Tag: soundcloud

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Selfie Playlist

Criminal Crew

I’m changing the direction of Selfie Playlist to focus on new music: Indie, Punk, DIY, Lo-Fi and Pop. I’ve also been writing a review of each song on Instagram and Twitter. If you like that sort of thing, please consider giving me a follow. I hope you enjoy the tunes as much as I do. Listen here.

Selfie Playlist 8: Criminal Crew

  1. Criminal Crew – The Chisel
  2. Weekend at Bernies – SNOOZERS
  3. Albatross Baby – GospelbeacH
  4. Strong Feelings – Dry Cleaning
  5. I Don’t Wanna Stand Up – Bobby Ramone
  6. Drifting Around – DJ City
  7. What’s Worse – Strapontin, Zilas on Acid
  8. I Can See You – Sophia Kennedy
  9. No Mutuals – Fake Fruit
  10. Schatze – Ohtis, Stef Chura
  11. Russian Winter – Tamar Aphek
  12. Cigarette Packet – Sorry
  13. Pussy Mask – Peaches
  14. Don’t Call Me Baby – Ghost Pony

Listen on Spotify.

Listen on Apple Music.

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Writing

The Dry Spell

Here I am in my kitchen, doing vocals on a new song called ‘Living in the Spotlight’. When you record vocals, you put your lyrics under the microscope and every syllable gets meticulously examined. Phrases that look good on the page don’t necessarily sound great. My focus, at the moment, is on simple lyrics and strong melodies. ‘Living in the Spotlight’ still needs more work, but it’s this intense editing process that I enjoy the most. 

Today I’m sharing a demo from 2007 called ‘The Dry Spell’. I performed this tune a couple of times with a ‘supergroup’ I formed in L.A. called AAnchors AAweigh. The song never made it past the demo stage and unfortunately the band never recorded an album. 

I love the poetic nature of this song and the roughness of the demo, which was an early foray into recording with GarageBand. Maybe I’ll record it properly one day, but in the meantime, it’s been fun to revisit the tune and remember those wild, restless days. Give it a listen and read the lyrics on my Soundcloud profile.

Categories
Writing

Working on the Weekend

I did more writing this weekend and it quickly grew apparent that a MIDI keyboard and Logic plugins are not for me. I threw the MIDI keyboard into the bassinet and broke out my KORG Minilogue XD. When I started to play around with it, the melodies started to flow, so I kept layering parts into a workable guide track. This felt like progress. 

I was writing lyrics in Notes all last week. This is the best way to write for me, because I’m able to tweak while doing other things, like making dinner or rocking the baby, which is when the best ideas come. Here are some lyrics that are currently in contention. 

Finally, last night, I got out a Shure SM58 and tried to do some singing. This was about 10pm. My voice is far too loud to sing in the kitchen with a sleeping baby and toddler and a long-suffering wife reading in the next room. My solution was to do some spoken word over the track I had built. I’m finding the result interesting today. Let’s see where that leads. 

If you’re the kind of person that likes demos and works in progress, I’ve uploaded a basic track to my Soundcloud page and will be posting there as the songs start to pile up and my confidence grows. Let me know what you think.

Categories
Selfie Playlist

Selfie Playlist 6

January was full of suspense for my wife and I. We couldn’t wait to meet our daughter. She was due on the 12th, and as the date came and went, I created this playlist, and used it as a musical diary. It covers a wide spectrum of artists: Stevie Wonder, The Make-Up, Todd Terje and even Herb Alpert. Our daughter should have been a Capricorn, but was born eleven days late, an Aquarius, on January 23rd. We adore her! And I hope one day, she listens to this, and hears the love in it. Listen to it here.

Selfie Playlist 6: We’re Having a Baby

  1. She’s a Rainbow – The Rolling Stones
  2. She Belongs to Me – Bob Dylan
  3. Isn’t She Lovely – Stevie Wonder
  4. Girl from Germany – Sparks
  5. Give Me Daughters – Jonathan Fire Eater
  6. We’re Having a Baby – The Make-Up
  7. Waiting to Know You – The Fiery Furnaces
  8. I Am Waiting – The Rolling Stones
  9. Waiting for the Miracle – Leonard Cohen
  10. Home to You – Cate Le Bon
  11. Aquarius / Let the Sunshine In – The Fifth Dimension
  12. I’m Aquarius – Metronomy
  13. Oh Ali Bell! – The Blood Arm
  14. Push It – Salt-N-Pepa
  15. Inspector Norse – Todd Terje
  16. A Girl Like You – Edwyn Collins
  17. Girl – The Beatles
  18. Daddy Cool – Boney M.
  19. Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone – The Temptations
  20. Our House – Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
  21. German Girl – The Lotus Eaters
  22. She’s My Baby – Wings
  23. Baby – Os Mutantes
  24. This Guy’s In Love With You – Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass

Listen on Spotify.

