Gems | Playlist 2

Every week, an LP-length playlist of tracks interesting to me just now, complete with track notes.

‘Gems’ is a weekly playlist, the length of a good old-fashioned vinyl album, featuring rock(ish) tracks I’m enjoying at the moment. These may be new, or they may go back years. One of the tracks will usually be from the album I’ll be writing about in the next Monday ‘LP’ post.

Each playlist arrives with track notes, giving the source of the track, the context, and why you should give it some of your precious listening time.

Although you won’t hear it this way (there won’t be vinyl editions of these ‘albums’, clearly) I’ve split the listing into Sides 1 & 2 and sequenced the tracks as I would if this was a physical product. 

‘Gems’. Albums not algorithms. Created on Spotify and never by spotify. 

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Track Notes

Side 1

1. Pretenders - Let the Sun Come In (from ‘Reckless’, 2023)

Somehow Chrissie Hynde and the Pretenders keep sounding as fresh and exciting as ever. This is an upbeat rocker celebrating the joys of an active, extended life (we don’t have to fade to black). When we consider the history of the Pretenders it’s wonderful to hear Hynde still in great voice, still defiant. Original members James Honeyman-Scott and Pete Farnden died in the early eighties, yet the band endures. Even if the only link with the original line up now is Chrissie Hynde, this is still authentically Pretenders.

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2. The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing - Brunel (from ‘This May Be The Reason Why The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing Cannot Be Killed By Conventional Weapons, released 2012). Buy on Bandcamp:

I quoted from Andrew O’Neill’s ‘A History of Heavy Metal’ in my post about ‘Who’s Next’ last week. As well as being a writer, O’Neill is a stand-up comedian and, as here, a guitarist - The Men (no, I’m not typing all that out again) are a steampunk band and this is as lively piece of storytelling about a Victorian engineer as you’ll find - okay, it’s not exactly a crowded genre. 

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3. Britta Pejic - Riffindots (from ‘Latitude Bera’, released 2020) Buy on Bandcamp:

One of the joys of this music writer/Substack adventure is finding people and music that had completely passed me by until now. So here’s

Britta Pejic

, who not only makes excellent music but is influenced by The Who. Not only that, this song is partly about roundabouts, and the city I live close to is notorious for its many roundabouts. More importantly, though, this is a driving rocker that rewards multiple listens.

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4. David Bowie - Song for Bob Dylan (from ‘Hunky Dory’, 1971)

Here’s Bowie writing a song for Bob Dylan. While it’s impossible to mistake the singer for anyone else, it is possible to imagine Dylan singing a cover of this song. He refers to Dylan as being a good friend of Robert Zimmaman, which opens up a discussion about the separation of the rock star persona from the individual in ‘real life’. As well as closing Side 1 of gems, this track carries us forward to Monday’s dive into the classic Bowie album ‘Hunky Dory’.

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Side 2

5. Meer - Picking Up the Pieces (from ‘Playing House’, 2021)

Meer* is a Norwegian “chamber prog octet” (according to Prog Magazine - we need to talk about genres sometime, and the usefulness of labeling) with an excellent song from a superb album. Yes, this was released a couple of years ago and I’m late to the party; I think I saw this recommended in a Facebook group. While it can be challenging to find the time to dive down too many listening rabbit holes, never neglect the fun and rewards to be had by doing so. 

*  Link is to Prog Archives - Meer’s own website was down when I was writing this. 

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6. The Emerald Dawn - A Moment in Time (Extended Version) (from ‘In Time’: buy on Bandcamp:

   An atmospheric single from Emerald Dawn. This is new and deserves to do well for them. Bands are getting creative with their use of streaming, given the returns in terms of royalties are shockingly low. So you will find this on Spotify and Apple Music, but if you want to get the album follow the Bandcamp link. The Emerald Dawn’s Facebook group is called ‘Gems’, but there’s no connection with my playlist (well, apart from this recommendation).

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7. Solstice - Wongle No. 9 (from ‘Light Up’, 2022)

Solstice have had an amazing summer, getting great responses to their festival appearances after releasing the inspired album ‘Light Up’. Their music is a glorious, refreshing, psychedelic blend of influences, with long instrumental passages, including free-flowing lead guitar weaving between celtic rhythms, all punctuated by vocal harmonies. See below for a sample of their live show.

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8. Passenger & Foy Vance - Life’s for the Living (Anniversary Edition) (from ‘All the Little Lights’ Anniversary Edition Deluxe, 2023) 

I still need to hear the full album, and if this song is an indication I should rectify that imminently. This is a re-recording of the original album, released over a decade ago. Making this song a duet with Foy Vance (who I once saw supporting Elton John, and have followed ever since) gives it an added dimension, and provides a really positive closer to this week’s playlist.

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Bonus video - Solstice, ‘Light Up’, Grand Chapel Studios

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Did you enjoy this playlist? Which was your favourite track? I’d love to read your comments!

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See you on Monday with a look at David Bowie’s ‘Hunky Dory’