One track days
It always starts the same way. A song hits the iPhone,
probably heard it 1,000 times before. This time, it’s different. Somehow it’s
just that little bit more awesome. It’s possibly the single best song you’ve
ever heard. Well, that day at least.
The song finishes – 3 little presses on the headphone remote
and it starts up again. It’s just as good as before. Better in fact. Three
little presses. Screw – this, “repeat one”…
Before you know it, it’s a One Track Day.
As a man with the attention span of a 2 month old puppy (and
a tendency to make more mess), it shocks me that I can listen to the same song
over and over again for a day, or even days at a time. Whether its numbing the
tedium of an excel spreadsheet (Gimp! Gimp! Gimp to the beat!), blocking out
the rest of the world on the bus or getting me through that last mile of a
Sunday run – sometimes one song is all you need.
So, in a departure from my usual lazy ranting, I’m going to
use this post to keep a record of these One Track Days – when and why did they
happen and why are the songs just that damn good?
The plan is to update this post over time as more of these
days happen – stay tuned for updates.
lostprophets – Last
Summer
lostprophets - Last Summer (Live at Reading Festival 2007)
I was actually there for this, bang in the middle of the pit - it was awesome
"Top marks for the sitty down jumpy up thing"
Uni was over, I’d just moved into a flat with a particularly
lucky lady (who’s still hanging around). I bought my first contract phone (a
Samsung D800 – a brick. Later I lost this phone, ironically, at a lostprophets concert).
My D800 was the first mp3 device I owned – with a whopping
80mb of inbuilt memory – enough for one whole album. That album was the lostprophets’ second album, Start Something.
It was a sunny October morning back in 2005 and I was in the
first month of my first graduate job. Striding along Regent’s Canal towards the
Angel tube station on my way to another 14 hour session of making rich people
richer, Last Summer came on.
Yes, it’s a good song, but it’s not even in my top 3
‘prophets songs. That morning it just sounded a little bit different. The
opening guitar tones hit me like a punch in the stomach that set off two
competing impulses. First, pangs of longing for that week at uni after my final
exams a few months earlier. Then, a burst of un-jaded enthusiasm and energy
along with the desire to attack the day to come, and all the spreadsheets it would
bring.
Repeat was hit, and this was my first One Track Day.
Brand New – Sowing
Season
Brand New - Sowing Season
A good buddy (who incidentally I have not seen for far too
long, must fix that) has the most ridiculous knowledge of music. I was getting
sick to death with my narrow music collection at the time so I asked the young
lad for a few albums that I should listen to. He came back with what can only
be described as an incredible collection.
Futures by Jimmy Eat World. A brilliant album, Work is still a favourite today – but it
never quite made it as a One Track Day.
Never Take Friendship
Personal by Anberlin. Currently
one of, if not the band I listen to
most – but more on these guys later.
From Here to Infirmary
by Alkaline Trio. The only one I
never got into – just too punky for my taste.
Decemberunderground by AFI. Totally not my kind of music. Totally loved it – doesn’t really get a look in these days.
And finally, The Devil
and God are Raging Inside Me by Brand
New…
This was the first of the albums he suggested that I got
round to listening to. Track 1, Sowing
Season – started off slowly, very slowly – I thought of Radiohead (it
sounds nothing like Radiohead) and I wanted loud dammit. You’ve failed me! Oh
cruel world! Buddy, what have you done? What is this rubbis…
Then it kicked in.
Then it got played over and over again.
That album has some incredible songs – You Won’t Know,
Not the Sun, The Archers’ Bows Have Broken and, best of all, Jesus
(which still gets played lots today).
In 2007 I saw them in the tent at Reading. The second most
disappointing band I have ever seen live (after the Chilis at that same
festival – they may as well not have turned up). The singer broke into a
self-indulgent monologue about how we should love each other, recounting a
story that sounded awfully like Joey’s “when I was hiking through the foothills
of Mount Tibidabo” pick up line before giving a half-arsed rendition of a
couple of songs. Ah well, at least the recorded stuff is good…
InMe – Soldier
InMe - Soldier (Live at the Islington Garage - December 2010)
Had to include this even though not best recording - I was there!
Inme - Soldier
If there was an award for the most “One Band Days” of any
artist – InMe would take it without a
shadow of a doubt. I don’t usually have favourite anythings, but this is my
favourite band.
There was no special event, no special memory here – it was
just the first time I played through the Daydream
Anonymous album. I generally dislike every new song or album when I first
hear it (not in a “I prefer the old stuff” / “the book is better than the film”
pretentious kind of way mind you – songs just tend grow on me). Not this song.
No growing required.
After the distinctive mechanical whir, Soldier started playing and it didn’t stop for about 3 days
straight. It’s one of those songs you just know before you’ve ever heard it –
perfectly written with more energy than a colony of Duracell bunnies in mating
season and more heart than 106.2.
Incubus – Dig
Incubus - Dig
Next month I am finally going to see Incubus live. I will be truly gutted if they don’t play this song.
