Massive Attack – Unfinished Sympathy
The greatest love song ever written? Frank Sinatra famously claimed it was 'Something' by George Harrison, though he often described it clumsily as his favourite Lennon/McCartney composition. Well, my money is on this track from Massive Attack's classic genre-hopping debut 'Blue Lines'.
Gorgeously simple, based entirely on a percussive loop and an amazing vocal performance from Shara Nelson. The string arrangement will crawl up your back and creep under your skin better than any George Martin composition. One of the most original and brilliant pieces of soul music ever written, from an album now famous for it's relentlessly modern sound.
The Arcade Fire - Crown of Love
'I carved your name, across my eyelids... you pray for rain, I pray for blindness...If you still want me, please forgive me...the crown of love, has fallen from me'.
I think it's fair to say that 'Funeral' is now regarded (rightly) as a modern classic. I've bootlegged the Arcade Fire for a little while now, but weirdly only purchased their amazing debut album earlier this year. that's me I guess... always late to the party.
In any case, 'Crown of Love' is a real highlight for me. Less a love song, than a frank and beautiful appeal for forgiveness from a loved one. There's such a raw honesty coming from it - I'm always struck by the sadness of the songwriting before the prettiness. The emphasis is on the blunt emotional strength of love, and how experiencing it the wrong way can be debilitating in a very physical sense. The sudden climax that emerges from the lilting piano stomp, suggests for me at least, the sudden lift out of melancholy provided by forgiveness.
Of course, all of my lyrical waffle is easily forgotten when you hear the song live or bootlegged. It sounds totally bitchin'.
Bloc Party - This Modern Love
It will come as no surprise to anyone who knows me that Bloc Party has made their way on to this playlist. I suppose I'll have to fall back on my time honoured list of reasons as to why it's still ok to like (or worship, just a little) a group of edgy guitar revivalists whose new direction feels increasingly irrelevant.
Firstly, there's 'Silent Alarm' (which this track appears on). Its just a damned good record. A no frills, razor-sharp rock album. No one pretended it was innovative when it was released, mainly because no one cared. Those guitars shimmer and glisten as much as they gash and stab, courtesy of some super slick production by Paul Epworth, while the bass locks into the drumming with a seamlessness that would make Echo and The Bunnymen blush. Yeah, it may have been retreading old ground, but when I heard it at least, it still sounded like the future.
Secondly, there's the quality of the songwriting
No comments:
Post a Comment