Listen on Apple Music.

Categories
Selfie Playlist

Selfie Playlist 5

Batten down the hatches! In December, the German government enforced another lockdown. That was fine by me, we’ve got a baby coming and it was a good opportunity to prepare ourselves for her arrival. When we weren’t listening to Christmas music, the soundtrack was 60s soul from New Orleans, inspired by Irma Thomas’ classic ’It’s Raining’. That song led to many other gems including Diamond Joe’s ‘Gossip Gossip’ , Betty Harris’ ‘Trouble with My Lover’ and Jesse Hill’s ‘Ooh Poo Pah Doo (Part 1)’ which my son and I now sing on a daily basis. I hope 2021 is full of more joyful discoveries and tender moments like these. Listen to the playlist here. 

Selfie Playlist 5: Slow Dance in New Orleans

  1. Irma Thomas – It’s Raining
  2. Betty Harris – Bad Luck
  3. Curley Moore – Get Low Down, Pt. 2
  4. Champion Jack Dupree – Junker’s Blues
  5. Dell Stewart – Mr. Credit Man
  6. Barbara George – I Know (You Don’t Love Me No More)
  7. Jessie Hill – Ooh Poo Pah Doo (Part 1)
  8. Eldridge Holmes – Worried Over You
  9. Bennie Spellman – Please Mr. Genie
  10. Diamond Joe – Gossip Gossip
  11. Betty Harris – Trouble with My Lover
  12. Langlois, Eddie Lang – I’m Gonna Make You Eat Those Words
  13. Ernie K-Doe – A Certain Girl
  14. Allen Toussaint, Lee Dorsey – Sneakin’ Sally From the Alley
  15. Larry Darnell – Son of a Son of a Slave
  16. Chuck Carbo – Take Care of Your Homework
  17. Neville, Betty Harris – I’m Evil Tonight

Listen on Spotify.

Listen on Apple Music.

Categories
Selfie Playlist

Selfie Playlist 4

I spent most of November on my back, suffering from acute sciatic nerve pain. It was a tough month, and at the end of it, I turned forty-one, which was a harsh reminder that I’m ageing. Thankfully, music has a healing quality for me and I managed to squeeze out a playlist in between the grunts and groans. It was fun exploring cumbia- music I grew up with, typically very festive and meant for dancing. I couldn’t get the basslines out of my head, and I’m happy to report, I’m back on my feet again. Listen to the playlist here.

Selfie Playlist 4: Cuckoo for Cumbia

1. Bocanegra -Sonido Gallo Negro
2. La Cosecha de Mujeres – Mike Laure
3. Cumbia Parrandera – Chicos Aventura
4. Nada Que Ver – Grupo Karicia
5. Pájaro Cenzontle – Son Rompe Pera
6. Cumbia Espacial – Ondatrópica
7. Cumbia del Monte Fuji – Frente Cumbiero, Minyo Crusaders
8. La Danza del Petrolero – Los Mirlos
9. El Aguajal – Los Shapis
10. El Conductor – Jose A. Bedoya y su Conjunto
11. Hotline Bling – Quantic, Los Miticos del Ritmo
12. Ya Se Ha Muerto Mi Abuelo – Juaneco y su Combo
13. Cumbia del Pichamán – Meridian Brothers

Listen on Spotify: spoti.fi/2IdOqBD
Listen on Apple Music: apple.co/3lHG4je


Categories
Selfie Playlist

Selfie Playlist 3: Morrissey Dance Party

Back in L.A. there are parties dedicated to Morrissey and The Smiths at venues around town. For October’s Selfie Playlist, I wanted to capture those feelings of youthful abandon, togetherness and community that those parties represent. So, imagine you are on the dance floor of The Echo in Los Angeles, beer in hand, surrounded by Latinxs with pompadours, shouting along to lyrics about violence and poetry in Manchester, England. Then press play.

Selfie Playlist 3: Morrissey Dance Party

1. London – The Smiths
2. Glamorous Glue – Morrissey
3. The Last of the Famous International Playboys – Morrissey
4. Rusholme Ruffians – The Smiths
5. Vicar in a Tutu – The Smiths
6. Something is Squeezing My Skull – Morrissey
7. First of the Gang to Die – Morrissey
8. Ask – The Smiths
9. I Don’t Mind If You Forget Me – Morrissey
10. Sing Your Life – Live at KROQ – Morrissey
11. Sister I’m a Poet – Morrissey
12. Hand in Glove – The Smiths
13. Suedehead – Morrissey

Listen on Soundcloud.

Listen on Spotify.

Listen on Apple Music.