Sunday Morning Coming Down

A Sunday morning selection here - perfect for a long, lazy lie in bed. The seven songs I went for are heavy on the plaintive strings, bright acoustic guitars and double-tracked vocals; a couple even build to a climax, gathering momentum like a helpless snoozer working towards getting out of bed.

We begin with two gorgeous and unlikely covers: Petra Jean Phillipson brings a much needed woman's touch to Nick Cave's Into My Arms, while Tindersticks dismantle a minor disco classic from Odyssey. They are both followed by folk gems, jazzy detours and Bon Iver's sublime Re:Stacks, but hopefully the mood is already set. Pull back the curtains, crack open the alka seltzer and enjoy.

Petra Jean Phillipson - "Into My Arms" (Notes On Love, 2005)

Tindersticks - "If You're Looking For A Way Out" (Simple Pleasure, 1999)

The Cinematic Orchestra - "That Home" (Ma Fleur, 2007)

Gemma Hayes - "A New Day" (Work To A Calm EP, 2001)

Tunng - "Man In The Box" (Comments Of The Inner Chorus, 2006)

Terry Callier - "Trance On Sedgwick Street" (Occasional Rain, 1972)

Bon Iver - "Re: Stacks" (For Emma, Forever Ago, 2008)

Happy Birthday, Mr Parks!

A little toast to my partner in aural crime, as Mr Parky celebrates his birthday today. In his honour, I've picked out five suitable songs to commemorate his birth, get him in the party mood and hopefully gloss over the fact that I haven't bought him a present. 

Well, it's the thought that counts and I've certainly given this selection some thought. In fact, this playlist was much more difficult to compile than I first expected, what with my natural inclination to avoid the obvious (Stevie Wonder's Happy Birthday), coupled with my appreciation of his post-Glasto state (Whiskeytown's Dancing With The Girls At The Bar is great but perhaps optimistic on a hungover Tuesday, no?!). Instead, I went for the bluesy, the modestly celebratory and the tongue-in-cheek, ending - as Mr P always does - with Neil Young. A fitting tribute then, and hopefully a decent listen for everyone else.

The Beatles - "Birthday" (The White Album, 1968)

Jim White - "God Was Drunk When He Made Me" (No Such Place, 2001)

Rare Earth - "I Just Want To Celebrate" (One World, 1971)

Little Axe - "All Night Party" (Hard Grind, 2002)

Neil Young - "Old Man" (Harvest, 1972)

Welcome to Adventureland

Less a mix this one and more a mini soundtrack of sorts, from a great new film that I saw recently. Adventureland is set in 1987, with Kristen Stewart and Jesse "Squid And The Whale" Eisenberg working dead-end summer jobs at the local theme park. It's being sold as a film "From the director of Superbad", though this would be akin to slapping a sticker announcing "From the writers of Surfin' USA" on a copy of Pet Sounds. In truth, the humour, ambition and emotional range is light years ahead of McLovin and co's original outing but it is the period setting that I'm hooked on here.

Like all great coming-of-age films, they've realised that the key to wider appeal is to set it 20 years previously. Just as Dazed And Confused repackaged 1970s stoner rock classics for the post-Nevermind set, so Adventureland digs up some late 1980s early indie masterpieces for sensitive plaid-shirt wearing Noughties types. Two generations of cinema-goers for the price of one. Winner.

Ok, so the soundtrack is far cooler than anything I was actually listening to in 1987 - at the time, I was transfixed by the sleeve of my older sister's vinyl copy of Iron Maiden's Somewhere In Time and taping early Bon Jovi tunes off the radio - but it just feels right. From the glamorous drivetime rock of Bowie's Modern Love to the reckless backcombed thrash of Paul Westerberg's underrated Bastards of the Young, they have all bases covered. Throw in a Foreigner tribute band and a running joke about Lou Reed's Satellite Of Love and it quickly becomes less of a film and more of a lifestyle choice. No wonder I want one of those "Games Games Games" t-shirts...

The Replacements - "Bastards of the Young" (Tim, 1985)

David Bowie - "Modern Love" (Let's Dance, 1983)

INXS - "Don't Change" (Shabooh Shoobah, 1982)

Husker Du - "Don't Want To Know If You Are Lonely" (Candy Apple Grey, 1986)

Big Star - "I'm In Love With A Girl" (Radio City, 1973)

Big Apple Soul

Pic: SP

I spent Easter in New York so there's a vintage Manhattan mix for this first post. Most of the interesting bands seem to be coming out of Williamsburg and Brooklyn nowadays but this is a tribute to a time when Manhattan island was pulsing to the sounds of jazz, soul, salsa and funk - and most points inbetween. Ok, so not all of these groups were NYC-based (Brubeck is Californian; the Beasties' sampled San Francisco's Blues Project) but I hope the mood stands correct...

Pete Rodriguez - "Oh, That's Nice!" (Ay, Que Bueno!, 1967)

Mandrill - "Fat City Strut" (Just Outside of Town, 1973)

The Dave Brubeck Quartet - "Take Five" (Time Out, 1959)

Beastie Boys - "Flute Loop" (Ill Communication, 1994)

James Brown - "Down And Out In New York City" (Black Caesar, 1973)