This one I remember clearly. I was listening to Light Grenades whilst walking home from
Highbury & Islington tube after a day that was in dire need of the rage
spoon (sadly, it hadn’t yet been invented). I was properly peeeeesed awf with
someone at work – I don’t remember why - but it was still light outside so I
can only assume it was for something that was about to happen over the next few
days rather than something that had happened that day (otherwise I’d have been
in the office until much later…).
All of a sudden, I snapped out of my rage and heard the
line:
“We all have someone
who digs at us – at least we dig each other”
Rage vanished, and a smile came back as my head was filled
the incredible soundfield I only get from that song. I can’t really explain
what I mean by “soundfield” other than it feels more like the music is in my
head coming out into my ears rather than being pumped in by my headphones.
Silversun Pickups –
Growing Old Is Getting Old
Silversun Pickups - Growing Old Is Getting Old
More than just the name of my “30 before 30” blog (shameless
plug1), this song is inextricably linked to one of the best 6 month
periods of my life – 2009’s trip around the world.
Silversun Pickups
are Another band recommended by my musical guru friend and are typified by one
of the most unique voices – “The Girly Man” as so beautifully named by my
fiancée (although sadly not spoken in a mock McBain accent). This is the only
one track day so far shared by anyone else.
Back in November 2009, we’d hired a convertible in Port
Douglas (Oz) to drive up to the rainforest at Cape Tribulation. OK, it was a
crappy blue Vauxhall Astra convertible, but that’s not the point. We crashed
out in a wooden hut hostel room and stuck Swoon
on the travel speaker. The smooth baseline starts off as almost soothing
but, without changing, builds and builds until the guitar lands and the snare
joins in. I’d never describe a song as “intense” but that’s the word that comes
to mind.
Dave McPherson –
Before I Even Had You
Dave McPherson - Before I Even Had You (Live)
Friday January 7th, 2011. Questions were asked.
Answers were given (in the affirmative) and now there’s some kind of important
day coming up on the 18th August this year.
The other involved party and I rarely agree on music. Very
rarely. She like the pop, I like the metal. Well not “real” metal, more 80s
rock and / or borderline emo rubbish.
However, a young Essex lad by the name of Dave McPherson changed all that. By day
as the lead singer / guitarist of InMe he
unleashes punishing yet melodic riffs towards unsuspecting cochleae, but by
night he will folk you senseless with his acoustic guitar.
The man has a ridiculous voice – he can seamless switch from
wailing like a banshee to softly hitting the highs, all without annunciating a
single letter “t” in the true Essex fashion. It’s one of those voices that
recordings don’t do justice and has to be heard live.
It’s for exactly that reason we asked him to play at our
wedding (and for some unknown reason he said yes!). I am still fully expecting it
not to happen due to a scheduling conflict but it would be simply awesome.
Shortly after booking I did a youtube scan – looking for
covers he’s done before and some of his own stuff that he could sing on the
day. Pre the release of The Hardship
Diaries, Before I Even Had You could only be found online (or on a ‘live in
concert’ CD). I stumbled across it and stayed stumbled. No point me trying to
describe it, just listen!
Roxette – The Look
Roxette - The Look
Back in March of this year my work team did a 30 mile tandem
bike ride for Sport Relief. This was clearly a ridiculous idea from the start.
Unless, of course, we had tunes. So armed with my cub-scout square lashing
skills, a shoelace and an Altec Lansing pocket speaker I fashioned the finest
helmet-blaster the world had ever seen.
The only thing that could possibly go on such a playlist
would be selected classics from Now That’s What I Call Music (numbers 1 through
80 inclusive). It was there I rediscovered The
Look.
It wasn’t until the Friday after the cycle that The Look got it’s day. Out the door of
the office at 5pm sharp, the sun was beaming down and I had a night of London’s
finest comedy to look forward. But first – Cocktails! (The Chilli Martini at
Sophie’s Steakhouse in Covent Garden is one of the finest inventions of our
time).
Sadly, nobody – not even my “half day” school teacher
fiancée – could meet me before 6.30pm that evening so I had some time to kill.
Sat with the tourists in a Covent Garden Starbucks I started my Roxette binge. I bounced round the
streets with a stupid grin on my face near-dancing round the irritating street
performers, pickpockets and Maxwell’s flyer distributors.
After about the 10th play of the song, I started
to have a long intellectual thought debate with myself – one that I am still to
resolve…
At precisely 3:10 (just after “and I go la la la la la”) I
am unsure if there should be one more beat before we “na na na na na”. I will
take it upon myself to one day edit the extra pause into the song. Then I’ll
know. I’ll know for sure.
Coheed and Cambria –
Pearl of the Stars
Coheed and Cambria - Pearl of the Stars
A few weeks back, I figured I ought to make a start on my
wedding speech. The task of pitching a speech somewhere that makes the bride’s
friends both laugh and cry (“do both” – not “both friends”, she does have more
than two friends), reeling out a list of thankyous, and pre-empting the
incoming character assassination from the best men (the downside of choosing
four) and then delivering it to 100 people is daunting to say the least.
I stuck on some tunes for a bit of inspiration. Bad idea. My
ipod is mainly filled with angry music – Coheed
and Cambria are (is?) no exception. Tracks like Apollo I: The Writing Writer with romantic lyrics such as…
“So cry on bitch, why aren’t you laughing
now?”
