Man, this film is so fucking good. Everyone should watch it more than 6 times

A few years ago, the 1987 PPP saw INXS singles nominated. I remember thinking “I should give Kick a listen” and being quite impressed, enough that I bought it. Just pulled it off the shelf again. It sounds fucking fantastic. Relatedly, I recently jammed a sub-woofer into my music set up…

Man, I am not touching that Pitchfork/Pavement/Beatles post with your barge pole, never mind mine, no matter how many times it crosses my feed.

The rare occasion when the NFL guys I follow on BlueSky are talking about the same thing some of my PPP people I follow on BlueSky are talking about.

Theory: there are four types of white boy rock bands. The Beatles - can evolve their sound somewhat successfully The Stones - think they should evolve their sound but are best off in their main lane The Who - don’t evolve your sound, you’ll disappear up your own arse AC/DC - there’s only one sound

Bummed is so good and Wrote For Luck might be my favourite Manchester pop/rock track full stop. Not Madchester - from the whole city, ever.

Well, at least I found out the latest Jill Scott album is bloody good before Armageddon (though it would presumably be difficult to do this afterwards).

15 seconds in, they’ll tell you via caption who is about to go mad and take 30 seconds out of the field in 5kms of descending… youtu.be/Suv6idbYWRc?...

I’ve just been playing Substance - New Order. They were pretty good. Don’t look at me like that.

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I work from home, so listen to a lot of music whilst working. This can work well in that, if I am concentrating and something makes me perk my ears up, that’s a good signal for me. I suspect listening to this Raye album while trying to do some work is not going to work.

As #TheTenx5 winds up, thanks as ever to Arron for running: I never want to run any of these, seems like a lot of work, so much appreciated. And this morning, I finished my #TheN0ughtie5 list - now to knock out the order and focus on new releases to try and get #Twen2y526 sorted when the time comes

#THETENX5 1. Kendrick Lamar: King Kunta (2015) I’m pretty boring. I like to think my mind is open to new things. But then someone comes along and updates old sounds (here, amongst others, The Payback) and I can’t help myself. The funk shall be within him. And me, I guess. youtu.be/hRK7PVJFbS8

#THETENX5 2. Lady Gaga ft Beyoncé: Telephone (2010) A band, at that time quite interesting, once they were Maximum R&B. Well, here, we have Maximum Pop. The hookiest chorus, the biggest stars, the hugest video. Could it last? No, but when at your zenith, make the most of it. youtu.be/EVBsypHzF3U

#THETENX5 3. Janelle Monae: Make Me Feel (2018) The challenge here is not naming him. It’s pretty difficult given how the influence is worn (I mean just look at the use of purple in the thumbnail below). But it’s still JM’s tune and her minimalist funk still captivates me. youtu.be/tGRzz0oqgUE

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#THETENX5 4. Plan B: ill Manors (2012) The sound of the ladder being pulled up from the view of those seeing it disappear. The menace of the string sample supports the justifiably splenetic vocal. Looking back to that Olympic year, and this, not that, seems more and more true youtu.be/s8GvLKTsTuI

#THETENX5 5. CHVRCHES: Clearest Blue (2015) I don’t really know how to articulate this but in the research phase, this, that I’d heard before, had an increasing impact on me. No idea what it’s about but the tension racking up and the release never failed to hit. Hence a bonus youtu.be/BZyzX4c1vIs

Dune fans: I regret to inform you of an unwanted comparison.

#THETENX5 6. Lorde: Green Light (2017) It’s been said, to make a track better, one should put a donk on it. I can’t speak to that, but for me most tracks become ~36% better if you whack some house piano chords in there - even more so when they’re the Green Light to lift off. youtu.be/dMK_npDG12Q

#THETENX5 7. SZA: Drew Barrymore (2017) A real set of contrasts here: the lyrics suggest low self worth and doubt, but the music, that guitar line, and her voice are so warm and self assured the seem to deliver a self care I envy. And the video? Goofy fun with friends. youtu.be/dp45V_M4Akw

#THETENX5 8. Billie Eilish: bad guy (2019) Fun and funny and hooky - it probably wouldn’t work for me half as well were it not for the groove though. In particular in its first part, that basic drum pattern overlayed with the bass riff? Just an absolute monster. youtu.be/DyDfgMOUjCI

#THETENX5 9. Eminem ft Rihanna: Love The Way You Lie (2010) Em’s been here before; a startlingly effective character study of a terrifying person that was a huge hit. Maybe that’s why, as of right now, I am the only person to have picked it (it’s not on the 2010 playlist). youtu.be/uelHwf8o7_U

#THETENX5 10. Katy B: Katy On A Mission (2010) In the same year as DOMO, a reminder the club isn’t just for dancing alone and heartbreak; it can be the venue for swagger and possibility (and huge bass), on a night you don’t want to end. Accept no substitute. Keep dancing. youtu.be/-6tHw4yIDok

#THETENX5 11. Robyn: Dancing On My Own (2010) The answer to the question: what if you grafted Mr Brightside’s sentiment onto I Feel Love? The tension between the two is the whole point; one spectacularly missed by the most inert cover of it. Accept no substitute. Keep dancing youtu.be/CcNo07Xp8aQ

Welcome, Irish rugby fans, to the joy of supporting England in this year’s men’s 6 Nations. Take it from me - the experience this year is fucking dreadful.

