The Submarines – My (life in) music lists

Playlist: May (or May not)

It’s been quite a while since I’ve put together and shared one of these playlists on here. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I purposely put together a mix of any sort, even for myself, for my own consumption. I typically just press shuffle on a massive collection I have on Apple Music of some of my favourite songs and go with whatever Apple puts forward. And yeah, of course, it’s always good. However, I felt inspired this week, even as I recover from a nasty spring cold, and decided a new mix was in order.

The inspiration? This winter felt very, very long to me, even longer than normal. December and January actually feel like a complete void to me because of the health issues I was experiencing at the time and then February got cold, real cold, and we received dumping after dumping of snow. March was a mixed bag weather-wise and April seems to have been unseasonably cold and rainy*. Things finally felt like they turned the corner when the calendar was flipped to May last week, even though I haven’t necessarily felt well enough to get outside to enjoy it just yet. The sun has been out, brightening everything and warming everything up. I’ve heard the chirping of birds every morning, the grass on the ground is coming in green and the trees lining my street are starting to bud. All of this has cheered me considerably and has me hoping for good things for the rest of the year.

So I wanted to put together some tunes that reflect this feeling. You know? A collection of the kind of songs that just scream sunshine and flowers. A melody that brings a smile to your face and lyrics that beg to be sung along with. Tunes that perk you up from the very first notes and have you wanting to get up and dance, wherever you are, whoever you’re with.

Many of these songs are old favourites (like “Lay back in the sun”, “Everything you’ve done wrong”, and “Movin’ on up”) and have appeared on many of my mixes over the years, some of which may have already appeared on playlists on this site. Some of these songs are newer ‘classics’ (like “Weighty ghost” and “Dreaming of you”) and some are even brand new tunes that I can’t seem to loosen from my head when the mood takes (like “Somebody new” and “Simmering”).

I’ve kept the playlist to twenty-five songs to keep it from being unwieldy but there were many more that I could have added. Perhaps there will be a volume two to share if the summer turns out to be as positive as I’m hoping it will be and if the mood takes me to make another mix to share so soon. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this collection of songs as much I’ve enjoyed putting it together and that you play them on repeat like I’ve been doing this week. Perhaps they’ll bring the same wide smile that I’ve had on at times while listening. I sincerely hope so.

For those who don’t use Apple Music, here is the entire playlist, with links to YouTube videos:

1. Spiritualized “Lay back in the sun”
2. Bedouin Soundclash “When the night feels my song”
3. The Waterboys “Glastonbury song”
4. The Cure “Friday I’m in love”
5. The Submarines “You me and the bourgeoisie”
6. The Verve “Bitter sweet symphony”
7. Real Estate “Somebody new”
8. Wintersleep “Weighty ghost”
9. Sloan “Everything you’ve done wrong”
10. Pixies “Here comes your man”
11. The Coral “Dreaming of you”
12. Suede “Beautiful ones”
13. Luna “California (all the way)”
14. Doves “Catch the sun”
15. Violent Femmes “Blister in the sun”
16. Allo Darlin’ “We come from the same place”
17. Primal Scream “Movin’ on up”
18. Morrissey “Sing your life”
19. Belle & Sebastian “The boy with the arab strap”
20. The Radio Dept. “This time around”
21. Young Galaxy “We have everything”
22. Blind Melon “No rain”
23. Pale Blue Eyes “Simmering”
24. The Clientele “Bookshop Casanova”
25. The High Dials “Our time is coming soon”

And here is the promised link to the Apple Music playlist.

*Yeah, I know, April is known to be rainy… but still…

If you’re interested in checking out any of the other playlists I’ve created and shared on these pages, you can peruse them here.

Best albums of 2008: The honourable mentions (aka #10 through #6)

Now that we’re firmly into 2018, I thought it time to start back in again with these album of the year series. If you remember the scoop from last year, I finished off my list of 2017’s best albums in December and then, in the new year, I travelled back in time, decade by decade, from 2007 and 1997 back to 1987 to deliver my favourite ten albums of each year. And yes, the plan is to do the same over the course of this year.

