Song of the Week #51
I got told way way back at university, by another fellow rocker that he had abandoned Spotify in place of a premium Soundcloud account because Spotify kept recycling the same songs to him over and over again. I didn't understand it at the time and until recently, because I kept a varied taste in music, from rap to house, and so my “Daily Mix” playlists created by the platform were always dedicated to a different genre each.
Last year I did notice a bit more of a flaw in the system, having done a run the equivalent distance from my flat in Leeds to Paris over the course of a year, my running playlist consisted therefore of most of my listening for the year (with some reggae mixed in on drives to and from work). As a result, I noticed that the “Daily Drive” playlist would recycle music from my gym playlist continuously (and still does to be fair). Annoying? Yes, but not the end of the world.
This year however, because Alex and I drafted together a little playlist to put on speaker at any gin festivals we attended (mostly filled with rock classics from across the decades), this accumulated the equivalent of 15 hours listening at the Liverpool festival alone. As a result, all my playlists that once ranged from Motown to Hip-hop, now range solely from Iggy Pop to Aerosmith (which is no bad thing, depending who you ask). As a result over most of May I actually haven’t listened to much music - purely because there is no spontaneity in terms of what I am offered. The algorithm clearly states “Wow, this guy has LOVED Guns n Roses this year. He clearly needs more Guns n Roses!” Fair to say it’s getting stale.
So then instead, what music I have listened to recently has been done via having a scroll through some old playlists. It has however, brought up some old favourites, in this case (and for this SOTW) it has been some country music. Seldom listened to in the UK, and not having visited much of the US, I don’t know how truly popular it is over there, I actually used to like a lot of country music. Most of it is very cliché, singing about driving trucks, dusty roads, dustier boots and long-haired women, but occasionally you find a little gem of real musical talent. It was a toss up for this Song of the Week between 2 of my favourite artists. One however, I felt didn’t go with the vibe that this SOTW playlist has built up here at Sinner’s Gin HQ. That artist being Brother Dege - I urge you to check out his album Songs of the American Longhair, its genuinely fantastic.
This SOTW however, belongs to an artist I saw play (somewhat averagely I might add) at Gorilla in Manchester. I often begrudge artists who play an encore for the sake of it, but in contrast Colter Wall after playing the final note of his set was sparking up a cigarette headed for the exit before he was even out of view of the crowd. I said to the friend stood beside me whilst the rest of the crowd remained motionless gawping at the empty stage “lets get this next train mate, he ain’t coming back”.
Regardless, his back catalogue is pretty stupendous, and worth checking out. His deep husky voice is like a modern Johnny Cash, and you’d never tell he was Canadian! This is Snake Mountain Blues - Hope you like it for a change!