THE PLAYLIST #16 | THAT SNAAKE and music that writes itself. Kinda.
Welcome to THE PLAYLIST, where HeadStuff staff and friends siphon through exciting art to craft essential listening experiences you didn’t know you needed. Next up, scuzzy recessionary degenerate post-punk slacker rockers THAT SNAAKE of County Mayo fame get all meta up in this.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The band play The Bernard Shaw TONIGHT Thursday December 8 FOR FREE so go and see them, yeah?
Songs about music is a sketchy area. It’s a sub-genre that has provided the eternal garbage of ‘These Words’ by Daniel Bedingfield’s sister [ED NOTE: LEGIT THE WORST SONG EVER RECORDED AND RELEASED] and ‘Do The Rock n’ Roll All Day Til You Can’t Rock No More’ by KISS.
When we wrote our last single ‘Scofflaw // Sisyphus’ we decided to aim slightly higher and made a palatable song about Nialler9’s stupid holiday photos and cannibalising Damien Rice.
Sounds good, eh?
Answer: No.
You should probably check out these songs about songs instead though…
[arve url=”"]
The Breeders [p[pictured above]�� ‘Put On A Side’
Me and Dónal [W[Walsh, drums]re both a bit obsessed with Title Tk. Kim Deal is a master of abstract brevity. Simple, weird images that immerse you completely. Steve Albini says that the original analogue master of this is the greatest rock album of all time, but he says a lot of things that aren’t true.
Suicide – ‘Fast Money Music’
Those weird dystopian synths, relentless drum machines and Alan Vega’s weird distorted Elvis-impersonator voice make this the ultimate cash grab pop hit from another dimension.
The Fall – ‘Fortress/Deer Park’
BBC discussion shows led by a lefty theatre troop, the [b[barely]edacted reference to Jimmy Saville getting fucked in the toilets, fat Captain Beefheart imitators with zits. What’s not to love?
Ornette Coleman – ‘Eventually’
Not strictly about music, rather music that is so about itself that it’s practiacally a meta-album. The oldest track here, because this is where music started. Ground Zero, lads. The point music folded in on itself, stared itself in the eye and winked. The album is called The Shape of Jazz To Come for fuck sake.
No Monster Club – ‘I’ve Retired’
I probably can’t say what band this song is about, but I can confirm they are shite.
Frank Zappa/Mothers of Invention – ‘Who Needs The Peace Corps’
Honestly, hippies are the worst. Fair play to the lifers – keep chill, do some drugs, move out to the country. That’s all groovy. But if your band manager plays djembe and you met him out the back of Sweeneys – shoot them in the head. The world will give you a medal.
Fugazi – ‘Target’
Fugazi know what being a band is about. I mean, did you ever see that load-out diagram in Instrument? Fucking sexy. Also. Guy Picciotto is one of the few people who can utter “I realise that I hate the sound of guitars – a thousand grudging young millionaires” with impunity.
Public Enemy – ‘What You Gonna Do Now’
Chuck D in full kids-these-days mode. I doubt the gangsta rappers of the day cared what our Carlton had to say, but the emotional impact of the whole end section is something that blows my mind every time.
Blakfish – ‘Ringo Starr – 2nd Best Drummer In The Beatles’
The whole Richter Collective scene was really important when I was starting out in bands. Mick Roe from Adebisi Shank was the first to bring Blakfish over and they made a big impact on the DIY scene around me at the time. They split into &U&I around the same time Richter imploded and half the musicians I know emigrated. You can precisely work out the date because it contains the phrase “nu-rave techno”.
Future of the Left – ‘How To Spot a Record Company’
Andrew Falkous has a knack for words. His lyric sheets are like an Armando Iannucci script put through a blender then glued back together with the adhesive quality of pure spite.
Dead Kennedys – ‘Pull My Strings’
Before Nirvana was doing the “play-a-bit-of-the-hit-song-then-stop-and-play-a-different-song-that-you-weren’t-supposed-to-play” thing, Dead Kennedys were doing the “play-a-bit-of-the-hit-song-then-stop-and-play-a-different-song-that-you-weren’t-supposed-to-play”.
So Cow – ‘Shackleton’
So Cow writes a song about a better song he tried to write and it’s probably one of his best songs. That takes some class.
The Band – ‘Stage Fright’
I’m not sure what my favourite thing about The Last Waltz is but it’s a toss up between Van Morrison’s jumpsuit and the fact that they invented technology to edit all the cocaine off Neil Young’s face.
Danny Brown – ’30’
These days, I don’t really listen to rock music, instead opting for hip-hop. I mean, why care about yer lad from Future Islands dancing around to distract from the fact they sound like Dire Straits when Gunplay is out there pistol whipping accountants and Danny Brown is demolishing music itself? XXX was a landmark and ’30’ is a full-on statement of intent. If you don’t have this level of passion you have no business playing music. Plus, it shows it’s always good to start on a dick joke.
