Thirty Days of Music, Day Nine

And now on A-Side Glance, we’re going to stop and consider an emotion that’s become an increasing rarity as time has gone by, as we’ve gone from literal to virtual caves.

Happiness, as decreed by the 30 Day Song Challenge.

Day 9: A song that makes you happy

2020: “Wild Wood”, Paul Weller

In my rather limited repertoire back in the day, I did consider a few Paul Weller songs to be ones that made me happy – “Sunflower” and “The Changingman” to name a couple. But “Wild Wood” struck a chord with me due to how gentle it was, the laid-back folky vibes ideal for the springtime, and the lyrics struck a chord too. Again, peak pandemic time, we were all stuck in the wild, wild wood and we were all waiting on a way out, waiting for that golden rain.

*(most of) Us when the vaccines finally rolled out*:

Incidentally, while it’s on my mind, I did Spotify Wrapped a few days ago. Paul Weller was one of my most listened-to artists for the second year running. So much for the variety I’ve been trying to tout on this blog for most of the year. Most listened to song was “He’s the Keeper”, another Weller song and one that was from an album that I think is my least favourite of his…? Make it make sense, music Gods!

Ok, another song that makes me happy.

2025: “Rayners Lane”, The Real People

Excellent, I finally get to stop and talk about the Realies! If my memory serves me correctly, I first checked these guys out via Britpop Memories on Twitter – They normally have anniversaries primed and ready and one was for the cult Britpop favourite What’s On The Outside. I checked it out and yeah, quality album. If you like Oasis’ early style of sound you’ll like the Realies, mainly because they did actually take the Gallaghers and co. under their wings for a few years. There’s a bit of history between the bands which I won’t bore you too much with, save for the fact that I still will not play “Don’t Go Away” on the radio given that Noel took advantage of Marshmellow Lane being trapped in limbo and stole the chorus from “Feel the Pain” to make it.

Anyway, I digress.

“Rayners Lane” definitely makes me happy whenever I hear it, it’s a grand old knees up of a tune, nice and simple to the point where I’ll be teaching it to the kids when or if they arrive. Very British, very poppy, perfect for the time it was made. Could’ve and should’ve made more of an impact.

I wish I was musically talented as for yonks I’ve wanted to have a cover made of this but instead of using the London Underground, it would be for the Tyne & Wear Metro:

It’d probably go something along the lines of this:

‘I caught the train

To Percy Main

I bought a ticket from Wallsend

Got shanked along the way’

Thirty Days of Music, Day Eight

It’s Christmas season so of course I’m going to talk about drugs and alcohol!

Day 8: A song about drugs or alcohol

2020: “Animal Nitrate”, Suede

What’s better than a song about drugs? How about a song about domestics fuelled by drugs! It’s a track that delights in how f*cked up it is, from the customarily awesome guitar work from Bernard Butler, to the singing and songwriting of Brett Anderson. It’s a staple of the early Britpop era for a reason.

Now for my 2025 choice, instinct has told me to keep it Britpop. However I would like to say my instinct is trying to keep things plain and boring so before I go for something different, here’s a couple of Britpop songs about drugs and/or alcohol:

Am I forgetting anything? Oh yeah, this lot from Oasis:

  • “Cigarettes and Alcohol” (Duh…!)
  • “Morning Glory”
  • “Champagne Supernova” (probably…)
  • “(As Long As They’ve Got) Cigarettes in Hell”
  • “The Hindu Times”
  • “Pass Me Down the Wine”

Imagine if I’d chosen any of those for today, that’d be a right cop out. But no, instead let’s go for…

2025: “Come Together”, Spiritualized

When it comes to Mr Jason Pierce esq., you are guaranteed songs about love, and songs about drugs. Sometimes even a combination of the two. Truth be told I could recommend you a good chunk of his discography but I’m going to settle what is arguably an outlier on the immortal record Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space.

