0115ish

Top Of The Pops April 1976 was on when we bowled in. My memory is hazy, but I’m excited about the repeats.

0936-0954

Los Campesinos!: You! Me! Dancing!
Thomas Dybdahl: Rise In Shame
Elvis Presley: Jailhouse Rock
Alexis Jordan: Good Girl
Pet Shop Boys: King’s Cross

A mix of iPod randomness and what’s playing upstairs (Alexis Jordan) as I wash up, sweep up and generally prettify a house free of the small daughters who stayed at their grandparents while we attended a rare party. Everything makes me feel fresher than I have a right to be.

1035-1055

Ke$ha: We R Who We R
Mike Posner: Cooler Than Me
Jessie J: Price Tag
Florence + The Machine: You Got The Love (awful remix that prompts a change of station)
Wiz Khalifa: Black & Yellow
Bruno Mars: Grenade

Pop sunshine in the car on the way to get the family.

1208-1255

Jessie J: Do It Like A Dude
Lady Gaga: Born This Way mashed up with When Love Takes Over and – ahem – Express Yourself
Wretch 32: Unorthodox
Beyoncé: Sweet Dreams
Various Artists: Pete Waterman Hit Factory

A mix of Kiss and Capital on the road to Scotney Castle for the day, then the Pete Waterman CD I inexplicably brought along. Well, fairly explicably – I thought it might entertain the girls, but they were sleeping off generously late bedtimes at their grandparents’. In the front, we sang along instead. Most enjoyable: Mel & Kim’s ‘Respectable’, followed by Bananarama’s ‘Venus.

1706-1749

Various Artists: Pete Waterman Hit Factory
Various Artists: 50 Years Of The Greatest Hit Singles

More Pete Waterman-associated (loosely, by the looks) faves, including ‘Pass The Dutchie’ and Opus III’s ‘It’s A Fine Day’, which accelerated a change of CD. The 50 Years comp is a Guinness Book Of British Hit Singles-sponsored collection of perennials, and it saw us all going Wayne’s World to ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’. We’re unembarrassable.

And that was it. The last few hours of the week was dedicated to getting children in bed and attempting to stay awake for Waking The Dead. After 15 mins of that, we admitted defeat.

I might draw conclusions from the last seven days’ listening at some stage. Cheers.

The Music Diary Project: Day 6
The Music Diary Project: Day 5
The Music Diary Project: Day 4
The Music Diary Project: Day 3
The Music Diary Project: Day 2
The Music Diary Project: Day 1

0714-0729

Nicole Scherzinger: Poison
JLS feat. Tinie Tempah: Eyes Wide Shut

It’s 4Music time again, and these two bookended my shower. I’ve got time for Scherzinger, and not just because she’s devastatingly attractive. She seems to have a bit of wit about her and the odd banally catchy tune. JLS are a big hit with Junior 2, who appears to know the words. God knows what happens when I’m at work.

0800-0920

Will Young: Leave Right Now
Lewis Parker: Masquerades & Silhouettes
Jim O’Rourke: Eureka

Alex Needham’s thoughts on ‘Leave Right Now’ in the Guardian this morning chime with mine, so I had a hankering to hear it as I settled in on the train. After that, well – I had too many pints with my brother last night and today I’m not capable of thought, so I scrolled through and picked the first unthreatening album. Lewis Parker’s crazy jedi hip hop fits the bill. It’s relaxed and mysterious. Jim O’Rourke’s ‘Ghost Ship In A Storm’ is a great soundtrack for a sun-dappled stroll down Hammersmith Road. One to remember, should you be there.

1055-1150

An office Spotify playlist including Zero 7, Groove Armada, Corinne Bailey Rae, Jose Gonzalez and many more that won’t scare the horses. Hmm.

1150-1205

Girls Aloud: Biology
The Roots: The Seed 2.0
New Radicals: You Get What You Give

A dabble in the blog archives, always guaranteeing songs I like – but no surprises, naturally.

1208-1214

R.E.M.: Man On The Moon
Kelis: Sugar Honey Iced Tea
Al Green: Let’s Stay Together

More office playlist. It’s four desks away, quite quiet, and isn’t inspiring me.

