What I'm Listening To ATM:: My Top Ten Weekly Tracks

Almost every week I generate my own playlist with the tracks that I have had on repeat from Monday til' Sunday. So here's a taster of the top ten songs I've been listening to recently (had on repeat for the last week). Good if you need to relax your ears or to get down and boogie 🕺🏾

1) Lebanon Hanover - Kiss Me Until My Lips Fall Off

Lebanon Hanover is a post-punk duo based in Berlin, Germany, founded in 2010 by Larissa Iceglass (guitar, vocals) and William Maybelline (bass, vocals). When I heard this song I thought it was an 80's track, but once I did a bit of research and to my surprise, it was released last year (I do this with so many songs). Lebanon Hanover provide us with dark vocals, gloomy and sharp guitars with ear-catching bass lines that create hard to follow atmosphere you eagerly dive in. Kiss Me Until My Lips Fall Off is replenishing us with synthwave yet post-punk, when you listen to this song, you can almost automatically tell that the duo have been inspired by the music roots of their own town and with every part of this song, especially the main synth line that anchors throughout, is almost a danceable earworm. It utilises a combination of guitar, synth and darkwave, and it's really giving me Joy Division. I love it.

2) Bill Ryder-Jones - Don't Be Scared, I Love You

Bill Ryder-Jones was the lead guitarist with The Coral and played on the band's first five albums. Following his departure from The Coral, Ryder-Jones began writing solo songs and instrumental pieces. Don't Be Scared, I Love You is the 7th track on his latest Album Yawn, released in 2018 and it's a sublime gem. I find a lot of comfort with this song, and while listening to it it's providing constant reassurance. There is something behind the lines that is very gloomy on Don’t Be Scared, I Love You. However, Bill Ryder-Jones beautiful melodies levels the mood out. If you listen to the lyrics, it's extremely eloquent and I'm here for it. The passion in the words and the guitar sounds amazing. BR-J writes beautiful songs and they seem achieved with admirable ease.

3) Alex Cameron - Studmuffin96

Alex Cameron is an Australian musician, singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Sydney, he is best known for his solo career, a high-concept act in which Cameron initially adopted the persona of a failed entertainer. I found this song on my Spotify's "Discover Weekly", which I use all the time. From that first listen, I have been obsessed with Alex Cameron and I listen to this song at least once a week. I am underlining a lot. Studmuffin96 is a track on his overlooked 2017 release Forced Witness. This song is inevitably catchy, yet eminently creepy. He channels the plushest ’80s pop, there is almost a 'greasy' feeling to this song, with this song Cameron adopts a sleazy old man who is referring to women as “pussy” and it tells the tale of a love story which is founded online, where Cameron takes up usernames like “Studmuffin96". With the help of his dear friend and business partner, Roy Molloy, they manage to give pawn-shop synth melodies with extremely comfortable and elegant spin on their songs. I'd recommend giving the video a watch on YouTube, it makes you feel dirty but you can't help but watch it.

4) Orion - Sexy Alien

When researching Orion, I couldn't find much about them. However, Here's my take on them. Sexy Alien is the 4th track on their album Self-Titled, released January 27, 2017. Orion are a Sydney based quartet and are a mix of dance, electronic, pop, post-punk and punk. All their tracks are synth wave/ post punk and especially this song Sexy Alien. Every time I listen to this I just want to get up and dance, it's such a catchy tune. Their vibe is punk with a synthetic sheen with a twist of constant self questioning and analysis.

5) Balue - Man In The Sixties

I have been a fan of Balue for such a long time, so I knew I needed to include at least one of their tracks in my top ten weekly. Balue is Eli Thomas, and the genre is described as 'chilled out, lo-fi bedroom tunes'. Day-dreamy, surfy, chill-pop...from Southern Califor.... nope. Eli Thomas is from New Mexico. The aesthetic of Balue is very 60's/70's Californian and if you want to listen, you might just hear that in his songs too. It's the perfect music for a road trip or a sunny day, listening to this song is like looking at life through a hazy instagram filter or even a 35mm camera.

6) Beach House - Master Of None

Beach House is an American dream pop duo formed in Baltimore, Maryland in 2004. The band consists of Victoria Legrand (vocalist and keyboardist) and Alex Scall (guitarist, keyboardist, and backup vocalist). Beach House are very shoegaze, very smooth, easy listening and just all round great. Legrand’s vocals, some drums, the buzz of the synthesiser, and Scall's peaceful guitar shading, all tracks never fail to please my ears. This song provides vocals that came straight from the gut and are consummate. FYI: if you're a fan of The Weekend listen closely and you'll hear Master Of None in The Party & The After Party

7) Father John Misty - Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings

This song has to be one of my all time favourite songs, ever. I love FJM and I go in and out of phases of listening to him (don't we all do that?) Father John Misty, aka, Joshua Tillman.

An accomplished solo musician before he joined the band Fleet Foxes on the drums. Now Tillman is once again a solo act. Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings is on Tillman's album Fear Fun, the album seems to be from a larger narrative, it seems to have so many of Tillman's ideas all condensed into one album. As mentioned before, I love this song and Tillman's voice is the cherry on top of brilliant lyrics. FYI: If you're a fan of Aubrey Plaza, she's in the video to this video! watch here

8) Small Black - Sun Was High (So Was I)

Small Black is an American indie band from Brooklyn, New York. The band consists of Josh Koleni (lead vocals/guitar), Ryan Heyner (guitar/keyboards), Juan Pieczanski (bass/guitar), and Jeff Curtin (drums). The band's genre is synth-pop/chillwave and the feeling this song is giving me is that you should listen to this with headphones in, watching the sun go down while smoking a cigarette (I'm not promoting smoking here...) Sun Was High (So Was I) is a mix of hazy synths, kaleidoscopic melodies and 100% worth listening to. Small Black's debut full length, New Chain, also features a cover of Best Coast's "Sun Was High (So Was I)."

9) Matthew Dear - Deserter

I love electronic music and I've always been a fan, again, I found this gem on Spotify's "Discover Weekly" - seriously, if you haven't checked this out yet, you need to. It generates songs personally for you around what you have already been listening to. Matthew Dear is an American music producer, DJ and electronic avant-pop artist. Dear is a great electronic artist, the lyrics in Deserter aren't the best lyrics ever written, however, this is overrode by the metronomically tone of the song. The repetition of the lyrics show what the record means, the same melancholy tone throughout the song shows that Dear is portraying loss and pain. Anyways... Great song, go listen to it!

10) Eyedress - Separation Anxiety

If you like Fidlar, you'll like Eyedress. Idris Vicuña, known by his stage name Eyedress, is a Filipino musician, songwriter and producer based in Manila. He is the first Filipino mu sician from Manila to be signed to a major indie label in the UK. That's great isn't it? Vicuña's genres vary from punk, shoe gaze, dream pop, synth-pop, chill wave, indie, garage, hip hop... the list could go on. He's pretty cool and he's someone you should definitely listen to. His style is sick too!