As the year draws to a close, I am preparing my final favourite tracks I have loved this year and drawing the written version of On Repeat to a close. Here are November’s favourite tracks:
English Teacher – R&B – First up for November is from a Leeds originating band called English Teacher. Their song R&B was released as a single in April 2021 and is about impressions people have on artists based solely upon appearance. The song is sang by lead singer Lily Fontaine with the remaining members providing backing vocals alongside initially interlocking guitar and tight rhythm before the energy is switched up with nerve shredding riffs.
Fontaines D.C – I Love You – A band I have fell in love with in the past few months is Dublin’s Fontaines D.C. They are definitely one of the best indie bands of this generation, with three incredible albums already in their catalogue. I Love You is from their latest album, Skinty Fia released in April this year. I saw them play at Leeds Festival this August and I specifically remember them playing this song which I think is my favourite of theirs so this moment in the setlist really stands out for me, this sparked my urge to listen to them more. It opens with some stunning guitar shortly followed by Grian Chatten’s vocals featuring his alluringly beautiful Irish accent. Whilst its not a love song, it certainly is a passionate perspective of the current state of affairs and political climate
Viagra Boys – Sports – Another band I have discovered lately and am really enjoying is Sweden’s Viagra Boys, who are an alternative, post-punk band who first formed in 2016. Sports is from their 2018 debut album, Street Worms. The song is a parody of hypermasculinity displayed by men when playing or talking about sports; within the narrative of the song there is a beach party going on with frontman Sebastian Murphy throwing out various types of balls used for sports, party-goers are eating hot dogs, smoking cigarettes and dope. Meanwhile the music grows with the tension, with vocals becoming increasingly deranged with Murphy screaming out “sports” as though clinging on to his manhood for dear life.
Jeff Buckley – Nightmares By The Sea – One of my favourite musical discoveries this year has been Jeff Buckley. Of course I have always known of him and his incredible cover of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah but this year I have really listened to his work and explored his creations. Nightmares By The Sea comes from the 1998 compilation album Sketches for My Sweetheart The Drunk, released a year after his death. The album features recordings he made in 1996 and 1997 as well as alternative mixes and demos. The song opens with eerie guitar which matches up with the vocal themes in the song. As well as his incredible voice, Jeff’s guitar playing is nothing to shy away from, some fantastic arrangements on so many if not all of his releases.
Porij – Figure Skating – The first dance release for November is Manchester’s Porij with Figure Skating, a lovely little bit of liquid drum and bass supported by sweet vocals from Eggy. The track was released in February this year as a single and is about “intimacy and sensuality in moments that aren’t overtly sexual” the band explained in an interview with NME. I really like this track as it clearly shows the band’s ability to experiment with other genres and it is something other bands and artists out there should admire and maybe even try themselves.
Mick Jagger – Gotta Get A Grip (Kevin Parker Remix) – It took me until I was 23 to like The Rolling Stones, and much to my surprise I even came across this Kevin Parker (Tame Impala) remix of Mick Jagger’s solo song, Gotta Get A Grip. The original version was released in 2017 as part of a 2 track single, alongside England Lost which featured Skepta. The remixed versions then followed shortly after with editions from Kevin Parker, Seeb, Alok and Matt Clifford. For his remix, Parker added fuzzed out guitar and his signature reverb to create a grittier, even more rock and roll version of the song.
PJ Harvey – Big Exit – I have also started listening to PJ Harvey throughout November, all thanks to me rewatching Gilmore Girls on Netflix. In an episode, Tristan buys Rory tickets to PJ Harvey’s concert in the hope he would go with her on a date (just for some context no one asked for). I’d heard of PJ Harvey before and I’m familiar with her work with Radiohead’s Thom Yorke but had never really listened until now. Big Exit is from her 2000 album, Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea, which was inspired by her time within New York City.
IDLES – When The Lights Come On – Here is another IDLES song, who I have featured in September’s edition with Samaritans. Just like Fontaines D.C, they’re another band I have really become a fan of this year. When The Lights Come On is the third track on their 2021 album Crawler, and is about vocalist Joe Talbot’s memories of being the last man standing at gatherings or nights out where alcohol and drugs are involved.
Joy Orbison, Overmono – Bromley – I went to Eat Your Own Ears at Warehouse Project this November and saw both Joy Orbison and Overmono for the second time. During their set, Overmono lightly teased Bromley, a collaboration produced by both artists in 2019, released on XL Recordings. For the most part of the track, not a lot happens. There is a lack of climatic moments and is mainly monotonous and repetitive, however fast forward to 3 minutes and 43 seconds into the song, this all changes. The beat drops and an unbidden vocal sample breaks through of “say it yeah”. The vocal lick returns throughout several times towards the end of the track and each time it appears it remains as startling as the first time you hear it. The sudden switch up in the track makes all the difference, the whole track almost feels like a hallucination. It is a staple British underground dance track, now loved by many.
Turnover – New Scream – The final track for November is from Virginian band Turnover. New Scream is the second track on their 2015 album Peripheral Vision, which had me and any other person into alternative “emo” dream pop in an absolute chokehold at the time of its release. The album is a timeless classic, it is both lyrically and musically so beautiful and will have a place in my heart forever. New Scream is one of the more underrated tracks on the album in my opinion, it feels like a breath of fresh air, even with how miserable the lyrics are on this song and the rest of Peripheral Vision. This album saw me through one of the darkest times in my life and whenever I listen to it, it feels like reuniting with a friend you haven’t seen in a while. I always turn to this album in the Autumn time, so for that reason it felt wrong to not include at least one song in the On Repeat Series.
That is it for November’s tracks, thank you so much for reading. As always, all ten tracks can be found and listened to in The Ruthless Raver Spotify playlist below:
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