1214-1256

The Sundays: Can’t Be Sure
Janelle Monae: Tightrope
Delays: Long Time Coming
Buggles: Video Killed The Radio Star
Jamelia: Thank You
Animal Collective: My Girls
Young MC: Know How
Underworld: Cowgirl

More from the blog. ‘Cowgirl’ never gets old.

1351-1414

Dionne Farris: Hopeless
En Vogue: Love Makes You Do Thangs
Maxwell: Love You
Janelle Monae: Locked Inside
Stevie Wonder: Big Brother

My additions to the office playlist. If it’s going to be soft, it might as well be soul. Or knock-offs thereof.

1435-1518

Keren Ann: 101

This is good.

1526

Paul Simon: You Can Call Me Al

I might listen to this a few times on the bounce, song for all occasions that it is.

1618

The Cure: Lovesong

The Adele phenomenon irks me. She’s a fabulous singer, but the songs are bilge.

1840-1916

The Horrors: Primary Colours

A beast of a record. It played on loop in my car for most of 2009, but this time I’m on a train, beaming madly at the fat riffs.

The Music Diary Project: Day 4
The Music Diary Project: Day 3
The Music Diary Project: Day 2
The Music Diary Project: Day 1

0714-0722

Lady Gaga: Born This Way
Ke$ha: We R Who We R
The Saturdays: Higher

The shrill telly soundtrack to getting the girls dressed before I had my shower. Junior 1 was complaining her school socks didn’t match, Junior 2 was turning the house upside down looking for her glasses and Junior 3 was throwing all the books down the stairs.

0755-0935

Glen Campbell: Guess I’m Dumb
Van Dyke Parks: Sweet Trinidad
Todd Rundgren: I Saw The Light
The Supremes: Come See About Me
Marshall Hain: Dancing In The City
James Taylor: Carolina In My Mind
The Isley Brothers: That Lady (Part 1 & 2)
Van Morrison: Domino
Al Green: Sha La La (Make Me Happy)
Bob Dylan: Quinn The Eskimo
Stevie Wonder: Big Brother
Steely Dan: My Old School
The Beach Boys: All This Is That
Cat Stevens: Morning Has Broken
The Chiffons: One Fine Day
The Impressions: People Get Ready
The Honeys: Shoot The Curl
The Four Seasons: Who Loves You
Curtis Mayfield: The Makings Of You
Diana Ross & The Supremes: Someday We’ll Be Together
The Rolling Stones: Sweet Virginia
Sharon Marie: Thinkin’ ‘Bout You Baby
Scott Walker: Copenhagen
Paul Simon: Mother And Child Reunion
Paul & Linda McCartney: Maybe I’m Amazed

This playlist for a warm, upright, delayed commute is called No Jacket Required. Every long second passed like a breeze. Book: it’s still The Time Traveler’s Wife.

1202-1255

Ghostface Killah: Supreme Clientele

It’s Wu-Tang Week on Jukebox Junior FM. This album is of course immense and crisp sounds work well in the shiny new enormous meeja office.

1559-1740

David Bowie: Station To Station

Twitter reveals the Esquire office is arguing about the best Bowie album. I don’t know the answer, but this is the last one I bought; that 3-CD deluxe reissue. Beautiful stuff, here on Thin White Jukebox Junior.

More ear balm as it happens.

The Music Diary Project: Day 3
The Music Diary Project: Day 2
The Music Diary Project: Day 1

0745-0930

Brandy & Monica: The Boy Is Mine
Cassie: Is It You
R Kelly: Ignition (Remix)
Phyllis Nelson: Move Closer
Missy Elliott: Work It
Lake Heartbeat: Pipedream
Kraftwerk: Trans Europe Express
Kisses: Bermuda
Kid Sister: Daydreaming
Kelis: Good Stuff
Marcel King: Reach For Love
The Weeknd: House Of Balloons/Glass Table Girls
Whitney Houston: It’s Not Right But It’s Okay
Tom Tom Club: Genius Of Love
TLC: Waterfalls
Terry Lynn: Rivers Of Babylon
Ten City: That’s The Way Love Is (Underground Extended Mix)
Talizman: Only You
The SOS Band: Just Be Good To Me (Extended Version)
Change: Change Of Heart
Beyoncé: Ego

There’s a warm low sun as I leave the house, so I put on my Rising Sun playlist. It’s for nodding your head and tapping your fingers ostentatiously on the commute. And it’s a fantasy. I’m on holiday. A perceptible shiver for ‘Waterfalls’ and a bang of the finger on my book as the horn blasts in the middle of Left Eye’s rap.

