Sunday Songs.

I intend to do this regularly, but I've so far been rubbish at it. Bah.

Today's playlist looks like this:



Starting with a Beirut double, because I think Zach Condon is an amazing talent and I've been listening to Lon Gisland a lot this week. The instrumental number presented here, My Family's Role in the World Revolution is simply great stompy fun, with a catchy melody. It sticks in my head like no-one's business. The second track on today's playlist is the SON LUX remix of A Sunday Smile, here because I'm very excited that At War with Walls and Mazes drops this week, and because it's a gorgeous remix, and because it's got Sunday in the title. The beat on this remix is suitably chunky, but it's not really a dance remix, it's an electronic recasting of the Beirut song. It's intense and builds to a particularly fraught finish.

Sun Against My Eyes is a moving piece for guitar and clarinet from the recent Colleen album, Les Ondes Silenciesuses, and definitely my favourite thing from that album. It's probably the single most beautiful piece of music I listened to in 2007.

Plone, a long defunct Warp act, are near the top of my Should Have Released More Than One Album List. Unfortunately, their second album was lost in the ether after they were axed by Warp. Sadness. Bibi Plone is playful electronic silliness, characteristic of their album For Beginner Piano. It's charming in it's wide-eyed innocence, like Richard D. James Album with the beats stripped right down. That's not to say it's unsophisticated; it's cute, but clever.

The Hype Machine is one of the best things to happen to the internet in forever, and has helped me discover new (old) and interesting things. In a roundabout kind of way, it led to me picking up this compilation called The Brazilian Funk Experience, which is enormous fun and I expect will dominate my summer. Maita by Doris Monteiro (1977) is a clear highlight, a breezy, blissful slice of sun-drenched pop. Perfect Sunday soundtracking.

del.icio.us is also a fantastic resource, and it's there I found Awesome Tapes from Africa. I'm not sure I can adequately describe Assalatu by Abdou Salam et les Tendistes, but I can tell you that it's propulsive and addictive. Write that down in your copybooks now.

Finally, oh, I am addicted to Made in the Dark by Hot Chip. They've finally hit their mark and released a frankly brilliant pop record. Here's the title track, a sweet, sweet little ballad that makes me feel all squishy.

Sunday Songs.

Sundays are weird. You can never quite get settled, there's loads of shit to do, but you also just want to sit and do nothing for as long as you think you can get away with it. Unfortunately, we've got the decorators in this week, so today has been a bit stressful, with moving furniture around and things. So, here is this Sunday's playlist, a little bit fraught and entirely melancholy.

My Dark Star is one of the amazing Suede bees that makes Sci-Fi Lullabies the most important Suede release you can own (aside from dog man star). It could easily have been a single. The pretty piano and fuzzy guitar stabs underpin a tempered, yet still anthemic chorus. Simply brilliant.

Monkey Swallows The Universe have a brilliant name that gives nothing away. I like that about them. Sheffield Shanty is the lead track from The Bright Carvings, a bold statement given its wholly understated nature. Sheffield Shanty is blissful and beguiling, even as it tips its hat to Paul Simon's You Can Call Me Al.

Everyone loses their shit over Burial. I enjoyed Untrue, but found it pretty repetitive, 'though naggingly addictive. Weird thing. Bloc Party are the band I would lose my shit over if I were fifteen again, but I detest Flux. The Burial remix of Where Is Home, available on the Flux 12", and probably iTunes or something, is a jaw-dropping track. It perfectly captures that ethereal, Ghost in the Machine vibe that everyone attributes to Burial. For my money, it's better realised than anything on Untrue.

Think Tank was a horribly patchy affair, one which I think killed Blur dead. Ambulance was such a fuckin' tease though. The stuttering percussion and rubbery bass are a perfect intro, the honking sax and Damon's sweetest vocals all made it an outstanding addition to the Blur cannon. I almost believed Think Tank wouldn't totally suck. Still, top tune, perfect Sunday music.

Finally, Genio is a crazy man who has been playing People Are People at open mics in London for at least five years. I was thrilled to get a recorded version from Bedsprings a week ago. It's a creaky, hoary thing, but fantastic for it. Just listen to it. 'Kay?