first up is Spence
you can listen to his choices on spotify here
Spence's Desert Island Discs
Eight songs, eh? A tricky task, but thankfully I have my ‘all-time greats’ iTunes playlist to use for reference. Needless to say, this list could’ve been a *lot* longer…
Envy Of Angels by The Mutton Birds
Composed by Don McGlashan
Off the album Envy Of Angels
Envy Of Angels came out a couple of months before I left home to go to Uni, and as such is coloured by memories of fresh starts and exciting prospects. It helps that the album as a whole is a masterpiece of melodic pop, mostly written by the songwriting genius that is Don McGlashan. This song was written as a letter home to his dad in New Zealand (the band were based in London at the time), and is a touching and evocative song about memories and the landscapes of home. It’s also incredibly beautiful, with Don’s haunting euphonium playing off David Long’s insistent, jangling guitar. Check out the album – it’s amazing.
Gentle Hum by The Finn Brothers
Composed by Neil Finn
Off the album Everyone Is Here
Picking a Finn tune was always going to be tricky, both brothers having written some of my favourite songs ever. I’ve somehow narrowed it down to this one, taken from their wonderful 2004 album. On an album that dealt with a lot of family issues, this closing track was particularly poignant, Neil having written it in the wake of his mother’s death: “My wish is for you / An end to your sorrow / And if it comes true / You’ll wake up tomorrow… alone… with a gentle hum.” Gulp. Close friends (and now you, the reading public) know that this slice of utter perfection is the record I want played at my funeral.
Falling Aeroplanes by Darren Hanlon
Composed by Darren Hanlon
Off the album Early Days
This Australian songwriter is one of my favourite lyricists, capable of going from incredibly funny to tear-inducingly emotional with a single observation. This particular gem is a song about songwriting: “Making up songs is for losers, I should build something she uses / Like a box or a bed or cupboards or shelves / Songs are made of air, they can’t be any use to her / Better off trying to catch falling aeroplanes.”
Being Boring by Pet Shop Boys
Composed by Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe
Off the album PopArt: The Hits
I love a song that can capture the essence of something changing over time. To be able to write something that carries an imagined character through different stages of a lifetime, with just the right amount of pathos and emotion, is a real gift, and is something Being Boring gets absolutely right. The narrator begins by finding “a cache of old photos, and invitations to teenage parties”, before noting, years later: “And now I sit with different faces in rented rooms in foreign places / All the people I was kissing, some are here and some are missing…” Not sure I noticed the weight of the words in my teenage pop phase, but it makes a lot more sense now.
Find The River by R.E.M.
Composed by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Michael Stipe
Off the album Automatic For The People
R.E.M. at their most wistful and melodic. I love the story of how Mike Mills and Bill Berry recorded their backing vocals for the choruses separately, without having heard what the other was going to do. As a result, Bill’s is low-key and subtle, while Mike’s higher part is ethereal and spine-tingling, both combining to make the song even more magical. This is an absolute dream of a song, and a perfect soundtrack for summer evenings. From a flawless album, but you knew that already, right?
Living A Boy’s Adventure Tale by A-ha
Composed by Pal Waaktaar and Morten Harket
Off the album Hunting High And Low
I was going to pick Stay On These Roads, but I’ve gone with this one that I’ve recently become reacquainted with since buying the remastered version of the album. I make no secret of my love for A-ha, but this song in particular is one that should be a revelation for anyone who only remembers the big pop hits. This is a tune where cold, clinical 80s production is matched to a typically heartfelt delivery from Morten Harket to produce something quite a lot darker than Take On Me. Cracking tune, and you can’t beat the impassioned cry at the song’s close.
Finest Little Space by Unbelievable Truth
Composed by Andy Yorke, Jason Moulster, Nigel Powell
Off the album Almost Here
The band I’ve been trying to emulate in my own songwriting for the best part of a decade, even going as far as borrowing some of singer Andy Yorke’s vocal tics on occasion. Superior indie-rock for the masses (if only), and goes to show you can’t beat a nice bit of morose balladeering. While on Spotify, check out their magnificent Tyre Tracks (which I subconsciously ripped off on a Last Night’s TV track a few years back… oops).
The Tracks Of My Tears by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
Composed by Smokey Robinson, Pete Moore, Marv Tarplin
Off the album Motown 50 (and probably a million other compilations)
Motown’s finest three minutes. Mere words can’t do this song justice, so I won’t even try.
Book: Any Human Heart by William Boyd
Forget the recent TV adaptation, which - to me at least - lost the heart (ironically) of William Boyd’s masterpiece, this is a magnificent trek through the last century, told via the journals of a guy who leads a hugely eventful life. By turns exciting and heart-stoppingly sad - thoroughly recommended.
Luxury Item: An umbrella
