The Songs

The Songs The songs that kept me going in 2009 Special issue / December 2009

2009.

Turn it up.

List of Contents

Editorial A recipe for a perfect porridge.

2009 CD1: you can dance p.3 The audio disc which accompanies the first part, contains songs which should make you sweat. On pages three and four you can read a little bit about them and look at a photo of Mr. Erik Hassle.

2009 CD2: you can sit down p.5 The second part of The Songs starts on page seven. When you play the CD, you will hear songs that could make you cry. If the tears are not that bad, you can also read why these songs were chosen and not All By Myself by Mrs. Celine Dion. Three particularly interesting photos on pages five and six. We cannot choose a favourtie: should it be smouldering Jose? Festive Jody Gadsden (white shirt! braces!) or maybe Patrick wearing something rather strange and lovely.

Two nice photos p.7 We like a nice photo. For any photographic assignments we might want to undertake, we use a Nikon d40 or an unpredictable LOMO. Sometimes we use a mobile phone, forget we took any photos and then discover them by chance. And blush.

On page eight you can see a photo of LOVE and a photo of a square in East Germany taken in the 1970s.

You may wish to look at some other photos on our FLICKR web site: www.flickr.com/zbyszekzalinski

Ten plus two p.8 A list inspired by 2009. Plus two quotes.

The Songs was produced by Zbyszek Zalinski. We like getting letters.

86.12.1 Trinity Hall / Dartry Road / Dublin 6 / Ireland zbyszek.zalinski@gmail.com The images were accredited where possible. Used without permission, but with good will and not for profit.

The xx Patrick Wolf Ellie Goulding Bloc Party Kalina Jedrusik Brett Anderson Roisin Jack Penate Jamie Woon

The Songs The songs that kept me going in 2009 Special issue / December 2009

Editorial HELLO and welcome to The Songs.

I like a lot of things, but if I had to make a list (and I make a lot of lists) music and magazines would definitely be in the top five.

Probably even in the top three.

That’s why I decided to combine my love for music and for printed word and produce this (maga)zine.

You could call it a festive roundrobin. It’s completely self-made and has been put together by me for you.

Around that time in November when Grafton Street and all the shops fill up with people looking for Chrismtas presents, I thought that this year I want to make something.

I didn’t fancy following suggestions of the Irish Times Magazine or the Guardian. So no calendars from Muji, no cashmere scarfs (well I’ve never actually bought a cashmere scarf as a present, but you know what I mean), no i-Pods, no brooches, no goats from Concern.

And so I wondered: what am I good at? The knitting needles I bought back in 2006 are MIA. I have no origami skills. I can’t draw.

I make a decent porridge*, but I

guess that’s not a great idea for a present.

And then I remembered all those nights when I was 16 and I used to make mixtapes on my cassette deck. I had a constant supply of blank 90-minute TDK tapes and all these Smiths and Suede songs to record.

So a mixtape it is then. I settled on a semi-modern medium of a CD (nobody actually buys them anymore, do they?).

And a little magazine explaining my song choices.

It would be hard to live without songs. Without the opportunity to choose the perfect accompaniment to a cigarette break. Or a soundtrack for a 12mile run on a Sunday morning. Or to have a moment and think about this, that or the other, while Peggy Lee sings about black coffee.

Enjoy, Zbyszek.

One of the buildings in the Hansaviertel district in Berlin. Photo: Z. Zalinski.

*Porridge: Take 20g of Flahavan’s Jumbo Oats and mix with 20g of M&S Scottish Oats. Cover with cold water so it’s around 1.5cm above the oats. Add a good pinch of salt and a splash of milk (for a treat you can make it with half water, half milk). Put on the lowest heat possible. Have a shower, come back, stir. When thickened, add a tea spoon of wheat germ and another of Linwoods linseed. Stir again. When ready, you might want to add a splash of Glenisk Low-Fat Organic Natural Yoghurt.

The Songs

CD1you can dance.

CD1 is about dancing. Some of the songs should make you dance LIKE THERE IS NO ONE LOOKING (see Miss E. Goulding). Others, hopefully, are going to make you strut your stuff while walking down Camden Street, thinking your hot like boys in Bruce Webber’s photos. Or like Baptiste G. photographed by Mr. Lagerfeld in a modernist villa outside Paris (see Mrs Roisin Murphy). OK, that’s enough with fashion/design references, let’s dance.

