SONG OF THE WEEK #175: Poly Styrene - "Black Christmas"

Ironically, Poly Styrene's "Black Christmas" is one of the reasons why people who don't like Christmas should all be taken to a dark place and shot.

SONG OF THE WEEK #174: Silly Wizard - "Donald McGillavry"

Silly Wizard live are something else. "Donald McGillavry" is exhilarating beyond all reason.

SONG OF THE WEEK #173: Cold Specks - "Blank Maps"

She is fantastic. Seeing her in Munich this January. Can't wait, obviously. 

SONG OF THE WEEK #172: John Grant - "I Wanna Go To Marz"

Admittedly I'm not a big fan of John Grant's largely soulless second solo album, Pale Green Ghosts, but 2010's Queen Of Denmark was a classic. As for "I Wanna Go To Marz", the first piano chords will tell you what expect. Sublime.

SONG OF THE WEEK #171: Julian Casablancas - "Out Of The Blue"

While I'm still trying to figure out what it is that Casablancas is doing on his new record, here's the brilliant opener from his hugely entertaining debut album Phrazes For The Young (2009). Fantastic lyrics and a vocal hook to kill for. 

And speaking of Oscar Wilde's greatest phrases for the young, here's my favourite: "Those who see any difference between soul and body have neither".

SONG OF THE WEEK #170: Black Box Recorder - "Goodnight Kiss"

Sincere, cynical (look at the cover) - who cares when you have Sarah Nixey singing a melody so gorgeous the word 'gorgeous' seems vulgar and inappropriate. I swear those backing vocals at the end will move you to tears.  

The night's nearly over 
Get a taxi at five 
I'll cradle your head in my hands

Check that you're still alive

SONG OF THE WEEK #169: Simon Bonney - "Saw You Falling"

Crime & The City Solution frontman, but that's just one part of the story. Simon Bonney released two terrific solo albums in the 90s. One in particular, Forever (1992), is an absolute classic presenting Bonney as some country-fied Leonard Cohen singing for The Triffids. This is sparse, gorgeous stuff.

SONG OF THE WEEK #168: Nina Nastasia - "Bird Of Cuzco"

John Peel may have been many things (not necessarily good), but it's through him that I found out about Nina Nastasia. Back in 2006, when she released the terrific, Steve Albini-produced On Leaving. But they are all good.

Stellar songwriting. I don't think I can listen to anything/anyone else these days.

SONG OF THE WEEK #167: Lou Reed - "Stupid Man"

Don't you love people who prefer "City Lights" to "Perfect Day"?..

Faggy vocals, intoxicating vibes, saxophones: The Bells should have been called The Balls. Also, it is Lou Reed's best album. The funny thing is that his 'true' fans don't get it and are basically too cool for this nonsense. But really - Berlin aside, this is the Lou Reed I love most of all. "Stupid Man" is such a demented classic.

SONG OF THE WEEK #166: Martha Wainwright - "Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole"

Lovely.

SONG OF THE WEEK #165: The Clash - "Lose This Skin"

Sandinista! is one of the most fascinating stories in rock music. 36 tracks of maddening self-indulgence. Including a song played backwards. Including kids singing "Career Opportunities". Including "Lose This Skin" that was actually written and sung by Joe Strummer's friend, Tymon Dogg. Great, great song.

SONG OF THE WEEK #164: Arcade Fire - "The Guns Of Brixton"

"You can even SHOOT us!" While a hilarious mismatch on paper, Arcade Fire doing The Clash could never go wrong. All talent and amazing skill. Sense of humour, too. Don't ever lump them in with bland indie dross.  

SONG OF THE WEEK #163: Mirel Wagner - "Oak Tree"

More like a song of the year, really. "Oak Tree", taken from Mirel's recently released second album (When The Cellar Children See The Light Of Day), is so strikingly simple it leaves no room for a second opinion. 

SONG OF THE WEEK #162: Blur - "Blue Jeans"

Scotland voted for blue jeans the other day. This song exhales so much aural bliss and weary melodic charm that I feel like I'm on the verge of fainting. Getting back to Scottish referendum though: "Most shocking statistic of the night: 95% of No voters were 'pleased' to find U2 album in their iTunes." The statistic was kindly provided by John Niven.

SONG OF THE WEEK #161: Robert Forster - "I've Been Looking For Somebody"

Danger In The Past (1990) cover photo is a brilliant James Joyce stylisation. The original picture was taken in Zurich in 1915 and showed Joyce play some kind of an Em variation.  

The album itself, Forster's first after the Go-Betweens' split-up, is a masterpiece. From the classic opening verse of "Baby Stones" to the elegiac beauty of "Justice" - it's all you should know about charismatic pop songwriting. And "I've Been Looking For Somebody" is where words fail you completely.

SONG OF THE WEEK #160: John Murry - "Southern Sky"

'Very few artists worth... a damn'. Indeed, John. 

Two years on, The Graceless Age (2012) still sounds like one of the best albums of the last ten years or so. Emotionally, it devours you as effectively as heroin devoured John Murry's face. He means it so much it almost becomes unbearable. And the interview at the end is one hell of a painful but illuminating watch. 

SONG OF THE WEEK #159: The Delgados - "Pull The Wires From The Wall"

First heard it completely by chance on some John Peel tribute album, in a lovely town of Loughborough. Good times. The Great Eastern might be their strongest album, but "Pull The Wires From The Wall" is unquestionably their greatest song. And those lyrics are definitely worth marvelling at. 

SONG OF THE WEEK #158: Love - "Maybe The People Would Be The Times Or Between Clark And Hilldale"

I think more people should realise that when an album becomes this famous and achieves this sort of cult following, it can still remain a great album. And the way Arthur Lee wrote those lyrics - it doesn't add much, but it is still quite fascinating. A breathtaking song. 

 

SONG OF THE WEEK #157: The Jesus And Mary Chain - "Something I Can't Have"

To establish a (fairly loose) connection with this week's reviews, here's a great non-album track from The Jesus And Mary Chain. A classic pop song that is as good a way to start a day with as you can think of. Off The Sound Of Speed compilation from 1993.

 

SONG OF THE WEEK #156: Nick Drake - "Been Smoking Too Long"

Nick Drake's haunting blues, simple and soulful. Interestingly, he changed Robin Frederick's original 'got the marijuana blues' line into 'got no other life to choose'. But this is perfect, and the quality of the recording adds to the feel.