#THETENX5 12. Susanne Sundfor: Delirious (2015) Pulsing beats, dramatic strings, tension and hook at chorus’ end. Got it all It seems I’m out of step here: yes, people are picking from Ten Love Songs but not this. I promise I’m not delirious; I am not the one holding the gun youtu.be/MdSB_PcBW3k

#THETENX5 13. Charli XCX: 5 In The Morning (2018) This single’s lack of chart success seems to be mirrored in this challenge. No matter, I’ve got it as my fave of hers comfortably with its bleary-eyed vocal effects and slow beats giving the lie to the party still being live. youtu.be/4qyUb4OU_P8

Which party got schools to sell off their playing fields in the 1980s Peter?

#THETENX5 14. Janelle Monae (ft Big Boi): Tightrope (2010) The further we get from the Metropolis work, the more I like it and I liked it a lot to begin with. Throwing a load of musical styles and visuals together might been messy. She’s too good for that though. youtu.be/pwnefUaKCbc

Have lived in London for 20+ years and tonight is the first night (due to the early closure of the Northern line on the bank branch) I have used the Waterloo & City line. Pretty sure this means I have finally “completed” the tube network here.

#THETENX5 15. Beyoncé (ft Nicki Minaj): Flawless Remix (2014) Shit goes down in an elevator so you remind people who they’re talking about. Nicki clarifies who the teams are. Sample and speed up OutKast. Do it all. Why not? Seems like I’ve egregiously split the vote though. youtu.be/qZaLAAcehX4

Neneh Cherry ranks among the catalog artists I've played most since 2024. Her first two albums still sound fresh, crisp, and fun. And she hasn't stopped. Happy birthday. humanizingthevacuum.wordpress.com/2024/10/18/g...

#THETENX5 16. Daft Punk (ft Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers): Get Lucky (2013) Not so much a case of getting lucky when you encourage Nile Rodgers to guest. Nor when you craft a piece of disco that would have slotted in happily in that genre’s heyday. Too good to ignore. youtu.be/5NV6Rdv1a3I

I imagine this’ll attract even more blocks and mutes but… Manic Street Preachers had any number of narratively satisfying end points and took none of them. Their choice obviously, and I don’t begrudge them that. Nevertheless, canning it after THB or ADFL or even after Journal would have worked.

#THETENX5 17. Stormzy: Big For Your Boots (2017) Dangerous for me to talk about what I don’t really know but…the flow here is tremendous, at least to my ears. The track itself is also a belter, big old bass driving everything as it should. As London as standing in a Morley’s. youtu.be/dFOErVWlsxg

#THETENX5 18. Rihanna ft Calvin Harris: We Found Love (2011) Is it true? Rihanna repeats the longer version of the title phrase over and over, placing emphases in different places, as if trying to convince herself. Meanwhile, the party, the drops, the horns blare all around. youtu.be/tg00YEETFzg

#THETENX5 19. Lana Del Rey: Mariners Apartment Complex (2018) Trad, but I like trad when done well. Musically, it has to be admitted this sounds like old Coldplay. Except the rise and fall, the choices made in the vocal, touches me in a way Martin would likely fail for me. youtu.be/1uFv9Ts7Sdw

#THETENX5 20. Lorde: Royals (2013) A match of music and lyrics - we don’t have a lot (just some drums, a synth bass tone, finger snaps) but we’ll make the most of what we’ve got to challenge the monied class (e.g. the vocal layering in the chorus climb). The acceptable Panic? youtu.be/LFasFq4GJYM

#THETENX5 21. Icona Pop ft Charli XCX: I Love It (2012) Piling hooks on top of one another, with brring synths and chant a long verses/chorus; the very definition of Route 1 in some ways. But Route 1 can win. Obnoxiously brilliant, brilliantly obnoxious? I don’t care, etc. youtu.be/UxxajLWwzqY

OMG

#THETENX5 22. Ariana Grande: Into You (2016) Despite previously saying I’m not a big Max Martin fan (I don’t especially like some of his more kitchen sink stuff), here is again. In fairness, this slinks on its way to banger status, and Ariana sells the absolute hell out of it youtu.be/1ekZEVeXwek

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#THETENX5 23. Rihanna: Diamonds (2012) For me, it’s the vocal. The lyrics are certainly open to criticism but Rihanna sells it at a level few might match. The pulse of the rhythm is well matched to it too; just enough to drive, little enough to get out of the way for the star youtu.be/lWA2pjMjpBs

#THETENX5 24. Arctic Monkeys: Do I Wanna Know? (2013) They’ve long said they listened to rap when younger, and while this is more stoner rock, it’s probably their closest to the strut and attitude of hip-hop. While I personally like the lounge stuff, this may suit them more. youtu.be/bpOSxM0rNPM

#THETENX5 25. Kendrick Lamar (ft SZA): All The Stars (2018) Another rapper/singer duet but inverting Beyoncé and Jay-Z re: roles and prominence. SZA brings the hook and clarity in the chorus, Kendrick with rhythm through the middle. Imperious. He’ll be back. She’ll be back. youtu.be/JQbjS0_ZfJ0

#THETENX5 HM5: MALAMENTE - Cap.1: Augurio - ROSALIA Handclaps forming a human, percussive, backdrop to an eerie little track; given the subject matter and where it is placed on its album, it’s a lovely piece of foreshadowing as well as being a cracking single in its own right youtu.be/Rht7rBHuXW8

Ouch

Looking forward to hearing, again, how bad England are in this T20 tournament, despite the fact they keep winning and, when under pressure, someone seems to step up to do what’s needed to win. This said, they’re obviously getting smashed by either one of the top two in the other group.