…don’t exactly put one in the correct mindset to write a
sonnet.
Then Pearl of the
Stars came on, by the same band. His voice is, again, completely unique.
The song is simple and beautiful – no other way to describe it. I stopped
trying to write the speech and just stuck it on repeat – all afternoon, all the
way home on the bus, then I demanded that the lovely lady listened to it on my
AV system. Twice.
I did in fact consider stealing a lyric for the speech…
“I’d give you everything
– if only I’d have known you’d take it. But you don’t. Cause you’re you. That’s
why I’ll always love you”
…but only for a second. Cause not even I am that cheesy and besides, stealing song lyrics is lazy lazy
lazy.
Anberlin –
Dismantle.Repair.
Anberlin - Dismantle.Repair
I told you they’d be back! Anberlin have actually had a couple of One Track Days to their
name. The first was Adelaide – it’s
happy, simple pop-rock tune that woke me up on the bus and proceeded to get me
through a morning of detailed P&L modelling (aaah, Project Ellsbury).
But that’s not the song in the heading now is it? That’s a
whole different story…
Last weekend was the 5th annual May Bank holiday
lad’s extravaganza. Barcelona was this years’ victim. In a break from
tradition, night 3, the Sunday night, was hit almost as hard as the other two.
I awoke Monday morning to head to the airport, my internal organs pickling in
Absolute ChamBulls2 and having had less sleep in three nights than
empty bottles produced in one.
I collapse onto my oh-so-comfy easyjet seat (yes, sarcasm)
and adopt “the position” – headphones in, hood up, wire tucked down collar and
into my iPhone in my pocket as I flagrantly ignore requests to “turn off all
electrical devices”.
I want some chilled music – so Anberlin is the obvious choice. On it goes and off I doze…
Shortly after takeoff Dismantle.Repair.
starts up – the first soft chord progression oscillates from left to right
ear and I dropped a bit deeper in my seat,
on the verge of slumber. Then the bridge kicks in (“things are going to change now, for the better”) – I’m well aware
I’m awake, but still relaxed as the chorus is nowhere to be seen. Instead, the
next verse rolls calmly through, with just a hint more urgency in the drums
until “the orchestra plays on”. Then
the bridge is back. Damn you bridge, I’m trying to sleep here (“things are going to
cha-aaaaa-aaange”). I know what’s
coming next.
The chorus lands and instantly I’m wide awake – “Hands like secrets are the hardest thing to
keep from you” (what a line). Dancing around in my seat - I can neither
confirm nor deny if there was air drumming. I cursed the song for stealing the
four minutes of z’s I was planning.
It was OK though, as soon as the song finished I fell fast
asleep. Woke up on touchdown (as usual).
The One Track Day with Dismantle.Repair. was in fact
two days later – on my return to work. It was one of those days where
everything went wrong. With not enough relaxing done on my arrival home I was
landed back at work onto a fan-full of excrement. Deadlines piled up on
deadlines whilst my head was working at no more than 50% power.
The song played non-stop between 9am when I sat down and 7pm
when I finally left the office and kept me going through the day. It got played
all the way home as well…
Enter Shikari – Gap in
The Fence
Enter Shikari - Gap In The Fence
I’ve always wondered if anyone else gets the same sensation
as me. It’s this…
You’ve been feeling ill for a few days then all of a sudden
that day comes when you’re feeling only a little bit worse than normal. The
adrenaline rush I get that morning from the fact I’m no longer feeling quite as bad makes me more hyperactive
and smiley than I am on my best days.
I’ve learnt that Enter
Shikari can push this even further – make the high even higher. I’ve used
loads of their songs to do this (I sound like a junkie...) – Hectic has worked, as has Wall
(the lyrics to this song are stupid, yet genius) heck even the self-titled
track Enter Shikari has been used on
occasion. Today though, I chose Gap in
the Fence.
I have to say, the fact a bunch of lads from St Albans of
all places (home of the wealthy yummy mummies who have snagged themselves some
London City folk) spend most their time writing self-indulgent rants
complaining about the injustices of today’s capitalist society, the lack of
class equality and the constrained monotony of today’s society amuses me no
end. Thankfully, they write some cracking tunes to go with it.
Gap in the Fence is
absolutely one of these. It is an absolute Epic (no not as in “lolcats iz epic
winz”, epic as in epic, big, the real meaning of the word). The first 2 minutes and 1 seconds are the closest a
song sung by a man with his voice could ever get to beautiful. The lyrics –
centred around from breaking from routine and doing something different (with a
spattering of “we want equality”) – hit home today given the inception of my 30
by 30 list the day before1!
The build from 2:02 to 2:31 into the dance samples is one of
their finest and the song would be great even if it stopped there. It doesn’t.
The last crescendo from 3:26 when the guitars growl back in is nothing but
unadulterated epic win.
1Shameless plug - go and visit http://growingoldisgettingold.blogspot.com
2 A
potent yet tasty combination of Absolute
Vodka, Champagne and Red Bull – hence the name
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