Me and My Big Mouth Record Club

1.    Korean War Memorial – Princeton

I lived with one of the twins from this band for a year. His bedroom was right underneath mine and he used to practice every night, at gig volume, until the early hours of the morning. In remembrance of a year’s lost sleep…

 2.    Everything Reminds Me of You – Emmy the Great

‘Oh but the fire will carry less higher in time.’ What great lyrics.

3.    You Remind Me Of Something (The Glory Goes) – Bonnie “Prince” Billy

Scott, I think perhaps Bonnie “Prince” Billy’s beard is something for you to aim for.

4.    Moments Last Forever – Drever, McCusker, Woomble

These guys recorded their album over 7 afternoons and demo’ed it on a latop. It’s one of my favourites this year.

5.    Remember Me – The Zutons

There had to be something a bit upbeat on here…

6.    This is Just a Modern Rock Song – Belle & Sebastian

This is just a sorry lament.

7.    For Emma – Bon Iver

No, this isn’t on here because it contains my name. Reeling from the break-up of his long-time band, Justin Vernon moved to a remote cabin deep in the woods of Northwestern Wisconsin for 4 months. The album this is taken from was the result.

8.    Remember Me – British Sea Power

Upbeat, yet about the decline into old age…

9.    Anthems for a Seventeen-Year-Old Girl – Broken Social Scene

I’m sure there’s a very tragic story behind this, but I can’t remember what it is.

10.    Memorial – Explosions in the Sky

This band garnered some media attention with their second album due to rumours linking it to the September 11 attacks. The album art shows an aeroplane with the caption ‘This plane will crash tomorrow.’  There were false reports that the last track’s title was the same as the caption, and that the album was released on September 10, 2001 (The concept had actually originated in 2000, and the album was released in August 2001). Bassist Michael James was detained in an airport as a threat to security, and had to explain why his guitar had the words ‘this plane will crash tomorrow’ written on it.

11.    Long Live The Queen – Frank Turner

This track was released as a benefit single for the Breast Cancer Campaign, in memory of a close friend Turner lost to the disease

12.    Gravestones – Monkey Swallows the Universe

There’s nothing worse than to not know.

13.    Every Line of A Long Moment – Roddy Woomble

I still can’t quite believe such great folk can come out of the lead singer of Idlewild, so Woomble is making a second appearance on this disc… (Plus he has a pretty awesome name)

14.    There is a Light That Never Goes Out – The Smiths

An obvious choice I know. But my cousin died in Toronto a few years ago…very shortly afterwards the entire Eastern seaboard had a power cut. It turned out to be the second most widespread blackout in history. So this is his song.

An interesting one this, and ideal for mulling over in the period between Hallowe’en and Remembrance Day.

1. Daddy’s Gone – Glasvegas. Well then!  Let the angst commence!

2. Love Is Stronger Than Death – The The. Written after the death of his brother.

3. My Culture – 1 Giant Leap. Included mostly for the idea of culture being remembrance of our ancestors, and the spoken word sample from the Maori guy at the start; not really for the bit where Robbie Williams turns up and moans about his dad.

4. Flushed Chest – Joan As Policewoman. Written about her late boyfriend Jeff Buckley (who wrote ‘Everybody Here Wants You’ about her).

5. Needle & The Damage Done (Unplugged) – Neil Young. I realised as I was making this compilation that it includes a lot of musicians that cause my better half to get up and leave the room.  Embracing that theme completely, I have added some Neil Young.

6. An Irish Airman Forsees His Death – Shane MacGowan. Words by W.B. Yeats, of course.  I still haven’t recovered from learning that Shane MacGowan is (a) English, and (b) a public schoolboy.

7. Lay Me Low – Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds. Here Nick laments himself.  Of course these days it’s not about “informative six page features” when you go, it’s all about getting your own hashtag.

8. Flowers Grave – Tom Waits. Here iTunes antagonises my inner pedant by not including an apostrophe in the title, a situation made worse by my inability to decide if the ‘flowers’ is intended as singular or plural.

9. Death Is A Disease – Clint Mansell/Kronos Quartet. From the soundtrack to The Fountain.

10. Memorial – Michael Nyman. From the soundtrack to The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover, a film which I have not seen for nearly twenty years but which I suspect has not aged well.

11. I Can Remember This Life – Julian Cope. Make of this one what you will!

12. New Grass – Talk Talk. I don’t think I have ever heard anything else remotely like this.

13. There Is No Death And There Are No Dead – Cadaverous Condition. Really, there is no excuse for not including any Scandinavian Black Metal on a compilation such is this.  ‘There Is No Death And There Are No Dead’ is a title that will one day be stolen for a novel, mark my words.

OK, I have made a bit more of an effort for this one and haven’t just gone for songs with the theme in the title.

Noah & The Whale – The First Days Of Spring. Their entire new album is basically a eulogy for the lead singer’s relationship with Laura Marling. This is a very good track to start any CD with.

The Delgados – The Past That Suits You Best. OK, perhaps some of the songs are on here because the titles fit.

Hello Saferide – Lund. Hello Saferide are my current obsession. I am staggered at how good the lyrics are, especially when you consider that English is not her first language (she’s Swedish). This is a wonderful evocation of teenage heartbreak.

Arvo Part – Cantus In Memoriam Benjamin Britten. Well, it is in memoriam so perfect. Takes while to get going so don’t be put off by the quiet start.

Band Of Horses – Funeral. A great band that should be huge.

Stina Nordenstam – The End Of The Affair. Ahh, you knew I’d have to put some Stina on, didn’t you?

Bic Runga – And No More Shall We Part. Bic is from New Zealand and this is a live version of a Nick Cave song with orchestral backing. Lovely.

Big Star – Thirteen. Because it reminds me of what my teenage years might have been like if I had gone to an American high school. Which I didn’t.

Laura Marling – Ghosts. Got to allow her a response to Noah & The Whale.

Gabriel Yared – C’est Le Vent, Betty. From Betty Blue. Ahh, the memories.

Dot Allison – Tomorrow Never Comes. I have basically included music that makes me think back. This is one song that does that every time.

Edie Brickell & New Bohemians – Ghost Of A Dog. One for all you animal lovers out there.

Nina Kinert – Memories Fading Out. More from Scandinavia.

The Go-Betweens – Dusty In Here. Written by Grant McLennan about going through his father’s things.

Hilliard Ensemble – Requiem Aeternam. Adding a bit of class.

Joni Mitchell – The Last Time I Saw Richard. Sort of fits the theme, I think.

Susanna & The Magical Orchestra – Love Will Tear Us Apart. For all sorts of reasons.

So, there you go. Not the happiest bunch of songs but hopefully will get you thinking.

1. Enya – Miss Clare Remembers
2. Angelite & Huun-Huur-Tu – Fly, Fly My Sadness
3. Sting – Soul Cake
4. Nick drake – Try to Remember
5. Portishead – Half Day Closing
6. Aeone – I will Remember you Still
7. John Patitucci – Remembrance
8. Kate Bush – The Man I Love
9. Hanne Hukkelberg – Break My Body
10. Leslie Hutchinson – All I do is Dream of You
11. Stephane Grapelli – I’ll Never be the Same
12. King Crimson – The Night Watch
13. P J Harvey – The Darker Days of Me and You
14. Nick Drake – Day is Done
15. Lisa Gerrard – Immortal Memory