1: Ellie Goulding Under the Sheets.

I played it, like, 20 times in a row one Sunday in the gym. While dancing on a cross-trainer. Yes, I am known as the dancing guy there. You will hear more from Miss Goulding in 2010.

Favourite lyrics: Like all the boys before, like all the boys before, like all the boys, boys, boys... How true.

2: Little Boots Stuck on Repeat.

There is a fan-made video on YouTube using footage from Closer - the movie about Ian Curtis.

Favourite lyrics: You got me stuck.

3: Roisin Murphy (Marius DeVries) Yellow Moon.

It’s an old song, recorded by Mrs Murphy for Mr. DeVries’ album. Pretty amazing.

Favourite lyrics: Let your body be a sacrifice.

Mrs. Roisin Murphy enjoying a cigarette while wearing a dress by Mr. Gareth Pugh.

Photo: airwar.wordpress.com 4: Frankmusik Better off as Two. It never actually happened for Frank 2009. But he will be back. He recorded a better song with a great line: when I get

up in the morning, I ain’t sad and I ain’t yawning, but it’s not on the album.

5: The Gossip Love Long Distance.

It must have been super-hard to record this album. Beth looked fantastic on the cover of Love in February.

Favourite lyrics: Does it have to be so complicated?

6: Bloc Party One More Chance.

Bloc Party are one the very few ‘ n e w ’ bands that I fell in love with. I call them my modernist band: full of straight angles and clean lines.

They might be no more, which is sad, but Kele will record a great sad disco-dance album one day.

Favourite lyrics: This time things will be different.

7: Patrick Wolf Hard Times.

Such an apt title. These are/were hard times. Recession, PHD and some other, not-so-great moments. And then Patrick delivered. He is prone to tantrums and does throw things at people, but he is young. He’s got vision and seems not to be afraid which is always a good thing.

Does aquarobics too. Patrick’s Twitter is: http://twitter.com/pw_official Favourite lyrics: We’ll work harder through these hard times.

8: Bat For Lashes Daniel One of the songs I played at least 20 times in a row when I first heard it. It’s close to perfection. Miss Natasha Khan is fond of feather headdresses and has an alter-ego called Pearl.

Favourite lyrics: When I run in the dark, Daniel (...) / I dream of home.

9: Marina and the Diamonds Mowgli’s Road Slightly crazy and labelmate of Miss Goulding.

Favourite Lyric: I must take the unforsaken road.

10: Roisin Murphy Orally Fixated.

Second track from Roisin, but one can never have enough of her. This is a buzz single she released in November. One of the enduring images of last year must be the heavily pregnant Roisin on a platform singing at the Viktor&Rolf fashion show.

Favourite lyrics: Ain’t you heard that sometimes less is more?

11. Yeah Yeah Yeahs Heads will Roll.

Karen O. seems fearless and that’s why we like her. She’s a bit like a street (or more like an art-gallery) warrior. This song makes you run. Fast.

Favourite lyrics: Off with your head / Dance ‘till your dead.

12. La Roux Bulletproof.

Another song you can run (or walk) quite fast to. Elie Jackson looked like a woman on a mission in the video for this song.

Favourite lyrics: Life’s too short for me to stop.

13. Royksopp feat. Robyn The Girl and the Robot.

There’s a bit of a theme developing here with strong women and electro beats.

Robyn can do no wrong in my book (though she could record a new album soonish) and this collaboration with Royksopp is quite alright. She apparently is going out with a cage fighter. A cage fighter I say.

Favourite lyrics: God I’m down at the bottom / No one’s singing songs for me.

Mrs. Robyn Miriam Carlsson looking fierce. Photo: promotional material.

14. MSTRKRFT feat. John Legend Heartbreaker I fell asleep listening to my iTunes one night and then I had a dream that I was listening to the best album ever. The

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The Songs

CD1you can dance. following morning I realized it was an album by John Legend, which was mortifying to say the least. I might have been drunk. But here the male version of Alicia Keys sings over some pleasant beats about heartache. What’s not to like?

