F*ck the Algorithm - Issue 009
When the sunlight hits the trees, grass and even the pavement just right at this time of year, it releases a magical scent that floods my brain with endorphins. It awakens a warm fuzziness in my gut and puts a literal spring in my step. Despite my life looking pretty different these days, my body starts to prepare for sunny beer gardens, festivals, long evenings outside and, of course, the music that comes with it.
For this week's playlist I'm starting with the old and working forwards instead of the other way around - so I've picked eight old-school bangers that pair perfectly with early spring excitement and found modern equivalents. You can find the finished selection at the bottom of the page, where you can also comment what you like, what you don't like or any of your spring/summer favourites old or new.
- Last One Out Of Liberty City - Less Than Jake
LTJ hold a very special place in my heart. I've seen them live at least eight times (that I remember) and I've lost count of the number of incredible nights they've provided the soundtrack to. Last One Out Of Liberty City is a firecracker of an opening track that encapsulates all of the energy and excitement that drew me to the band in the first place.
My modern equivalent is Still Hanging Out After All These Years by Pkew Pkew Pkew. They may have skipped LTJ's brass and ska rhythms but this track is choc-full of the same nostalgic energy, safe harmonic structure and close vocal harmony.
- Spring Fra Livet - Kvelertak
Kvelertak were my gateway drug into a new, heavier habit. I struggled truly to appreciate scream vocals before them - generally requiring at least an element of clean singing or melody to get on board. But because the melodic and harmonic elements I crave are handled by the guitars - with knobs on - the vocal becomes another delicious layer in the musical lasagne. Spring Fra Livet is a perfect example. It verges on the symphonic, every time you think you've hit the "White Rabbit" moment, a key or timing change turns the screw a little tighter.
Despite MØL not sitting in Kvelertak's pigeonhole exactly - although they're two doors down at most - they transcend their genre in much the same way. That cheese grater black metal vocal entwines with the unexpectedly joyous guitar parts to create a riot of unbridled pleasure.
- Sure Shot - Beastie Boys
I don't profess to be any kind of hip hop expert. And that's precisely why I love Beastie Boys so much. There's no required listening before you 'get' it or enjoy it. I've found my way into some pretty obtuse artists on the fringes of hip hop over the years - Clipping, michael, Death Grips etc. - but I'd never have got there without Beasties. My mum maintains that Fight For Your Right was one of the first songs I ever sang along to.
I don't have a cute discovery story for Joey Valence & Brae, it just took a bit of good old-fashioned sleuthing to find something that could match the energy of Beasties. It may be more pop-laden, bigger in sound and (unbelievably) more tongue in cheek than Beastie Boys but the same DNA clearly runs straight through it. I can't verify the sample they've used but it sounds to me like a Santana guitar lick and that feels like a nod to the past just how Beasties' samples do.
- I Don't Know You Anymore - Bob Mould
I absolutely love heavy music delivered in a major key. It's a technique that permeates so many of my favourite tracks (several in this playlist, in fact), and I'm just a sucker for it. So I'm in love with the saccharine-sweet melody and chord structure of this Bob Mould track accompanied by generous helpings of gain and a drummer who seems angry at his instrument.
I first heard Weakened Friends because they were on a festival line-up at the Brudnell Social Club in Leeds. Their laidback delivery and dreamy guitar sound that's too comforting to be punk can draw a line straight back to Bob. This track is from their latest album but Hate Mail from their first full-length is one of my all-time favourite songs.
Listen to the full playlist here
Put this on in your headphones and get outside on a sunny day, you won't regret it. And let me know below what you think of it - good music deserves conversation.
