Where the brass bands play, tiddly om pom-pom

One of the the main points of difference between the three of us was and is going to be music. To prevent us killing each other, we have decided on a veto system, where if someone doesn’t like a song he can nominate a veto, if this is seconded by someone else then the song is skipped. The crowdsourced playlist we set up on Spotify is a gamble so last night I (Danny) took a look at what we’ve ended up with. You can still add to the playlist here.

All links in this post are spotify, sorry, but a google will turn up individual songs on youtubes probably.

Squeeze – Pulling Mussels (From The Shell) – Both a resigned and lilting pop new-wave ditty. Squeeze always managed bring a wry poetry to the kitchen sink reality they sung about.

The Kinks – The Village Green Preservation Society – Stereo Version – The Kinks occasionally veered too much in the twee for me, but this song’s a classic and nails a sense of Britain we will be drawing heavily on for the book.

George Formby – With My Little Stick Of Blackpool Rock – Smut. Filthy song about a rampaging sex offender that terrorizes ‘the kids’ with his oozing penis.

Belle & Sebastian – The Chalet Lines – Depressing and sweary, a tragic tale that Jon promises will be the trip’s anthem. I hope not.

Broken Social Scene – 7/4 (Shoreline) – Well-produced sweeping up tempo rock with minimal vocals. Imagine driving a coastal road during sunset sipping vodka from a watermelon.

Aim – From A Seaside Town – lovely bit of looped soundscapey trip-hop, would have worked better as a backing beat for someone to rap over. As it is it just has a man saying ‘uh’ and ‘yeah’ occasionally.

Toy Dolls – You Won’t Be Merry On A North Sea Ferry – Silly proto-pop punk from a punk band brave enough to not take it all very seriously and smart enough to learn how to play their instruments.

Martha & The Muffins – Echo Beach – Stone cold classic one hit wonder. From an era when every song *had* to include a saxophone. Echo beach isn’t a real place just a point ‘far away in time’ which resonates with our journey to find a seaside that maybe only ever existed in our memories.

Yello – To The Sea – Off beat dance pop with ethereal child like vocals from Switzerland, like an A.I. trying to beat the Turing test by pretending to be Björk.

Gorillaz – Superfast Jellyfish (Feat. Gruff Rhys and De La Soul) – Gorillaz work best when they get out of their own way, when they’re too eager to prove how clever they are the music loses its off beat novelty and become almost purposely obtuse. So it’s always the collaborations like this one where they shine.

The Dandy Warhols – Every Day Should Be A Holiday – Sounds familiar, it could be the vaguely Madchester Baggy sound with only the background flange squirts to give away that its not. Or it could be familiar because knowing the band its probably been used in a thousand film soundtracks and adverts.

Rilo Kiley – Close Call – Folksy Indie Pop Rock, nuanced vocals and solid songwriting. Sounds very nineties. Uplifting for a hungover morning packing the car and teasing Jon for the shit he got up to.

Anne Briggs – Sandman’s Song – traditional sad folk, not for me, but could be good for that same hungover morning when I’m being sick in a ditch. Soothing.

Ramones – Rockaway Beach – Surf punk from the quintessential New York band, about a beach in Queens. Apparently the largest urban beach in America.

The B-52’s – Rock Lobster – Campy beehive pop rock epic, silly fun with a great guitar hook. a well deserved classic.

God Is A Lobster – God Is A Lobster – Weird drum and Bass teardown of above, not completely unlistenable.

Bon Iver – Beach Baby – lush gentle folk, quite sweet if somewhat short.

T-Spoon – Sex On The Beach – Original Mix – All the fun of water thin pop reggae with added pan pipes. Painfully bland and seemingly never ending.

Beck – Electric Music And The Summer People – Bottom heavy fuzz with a juxtaposed upbeat vocal track, like a drugged cult member trying to prove how happy he his by singing over a techno dirge.

The Band Of Holy Joy – Prams Piers Bitter Tears  – Fairground nightmare music.

Dead Kennedys – Holiday in Cambodia – Hardcore punk with spangle steel guitar and a searing, driving riff. Sometimes only the angry political sneer of Jello Biafra will do.

10cc – Dreadlock Holiday – Is this song slightly racist? Does it matter if its catchy?

Billy Holiday – Summertime – When I think about the amount of times this song has probably been murdered by some sincere fame hungry bibble head in an X-factor it makes my soul sad. Each one should be made to be tied down and listen to this in an empty room until they want to off themselves.

Manic Street Preachers – Elvis Impersonator: Blackpool Pier – Manics, Elvis, Blackpool Pier? this one is for Jon really but, even though I’m loath to admit it, I quite like this one. One of the things that has always turned me off about the Manics is the hand wringing politics, mercifully free of that here.

Late of the Pier – Mad Dogs And Englishmen – Jerky synth dance rock, too cool for me I’m afraid. I suspect that they have haircuts and wear tight jeans.

Sparks – Kiss Me Quick 80’s album filler from the normally interesting pair of odd pockets, the soundtrack to an montage of people looking at shoes in a terrible film.

Billie Davis – Billy Sunshine – sixties teeny soul with nice musical touches. Inoffensive but not in a bad way.

Polecats – Marie Celeste – Rockabilly is like the Internet in that both are obsessed with cats. Actually its a failed new years resolution of mine to refer to people as ‘cats’ more.

Camera Obscura – French Navy – Swelling Scottish Indie anthem so well produced and timeless that it could have still charted in the fifties and still sound fresh.

The Beach Boys – Lonely Sea – Anyone who doesn’t like The Beach Boys doesn’t own a soul. In fact Pet Sounds could be used as a reliable Turing test.

Silversun Pickups – Lazy Eye – Wonderful fuzz shoe-rock dream-gaze. Sounds like
someone noticing the summer dying and trying to give it mouth to mouth by one final act of childish rage and rebellion. The mellow red of the setting sun drips out of every guitar squeak and spangle.

We set off next Monday, there’s a goodbye party on Sunday night (facebook link) and still time to kick a little cash our way HERE