The year 2008 was very memorable for me musically because it marked the year I went to V fest (at which the above photo was taken) on Toronto island for the first and only time. Believe it or not, this was also the first music festival I ever attended (check my list of concerts here if you are on the not believing side). Of course, this is the flurry that started the avalanche. The following year, I attended two of the days of Ottawa’s Bluesfest and the year after that, I attended a full week of the same festival and also put in an appearance at Winnipeg’s renowned folk festival. I’ve attended some sort of outdoor music festival every year since. There is just something about being out in the elements, in a field or forest with a beer or two in your hands, wandering from stage to stage and soaking in the music.

And yeah, the music. Let’s get back to that.

This year 2008 was also a great one for releases. So many great albums that it was difficult narrowing things down to just the ten. However, I persevered. Below you’ll find albums ten through six of my favourite albums of 2008 and for the next five Thursdays, I’ll be posting the next five albums until I get to my favourite album of the year. Enjoy!

#10 Fleet Foxes “Fleet Foxes”

I remember being at Toronto’s V fest in September of 2008 and this album playing between live sets. I recognized it but didn’t immediately put a name to it. I felt more compelled to do so when my friend Mark asked me about it, noticing that I was tapping my foot. I described Fleet Foxes to him then as the current ‘it’ band, which was accurate, given that praise was being heaped on this self-titled debut from all corners. It is all deserved, of course. Robin Pecknold and his band of merry men seamlessly blend old and new, minstrel music wrought with acoustic picking, big band sounds, and all for one harmonies. This particular blogger feels this album ushered the indie folk genre to the masses.

Gateway tune: “White winter hymnal”

#9 The Submarines “Honeysuckle weeks”

I came across this Los Angeles-based indie pop band by way of the soundtrack for “Nick and Norah’s infinite playlist”, which I loved on first watch and listen. They formed in 2006 around the duo of Blake Hazard and John Dragonetti, a married couple who met through a friend but stayed for the music, and are rounded out by Jason Stare and Scott Barber when they perform live. “Honeysuckle weeks” was the album I first listened to by the band, tuned in on the strength of “Xavia” from the aforementioned soundtrack. It is ten songs of shiny happy pop goodness, reflecting the yellow, sunny days of summer, the season in which it was recorded.

Gateway tune: “You, me, and the bourgeoisie”

#8 School Of Seven Bells “Alpinisms”

I’ve already told the story on these pages of how Secret Machines guitarist Benjamin Curtis met twin sisters Alejandra and Claudia Deheza of the band On!Air!Library! and they decided to form a band. Well, “Alpinisms” was their debut album and of course, I had to check it out immediately after I learned of it to see what it was that could coax Curtis away from such a promising band. It turned out to be a good choice because this is some great stuff. A little bit more electronic than his former work but no less dreamy and hazy and beautiful and the twin vocals by the Deheza sisters are mesmerizing. The whole package is rife with magic and mysticism and otherworldly sounds.

Gateway tune: “My cabal”

#7 Glasvegas “Glasvegas”

It’s a bit unfortunate about their name and the fact that their second and third albums lacked the punch of the debut because this self-titled album by Glasvegas was fantastic. It is ten reverb-drenched and fuzzed out tracks that scream for a Phil Spector encore and paired with frontman James Allan’s emotive and passionate delivery in his thick Scottish accent, they become that much more beautiful and vibrant. And other than positing that this album might just suggest enough romance to celebrate today with, that’s all I have to say about that.

Gateway tune: “Geraldine”

#6 Spiritualized “Songs in A & E”

The two albums that followed Spiritualized’s “Ladies and gentlemen we are floating in space” were slight (and slighter) disappointments around these parts but there were likely doomed, given the lofty expectations heaped upon them. So when Jason Pierce resurfaced after a five year absence and a near death experience in 2005 (that inspired this album’s name and overall theme), the fact that his sixth album as Spiritualized was so good was a bit of a pleasant surprise. It is less rock noise and more orchestral expansion and gospel salvation. And yet at 18 tracks, it is just a hair over three quarters of an hour in duration. The album also gave me one of my first “I’m getting old” moments back in 2008 when I saw Pierce and company performing at V fest: I was standing beside a father and his toddler child, who sang loudly along with every word to the song below.

Gateway tune: “Sweet talk”

Check back next Thursday for album #5 on this list. In the meantime, you can also check out my Best Albums page here if you’re interested in my other favourite albums lists.