Tuesday 18 November 2008

If music be the food of love, play on...


Bloom Festival 2008

I got tagged for a musical meme by the lovely wee-h and, seeing as I am currently involved in a deep and meaningful relationship with my iTunes, here goes...

Music to cry to...

Put simply, at the moment, I cry to A LOT of music. But that’s because that music holds memories for me, not because it’s particularly sad music (for example I currently weep like a baby at Gregor Tresher – a Tech House/Electro DJ). So, if I was to choose music that makes me cry simply because it’s emotional I would say ‘Time Flies’ by Lykke Li. ‘Be Mine’ by Robyn and ‘Hide and Seek’ by Imogen Heap will always raise a few tears too. Johnny Cash also makes me bawl, something about his voice gets to me.

Music to make you scream out loud with the joy of a thousand spring mornings...

Honestly? Take That. Sad I know. Although I never scream in the morning. It’s unsightly and tends to cause headaches. I'm also very partial to a bit of early 90s dance music.... Altern8, Smart-Es, the Shamen, early Prodigy (Charly era). Love it. It makes me dance round like a fool. I'm not coming off as very cool here am I? Ha ha.

Music you know you won’t like; it’s really not your thing, definitely, well maybe a little bit, sometimes...

So I’m guessing this is the place for guilty pleasures? I have numerous. Girls Aloud being the biggest one. They’re my most played on Last.fm, tragically. What can I say, they have some cracking tunes. Also, Madonna, Kylie, Kate Nash, The Wombats.

Music to fill your head and block out the bad thoughts...

Like wee-h, “I usually go out and dance to block out bad thoughts”. So music here has to be stuff like the Plump DJs, Deadmau5, Hoxton Whores, Mason, Booka Shade. Anything loud that makes thinking impossible. Also a special mention here has to go to The Whip. I’ve seen them live more times than I can count and they always make me ridiculously happy.

Music to jump to...

Roisin Murphy always makes me want to dance. ‘You Know Me Better’ and ‘Dear Miami’ have very special places in my heart. Lady GaGa is also currently rocking my world. As are M.I.A. and Santogold, who make me dance round my living room daily. I saw them both in concert together last year and it was truly incredible. M.I.A. is currently experiencing a major resurgence following ‘Paper Planes’ being used in that Pineapple Express film. I think I want to be her a lot a bit.

Music to run to...

Music that I listen to in the gym tends to be anything upbeat to keep the adrenaline going. Devastatingly, my most played songs are a plethora of songs that remind me of when my friend Chris first came out and we started visiting Canal Street. Such gems as ‘Runnin’ by Basstoy and ‘Koochy’ by Armand van Helden. Basement Jaxx also make fairly regular appearances as they keep my spirits up when my legs feel like they're about to fall off.

Music to transport you...

Music that transports me to another place entirely is anything by the Guillemots or the Editors. I saw both in concert this year and they were two of the best live performances I’ve ever seen. When Racing Rats comes on iTunes I’m immediately sent right back to Blackpool. To that beautiful ballroom.

If we're talking about music that I listen to whilst driving.... anything I can find. Which is usually an old mixtape that Emma made me when I was 17/18, warped from being in the sunlight and containing anything from old hip hop to northern soul.

Music to just sit to...

Currently… Lykke Li, Neon Neon, Air. All quite chilled out and go very nicely with a big glass of red wine. Joy Division I also listen to a lot whilst sitting around. Although Joy Division + wine usually = involuntary weeping.


So there you go. I'm a bit of an eclectic old bag really. I tag..... anyone who fancies a trawl through their music. I discovered loads of stuff I'd forgotten I had. Some I wish I hadn't found (who on earth needs five Natasha Bedingfield tracks? Not me, that's who. DELETE.)