Favourite lyrics: A heartbreaker right from the start.

HOPE you’ve enjoyed CD1 and all the dancing. Before we proceed to CD2 why not take a couple of minutes and use this page to write down a couple of songs you danced to in 2009?

Your dancing songs of 2009:

15. Erik Hassle Hurtful That hairdo! Only possible in Sweden.

He’s going to be big soon. Have I mentioned the hairdo?

Favourite lyrics: The more I had to change, I’d just stay the same.

Mr. Erik Hassle taming his ‘fro with a nice sweat band.

16. Saint Etienne Method of Modern Love It’s a shame that Saint Etienne never really had a hit record they so thoroughly deserve. Mr. Higgins from Xenomania helped them out here. And I got a limited edition of singles and a 7” record from Jarlath!

Favourite lyrics: One touch is not enough / when you start, you can’t stop.

17. Grovesnor Nitemoves Hot Chip opened their DJ Kicks compilation with this tune. I don’t know anything super special about it. Nice chords, nice bedroomy atmosphere. I thought it a nice transition to what’s in store on CD2.

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The Songs

CD2you can sit down.

WHAT comes up must come down. One laughs, drinks and dances and then goes home and eats hummus from the tub.

With hands. Or is just me? Sad handhummus eating should be accompanied by a suitably sad, wistful and teary soundtrack, which CD2 is perfect for.

Emotions are great, once in a while, but usually they are just not worth it.

1: The Gadsdens Sailor Song.

As with the first song on CD1 I played it 20 times in a row when I first heard it. The Gadsdens are from London and they are not “particularly ugly” (Jody Gadsden in an interview with xolondon in December 2009).

Favourite lyrics: Should I run a million miles from every memory of you?

4: Kalina Jedrusik I wciaż na coś czekam.

I could write a lot about Kalina. She was a Polish actress, popular in the 60s. She was sexy, intelligent, swore like a trooper, married a writer (think Norman Mailer and Marilyn), had lots of lovers and cooked a killer spaghetti. She could also sing like nobody else, with such sadness and longing. The lyrics go: And so I’m waiting for something / something which never comes / and once again it didn’t / maybe tomorrow?

Mrs. Kalina Jedrusik. Photo: www.filmpolski.pl 5: Peggy Lee Black Coffee Peggy Lee was a surprise discovery of 2009. There’s such longing in this song.

And her voice sounds exquisite.

Favourite lyrics: (...) And drown her past regrets / In coffee and cigarettes.

The Gadsdens wearing some nice clothes. Photo: Jean Francois Carly.

2: Sarah Vaughn All of Me. I only discovered Sarah in 2009 and I am glad I did. See also Peggy Lee at number five.

Favourite lyrics: All you took / I gladly gave / There is nothing left for me to save.

3: Jack Penate Pull my Heart Away One of the surprises of 2009. Mr. Penate has grown up, de-cluttered his apartment in Hoxton or Dalston, did some thinking and recorded a great album. It’s about change - the most important sentiment for me in 2009. The first line serves as a neat summary of m 2009: I’m ripping the posters off the wall / I’m moving the boxes into the hall.

8: The xx Basic Space Favourite lyrics: I’m setting us in stone / piece by piece / Before I’m alone.

9: Jose Gonzalez Killing for Love (Beatfanatic Remix).

I came across this while surfing mp3 blogs. Mr. Jose Gonzalez should not be overlooked just because his biggest hit endorsed Sony. He’s got a right mixture of vulnerability, beauty and some nice friends. He’s also “not particularly ugly” (see The Gadsdens).

Favourite lyrics: Killing for Love / Killing for Love.

6: Florence and the Machine Howl.

You know all about Florence by now. I’m happy that quirky, intelligent and emotional music did become popular. As for the Kate Bush comparisons, I say: let’s not get ahead of ourselves. When she dances around a double bass and disperses clouds, then I might have a rethink.

Favourite lyrics: Drag my teeth across your chest to taste your beating heart.

7: The xx Shelter.

The only band I got properly obsessed with in 2009. They are modern, precise, understated, focused and devastatingly emotional. They just punched me and left me unconscious, able only to press play again. And again. For days and weeks on end. In an ideal world, they would be on permanent display in Neue Nationalegallerie in Berlin, playing Shelter over and over again.

