Well, being a radio presenter, I can give you a library’s worth of music that you should listen to. Actually no, that’s hyperbole. Let’s be realistic. A very thin paperback perhaps.
I’m intrigued to see what I chose last time, I’m sure you are too. Let’s have a gander.
Day 23: A song you think everybody should listen to
2020: “A Design For Life”, Manic Street Preachers
A good choice if I do say so myself. One of the best anthems every anthem’ed, perhaps the Manics most powerful statement as not only do they make the ultimate song for the working class, but also proved they had a future beyond Richey Edwards.
Yup, it’s one of those ones that you must listen to if at the very least you want to call yourself a fan of 90s music. As far as rock, not just Britpop but rock, at that time goes, it frankly doesn’t get that much better.
2025: “The Old Man’s Back Again (Dedicated to the Neo-Stalinist Regime)”, Scott Walker
Genuinely, I had no idea this song even existed until a few days ago. But recently, while I was still trying to convince my brain that I was back on dry land and not bobbing up and down, I made a list of bands and artists I wanted to listen to soon and one of them was Scott Walker. A quick bit of Googling led me to Scott 4 and the many acts of brilliance that came within. The unquestionable highlight for me was “The Old Man’s Back Again”.
The word I’d use to describe this song? Evocative. Because oh my God does this song resonate with the modern day listener, provided they’re not too deaf to the world. Then, it was Scott contemplating the heat of the Cold War as Czechoslovakia was invaded. Now? Well, take your pick. The old man is coming back and doing so in a big way. And we can only hope that this time in some form, he trips and breaks a hip. It’s for the best really.
But yeah, political context or otherwise it’s a hauntingly beautiful song that needs to be heard at least once, along with the rest of Scott 4. I’ll talk more about the album itself in the New Year.
A-Side Glance 