” (the importance of balance and the inevitability of double standards) and this technique fits in quite well with that.
The newly released self-titled debut from Britain’s newest songbird, Polly Scattergood, is reaping praise for her delicious brand of indie pop that glides seamlessly between the defiant, the confessional, and the anthemic.
Bonnie Prince Billy / I See a Darkness This song breaks my heart. I find the darkness of his words very comforting. I love the way he tells a story in his songs — though they are sometimes uncomfortably honest. It’s like reading some beautiful poet’s diary.
Bell X1’s US debut Flock earned the band incredible reviews earlier this year and the Irish trio are now primed to take on America with their most ambitious album to date. Landing somewhere a ‘little bit electronic, a little bit Bacharach and a little bit New Orleans Funeral March’, Blue Lights On The Runway, is a coherent and intriguing record from start to finish. Recalling Eno-era Talking Heads, Sigur Ros, and XTC on jagged, the album contains the vintage synth-laden Broken Umbrella, the syncopated How Your Heart Is Wired, fuzzed out hard rocker Breast Fed, the electrifying The Great Defector, and the ballad, Light Catches Your Face.
Talking Heads / Heaven I think it’s the lack of sentimentality in what’s actually quite a sentimental song that I really like, a bit like a cat wearily singing about the end of the world. Set in the manic and wiry confines of Fear of Music, it’s a ballad, and the stripped down live version works beautifully on Stop Making Sense. This is Voxtrot’s cover of the song.
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.
