MEMORIALS - Further Listening Playlist
A seismic, cinematic double dose from two sonic veterans with previous in Wire, Electrelane, and Better Corners. MEMORIALS’ kaleidoscopic debut covers broad musical territory, encompassing protest songs, fuzz-flooded pop, searing drone, and psychedelic freakouts whilst carving out a sound that is uniquely their own.
Both halves of this dynamic double album were originally conceived as individual film soundtracks but once the multi-instrumental duo of Verity Susan & Matthew Simms brought ‘Music For Film’ into a live space, the desire to shape it into a cohesive whole was more than they could resist. The resulting, intoxicating, musical odyssey can be viewed independently from the associated films and stands proudly as an ambitious artistic statement.
BUY: Music For Film: Tramps! & Women Against The Bomb HERE
Influences on album
Verity:
Anne Briggs - Sandman’s Song
Women Against The Bomb has a lot of English folk influences, bringing to life the sound of the women singing together at Greenham Common. Anne Briggs has a direct, uninhibited and unaffected way of singing that I’ve found really inspiring.
Martha & The Muffins - Echo Beach
I’ve loved this song forever and it’s been very influential over the years. It had quite a specific influence on this record - I had the sound and grooviness of the keyboards in mind as something to aim for while working on the song It’s In Our Hands.
Matthew:
The Smiths - Cemetery Gates
Referencing the sound of music being made at the time, this band was one of the first that sprang to mind as their records have been some of my favourites for a long time.
Can - Mushroom
Everything is better with Can! While not an obvious reference to the death of punk, and the birth of the new romantics in the late ’70s, their DIY experimentalism was something the crossed over and leant itself nicely to our work.
Current favourites
Verity:
Catalogue: Khomeiny Twist
Not a new song but a new one to me. The sound engineer at our recent Brighton gig played it as we were setting up our equipment, and it was one of those stop you in your tracks moments - when you hear something that is right on your wavelength and feel an immediate connection.
Blur: The Narcissist
I’m a Blur fan, what can I say? And this song is up there with their best. It also reminds me of happy times on the Memorials tour we just did, as we blasted it on the car stereo driving late at night after a gig, the day it came out.
Matthew:
Horselords: May Brigade
Forward thinking, fun, groovy in a non-groovy way, noisy, melodic & excellent!
Bitchin Bajas: Amorpha
I bought this record in your shop! I loved this band around 10(?) years ago when it felt like they had a new and exciting record out all the time and nobody else knew about them and then it seemed to go quiet and all of a sudden, everyone is talking about them! But they are playing a festival alongside us in November and I can’t wait to finally see them play live.
All time favourites
Verity:
Curtis Mayfield - Move On Up (Extended Version)
I never get tired of listening to this song - I love everything about it. The horn section riff is insanely catchy and I love the prominence it is given, easily as important to the song as the vocal. The arrangement is brilliant, percussion and strings are off the charts, and the musicians together create an incredible groove. Plus a sax solo at the end to top it all off! It’s also my absolute favourite song to dance to.
Dory Previn - The Lady With The Braid
This song is fascinating and so cleverly constructed, both lyrically and musically: the way she conveys her introspection and the moods she moves through in a way that is intimate and particular, and at the same time relatable and universal. It has a heartbreaking power, the sort of song that captures a feeling so well it can make you catch your breath. Stunning, even after many, many listens!
Matthew:
Kevin Ayers: Whatevershebringswesing
I don’t know how to sum up how much I love his music but lucky for me, I don’t have to, just enjoy it!
Tortoise: Speakeasy
Standards came out when I was 14 and had a huge impact on me. My dad and I were in Beano’s in Croydon and picked up the CD as a new release, I remember loving the artwork before I’d heard anything and then playing it on the drive home. I remember it all vividly. It opened my ears up to so much, the mix of styles, the production, the variation, the playing! I even managed to get my school jazz band to play Seneca, which was entertaining to discuss with John McEntire a few years back.
BUY: Music For Film: Tramps! & Women Against The Bomb HERE