A break from your regularly scheduled programming today. Erin from The Post-Modern Talko has organized a Summer Mixtape blogring, and you can find mine over at the lovely Risha’s Read Me Anything. I’m hosting Martin from In Pursuit of Expression, so I’ll let him take it from here!
Hi, I’m MARTIN from IN PURSUIT OF EXPRESSION. I tried my best to create an
entertaining and varied selection of the music that I have been rocking this summer. I
know that not everyone will enjoy everything on the list but I hope that there is at least
something that you will enjoy or relate to.
My summer was incredibly music orientated, filled with various local gigs and bookended
by two fantastic music festivals. I listened to a hell of a lot of music and it was fun (and
super difficult) attempting to summarise that into this playlist! So, here it is…
#1 Frank Turner – Four Simple Words. Ever since the release of Frank Turner’s fifth
studio album, Tape Deck Heart, in April, I literally don’t think a single week has gone by
that I haven’t listened to it. Four Simple Words is one of my favourites from the album;
an upbeat folky punk song that I cannot help but dance to whenever I hear it. If I am
in a public place when it comes on my MP3 player I literally have to skip it for fear of
embarrassing myself with impromptu dancing.
#2 Gogol Bordello – Start Wearing Purple. I saw Gogol Bordello for the first time this
June at Download Festival and they were AMAZING. It turns out that gypsy punk is the
best kind of music to dance to! Start Wearing Purple is probably the bands most famous/
catchy song. The week leading up to the festival I listened this song several times a day
and seeing it live did not disappoint.
#3 Ducking Punches – Burnt Matches. Ducking Punches is Dan Allen’s DIY folk band
band from Norfolk, England. This is my favourite song from their 2012 EP ‘I Am Arturo
Bandini’. You just can’t beat a punk rock love story! Check out more of their music at
bandcamp.com/duckingpunches
#4 Iron Maiden – Run To The Hills. I also saw Iron Maiden for the first time at Download
Festival and man, do they put on one hell of a show! For 60 year old dudes they have
more energy now than I had at 16. Run To The Hills was my favourite from their set.
#5 Limp Bizkit – Break Stuff. Another band that I saw for the first time at Download Fest.
The crowd was packed full of 20 somethings reliving their teenage years (so much sweat
and nostalgia). They closed their set with Break Stuff and as someone who was in the
thick of the moshpit, I can attest to the fact that “stuff” was most certainly “broken”. Namely
my body. XD
#6 Louise Distras – The Hand You Hold. Angry political acoustic punk rock from
Wakefield, England. I have been a fan of Lousie ever since I first heard this song about a
year and a half ago. She is self-releasing her debut album at the end of September so this
song has been a regular fixture over the summer in preparation. I CAN’T FREAKIN’ WAIT.
Show her some love: louisedistras.co.uk
#7 Adam and Cuth – Considered… Adam and Cuth are a rapper/producer duo from
Brighton, England. This song is from their 2012 release ‘The Letters EP’, it is about Adam’s
decision to use his real name instead of a stage name like most rappers. Honest, down
to earth and funny to boot. I don’t listen to half as much hip hop as I did 10 years ago but
when I come across a rapper like Adam I remember why I first fell in love with hip hop
music.
#8 Nova Rockafella – Call Me (Batman). Nova is a part Canadian, part Jamaican rapper.
She is the opposite of Adam in that she has more pseudonyms than there are songs on
this playlist. This song ALWAYS gets stuck in my head but I don’t care because I love it.
The video is pretty awesome, too. Check it out: youtube.com/watch?v=e7uJqlhrRNQ
#9 Frank Turner – Photosynthesis (Truck Sessions). The second of three Frank Turner
songs on this playlist. (I’m a big fan, can you tell?!?) This is a live session recording of
my favourite song from his second album Love, Ire & Song. My best friend is also a huge
Frank Turner fan and many an evening this summer has been spent sitting in her back
yard, drinking around a bonfire, listening to Frank. You can always tell how many ciders
I have had by how loudly I sing along to the chorus of this song. “I WON’T SIT DOWN, I
WON’T SHUUUUT UP AND MOST OF ALL, I WILL NOT GROW UUUUUP!”
#10 Amanda Palmer and the Grand Theft Orchestra – Lost. I freakin’ love Amanda
Palmer. I was out of town when she played a show in my town recently and I was
GUTTED. This is one of my favourite songs from her album, Theatre Is Evil, which she
self-released last year on a ‘Pay What You Want’ basis. I’ve had the album on a constant
loop pretty much all summer. So much awesome.
#11 Against Me! – True Trans Soul Rebel. This is from a 2 track acoustic EP released a
couple of months ago. Against Me! are one of my favourite bands of ever and this release
has really whetted my appetite for their new album. The album will largely focus on singer
Laura’s recent journey in coming out to the world as transgender. It has been three years
since their last album and I really really really can’t wait for this!
#12 Off With Their Heads – Clear The Air. Another band that that I absolutely adore, this
song is from their 2010 album In Desolation. I saw them live at Leeds Festival in August
and they closed their set with this song. So good, It’s a real punk rock heartbreaker.
#13 Daughter – Youth. I got chills the first time I heard this song. Seriously. I can’t
say that for many songs, but this one had a real physical effect on me. It is hauntingly
beautiful.
#14 Moose Blood – Bukowski. Moose Blood are an indie/emo band from Canterbury,
England. This track is from their 2012 EP ‘Moving Home’. It would have been easy
to include the title track on this playlist, as I recently moved back to my home town
myself, however, I went for the track named after my favourite author. Really I could
have picked any track from the EP, they’re all pretty fantastic. Check them out:
mooseblood.bandcamp.com
#15 Gogol Bordello – Name Your Ship. Gogol Bordello recently released their new
album. I have been rocking the album pretty frequently since it came out and this is my
(current) favourite song from it. I am seeing them when they tour the UK in December and
I am a little bit (a lot) excited!
#16 Frank Turner – We Shall Not Overcome. I am a sucker for symmetry, Frank Turner
opened this playlist and he will close it out. This song was one of the ‘bonus tracks’ on
Tape Deck Heart and is one of my favourites. I think one of the main reasons that I love
Frank Turner so much is that I really relate to his songs. We’d definitely be good buddies if
we knew each other in real life. The chorus to this song sums me up perfectly: “The bands
I like they don’t sell too many records and the girls I like they don’t kiss too many boys. The
books I read will never be best sellers, but come on fellas, at least we made our choice.”
I hope you enjoy the songs and I hope my rambling didn’t bore you too much! XD