I'm a good listener (that's why women love me)

Nylon Magazine's top 5

The Gossip – "Heavy Cross" Signed to a major, best mates with Kate Moss, courted by hot-shot producer/all around legend Rick Rubin…a lot has changed since The Gossip wrote their last record, broke in Portland in the DIY ghetto. Less disco-punk and more disco-fabulous this teaser of a comeback single may be, but even the added sheen can’t tame the tingle you get at the back of your neck every time Beth Ditto as much as exhales. Music For Men? Puhleeease.

Heartbreak – "We’re Back" The disco theme continues, with this steroid injection of uber-glam Italo-house. Some of you will gush, some of you will groan, but all of you should make sure you’ve also scrolled down to the bottom left of the page to watch UK pop starlet Little Boots knocking out her version of "We’re Back" on a piano before you make your mind up.

Your Twenties - "Caught Wheel" Gabriel from Your Twenties is also chief synth-basher in London’s most underrated, ‘lectro-pop combo Metronomy - and if you don’t know who they are, well, consider that a sixth recommendation for free this week. His other band, Your Twenties, are an impossibly cute, four-headed harmonic generator of awesome, bittersweet summertime goodness.

Black Lips and GZA – "The Drop I Hold" Fresh from recording with Osama Bin Laden’s niece (no, really), controversy’s favorite ‘60s garage-rock throwbacks this week unveil their latest collaboration. The Black Lips and Wu Tang’s GZA first drunkenly hooked up together onstage at South By Southwest in March for this grimey but pretty genius cover of a recent Lips track.

Tinted Windows – "Kind Of A Girl" Any band to feature ex-members of Cheap Trick and Hanson is a guaranteed Good Listener inclusion, no matter what it actually ends up sounding like. Add into this super-group James ‘Smashing Pumpkins’ Iha on guitar and Adam Schlesinger from Fountains Of Wayne on bass and….seriously readers, what are you even still doing here? Go check!!!!



My top 5
Leighton Meester - Birthday
Washington Social Club - Diamond Hipster Boy
Black Kids - I'm not gonna teach your boyfriend
The Virgins - Rich girls
Switchfoot - Oh Gravity

plus a mixtape selected by so hot right now White Lies


White Lies are lucky they made a name switch, from the original band moniker Fear of Flying, back in 2007; not only did the change mark an evolution in their music, but made it much easier to justify crossing the Atlantic via airplane for sold-out tours, like they did this spring. No surprise, then, that the British band opted to put together a flight-inspired mixtape. As drummer Jack Lawrence-Brown explains, “This mixtape is comprised of tracks which I like to listen to during all the long haul flying White Lies do at the moment. Some of the songs just sound better at 38,000 feet.” Fear of flying, indeed.

Blonde Redhead – “My Impure Hair”
This song has such a weird quality to it. It glides along on ghostly indecipherable vocals and very delicate guitars, it sounds otherworldly. It has a really relaxing and comforting quality to it, which makes looking out of the window and seeing very little at all feel like a lot fun rather than a seven hour bore.


Spiritualized – “Ladies and Gentlemen We are Floating in Space”
I bought this song/album on iTunes in an airport before a long flight, so the first time I heard it was on an evening flight going back home to London, with the sun setting out my window and three seats to myself due to some miracle of chance. Since then I've never really wanted to listen to it except on planes, and it definitely always sounds better further from the ground.


Talking Heads – “This Must Be the Place (Naïve Melody)”
This song sounds good wherever you hear it, but I love the way it kind of just floats along on it's own steam, not really interested in anything else that’s going on. That's the best way to approach plane journeys.


Secret Machines – “First Wave Intact”
Any song that makes nine minutes shoot by in the blink of an eye, and makes you wanna start it all over again, is fine by me. This is one of my favorite songs ever, and there is rarely a day that passes where I don't listen to it.


School of Seven Bells – “Half Asleep”
This is amazing dream pop, featuring Ben Curtis, previously of the aformentioned Secret Machines. Beautiful melodies and loads of reverb drenched noise puts me in that perfect drowzy plane sleep mode, pretending you're unconscious when they bring round the tray microwaved meal hell so you don’t have to choose.


Belle and Sebastian – “The Boy With the Arab Strap”
Twee music helps keep me happy and calm in stressful situations. This song (and album) recently helped me overcome a journey sat next to very fat man who smelt truly of ass.


The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – “This Love Is Fucking Right”
Okay, so I haven't ever listened to this on a plane, but I only bought it a week ago. When I do eventually get the pleasure to do so, I imagine it's going to be a truly great few minutes of joyous fuzzy pop. Certainly better than watching another movie with Vince Vaughn or Jennifer Aniston (or both - The Break-Up) in it, which is usually what you get unless you're a big deal and can afford Virgin Atlantic.


Asobi Seksu – “Pink Cloud Tracing Paper”
A song that references clouds in the title?! On a plane?! You bet.


Doves – “There Goes the Fear”
This song sounds like a journey. Probably more of a train journey than a plane journey, but I love it either way. Talking of Journeys...


Journey – “Don’t Stop Believing”
Nah, only joking.


Japan – "The Art of Parties"
When traveling East, this track gets me in a Tokyo frame of mind. Lots of weird things going on at the same time.


Mercury Rev – “Holes”
This is maybe my ultimate flying song. It feels like it was written on a plane. Completely effortless and totally epic.


Talk Talk – Spirit of Eden LP
This album is only six (long) tracks, and they all kind of run together like one big song, so I think I can count [it] as one track. I think that's how it should be approached. This album is super minimal but very intricate, and you need time and peace and quiet to really enjoy it, so plane journeys (preferably at night) are ideal.