1148-1221

Panda Bear: Tomboy

More audiograms from Panda Bear’s diving bell. Endless repetition is chiming nicely with today’s tasks. Anyway, it cut out halfway through, but I think I got the gist.

1421-1514

Britney Spears: Blackout

Prompted to listen to Britney’s robo-frug for the first time in years by an excerpt from Marcello Carlin’s forthcoming book, featured on The Quietus. This kind of hi-tech pop always sounds new, for half a decade at any rate. It’s a brain-cleanser for a dry afternoon’s work.

1525-1539

The Go! Team: Ladyflash
John Lennon: Watching The Wheels
Passion Pit: The Reeling

One great thing about dubiously hosting songs from my annual Top 20s on this blog is, erm, the chance to listen to music. I mean, some of my favourite songs. OK, there’s no reason I can’t do this anywhere, but here I can enjoy my own context and keep pressing the random button and re-read my own writing. I don’t mind that. If I don’t agree anymore, I just don’t agree anymore.

1612-1714

Tracey Thorn: You Are A Lover (Clock Opera Remix)
Tracey Thorn: You Are A Lover (Original Mix)
Tracey Thorn: Sister Winter

Lovely EP for Record Store Day. I listened nominally for research for an interview, but at least as much to get in the mood.

Tracey Thorn: Love And Its Opposite

Further immersive research. Or just enjoyment, really.

1815-1940

RZA As Bobby Digital: Digi Snacks
Girl Unit: IRL
Girl Unit: Shade On
Girl Unit: Temple Keys
Girl Unit: Wut

Intense, claustrophobic stuff for hot, packed, hot-packed trains. Sweet.

The Music Diary Project: Day 2
The Music Diary Project: Day 1

TUESDAY

0745-0925

Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi: Rome
Keren Ann: 101
Laki Mera: The Proximity Effect (first half)

Because I have lots of urgent albums to review, I decide to start with one that I don’t need to worry about for a few weeks. Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi, on first listen, have made entirely the album you’d expect, Burton’s dusty vinyl grime over Luppi’s string canvas. Norah Jones sounds good on ‘Black’. Then there’s Keren Ann, whose 101 I need to write about quick-smart. It’s making me think Charlotte Gainsbourg, so I’m really earning my money there. Hmmm, Paris-tinged chanteuses.

Laki Mera’s album comes out on my birthday, nearly two months away. Listening to it now therefore makes me feel like Henry DeTamble in The Time Traveler’s Wife. This could also be because I am reading The Time Traveler’s Wife while I listen to it.

1059

Simon & Garfunkel: America

It’s in my head. Does that count? Only one refrain as well.

1123-1143

Rihanna feat. Drake: What’s My Name?
Guillemots: Walk The River

I have a playlist called BACKLOG. It is recently added stuff on my iPod, but because I never clear it out it has 700-odd tracks from the last few months. These two are next to each other. Rihanna and Fyfe, up a tree.

Of Montreal: Expecting To Fly
Casiokids: London Zoo

A AA-side for Record Store Day (16 April: I’ll be nowhere near any record stores, but EVERY day’s a record store day). Of Montreal cover Buffalo Springfield as if they were Rufus Wainwright. Casiokids are space-age like it’s 1981.

1222-1317

Toddla T: Take It Back

Whatever happened to Shola Ama? Oh. She got sent back to 1993. Well, look here, a new TV On The Radio album.

TV On The Radio: Nine Types of Light

This is even more pop than Dear Science, and I think I mean that goodly. Well. Nicely. In a good way.

1458-1629

Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti: Round And Round

Some Spotify fidgeting. I’m amazed this was Pitchfork’s track of the year – I mean, it’s great and everything (I loved ‘Fergus Sings The Blues’ after all), but sort of unassuming. Buckles under accolades.

Fleetwood Mac: Rumours

As I advance through my 30s, the ‘Mac loom ever larger.

Kate Bush: Deeper Understanding ’11

I tend to return to the obvious ones – the title track, This Woman’s Work – when dipping into The Sensual World, so it’s been a long time since I heard the original of this. Whichever way you slice it, this is exciting stuff. It’s also helping me come to terms with all the metadata errors in this latest ingest of content.

