A vast and varied Spotify playlist for you this week, ranging from the outright weirdness of Daniel Johnston to the mega chart-toppers of Michael Jackson via the fairytale landscapes of Efterklang. Get your fill of the Spotifriday fun by clicking here for this week on DiS as a Spotify playlist.
1.Michael Jackson - 'Beat It'
This week, we published a three-piece feature on the dead Michael Jackson, written by kicking__k. You can find Part I here, Part II here and the final part here. Or you could just kick off this week's Spotifriday with 'Beat It'. Do both.
2.YACHT - 'Summer Song'
It is no longer summer. Well, I mean... it is technically still summer until September 21 but looking out of the window, the trees are being blown-a-bluster by a force 6 gale. And it's also cold enough for me to want to put some socks on. This one's for the celebration of only 9.5 months 'til it's Summer again. We reviewed Yacht's album, See Mystery Lights here.
3.The Raveonettes - 'Black/White'
The Raveonettes this week announced a new album and show in London and we got a sneaky look at pictures from their video shoot for 'Last Dance'. This one I'd describe as having a LOT of reverb. Maybe even a little bit too much, truth be told.
4.Pagan Wanderer Lu - 'Good Christian/Bad Christian'
This year's Brainlove compilation is on its way. It's called Fear of a Wack Planet and features a whole range of super artists like Internet Forever, Napoleon III, Laura Wolf and Pagan Wanderer Lu, who here takes us through some pressing religious issues in musical form.
5.LCD Soundsystem - 'North American Scum'
James Murphy let some details slip about LCD's new album when talking to Mojo. It's going to be released in 2010 and will, at that point, be the finest album of the decade, we understand. This track is to remind of how good they actually are.
6.Cougar - 'This Is An Affadavit'
Clean guitars building a steady crescendo is what's on offer from Cougar here. Elements of early Youthmovies and a possible need for brass but, as Alexander Tudor wrote of their second record Patriot, this band still have a lot to offer.
7.Pearl Jam - 'Go'
Anyone else think this should be a little...louder than it is? Turn the bass up in the mix perhaps? Still, there's little else wrong with it - even the screaming fret-wanking solo makes you want to double fist pump with vim and vigour. We sent snapper Helen Boast along to take some photos of Vedder and company when they played the o2 the other day.
8.Paramore - 'crushcrushcrush'
DiS editor Sean Adams gave Paramore's new one a quick listen earlier this week and he liked it enough to give it an initial 8/10. Does it contain any bona-fide bangers like 'crushcrushcrush' though? That's what we're all asking, aren't we?
9.Blitzen Trapper - 'Black River Killer'
This song contains that fractionally annoying sound that is often found in '90s hip-hop. Sort of theramin-esque. You'll know it when you hear it. The rest of it is more top-notch material from 'Trapper, taken from the EP of the same name, which we gave 7 on 10.
10.Noah And The Whale - 'I Have Nothing'
You might be surprised at just how much Noah And The Whale have 'grown up' since last year's debut, Peaceful the World Lays Me Down. They now sound less-like uke-wielding teenagers on uppers and more like 26-year-olds with whisky hangovers. This is undoubtedly a positive. Read our review of their new one, The First Days Of Spring.
11.Ortolan - 'I'll See You There'
Resident singles lady Wendy Roby described Ortolan's self-titled EP as "Sounding a bit like She & Him might were they produced by Sufjan Stevens - to create a sort of She & She & She & She, they are four alt-pop Brontës who beam right into your stereo like a comforting aural torch you never need to buy batteries for." And it is. It's Single Of The Week, after all. It should truly fill you with glee.
12.Wave Machines - 'Punk Spirit'
Likewise WR rated this one, too, though not quite enough to make it single of the week. The lyrics are almost as good as the music for this one, as they submit their entry for 'anthem for the downtrodden and weak'.
13.Richmond Fontaine - 'The Gits'
DiS writer Mark Powell said he's faintly jealous of anyone who has the discovering of Richmond Fontaine's back catalogue to come. Maybe this will be the song to make you do just that.
14.Daniel Johnston - 'Chord Organ Blues'
Alexander Tudor gave his run down of the re-issues of DJ records Yip/Jump Music, Hi, How Are You and Welcome To My World earlier this week. 'Chord Organ Blues' is the intriguing opening to 1983's Yip/Jump Music.
15.Devendra Banhart - 'Don't Look Back In Anger'
Yes, Oasis split up in between last week's Spotifriday and this week's edition. That itself is no reason to include 'Don't Look Back In Anger' on this week's playlist, but the other news is that Mr Banhart revealed the name of his new record which is to be called What Will We Be. The Spanish accent really makes this cover what it is. As does the syncopation.
16.Wild Beasts - 'All The King's Men'
The band of the moment released the video for the second single from Two Dancers. The video and production are not the only mysterious and enigmatic aspects of this song, the other is whether there should be an apostrophe in 'King's'...video says no, album says yes.
17.Efterklang - 'Caravan'
Arguably the best band in Denmark after or before Mew, Efterklang this week signed to 4AD. Taken from the spectacular Parades, 'Caravan' is one of the many tracks on the album which you could well imagine soundtracking some kind of dark and doom-laden fantasy animation. I'm not sure what world Efterklang inhabit, but I sure as hell want to go there.
18.Vladislav Delay - 'Musta Planeetta'
A featured artist and album from Chris Power's Armchair Dancefloor column. He described the album thus: "Tummaa ranks alongside his best work. While the found-sound clicks and creaks and spattered percussive stabs of these tracks may seem arbitrary at first, you don't have to be aware of Ripatti's jazz-drumming background and exquisite sense of tempo to discern that these are in fact precision tooled constructions."
19.Mount Eerie - 'My Heart Is Not At Peace'
And speaking of doom, Mount Eerie exhibit exactly that feeling, adding a large scoop of desolation to the already overbearing mix. 'My Heart Is Not At Peace' is an apt enough titling, as a drone and plodding rhythm give you an emotional burden akin to John Bunyan's throughout the 3:20 of depression.
Click here for this week's Spotifriday playlist.