15 Jul 2020
Hello there and thank you muchly for taking the time to read my little music blog. The premise is very simple; I pick three songs I like, some new some old, and write a little description about the artist and if you like what you hear then the rest is up to you to go searching for more material from said artist! I am merely a facilitator to hopefully bring some new sounds into your life. This week, three more songs I hope you enjoy, let us begin!
First up this week and UK based post punk group Warmduscher. Formed by members of different groups following an impromptu New Years Eve jam session the group have released three albums to date and have wondered onto my musical radar this week. The song I’m sharing is not only their most popular on Spotify but also the one which appeared on my weekly mix this week and is the standout track from all the nonsense I usually get recommended! The song is taken from their latest album, the 2019 release ‘Tainted Lunch’, which I have given a listen to with as positive an outlook as one can give as punk music is not really my cup of tea. The album is quirky in part with tracks ‘Fill It, Don’t Spill It’ and ‘Precious Things’ bordering on the surreal but the stronger tracks like ‘Disco Peanuts’, ‘Dream Lotion’ and the track I’m sharing ‘Midnight Dipper’, whilst still quirky and funky are definitely worth a listen for all those wanting to be slightly confused by some electronic post punk! From the odd track I’ve sampled from their earlier albums ‘Tainted Lunch’ certainly appears to be their most outlandish effort but overall enjoyable nevertheless.
Warmduscher - Midnight Dipper - https://youtu.be/1blq4KCLYpA
Second up this week and the talented Emmy The Great. Born Emma-Lee Moss in Hong Kong to a Chinese mother and English father she has lived in the UK since the age of 12 but sings in both English and Chinese. Falling within the folk/indie folk genre her style of music is poetic in both musical composition and lyrically. Having released three albums as well as a host of EP’s and collaborations, this week I have listened to her first album ‘First Love’ which was released in 2009 and re-released a decade later on vinyl. The album received mixed reviews upon release with the NME criticising her "constant stance of diary-entry victim-hood" but I find the album to be a refreshing experience, one in which I find myself focusing so much on the quick fire and intelligent lyrics that I almost forget there is music at all! For me the victim-hood gives the album substance due to her lyrical aptitude to convey the history of that personal experience and the way the lyrics captivate you and tell you a meaningful story. Endless other albums draw upon personal experience, it is after all the main inspiration for writing music and whilst many fail to connect with the listener, happily this one has been a good find. It’s an album which is certainly best played when you have chance to listen to the words of the tracks, I shall be interested to see if her follow up albums ‘Virtue’ from 2011 and ‘Second Love’ from 2016 grab my attention in the same way that this one has.
Emmy The Great - 24 - https://youtu.be/nGverngX1Es
Finally this week and an old favourite courtesy of Blur. We all know Blur and I won’t insult your intelligence by telling you much about them. Britpop ‘happened’ just at the stage I was really getting into music and the main players were Oasis, Pulp, Blur, Ocean Colour Scene, Cast etc etc. So many great bands and recently I found a brilliant playlist on Spotify called ‘Britpop Classics’. 7 hours and 16 minutes of superb music mainly from the 90′s and it got me thinking about the Oasis v Blur battle that occurred around August 1995 when ‘Country House’ released by Blur went up against the Oasis single ‘Roll With It’ in the charts. Blur ended up on the winning side that time and rightfully so as Country House is a better song in my opinion. Whilst Oasis have always been my preferred Britpop act I always had a soft spot for Blur as many of their tracks are much fuller and rounded than the more simpler indie sing-a-long hits from Oasis. My favourite Blur track I have chosen to share with you is a live version from the ‘Parklive’ album which was from Hyde Park during the London 2012 closing ceremony celebrations. The track has widely been regarded as a masterpiece amongst Blur’s catalogue of songs whilst at the same time not being one of the main hits the band achieved with the likes of ‘Parklife’, ‘Girls & Boys’ or ‘Country House’ always being the first that spring to mind. I was fortunate enough to see Blur in their warm up gig for that 2012 Hyde Park outing and I am not ashamed to admit that I welled up a fraction when this song was played. When the crowd joined in with the chorus, as they do on the live version here, in the least pretentious way possible I was in some sort of weird musical nirvana where it just felt right. It felt like I was meant to be there at that time hearing that song and gladly when it appears on my shuffle on whatever playlist of mine it finds itself on, needless to say it get’s a full airing. (n.b. other Britpop acts and songs are available, see aforementioned Britpop Playlist).
Blur - This Is A Low (live) - https://youtu.be/VpaO7ST0br4
Three more tracks to give a listen to, until next time we meet stay safe. End of communique.