1815-1930

Prefuse 73: The Only She Chapters
Cocteau Twins: Frou-Frou Foxes In Midsummer Fires
Guillemots: Trains To Brazil
Public Enemy: Who Stole The Soul?
Diana Ross: I’m Still Waiting
Pharrell: Keep It Playa

As ever, when I’m working in a proper, real office with proper, real people, I do most of my listening on the commute. On the way home, I checked out another cracking Prefuse 73 album then spun through some disjointed tracks. That Cocteau Twins song is Heaven Or Las Vegas’s closer; it’s an album that I come to again and again. The Pharrell one is as disappointing as most of his solo set, but sometimes I just have to confirm it. Ross, PE, Guillemots, all great naturally.

Came back home in time to read Junior her bedtime story and then slump in front of the football. Might listen to something else when I do the washing-up. Rock’n’roll. I mean, I might listen to rock’n’roll.

2205-2244

A bit of Later with Jools to accompany the washing-up. The unstoppable jazz fellows put some zip in my scrubbing and I liked The Tallest Man On Earth. Missed Beady Eye, which is a pity because I enjoy watching Liam even if the tunes are mud-caked. Can’t get it out of my head that Elbow are writing deliberate, wet-eyed anthems.

Then pop Radio 1 on for some reassuringly pretty Fleet Foxes, some crunky Nicki Minaj and some barrelling Black Keys. And Nick Grimshaw all genial and enthusiastic. R1’s good in this form, dotting about like my iPod.

The Music Diary Project: Day 1

I’m doing Nick Southall’s Music Diary Project, because I love lists like a brother. Some of this will involve Junior, but most won’t because I do the lion’s share of my listening on the interminable commute, and she’s not yet persuaded me to take her to the office. Expect a lot of Scritti Politti, James Blake and, oh look, The Four Seasons.

MONDAY

0820-1025

A long commute because I missed my train, the office has moved and I was, erm, experimenting with routes. It was sunny. Sun = Four Seasons; Four Seasons = Frankie Valli; Further sunkissed 70s FM radio listening = Dennis Wilson.

The Four Seasons: Let’s Hang On
The Four Seasons: Working My Way Back To You
The Four Seasons: Opus 17 (Don’t You Worry About Me)
The Four Seasons: I’ve Got You Under My Skin
The Four Seasons: Tell It To The Rain
The Four Seasons: Beggin’
The Four Seasons: C’mon Marianne
The Four Seasons: Will You Love Me Tomorrow?
The Four Seasons: The Night
The Four Seasons: Who Loves You?
The Four Seasons: December, 1963 (Oh What A Night!)
The Four Seasons: Silver Star
The Four Seasons: Sherry
The Four Seasons: Big Girls Don’t Cry
The Four Seasons: Walk Like A Man
The Four Seasons: Candy Girl
The Four Seasons: Marlena
The Four Seasons: Stay
The Four Seasons: Dawn (Go Away)
The Four Seasons: Silence Is Golden
The Four Seasons: Ronnie
The Four Seasons: Rag Doll
The Four Seasons: Save It For Me
The Four Seasons: Bye Bye Baby (Baby Goodbye)
The Four Seasons: Girl Come Running
The Four Seasons: Let’s Hang On
The Four Seasons: Working My Way Back To You
Frankie Valli: Grease
Dennis Wilson: You And I
Dennis Wilson: Pacific Ocean Blues
Dennis Wilson: Farewell My Friend
Dennis Wilson: River Song
Dennis Wilson: What’s Wrong
Dennis Wilson: Moonshine
Dennis Wilson: Friday Night
Dennis Wilson: Dreamer

1815-1940

Midlake: Late Night Tales
Frank Ocean: Nostalgia, Ultra

Purely work with Midlake, but it’s a pleasing compilation of fuzzy folk and dreamy pop-rock that means a calm journey. Frank Ocean was semi-work, so I could help a pal with a bit of context. I like it, although all that singing over full, pre-existing songs reminds me of some schoolfriends and I attempting to record our own track over Duran Duran’s ‘Tel Aviv’. With the help of some tupperware, and rubber bands over tissue boxes.