Spotify Sunday

2 years ago, I stated in a pub "I Don't really like instrumental music"..."Just add some lyrics".

That has now been added to the list of ill-informed comments I've made over the years. I think what added to the stupidity, is that the comment was made in conversation with Nick Moreton; am man with a Mogwai tattoo on his arm.

He very quickly corrected my thinking surrounding "instrumental music" by introducing me to Post-Rock, and telling me how wrong I was.

When I get into a genre, generally speaking there's one or a small handfull of artists or albums that stick with me in particular. This is that album, and that artist. 

Explosions In The Sky – The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place

This week has been my first week home after finishing my second year of university. In typical student style, I finished it with not a great deal of money left to spare and so I've been basically spent the whole week working to try and boost the bank.

I've been working with my Dad since I was about 13, and over the summer and winter break, I generally spend every weekend out with him all over the place. There have been days where we leave the house a 4am and have arrived home at around 12.30am; needless to say he's a pretty hard working guy.

What we do requires a fair amount of driving and travelling from place to place and obviously you always need a some music for the road. I would probably say that we have listened to "Dookie" on the way to or from work well over a hundred times, and every single time it's been brilliant. It's loud, fast, and just packed with great songs from start to finish. Most importantly though it's a welcome wake up call mid way through a 16 hour shift.

So, as it's fathers day, and because it's just a superb album...

Green Day – Dookie

Those who know me, will know that I'm fairly set in my ways.

When a band makes an impression on me, especially a negative one, there's not really a great chance that my impression is going to change. I severely dislike Noah and the Whale when I first heard them, with the release of "5 Years Time" from their debut album "Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down". I didn't listen to the album; the one song was enough to put me off the band for life, or so I thought.

Towards the end of last year, I was sat doing some work in my room with the radio 1 on, where Zane Lowe had a band in session.

The first song I heard in the session was "Blue Skies" and immediately loved it. Upon hearing it was the same band that had produced the frankly rubbish "5 years time" just one year before, I thought there might have been some sort of mistake. 

Apparently not.

I got hold of a copy of the album and I love it. It is NOTHING like the bands debut.

"The First Days of Spring" tells the story of lead singer Charlie Fink's break up with former band member Laura Marling. From the beginning you're taken through the full journey that Fink goes through. The feelings from the beginning, sleeping with a stranger and looking forward to the future. Apparently there's even a film made by Fink, that runs alongside the album, with the same name. 

Anyway, this is the first band to genuinely change my first impression so dramatically.

Maybe you should try them out too.

Noah And The Whale – The First Days Of Spring

"Live at the Grand Olympic Auditorium" is actually the first Rage Against the Machine album, and also the first 'Live Album' that I ever bought.

I was fortunate enough to see RATM at Reading Festival in 2008. It was one of the best live performances I have ever seen to this date. The 30 minutes leading up to the performance was almost as intense as the performance itself. My friend Fred turned to me before the band graced the stage and said "I'm actually nervous...I don't really know what to do with myself...I can't believe I'm seeing Rage Against the Machine live!". These were sentiments that I believe were shared by a lot of people at either Reading or Leeds that year.

For those who don't know; in October 2000, Zack De La Rocha, released a statement to say that he would be leaving the band. This was following the fairly poorly received release of their fourth studio album 'Renegades'; which was essentially a collection of cover songs. The band then went their separate ways and worked on several subsequent projects; none of which were ever as well received both critically and publicly as Rage Against the Machine.

The band reformed for several dates in 2008 and then, from humble beginnings as a simple Facebook campaign, the band managed to outsell X-Factor winner Joe McElderry to obtain the 2009 UK 'Christmas Number One'. In the weeks before the official week of sales for Christmas number one, the band began to get involved in the campaign, first of all showing that they were by no means changing their ways to get there... (9:00 onwards)

...and secondly, the band promised a FREE gig in celebration, if they managed to get to the top spot.

Long story short, they got to number one. They have organised a free show. I have a ticket for it and I'm going today.

So even if you've never heard RATM before, or if you've not managed to catch them live. This album, I think, gives you a pretty decent insight to the energy, and sheer noise that Rage are able to make live and it's still my favourite 'Live Album' today.

I feel very lucky to be seeing such an iconic and incredible live band for the second time in two years.

Rage Against The Machine – Live at the Grand Olympic Auditorium

Every Saturday from 3-5pm I produce a radio show on Rhubarb Radio, called "The Forum".

