The nights are drawing in, the wind’s getting colder and the songs are getting a little more relaxed – it’s definitely autumn now. Here are the tunes that have kept me going through September.
Wankelmut & Emma Louise – “My Head is a Jungle” (MK Remix)
Drawing out a soft, vocal song into a progressive deep house delight – this is a brilliant remix and does everything right. It’s slow, building melody is entrancing and really get into a groove before the main verses and chorus of the songs comes in. It’s not overly loud or club-friendly, but it can make people dance. At over 8 minutes, it is a bit of an endeavour to listen to in full, but it is more than worth it.
Technotronic – “Get Up!” (Before the Night is Over)
A slice of the cheesiest 90s pop, “Get Up” is almost laughably stereotypical of the sounds of the decade, but still a great song. Nowhere near as famous as Technotronic’s biggest hit “Pump Up the Jam”, this song manages to have a better beat and a chorus that’s much more fun.
Lilly Wood & Robin Schulz – “Prayer in C”
“Prayer in C” captures the sort of end of summer feel really well I think, with a more relaxed feel to it than the usual chart songs although it does have its high points. Lilly Wood’s smoky voice runs through a gentle melody with a softly strumming guitar that kicks into a higher gear every now and then.
GotSome feat. The Get Along Gang – “Bassline”
Somewhere along the lines of a Basement Jaxx song with a modern house take one it; this is an interesting song, as it fuses together many different beats and melodies into one funky track. It’s lyrics aren’t really made of much, but they are catchy in the sense that they take off guard and become a little more memorable because of it.
Runrig – “Alba”
In the month where the independence referendum dominated, I kept finding myself listening to Runrig’s classic, “Alba”. Perhaps even more poignant in the wake of a No vote than anything else, the song’s praise of Scotland as a beautiful nation but one that doesn’t have the powers it needs really strikes a chord. What really makes it relevant though is its final verse, where Donnie Munro sings that despite the country’s weaknesses, there’s no other place he’d rather be, and I can certainly relate to that.