The Friday Mixtape has been running for a while now so it’s always great when we receive a mixtape from an artist whose music tastes are so diverse that the mix should be impossible to pull off. Ben Parker of Superman Revenge Squad has picked Anthrax to be on the same mix as Belle and Sebastian. Here’s Ben to explain.
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The Superman Revenge Squad band CD is called “There is nothing more frightening than the passing of time” and it’s largely about the way time moves on but some stuff stays with you and you don’t know why. So I thought I’d pick some songs that represent different things I’ve liked through the years that have stayed with me for some reason. Here is a mix of songs that show the passing of my life:
Survivor – Eye of the Tiger
One of the most vivid memories of growing up is the night me and my Dad went up the road and watched a pirate video of Rocky 3 at a neighbours house. My Dad has no memory of this at all. I don’t know why I remember this evening particularly, but I do. And this is pretty much the theme tune to Rocky 3. So is a good way to begin the mix. The fact that it is pretty much the opposite to any music I will ever make shouldn’t put you off listening to it!
In My World – Anthrax
I listened to The Persistence of Time by Anthrax a lot as a teenager. On my walkman. I didn’t have that many tapes at the time, so I’d play it over and over. And I can still remember most of the lyrics. I listened to Anthrax and I read Stephen King novels. Great days.
Do The Right Thing – Leatherface
Minx by Leatherface is an album that will always be special to me. It was the soundtrack to my a-level revision. And the lyrics are kind of romantic in a way that I would love to write lyrics but can’t, because I’m far too cynical to write stuff like this. “Don’t underestimate underdogs, they can take the world and come back for more, they can dance and romance and drink the night into coma…” I saw them live at the time, before I heard their recorded music, and couldn’t make out a word that Frankie Stubbs was singing. Somehow, the way the lyrics are sung by a man with a voice not that unlike Lemmy makes them all the more heartfelt.
When We Two Parted – The Afghan Whigs
Good, “wallowing in self-hatred” music. And a band me and my brother saw quite a few times.
Get Me – Dinosaur Jr
At one point I was so fond of Where You Been by Dinosaur Jr that I was thinking of talking my brother into starting a Dinosaur Jr tribute act. I would have had to learn to play the guitar like J though, so I don’t think it would have happened. But it would have been quite novel: I don’t think you had such things as tribute acts in those days, and certainly not for Dinosaur Jr.
Sleep the clock around – Belle and Sebastian
I noticed that the 7BitArcade review of the new Superman Revenge Squad Band single likens it to Belle and Sebastian. And I’m quite pleased, as no-one has ever seen any influence of them on my music before, and there was a time when I listened to them a lot. This particular song was on my walkman the day I finished of my first job, a job I wasn’t too keen on, and never had to go back again. It soundtracks the journey home on the bus, and the feeling of a new beginning.
Shake-off – The Fall
Generally, I feel the Fall kind of ruin indie-rock because they make most other indie-rock bands seem ludicrous and rubbish but, at the same time, don’t offer an alternative. I love them and hate them in equal measure. This is good though.
Williamsburg Will Oldham Horror – Jeffery Lewis
Picked for two reasons: One, it was watching Jeff Lewis play this song at the Green Man festival that made me think I could start writing these strange wordy acoustic songs and get away with it and two, I wanted to pick some Will Oldham songs but couldn’t find any on Spotify so at least I picked a song that mentions him a lot.
Your Name My Game – Herman Dune
I love this album. When they are good, Herman Dune are ace. Great lyrics. But, as Jeffery Lewis has sung in the past, “I miss Herman Dune with both brothers in the band”
Friendly Fire – Mcalmont and Nyman
One of the best gigs I have ever been to was David McAlmont singing with the Michael Nyman Band. And one of my favorite ever records is the album they recorded together. Each song is like a little story. And this is one of the most depressing stories ever. And I love it.
Dweller on the Threshold – Van Morrison
I feel like an old man picking this. But I had to, because I’ve recently been addicted to listening to it. I have, in fact, listened to it so much that I have started enjoying little things in it that weren’t intentional – like the bit where the drums are ever so slightly out of time, just for a second. Also, I’m sure the dweller on the threshold as a concept is mentioned on Twin Peaks.
I Got it Bad (and That ain’t Good) – Nina Simone
Great stuff. Nina Simone was introduced to me by the soundtrack to the Big Lebowski, and it’s one of my favourites, and Nina has become one of my favourites.
Drizzling rain – Masabumi Kiluchi and Gil Evans
I was thrilled to find this on Spotify because I can’t find it on CD and had to track down a copy on vinyl from eBay. It’s a beauty, and somehow reminds me of the music to Columbo. I don’t know why, but it does. And I thought that a mixtape that, to my mind anyway, takes you from the music to Rocky 3 to music that reminds me of Columbo is a mixtape that takes you on a worthwhile journey.
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