Most of that record is a quieter, downbeat and placid affair as the tunes ruminate over life as a heartbroken druggy (Unintentionally, mind you, as the story goes that all these breakup songs were written and ready before his girlfriend and bandmate Kate went and married Richard Ashcroft). Then there’s “Come Together”. An out-and-out, balls-to-the-wall, manic mess of wailing guitars and Jason nearly compromising his typical deadpan delivery with each venomous serving of the word ‘f*ck’. It doesn’t take much to work out what this is all about, with Jason singing about apes around the napes and, in one of the most beautifully debaucherous pieces of songwriting, how little Johnny ‘dulled the pain but killed the joy’.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, there’s a reason this album beat out OK Computer and Urban Hymns to be named best of the year 1997 by the NME. Haven’t listen to Ladies and Gentlemen… yet? Right that wrong today. I’ll see you in the morning for Day Nine.

Thirty Days of Music, Day Seven

Thirty Days of Music, Day Seven

Sunday, Sunday, here again. And I’m low-key proud of myself for actually managing to do this consistently, normally I’d have given this up by about day four. Anyway, let’s stop before going on a tangent and see what we need to choose today.

Right. Well I’ll preface this by saying that I am not happy with 2020 me chose back in the day.

Day 7: A song to drive to

2020: “Judas”, Fozzy

Oh deary me. Well I did say I had a casual relationship with wrestling and it definitely came into play here. Fozzy singer Chris Jericho was one of the top guys in fledgling promotion All Elite Wrestling at the time and his self-sung theme song was one of this defining features. And it’s not bad, it is definitely a song that you can drive to. It’s just that there are a million billion other better options.

On that note, let me consult my playlist full of driving songs titled ‘Roadblock’.

2025: “Perfect Me”, Blossoms

You may recall I gave “Perfect Me” a moment of praise back in September as it had been a genuine highlight of my time doing the Tuesday Breakfast show on Spark Sunderland. It was always fun to make an hour of the programme more indie-oriented with Fontaines D.C, Sam Fender and Inhaler and what have you. But Blossoms was the cherry on the cake, and “Perfect Me” was a song that never failed to make me smile. I hope it was the same for the listeners that were driving into work on those Tuesday mornings, whether they be on the move or stuck in traffic. A good way to brighten things up for a few minutes.

Thirty Days of Music, Day Six

Day 6: A song that makes you want to dance

2020: “DARE”, Gorillaz

2025: “Stop the Rock”, Apollo 440

How good am I at dancing, you and I may both wonder. Erm…I either half heartedly go along with it and look uncomfortable, or throw myself into it fully and make a night at the Wigan Casino look like a simply romp. So here I need to choose a song that evokes the latter.

Before I do, “DARE” was chosen back in 2020 simply because I’d likely just watched that video of Noodle dancing around in her bedroom with the massive disembodied head of Shaun Ryder. Uncanny, unforgettable, much like the song. Can easily dance to it no matter who you are.

Now, “Stop the Rock”. That’s a song I can categorically confirm I danced like mad to until my head was drenched with sweat. I was a wee lad and me and my Mum went to someone’s house for a party. This song came on, I was already aware of it as to me it was the highlight of the soundtrack to FIFA 2000 (Or a close second to Robbie Williams’ “It’s Only Us”, depends on the day). My memories of that day are patchy, it was about twenty years ago after all, but I absolutely remember me and a girl standing in front of a shed window and watching ourselves dance away to this track. Maybe I looked cool, maybe I looked like a tit. Either way I felt happy. And that’s what a song that makes you want to dance should do.

Thirty Days of Music, Day Five

Happy Friday! To sign off the week, let’s choose something that needs to be played loudly and proudly!

Day 5: A song that needs to be played loud

2020: “All My Life”, Foo Fighters

2025: “Yes”, McAlmont & Butler

Playing the Foo Fighters loud? There’s no other way. Of course it’s a little harder to stomach them now, what with Taylor Hawkins unfortunately passing away and Dave Grohl shooting his PR in the back of the head. Still, quality band, could’ve gone for a whole multitude of singles from them but I think I’d just had “All My Life” on repeat at the time.

And “Yes” is a song that absolutely deserves to be on repeat – If heard just once, it shall be heard again. It’s a one-song rabbithole. One of the best songs of the 90s, bar none. Best heard progressively louder and louder, turn that dial up to maximum by the time David McAlmont reaches that cathartic falsetto.