A little jess locke
MELBOURNE MUSO JESS LOCKE.
CRACKER FIRST TRACK: “Forgiven/forgotten” – Angel Olsen. Unapologetic start. Thick bass. Punchy drums. Grungy vocals.
All while remaining nonchalant, and it’s over before it’s begun. The perfect way to start a mixtape.
BEST MAKEOUT TRACK: “We’ll Be Turned On” – Eddy Current Suppression Ring. So many songs are about the complexities and compromises of love; the passion and the heartbreak. This is the opposite: it’s raw, innocent and fun, and the lyrics are totally spot on and unpretentious. It’s all the best parts about being young and broke and living in a sharehouse.
FEEL-GOOD HIT FOR SUMMER: “Island in the Sun” – Weezer.
The summer song of all summer songs. Even if, like me, you tend to gravitate towards the melancholic more than the feel-good, you can’t help but feel like you’re being swept away to a tropical paradise when you hear it. And just when you're getting a bit too relaxed, the bridge comes in and satisfies any desires you might have for rock guitars.
SONG TO IMPRESS WITH YOUR OBSCURE MUSICAL KNOWLEDGE: “Werewolf” – Michael Hurley. I would never presume to be able to impress anyone with my musical knowledge, but this is one of those songs where you discover the original after loving the cover. I’m a huge Cat Power fan and I’ve always loved her version of “Werewolf”. When I found out it was written by Michael Hurley and heard his rendition, I was excited, because it’s rare to hear two versions of a song that are equally great but very different.
HEAD-BANGING/FIST-PUMPING CLASSIC: “Killing In The Name Of” – Rage Against The Machine. This one’s been revving up teenagers since 1992, and it shows absolutely no signs of slowing down. It reminds me of sitting on the bus to school, listening to my Discman, brooding about life.
TRACK TO HAVE YOU REACHING FOR THE KLEENEX: “I Didn’t Understand” – Elliott Smith. This song just kills me. The harmonies are beautiful and Elliott’s sometimes wavering voice makes it all the more heartbreaking.
ULTIMATE HAIRBRUSH MIC KARAOKE TUNE: “Jóga” – Björk. Björk’s voice is so original, and the vocal melodies are really the driving force behind her songs. Listening to this gets me excited about the voice as an instrument, and amazed at what she’s able to express with hers.
TRACK TO INSPIRE A MASS HOEDOWN: “Fever” – Blake Scott. The best songs are the ones that get you in the head and gut at the same time. I heard this one day and just couldn’t stop listening to it. The music is so slick and the whole thing has so much freakin’ personality, you can’t help but start nodding your head, while also wanting to know more about the story.
TUNE FOR QUIET TIME ON THE ROAD: “Revelator” – Gillian Welch. So many of Gillian Welch’s songs are about being on the road, thinking about another place, about the past, about people coming and going. This one’s no exception. A lonely song for a lonely drive.
IF YOU’RE NOT INTO THIS SONG YOU’RE NOT MY FRIEND: “All I Wanna Do” – Sheryl Crow. I don’t pick my friends based on their taste in music, but I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t love this song. When I was a kid, I managed to record it off the radio onto cassette. I can’t help hearing this song and feeling like I’m eight years old, dancing in my bedroom.
BEST TRACK TO FINISH WITH AN ALMIGHTY BANG: “God” – John Lennon. “The dream is over” – how better to end a mixtape? We’ve all had a nice time, but let’s be serious for a minute. Let’s talk candidly about the illusive nature of reality, accept that much of what we take to be true is a fantasy, then go about our days anyway.