The Walkmen - The Rat

Intense and fierce rock n roll full of anger, hurt and regret. Screaming at a world that doesn't make sense - a realisation that life  has passed you by. Released 2004. Probably the best thing The Walkmen ever did... 

Magazine - Shot by both sides

Worm your way into the heart of the crowd and then see how it all feels. Angry and alienated English post-punk goodness from Magazine's Howard Devoto. Track released 1978.

Lala Lala - Destroyer

'You are the reason my heart broke behind my back', sings Chicago-based artist Lillie West as Lala Lala. No frills, vulnerable and trying to make sense of the world...something there for all of us...Released 2018.

Mission of Burma - That's when I reach for my revolver

Signature tune from post punk rockers Mission of Burma. Released 1981 on the band's Signals, Calls and Marches EP. Potent. Urgent. Vital. Covered (poorly) by Moby in 1996.

Galaxie 500 - Strange

Part of the American slowcore scene, Galaxie 500 tracks can be pretty languid lo-fi affairs - as well as a bit rough around the edges. In 'Strange' vocalist Dean Wareham wails his way trough an innocuous trip to the drugstore, turning it into something more. Released 1989.

Perfect Moment - Lost in Rome

Alex Gow is Perfect Moment and with 'Lost in Rome' delivers the perfect alt-pop synth stunner. Happy song, sad song, red pill, blue pill - still not sure which way this track takes me...

Highspire - Skies you climb

Highspire? These sonic shoegazers never made it big but easily could have. This touching number is infused with loss, pain and poignant regret - "The skies you climb that once were mine / I'll meet you here back where ashes lie." From the 2003 album 'Your everything'.

Panic Shack - I Don't Really Like It

Newish punk stuff from newish band 'Panic Shack'. Racing guitars and drums, and the perfect refrain for those of us who really don't like being talked down to, whatever your gender. 

Sad Day For Puppets - Mother's Tears

Fuzz and dreamy haze sit at the core of this Swedish indie-pop stunner. Softly sung vocals from Anna Eklund wash through it all with a down-hearted and slightly desolate air. Better times are past and not ahead. Released 2008.

Seam - The Wild Cat

Hailing from Chapel Hill (North Carolina) which is apparently a 'thing' when it comes to the early 90s US alt scene, Seam are pure indie rock with a reasonable dash of melancholic, lost love sadness thrown into the mix. Lots of good tracks from the album 'The Problem With Me' released in 1993 - this track - one of their slower-paced and more downcast numbers...  

Astro Children - Beneath the Visible Surface

A haunting and harmonic slow burner from Dunedin band Astro Children (released 2018). A track to fly you away from the craziness of the every day - the song's slow and regular tempo opening the door to a reflective and meditative state. Satisfying and more...