Four of us work on the show in total; Nick Moreton and Steve Thornton present, Chris Williams operates the technical stuff, and I produce. Every week we bring music from our respective tastes and realms of musical know-how. Generally speaking I bring Hip-Hop, Nick brings Rock and Punk, Steve brings Motown, Soul and the occasional House tune, and Chris brings a wide variety of Dance music.

This week we thought we'd try something new and created "Swap Shop". The concept is simple; we all swapped genres to something we're not that familiar with, or had a different interpretation of than the regular selector of that genre. The swap shop played out so that Steve selected Hip-Hop, Nick selected Dance, Chris Selected Punk Rock and I selected Soul and Motown.

Whether the audience did or not, we had a great time making the show, surprising each other with each selection we made, and scoring each other in a 'come dine with me' style system at the very end.

Anyway, through 6 rounds, I tried to play some of the classics of the category, and some of my personal favourites. However, I did not manage to fit any Aretha Franklin into my list, which is almost a crime! So...to rectify this; I would like to share a collection of her best tunes.

What a voice.

Aretha Franklin – Queen Of Soul - The Best of Aretha Franklin

It's Summer, and when it's summer Hip Hop must be played.

This is one of the all time greats. Simples.

Jurassic 5 – Jurassic 5 LP

Dark Mean are a band from Canada.

They're debut album entitled "The Constant K Determines the Ultimate Fate of the Universe" is due out later this year; and they write brilliant Indie/Folk/Pop songs.

There's not much of a story to this one; my lecturer at university, Andrew Dubber, recommended the band on twitter a while ago.

With in one listen I loved them, and they've been on heavy rotation on my iPod since.

Frankencottage is their debut EP, which was released in 2009. It's a short one, with only four tracks, but each one offers something a bit different.

Both Frankencottage and their second EP "Music Box" can be downloaded for free from here.

But in the mean time...why not enjoy it on Spotify: Dark Mean – Frankencottage

In 2006, I went to newquay for a week for the Ripcurl Boardmasters festival. At the time Hundred Reasons were one of those bands that I had only recently really got in to and that I was listening to all the time. I was pretty desperate to see them live.

Upon arriving at Fistral beach, where the main competitions and festival events were; we (friend Ben and myself) sat for a drink and found ourselves talking to a band. They were called 'Easykill' and were apparently playing a gig in the small marquee on the beach that night. They weren't the best band ever, but it seemed like quite a cool set-up.

Later in the day we went into a Record store in the centre of Newquay and found that the band were actually supporting Hundred Reasons that night at the beach gig. What a ridiculous coincidence! We picked up a pair of tickets, for about £6 each, and I still have mine today.

The marquee held around 300 people maximum and before Hundred Reasons even made it to the stage, the barrier at the front had collapsed and so had to be taken away. By the first note of the first song; people were crowd surfing, half on the stage, and generally going mental. It was a sweat box and by the end of the show Colin Doran (the lead singer) had basically no voice left.

I still remember it today as one of the best gigs I've ever been to; and every time I hear this album, I'm back in that tent on the beach with 298 sweaty people around me going crazy and just having the best time.

Hundred Reasons – Ideas Above Our Station

This weekend has been a long one for me. I think from Friday to Sunday I've managed around 8 hours sleep.

Last night on the way home from work, I turned on my iPod in the hope that I might find something to help me drift off and as I was scrolling through, wondering what my best option was, it became clear.

In 2003 Damien Rice released the album 'O'. I bought my copy of the album on CD at the age of 14 and I have loved it ever since. I have listened to this album probably over a hundred times and I dont think it is at all an insult to say I have fallen asleep to it more times than any other.

Apparently the album was dedicated to Mic Christopher; a friend of Rice, who died of a head injury in 2001. I like music with passion and purpose, and this is one of those albums that I believe contains those things in abundance. Rice sings the songs like he actually means what he's saying,

It's melancholic, it's sad, but it's honest, and it's uplifting, and it's just a really great record. I personally love the production, in the simplest terms the quiet bits are quiet and the loud bits are loud. Theres a wide range of instruments and musicians involved in the album, and yet it still sounds incredibly raw.

Its one for the evening, the early hours of the morning when it seems everyone else in the world is in bed asleep...or for one of those long journeys on the train.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Damien Rice – O