SOMETHING OLD: ‘Let Forever Be’ – Chemical Brothers

One of the UK’s finest dance acts, The Chemical Brothers teamed up with Noel Gallagher to produce this anthem of a crazy drum loop mixed with Noel’s vocals which, following the 90s dominance of Brit Pop, are instantly recognisable on their own merit.

A dance track but indie-fied (yes that’s another word from the Dictionary of Helen) the heavy drums and roaring guitar slide are not what you would normally expect from essentially a ‘dance’ record.  Elements of string sections being played backwards lean towards the Beatles, but once those drums kick in it suddenly develops more meat and attitude than a West End bouncer.

Psychedelic breaks and a throbbing bass line prevail to make it more than a vocal/drum dominance; but both the production of the Brothers and the forefront vocal of one Brother compliment each other perfectly.
Also check out the video, it’ll quite easily mess with your head if you try and figure out how it was made but is a pure spectacle in itself.

From the album ‘Surrender’ (1999) / @ChemBros

SOMETHING NEW: ‘Hits Me Like A Rock’ (Dillon Francis Remix) – CSS

So we’ve been battling the elements a bit in good olde England this August, flash floods and what not – the usual. But thankfully CSS have brought their flavour of Brazil with the help of a gorgeous remix from Dillon Francis to put some puff back in our lilos before summer’s out.

A chilled out remix with enough attitude to encourage the shaking of body parts, its chilled out patter of synth hooks breaks through like sun rays piercing the clouds.
Minimal on vocal until a shouty middle eight if you like half way through, the tempo switches again to an even more mellow beat then returns effortlessly to the salsa, samba, whatever genre you’d like to call it, before you reach temptation to press repeat.

Kept to a perfect sized portion, we all know how remixes can turn into epic 15 minute productions of their own, this one is long enough to keep your attention and keep you nodding your head for its 5 minutes and 11 sunny seconds.
If you haven’t had a holiday this year (yes that’s the sound of the world’s smallest violin) then at least crack out the BBQ in the back garden and stick this on for an instant splash of Rio as the sun goes down.

From the album ‘La Liberacion’ (2011) (remix is single only) / www.youtube.com/csstv

SOMETHING OLD: 'New York' - Ryan Adams

A song perhaps made more famous by its video, featuring the New York skyline filmed 4 days before 9/11; Ryan Adam’s take on the city so good they named it twice and wrote a thousand songs about, is an instantly catchy track minus the clichés of previous NYC songs.

Describing areas less well known of the city, you get a real feel for his story as he goes on to explain despite being in and out of love his true love is that of the area. It’s romantic without being glaringly obvious, touching without being slushy. Uplifting both in music and vocal, it maintains the driving force you’d associate with its subject.

Its live sound production also portrays this image of him busking down in Times Square, that authentic and raw tone makes the story so much more believable. Minus the glamour and schmooze of Sinatra’s great, Ryan Adams shows us that even away from the skyscrapers and showbiz; everyone is susceptible to the charms of the Big Apple.

From the album ‘Gold’ (2001) / http://paxamrecords.com/

SOMETHING NEW: ‘Where We Want To Be’ (Acoustic Version) – Joe Echo & Ben Barnes

Lay down, close your eyes and simply escape to this track. Bold enough introduction for you? It’s worth it, a simply beautiful song which will scoop you up, cradle you and let you get out of here for 3 minutes 40 seconds of pure utopia.

A voice which could melt the hardest of hearts, the subtle touches of harmonies and instruments simply brush the track with no unnecessary over production.  I could get all gushy and use some dreadful examples of how stunning this song is, but here floating on water is my best descriptive image. That pure escapism with a blissful lack of control of where it may take you.

An acoustic version of what is originally quite a rocky anthem, both are excellent but for me this edit is a fine example of how music can fill all your senses.  ‘Feel the breeze’ and ‘come away’ – I wouldn’t need any more convincing.

From the album ‘Killing Bono’ (Original Film Soundtrack) (2011) / @benbarnessource

SOMETHING OLD: 'Slight Return' - The Bluetones

The sadly soon to be split 90s favourites, The Bluetones embark on their farewell tour next month and for me this, their biggest hit, remains a firm favourite-  sounding particularly glorious in the summer.

Lead singer Mark Morriss possesses one of the softer voices from the rule of Britpop, making the songs of the band easily recognisable and enjoyable, without that whiny drawl so many other bands influenced others with during that time.
Despite that, there’s still an element of attitude in the track particularly in the bridge when that almost synonymous pattern of drums and guitar from that time are made their own with the harmonies which graced and stamped many a Bluetones track.
If this song isn’t new to you then I’m sure you have memories of your own to accompany it, if it is then I would highly recommend you have a listen to the impressive back catalogue. Or even better, catch them one last time on the road.

If this is perhaps what The Bluetones will be mostly remembered for, that and the memories of what a great live band they were too, then ‘Slight Return’ is a fine legacy from an exquisite band.

From the album ‘Expecting to Fly’ (1996) / @TheBluetones

SOMETHING NEW: 'Jar of Hearts' - Christina Perri

The only downside to the beauty of this track is that I’m certain the instrumental will be used in one of those X Factor montage videos. So try to forget that and allow yourself to be immersed, I do warn you however it’s not one to listen to if you’re feeling a bit, well, fragile.

It’s so rare to hear a song which doesn’t use a drum beat, I can only think of Adele currently who has done that; but as is so often the case when the vocal and lyrics are this incredible the song drives itself. All the strings and piano of a romantic out-pouring, in fact it’s a song of defiance against a lost love – ‘you’re gonna catch a cold from the ice inside your soul’. Ouch.
Some parts remind me of the other Christina, in particular her track ‘The Voice Within’. The middle eight brings a nursery rhyme like melody before it drops you back into the wonderful chorus – the strings alone building where normally an almighty drum roll would bring the reprise. This Christina’s voice is full of pain but dogged determination, the simple production allows us to hear almost a quiver in her voice at times.

It’s the kind of song you wish you’d written after that thing happened. We’ve all been there. But Christina Perri’s done it for us, and to the kind of perfection most of us couldn’t even imagine. Relate and enjoy.

From the album ‘Lovestrong’ (2011) / @christinaperri

SOMETHING OLD: 'Ghost Town' - The Specials

Time to throw one of my all time favourite songs into the mix for Blue Monday Music. Yes, yes, every song is my favourite but ‘Ghost Town’ is right up there.

Lyrics which could easily fit into today’s recession hit society, the eerie introduction is juicy enough to encourage you to keep listening (yes I did just use the word ‘juicy’ to describe a song).

A slightly more gentle version of the ska which dominated the music climate of the early 80s, it’s a sad tale of what has become of a once exciting and bustling town. As the song takes a dramatic uplift in vocals and key to describe the ‘better days’ of the ghost town, we’re suddenly brought crashing back to reality, a wailing ode to how it used to be.

Great songs stand the test of time and although I wasn’t even born on its release, I can easily relate to its lyrical story. There’s no other song like it. It’s not just special, it’s genius and I defy anyone not to wallow in its glory. Who knew recession could sound so good?

Originally a non-album single (1981) available on ‘The Singles Collection’ / www.thespecials.com