What I'm Listening to at the moment...

The charts are a bit uneventful at the moment… other than the intriguing and infuriatingly catchy, ‘We No Speak Americano’. New Albums have also dried up a bit since Arcade Fire and Eminem released their new efforts.

However, hopefully Klaxons’ new album, Surfing The Void, will reinvigorate things again. Furthermore, due to my significant lack of funds, I am not going to Reading, even though two of my favourite bands are playing (that is Arcade Fire and The Libertines by the way). So, I thought I would give you a peak at my IPod, to see what I’m listening to at the moment.

Eminem, ’25 To Life’ (from Recovery): Eminem is back to his formidable best, and ’25 To Life’ captures this better than any other song on Recovery. The song is about Em’s tempestuous relationship with rap music: “When you spoke to people who meant the most to you/You left me off your list/Fuck you hip-hop/I’m leaving you, my life sentence is served bitch.” For Eminem, rap has simultaneously brought him out of poverty, whilst also leading him down a road of self-destruction. With a great chorus, killer rap and a brilliant beat over an acoustic guitar, this song really has everything that makes Mr. Mathers a genius.




Bombay Bicycle Club, ‘My God’ (from Flaws): For an album entitled Flaws, there is a serious lack of them. Yet, ‘My God’ is the best song on Bombay’s new acoustic album, and by quite a way too. It is brilliant in every single way, from the Spanish Style Guitar to the barely traceable drumming. However, Jack Steadman’s peculiar, yet hypnotic voice once again dominates the song leaving a lasting impression.



Imogen Heap, ‘Hide and Seek’ (from Speak for Yourself): You know…. It’s the ‘Whatcha Say’ song. Whilst Imogen Heap’s song was recently sampled successfully by Jason Derulo for his recent number one, the original really cannot be outdone. Initially, the sound created through the Vocoder is difficult to adjust to. However, after repeated listens, the Vocoder becomes soothing, as well as creating a spooky feeling of helplessness.



Pixies, ‘Where Is My Mind’ (from Surfer Rosa): Whilst it’s not exactly brand new - 1988 to be specific – it is a classic song with a brilliant guitar riff. In fact, whilst the lyrics are strangely about the Scuba diving experiences of the Pixies’ front man, it is the addictive and pulsating riff that dominates the track, making this song truly remarkable.

Foals, ‘Spanish Sahara’ (from Total Life Forever): Foals dramatically changed their sound after the success of debut album, Antidotes. Yet, ‘Spanish Sahara’ proves that it was a worthwhile change. The song begins slowly, steadily building on a simple guitar riff until it reaches the monumental conclusion, where the layers so steadily built up throughout the song erupt in a mesmerizing fusion of sound.



Arcade Fire, ‘Suburban War’ (from The Suburbs): To be honest, anything from Arcade Fire’s new album could be listed here. However, ‘Suburban War’ really does stand out with its beautiful, yet simple chord progression developing into an epic finale. This really is one of those songs that you could listen to all day and never get tired of.

Biffy Clyro, ‘Many of Horror’ (from Only Revolutions): The fourth single and my personal favourite from Biffy’s latest album. The song is a stunning love song that exemplifies the growing maturity of Simon Neil as a song writer. It begins as an electric acoustic, with just Neil’s Scottish rasp and a simple chord progression. Yet, as the song continues the rest of the band join in to turn the song into a rockier affair, something more typical of early Biffy Clyro.