Father’s Day is this weekend and what better way to celebrate this holiest of holy days than dedicate this week’s 4 for 4 to these artists who care about their Daddies so much they wrote these touching tributes.*

 

 Starsailor - Alcoholic: Play Now

 

 Glasvegas - Daddy's Gone: Play Now

 

 Suede - Daddy's Speeding: Play Now

 

 Cardigans - Daddy's Car: Play Now

If you’re struggling to find that special gift for dad, just send him a link to this post. It’s better than that ashtray you were going to make for him for the 20th year in the row.

*punctuation = bad

I don’t know of anyone out there is like me, but when I really like a song I’ll play it on repeat until I can’t stands it no more. The same applies to certain aspects of songs. It may be a 10 second hand clap or a kick ass guitar solo that makes me wheel the track back so I can listen to it over and over. Here are 4 of current my faves:

The Radio Dept. - Pet Grief: I love how this track just ends in a burst of different instruments…or synthstruments.

Oasis - It’s Gettin’ Better (Man!): My favorite track on perhaps their most under rated album “Be Here Now’. If this outro doesn’t want to make you play air guitar, you have no rock n’ roll in your soul.

Super Furry Animals - Sex, War and Robots: Country twang with an orchestral backing. What’s not to love?

Tokyo Police Club - In A Cave: I loves me some hand claps.

 

 Radio Dept.: Play Now

 

 Oasis: Play Now

 

 Super Furry Animals: Play Now

 

 Tokyo Police Club: Play Now

One of my favorite genre’s next to Twee. When I think about it, Indie Pop artists do borrow alot from Northern Soul with bands like Belle and Sebastian and Camera Obscura creating the same upbeat, floor stompers with sometimes (who am I kidding, pretty much all the time) sappy lyrics. For those of you may not know what Northern Soul is, get hip to the info you square - The term is attributed to some music journalist, who in 1970, coined the phrase to describe a specific type of soul music that was popular in the clubs of northern England during that period. Although some of the more popular groups at the time were The Supremes, The Temptations and Marvin Gaye, lesser known and often commerical flops in the USA such as Tami Lynn, The Fascinations and The Velvelettes became popular amongst the British Soul fraternity.

With the plethora of songs that were released during it’s heyday it’s hard to pick just 4 good tracks, but I’ll give it a shot:

 

 The Blossoms - That's When the Tears Start: Play Now

 

 The Detroit Executives - Cool Off: Play Now

 

 The Jewels - Opportunity: Play Now

 

 The T.S.U. Tornadoes - Getting The Corners: Play Now

Children.

They are people too.

Little do we know, these little things have been infrequently used as musical instruments since Moses parted that sea in Egypt. Anyone see “the prince of egypt” before? Pretty whacked shit. Anyways, it takes a true musical enthusiast to listen to a song, go ‘hmm… i wonder what other songs contain children singing in them’ and then spend the next hour thinking about it. So here is this weeks edition of 4 for 4, with the help of Vik.

Here are four songs I have selected.

Suede - We Are the Pigs: The children are added to the end of the tune, to give the whole apocalyptic feel of the song greater effect…like ‘holy crap, kids are singing in this song so it is totally epic and dark’. Seriously, this is one of my favorite songs ever.

Belle and Sebastian - I’m a Cuckoo (Avalanche Remix): I did this one for Angelina Jolie. Seriously, this remix of the B&S song features AFRIKAN Kids singing in it, all happy and stuff too. IF they played this song while Alex Trebek is doing those Unicef commercials, No one would donate money since it sounds just like a grand ole party. It’s not. So donate money. The kids are inserted in to make the song sound more happy.

The Wombats - Lets Dance To Joy Division: I already covered how catchy this song was in my previous post, however, this was the song that made me all ‘hmmm..’ so I include in it.

The Housemartins - Bow Down: ooooooooooooooold schoo. The kids help out with the chorus.

Other songs that could have been in this post:

Maia Hirasawa - You and Me and Everyone We Know
Hefner - Day that Thatcher Dies
JUSTICE - Dance
All Jackson 5 songs

 

 Suede - We Are The Pigs [4:20m]: Play Now

 

 Belle and Sebastian - Im A Cuckoo (Avalanches Remix) [3:56m]: Play Now

 

 The Wombats - Lets Dance to Joy Division.mp3 [3:11m]: Play Now

 

 The Housemartins - Bow Down [3:02m]: Play Now

Vancouver…rainy, couldy, depressing Vancouver. It should come as no surprise that this week’s installment reflects the Westcoasters current state of mind. It was tough to find artists other than The Smiths to fit the bill without having to resort to posting My Chemical Romance and Linkin Park, which I know Ricky would have loved and expressed it by yelling ‘I wish I was never born!!!’, slamming the bedroom door shut and weeping into his already mascara stained pillow.

 

 Joy Division - Atmosphere: Play Now

 

 M. Ward - Undertaker: Play Now

 

 The Smiths - Back To The Old House: Play Now

 

 The Verve - The Drugs Don't Work: Play Now

This weeks installment consists of songs that use perhaps my favorite of all percussion instruments, the xylophone. And what better way to express my love for this instrument and call my manhood into question by posting 4 of the twee-est songs I could find. Enjoy:

 

 Club8 - You and Me: Play Now

 

 Page France - The Ruby Ring Man: Play Now

 

 Embassy - It Never Entered My Mind: Play Now

 

 Eggstone - Wrong Heaven: Play Now