Good evening Ireland and that’s an order. Have no plans? Read on…
It can be pretty tricky selecting a few tunes to soundtrack your getting ready for the weekend, especially given the large amounts of drivel put forth on the radio airwaves nowadays, but we've done our best to assemble a few tunes to get the blood pumping and your foot a-tappin'!
LCD Soundsystem - 'Dance Yrself Clean'
One of LCD Soundsystem's most beloved tunes, the near 9-minute epic 'Dance Yrself Clean' opens the band's third (and final) album This Is Happening with a slow conga intro which soon develops into the most raucous synth-pop frenzy you could possibly imagine. And it's bleedin' amazing.
Speaking to entertainment.ie upon the album's release, LCD Soundsystem's James Murphy said of the song: "I wanted to make something really simple and tiny because I was really listening to a lot of very small music. I wanted to make something tiny but I couldn't help myself after a certain point to make something larger. The only sounds that come in in the second half and the live drums and a single mono synth - that's it - there are just two elements that are added but they're just obviously so loud and big that they are big elements. I was really obsessed with making sure that the vocals were really quiet in the first half, so you really had to strain and the effect of them coming in later would be better."
Chali 2na - 'Comin' Thru'
Chali 2na is best known for being one-sixth of US hip hop collective Jurassic 5 but it's the above tune, from 2na's solo album Fish Outta Water, which we think aptly displays his incredible vocal prowess the best. Produced by J5 collaborator DJ Nu Mark, it's pretty much impossible to sit still while listening to this tour de force. The best hip hop vocalist to ever live, and we're fully aware of how controversial a statement that may be.
Sleigh Bells - 'Comeback Kid'
We've always been big fans of Sleigh Bells strange mash-up of pop music and hard rock and that odd amalgamation is perhaps shown best on the above track. The band's Whelan's show from a couple of years ago is in the running for the loudest live event we've ever been witness to - and also one of the most fun.
Benny Goodman - 'Sing, Sing, Sing'
Love it or hate it, you can't deny that any list which features a segue between Sleigh Bells and Benny Goodman is eclectic if nothing else. Benny Goodman is known as the 'King of Swing' and in the 1930's he led one of the United States' most popular bands and is one of the most influential performers in the history of jazz. The recording quality on the above track is so pristine, you can almost smell the stale cigarette smoke and whiskey emanating from your speakers.
Dan Le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip - 'Thou Shalt Always Kill'
From 1930's jazz to ethics lessons from an English MC. Dan Le Sac's vs Scroobius Pip's 'Thou Shalt Always Kill' is an interesting moral checklist, which implores the listener to (among other things) to avoid reading NME and to not questions Stephen Fry. This advice is a-okay with us.
Arctic Monkeys - 'Brianstorm'
There were several Arctic Monkeys songs we could have added to this list (especially when you consider the brilliance of their new album 'AM') but we've opted for an oldie from their 2007 album Favourite Worst Nightmare. That drumming from Matt Helders too, something special...
The Nu People - 'I'd Be Nowhere Today'
We'll be honest, we don't know a whole lot about this classic Funk 45 from The Nu People other than it was featured in DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist's live mixing album 'Brainfreeze'. The Internet doesn't seem to know much about this song, which is a real shame because it's one of funk's more underappreciated gems.
Funkadelic - 'Can You Get To That'
Some might know this more as the source of the sample Sleigh Bells used on 'Rill Rill' on their 2010 debut Treats. We do like the sampled version but, let's be honest, nothing can compare to the original.
Le Galaxie - 'Earth' & 'Beyond Transworld'
What better for the next installment on our list than a double feature from Le Galaxie? 'Earth' and 'Beyond Transworld' are the the opening tracks from their 2011 release Laserdisc Nights II and firmly sets the tone for the musical ass-kickery which you hear over the course of the nexxt 40 minutes or so.
Mark Ronson & The Business International - 'Bang, Bang, Bang'
The first single from Mark Ronson's third album 'Record Collection', 'Bang, Bang, Bang' features guest performances from Q-TIP and Amanda Warner of MNDR and it's about as infectious as modern pop music gets. Seriously, good luck getting this tune out of your head.
Brought to you by Jameson
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