Favourite lyrics: I find shelter in this way / under cover, hide away.

Mr. Jose Gonzalez is not particularly ugly.

Photo found on: musichawk.com 10: Midlake Roscoe (Erol Alkan Remix).

If the Amish listened to modern music, they would be listening to this.

Favourite lyrics: Oh, oh, oh and when the morning comes / We will step outside / We will not find another man inside / We like the newness, the newness of all.

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The Songs

CD2you can sit down.

11: Patrick Wolf The Sun is Often Out. See also CD1. There are three songs from Mr. Wolf across these two CDs. I am not sure what it means, but I know that this and Damaris (see below) defined 2009 for me. It’s difficult and feels glib to choose just a line here. For full lyrics, please see http://bit.ly/8AG1Al 12: Jamie Woon Wayfaring Stranger (Burial Remix) From my Facebook correspondence with Mr. Gordon Grehan: Zbyszek Zalinski (December 2 at 12:20am).

There might be a few rituals one needs to listen to this song: 1: Don’t watch the not-so-great fan video.

2: listen to it on repeat for at least three hours straight.

3: burn it onto a CD and set your stereo to wake you p with it at 5am.

Mr. Patrick Wolf. It’s quite possible he’s saying “Yes, what of it?”

(...) BTW. did I mention that SADE is back?

OK, so this is it. I’m not really sure what this song is about, but it is rather special.

Gordon Grehan.

(December 2 at 12:22am) Sit tight. I’ll be round shortly to facilitate an intervention shortly.

WE’ve danced and we had a little cry.

Such is life. On page four you might have made a list of songs you danced to in 2009. What were the songs that made you cry?

13: Fleetwood Mac Dreams.

I was sitting in Studio 6 one evening and this came on. The speakers are just so good there and music just sucks you in. It sounded so soft, rich and grown-up. I managed to erase any memories of The Corrs singing this.

Favourite lyrics: In the stillness of remembering / What you had, and what you lost.

The songs that made me cry in 2009:

14: Brett Anderson Ashes of Us. All I will write about Brett is that people should be allowed to change. And that if another artist recorded an album like Brett’s, with the same references, there would much less criticism. I like the new focus, the minimalism, the unrushness of it all, the deliberate unTwitterness.

Favourite lyrics: Pieces of paper / the ashes of us.

15: Patrick Wolf Damaris [see also other Patrick Wolf mentions above].

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The Songs

Two

nice photos.

Duane Michals (b.

1932) ''This photograph is my proof.

T h e re w a s t h a t afternoon,when things were still good between us, and she embraced me, and we were so happy.

It did happen, she did love me.

Look see for yourself!''

“At the same time as having a deeply historic outlook, Dresden is home to one of East Germany’s most interesting and successful 1960s developments, the Pager Strasse.

Built as the showpiece Dresden’s Prager Strasse’s layout and architectural syntax is distinctly Modernist.

Primary geometric building forms, with wide open public spaces in between were complemented by large scale murals, statues and fountains, forming an architectural and artistic whole, a Modernist and Socialist ‘Gesamtkunstwerk’.”

[Retromorphosis: http://bit.ly/5xB1xo]

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The Songs

TEN. 1: Running.

Buy shoes, run and feel amazing.

2: Coffee.

Black and strong. Pinch of sugar.

3: Gym. “And the room is full of hotties / so I’m checking out the bodies.” [Madonna]

Schoneberg, photo by S. Dekind, http://bit.ly/55bocVA

4: Porridge. see Editorial.

5: Suzy Menkes and Alice Rawsthorn.

Read and learn.

6: Mornings.

Wake up.

7: Focus.

Disconnect and concentrate.

Housing estate in Poland, photo by Unknown.

8: Avoca.

Fruit scone (the more burnt the better), butter and jam. Coffee.

9: Hummous.

Always. Made it onto BBC World Service: 10: Clutter.

Undesirable.

TWO. “Let’s promote grey. For everything!”

(Diana Vreeland) “Manifest plainness. Embrace simplicity.

Reduce selfishness. Have few desires.”

(Lao Tze) Untitled, photo by Hedi Slimane, 2009.

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The Songs

Thank you.

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