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I know music is music (Part 2)



Part 1 can be seen here...

11) Manic Street Preachers - The Holy Bible

This is one amazing (but very dark) album. The lyrics were written by Richey Edwards while he was suffering from depression and he disappeared not long after. At first it can be a difficult listen but every time I listen to it I hear something different or I pick up on something I haven't noticed before. You can learn stuff from this record.

Images of perfection, suntan and napalm
Grenada - Haiti - Poland - Nicaragua
Who shall we choose for our morality
Im thinking right now of Hollywood tragedy
Big Mac, smack, Phoenix, R, smile y'all
Cuba, Mexico can't cauterise our discipline
Your idols speak so much of the abyss
Yet your morals only run as deep as the surface






12) Radiohead - How to disappear completely

I can understand why people don't get Radiohead, they're not the most accessible of bands and anyone hoping they are going to release another song like "Creep" is going to be very disappointed. Yes Thom Yorkes vocals can be "whiney", just like anybody's vocals might not appeal but this song is just beautiful. The music is atmospheric and dreamlike, only Radiohead can produce music like this.

That there
Thats not me
I go
Where I please
I walk through walls
I float down the Liffey
Im not here
This isn't happening




13) The National - Slow Show

I'm too old to listen to the music that young people listen to, as Morrissey would say "The music that they constantly play says nothing to me about my life" and that's what I love about The National - they write music for 40+ year old males like myself, their music and lyrics are something I can totally relate to. This is my favourite National song, I love that line "You know I dreamed about you, for 29 years, before I saw you".

Standing at the punch table, swallowing punch,
Cant pay attention to the sound of anyone
A little more stupid, a little more scared
Every Minute, more unprepared
I made a mistake in my life today
Everything I love gets lost in drawers
I want to start over, I want to be winning
Way out of sync from the beginning




14) The Smiths - Hand in Glove

I have to include a Smiths song, it's such a shame Morrissey, who could write such beautiful words and be a hero to many would turn out to be a horrible, boring,  racist, so much so that now I won't listen to any of his post Smiths music.

Hand in glove
The sun shines out of our behinds
No, it's not like any other love
This one is different, because it's us
Hand in glove
We can go wherever we please
And everything depends upon
How near you stand to me



15) The Cure - A letter to Elise

I hate Elton John but he was right when he said "sad songs say so much". Sad songs are often the best and this break up song has to be up there with the saddest of break up songs. The Cure are one of my favourite bands but I didn't really get into them into my early twenties when a friend gave me a C90 compilation of some of their lesser known songs. This song was on and its one I keep going back to. If you're feeling sad and want to wallow for a bit, stick this on it will do the job.

Oh Elise it doesn't matter what you say
I just can't stay here every yesterday
Like keep on acting out the same
The way we act out
Every way to smile, forget
And make-believe we never needed
Any more than this



16) McAlmont and Butler -Yes

Is on then other hand you want 3 minutes of perfect pop then put this on and you're mood will lighten straight away. This is another song which was really popular in the mid 90's around the hot brilliant summer of '96 and it always reminds me of those times. There are a couple more of their songs that are worth checking out, "Falling" is very similar to "Yes" while if you fancy something a bit slower "Tonight" and "You do" are both beautiful records. David McAlmont is one amazing vocalist, I hope they release some more records one day.

Yes I do feel better 
Yes I do I feel alright 
I feel well enough to tell you what you can do with what you got 
To offer


17) New Order - Temptation

This was on the Trainspotting soundtrack (the best movie soundtrack ever?) and is my most played New Order song. I'm not a massive fan of theirs and actually much prefer Electronic (If you havent heard "Get the Message" or "Getting away with it" then you should have) but this is brilliant, it does that Indie- Dance crossover thing quite well I think.

A heaven, a gateway, a hope
Just like a feeling I need, its no joke
And through it hurts me to treat you this way
Betrayed by words I'd never heard, too hard to say




18) The Beatles - Norwegian Wood

This is my favourite Beatles song from my favourite Beatles album. I love the story in the song and it reminds me a little (actually a lot) of an incident from one one night at University. A song I can totally relate to.

I once had a girl
Or should I say she once had me
She showed me her room
Isn't it good Norwegian wood?




19) Bloc Party - So here we are

Whatever happened to Bloc Party? Their first album was amazing and so is this song, I wish I'd gone to see these live when I had the chance. I really like the drumming and the chiming guitars. This song doesn't remind me of anything I just really like it.

I caught a glimpse, but its been forgotten
So here we are again
I made a vow, to carry you home
I really tried to do what you wanted
It all went wrong again










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