This month wasn’t much of a month for finding new songs but rediscovering ones on my iPod that I hadn’t given the chance they deserved. It’s a mix of deep house, a touch of drum and bass, and a healthy kick of London beat (almost reggae) in there too and they all blend into each other quite nicely. It might seem like an unusual mix, but I can assure you they are all great songs.
Clean Bandit – “Dust Clears”
“Rather Be” was a rather normal and genteel way of experiencing Clean Bandit’s unique fusion of classical and house music, but “Dust Clears” takes it a little more into new territory. It’s a great song, and I think it would be a perfect one for Eurovision, with the cold lyrics of the male singer contrasting beautifully with the higher refrain from Grace Chatto. All the while a mixture of bass, violins and more fill your ears in a weird combination that’s never quite the same twice. It’s a really clever song, and I like it a lot.
Austra – “Beat and the Pulse (Still Going Remix)”
The start of this song is perhaps one of the darkest in tone you’ll hear, used last year for the relatively unsuccessful drug film Pusher, but the way the song builds from this ominous, thudding bass is part of its’ appeal. By the time the relatively incoherent vocals come in, it’s a welcome relief and the song grows a bit lighter and opens up to reveal a song that’s got a lot more to it than just evil overtones. The chorus will get itself stuck in your mind, especially the line “Nothing’s a mistake”.
Sub Focus ft. Alpines – “Tidal Wave”
One of my favourite songs of the moment, it’s got an atmosphere that is very like “Promises” by Nero that makes you feel kind of sad and longing. Alpines is a great singer, and the way her words echo and string out over the building melody in the back is beautiful. The first drop is great in keeping with the spirit of the song and then when the second one picks things up to proper drum and bass levels it serves as a brilliant kick into a higher gear, to cheer you up a little. It’s an amazing song that gets every little part of it right.
Pendulum – “Fasten Your Seatbelt”
Drum and bass to me is still defined by Pendulum, and although most of their songs are well-known to me, and to everyone, there are still hidden gems in their back catalogue – like this one. With samples from The Freestylers’ (who worked with Pendulum on “Tarantula”) and Dr Octavius from Spiderman 2, the song ramps up beautifully into a drop that sounds exactly like the sort of music you should find in Plants vs. Zombies (perhaps as the zombies’ theme?). It’s got a brilliant fast pace and is just as good as their other similar songs like “Crush”, “Blood Sugar” and “Propane Nightmares”.
The Equals – “Baby, Come Back”
A classic from Eddy Grant (“Electric Avenue”, “Gimme Hope Jo’Anna”) and his band, the guitar riff at the start of this song alone is enough to make it a classic. I’m a big fan of older music from the 60s, because it’s often a lot simpler and shorter, and does a great job of getting it’s message across. This is a fantastic happy and cheery song that’s well worth a place on your iPod to put a smile on your face when it comes through on shuffle.