It’s my birthday! I have COVID! Here we go!
Metric - ‘What Feels Like Eternity’
I always felt like Metric were a band who should have achieved more. I don’t know whether they feel like that. They are, after all, pretty successful within their native Canada. But it felt like I saw them and enjoyed them every other week during my NME sponsored placement in the toilet venues of north/east London in the late noughts and they just never quite managed to wrestle their way out of that circuit. It’s not because the songs weren’t good. This is a very good song (with a very bad video) and let’s not forget their turn (with Brie Larson) in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. Anyway, they return with a really good song. Does it see things change for them on these shores? Probably not, but tell me that chorus isn’t lodged in your head now…
Darren Hayes - ‘Poison Blood’
I interviewed Darren for The James McMahon Music Podcast last week. Do I sound like a twat when I say that? Typing my name and then putting the words ‘music podcast’ at the end of it? These are the questions I ask myself at 4am, over and over and over and over again. I hoped I could have turned that episode around by the time Here is the music I am listening to this week came around for missive 9, because it really is quite an extraordinary conversation. Shame, sexuality, Star Wars, Savage Garden, and probably some things that don’t begin with the letter ‘s’ also. We could have kept going and I really did find Darren to be a lovely man and a very thoughtful interview. But it’s my birthday and I have COVID and so I’ve been trying to have fun but failing because I can’t stop coughing so you’re going to have to wait a bit. Middle of the week I reckon. Listen to this song from his forthcoming new album while you wait. It’s got that slow sad synthetic balladry thing I’m crazy about. It’s also got nods to loads of other things I like. Prince. Erasure. Yazoo. The video is beautiful. And dang, the line “It’s not that I don’t want to live. It’s the pain that I wish I could kill” really sheared my bones.
King Creosote - ‘Melin Wynt’
This is one of my all time favourite songs that an algorithm nudged back into my life this week and it stopped me in my tracks for a bit. I wept. It’s so… windswept. Music has been making me cry loads recently. I sobbed my eyes out listening to ‘She’s Leaving Home’ on the plane back from Pisa last weekend. Is that COVID? Have I mentioned I have COVID? I have COVID. But even so, I feel exhausted by everything at the moment. 2022 has been a lot. It’s all been a lot. I feel scooped out. A bit lost. I’m trying. I mean, I know I did have a bunch of people try to drive me beyond the brink of sanity and all, but I’m sure it’s not just me. Everyone feels like that now, right? Is this the new normal they were talking about? Does it ever end?
Screaming Females - ‘Shake It Off’ (from the A.V. Club sessions)
Another old favourite I dropped back into last week. What a brilliant cover. I was however gutted to learn that the video of the performance had been taken offline. This is a tragedy. I need to see that video again and so if you happen to know where else it might exist on the internet then I’ll trade you the entire contents of my pockets for that information. I think there are coins in there. You haven’t seen anyone play guitar until you’ve seen Marissa Paternoster play guitar. Listen to this. I promise you, you won’t hear anything as exciting as what happens at 2:18 whatever else you listen to.
Nezi Momodu - ‘On Gawd’
Nezi is my favourite rapper at the moment and this is probably my favourite song of hers. It’s funny. She’s from Dallas. She made her name doing online freestyles. Her music is hugely old skool. Not the oldest skool, but certainly one where the gymnasium’s paint is scuffed. There’s chewing gum under the desks. Lauren Hill goes there. Missy Elliot too. The headmaster is LL Cool J. When someone gets detention they have to transcribe the words to the Fugees’ The Score. I’m going to stop this now.
Titus Andronicus - ‘We’re Coming Back’
Announcing your return with a Cock Sparrer cover is pretty cool. I have a lot of time for those old Oi records. I also find Titus Andronicus endlessly reliable. I like everything they do. I haven’t seen them for years and years, the last time was in a parking lot in Barcelona about ten years ago. The sun was so hot I swear the concrete was melting. I had an amazing conversation with John Disco from Bis about 90s indie pop. Then it started raining and we went to see the Pixies. The proper Pixies. With the correct line-up. Bloody love the proper Pixies. That was a good day.
Jamie T - Sticks N Stones (live at Glastonbury)
I’m slowly working my way through the BBC’s Glastonbury footage and this cut from Jamie T’s set really stood out to me. It’s brilliantly ramshackle. One of those live performances that wouldn’t work if the audience wasn’t so into it - they’re seemingly dragging the song along at one point! I think Jamie T is maybe a genius. As much as someone who makes music and doesn’t perform open heart surgery can be a genius anyway. I think loads of people who made music in that skuzzy noughties indie scene sort of ran out of tricks after their first records, but Jamie keeps going and getting better all the time. I mean, listen to this. Tell me it’s not the best Damon Albarn song that doesn’t have the name Damon Albarn attached to it.
Nice to see Hugo from The Maccabees again, by the way!
Martin Courtney - ‘Shoes’ (but all of Magic Sign too)
Okay, one of my new podcasts that I can link you to is a conversation I recently had with Martin Courtney from Real Estate. That was a very pleasant way to spend 30 minutes. You probably guessed it might be from the music he makes, both with Real Estate and on his new solo record, but Martin is really, really, really lovely. Very thoughtful. It would have been really surprising after being a fan of his gentle, pretty music for so long if he’d picked up the phone to me and shouted, “ALRIGHT CUNT”. I just don’t think he’s built like that.
Anyway, listen to that episode/5 stars/subscribe/thankyouverymuch.
Beddy Rays - ‘Sort It Out’
Good song this, if you’re a fan of that mid-00s Fat Wreck sort of thing (I am). They remind me of The Bouncing Souls who are a band I love. In fact, both me and my little brother love The Bouncing Souls. He’s got two tattoos. Both are of The Bouncing Souls logo. The same logo. I’ve always wanted to ask him what the fuck that’s about, but I keep forgetting to. I’ll let you know how that goes when I get round to it.
There’s a bit of a Menzingers thing going on too. They’re from Australia. Anyway, their debut album is out on July 29th. I’m pretty hyped for that one.
Max Tundra. Just all of the Max Tundra.
The first three albums - Some Best Friend You Turned Out To Be, Mastered by Guy at The Exchange and Parallax Error Beheads You - are getting released in August, and if you’ve never heard them before, I think you should check them out. I listen to them a lot when I’m writing because there’s stuff going on in there, but not too much stuff going on in there, and I can’t really deal with a lot of stuff going on when I’m writing because I’m getting old and I’m starting to fall apart. Did I mention it was my birthday? And I have COVID? I have COVID. Pray for me.