Monthly Archives: February 2011

Doves – Black and white town


Much to my delight I found a mint condition 45 of this in my local thrift store on Saturday. It is a great song, one of my very favourites of the 2000’s (perhaps less of an accolade than I mean it to be). At the time of it’s release (2005) I could very much relate to the sense of yearning for something different I heard in the song. I still love it – an atmospheric, relentless anthem.

Doves are great live band and having seen them 3 or 4 times they have never disappointed. They put on the best visual show I have ever experienced. You can see some of that from the video here, which is very arresting and clearly gave some inspiration to Little Comets.

The Temptations – Get Ready


This is another Motown favourite. It is so pure and joyous.

The video here is also amazing, I love how fun and innocent it all seems. Looking at some contemporary hip hop videos it makes me wonder where it all went wrong. An added bonus is the amazing suits which I believe are the same ones worn here and the black and white pictures don’t really do justice to.

/RjK

Freddie Scott – (You) Got what I need


I was in the mood to post some hip hop today, but then I remembered this. It is sampled in two rap songs that I really like and am sure will post at some stage (*Spoiler alert* – Biz Markie – Just a friend and Ghostface – Save me dear).

It is interesting how being sampled can make you hear a song in a new light and give it new life. However, I can’t think of another track that has been used twice in songs I enjoy. Let me know which of the three you prefer, or if you can think of another song that has been productively sampled more than once.

Miles Davis – Someday My Prince Will Come


I thought a change of pace was in order following a few days of fairly recent pop music. Not that it was a bad thing, I just get bored with too much of the same thing. Jazz is something I don’t feel grown up enough to really appreciate fully. Somehow I have always loved this track though – it is so smooth and soothing and this combined with hint of wistfulness is a powerful mixture. It has been a welcome calming influence on few occasions when I have needed it.

/RjK

Los Campesinos! – Death to Los Campesinos!


Los Campesinos are a band I came across a couple of years ago. I think they are from Cardiff having formed while studying there.

The track is a little unpolished but I like it’s energy.

/RjK

Miami Horror – Holidays


These guys are quite a recent find and I have to confess to not knowing much about them, other than they are Australian (I seem to be hearing a lot from down under of late).

This song is a breezy potential summer anthem, even if the video is somewhat surreal.

/RjK

New Order – Age of consent


For me, New Order ARE the 80’s. They were the first band that really lead me to realise that it was a decade worth investigating.

Just as I struggled yesterday to pick out one track in particular, today was also a challenge. I wanted to mark my 50th post with a bang so I thought I would go with this – something I think to be an underrated gem.

/RjK