Actually, my dentist seems like a very nice guy, but my mouth is still numb, and for someone who frequently can’t keep quiet, it’s painful in more ways than one…
As a result, I’m listening to music to try and take my mind off the pain and get on with something. As you may have noticed, if you are a regular visitor to this blog, I have expanded the links to other blogs here at the right hand side. Please take a look.
I had toyed with the idea at one point of doing a post on my favourite tracks of the decade so far, but I suppose that may be a little premature at the moment. I wonder at what point monthly and weekly rock magazines have to start making their decisions about this? (And at what point to record companies start issuing, uh, inducements to persuade people to nominate certain albums.
But if you can’t sing along with favourite tracks, then you may as well listen to stuff that feels great.
Here are two for starters:
I had read about The Stills in NME, back in the days when I was a pretty regular reader of the magazine, regardless of who was on the cover (these days: Pete Doherty? Maybe. Syd Barrett? Definitely. Oasis? It’s 2006, not 1995, people. Kate Bush or Robert Smith or Aretha Franklin? I wish…) I bought the Rememberese 7″ and was not disappointed by the lead track:
The Stills -‘Still In Love Song.’mp3
Buy Rememberese (US version) or UK version
Another band I fell for pretty early on this decade, and am genuinely delighted that they have done well are Bloc Party. They may fit in with a lot of the new wave of post-punk or whatever you want to call it (Franz Ferdinand, the Rapture, the Futureheads et al) but there’s just something so vital about this track. I remember having to order this from my local indie store when it came out, but a year later it was a HIT. The world needs Bloc Party. Some bands do justify the hype, and this is one of them. The quitar interplay on this track is like Television on 78 rpm (note: if you don’t know what this means, ask your Mum. Vinyl rules!) I’m on Fire!
Buy Bloc Party’s Silent Alarm
…Scuse me, what’s that? Speak up, I’m an old man, can’t hear you (selective deafness is almost as necessary as eyes in the back of your head for a teacher). I’ve whetted your appetite. Good, good.
The Stills – ‘Retour a Vega.’ mp3
The Stills – ‘In The Beginning.’ mp3
Buy Logic Will Break Your Heart and Without Feathers