Music
Playlist
The Discover Setlist – 14 February
Tune in to what's been playing at Ticketmaster this week – including music from Pavement, Julia Jacklin, Machine Gun Kelly and Andy Shauf
‘Just To Be A Part’ – Julia Jacklin
The road to Julia Jacklin’s next album feels far too long already – with single teases throughout 2020 and 2021 (including her amazing cover of Björk’s ‘Army Of Me’) continuing this week with a cover of Big Thief’s ‘Paul’ and this incredible take on Bill Fay’s ‘Just To Be A Part’. Listen to the B-side to hear Fay’s underappreciated original and compare with the sadder soar of Jacklin’s amazing voice – easily the best yearn around. PB
‘Something’s Going On’ – KOKOROKO
It’s no secret that London jazz scene has been prime real estate for several years now; a hornucopia for music fans to pick at, no doubt, but one that must be competitive to cut through as a new act. KOKOROKO’s 2019 wistful masterpiece ‘Abussey Junction’ fast-tracked the eight-piece with force, but with new single ‘Something’s Going On’ we hear an almost psychedelic sway punctuated by grit and groove. JB
‘emo girl’ – Machine Gun Kelly ft. WILLOW
Machine Gun Kelly’s latest release was bound to catch people’s attention thanks to his ever-growing celebrity status, a verse from WILLOW and 17 million views before it was ever released. Teasing the track on TikTok weeks before it’s official release, Kelly also shared that he had teamed up with friend, drummer and producer, Travis Barker. Speaking as someone who bathed in 00s punk music, this tracks hits all the right notes for me… despite debates in Ticketmaster HQ about whether MGK can be classed as emo. OC
‘Ain’t That Enough’ – Teenage Fanclub
My 5-year-old son has recently caught my Teenage Fanclub bug, which fills me with joy. Last Sunday, while I was playing this – the Fannies at their Byrds-esque peak – on an acoustic guitar, he went and got a plastic drum and started bashing along with me. It was a moment of unbridled joy and pride that has me now working on getting his sister up to speed on the bass. MG
‘Jacob Rose’ – Andy Shauf
The introverted and observational style of Andy Shauf’s songwriting takes another pleasingly lulling turn on ‘Jacob Rose’, the accompanying track to new single ‘Satan’, in spite of the slightly ominous desires of the character at its centre. It’s that Saskatchewan lilt… JB
‘she’s all i wanna be’ – Tate McRae
Canadian singer Tate McRae has been in the public eye since the age of 13 and despite being only 18 now, she’s managed to fit in a lot since we were first introduced to her. Songs such as ‘One Day’, ‘You Broke Me First’ and ‘You’ helped land her a spot on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list in 2020 – the youngest musician to ever feature – and now she’s back with another earworm. And she’s not even released her debut album yet! OC
‘Date w/IKEA’ – Pavement
Spiral Stairs has long been the unshowy secret weapon in Pavement’s arsenal. Nowhere has this been more evident than this highlight from Brighten The Corners, 25 years old this month. His guitar work jangles and crunches in all the right place, while his vocal delivery has an urgency that is decidedly un-Pavementish. MG
‘Wanna Kiss’ – Hitomi Tohyama
Every now again I find myself lost in the metropolitan bustle of city pop – late 70s and 80s Japanese pop that flirted with smooth groove, lounge jazz, funk and AOR. Over the last ten years, reissues have brought artists including Tatsuro Yamashita and Yasuko Agawa out of obscurity. This 2021 reissue of Hitomi Tohyama’s 1983 Sexy Robot highlights some of the singer’s future funk classics, and ‘Wanna Kiss’ has got to be one of the best. JB
‘Supercut’ – Lorde
Last week, I rewatched Netflix’s Someone Great – a film I loved just as much as I did upon its release in 2019 – and was reminded of a song that I couldn’t Shazam quickly enough the first time around. While Lizzo’s ‘Truth Hurts’ rocketed back up the charts after the film’s release and was impossible to get out of your head after hearing it, it was Lorde’s ‘Supercut’ that really pulled on my heartstrings… and still does over two years after first hearing it. OC
‘Olympic Sprinter’ – Best Bets
You’ve got to love a song that shouts “CHORUS” right before the chorus. It’s the musical equivalent of Matt Berry shouting “BAT” every time he turns into a bat on What We Do In The Shadows. This quartet from Aotearoa, NZ landing in that sweet spot between power pop and pop punk that also houses The Buzzcocks and White Reaper. What a place to land. MG
Hear February’s full Discover Setlist below:
Tickets are on sale now or soon for many of the names on this week’s list at ticketmaster.co.uk. Check back next week to listen to another Discover Setlist.
