They revel in downbeat drudgery but ahead of Wild Beasts’ Splendour sideshows in both Melbourne and Sydney, Pedestrian asked the UK quartet to compile their ultimate party mixtape. Below is 20 tracks they’ll never get sick of hearing and a brief reason why. Tyler, the Creator, Talking Heads and Aphex Twin all make the cut but which is the only artist to appear twice? Find out below…
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1) Aphex Twin – “On” ” A scattering electronic synth and a trademark breakbeat make this one of his more accessible numbers (Chris).
2) Bjork – “Aurora” ” My favourite track of hers. From the sound of walking in the snow at the beginning to the line “I wish to melt into you”. Beautiful. (Tom)
3) Boris – “Farewell” ” A gentle starter that suddenly descends into pure white noise abstraction. (Benny)
4) Oneohtrix Point Never – “Stress Waves” ” Lush, immersive and maze like. It moves at a depth that is almost unconscious. (Hayden)
5) Talk Talk – “The Rainbow” ” An air of accidental perfection carries throughout. Just when it seems to be collapsing under it’s own weight the song swells into a blissed out crescendo. Stunning. (Chris)
6) Gang Gang Dance – “Untitled (Piano)” ” They have a way with melody, not that they’d ever admit it. I love the stasis. (Tom)
7) Austra – “Beat And The Pulse” ” Propelled by hypnotic drums and melodic synth arpeggios, with a haunting hook that gets under the skin. (Benny)
8) The Field – “From Here We Go Sublime” ” Like a pop song that has been smashed on the floor and glued back together. Kaleidoscopic. (Hayden)
9) Salem – “King Night” ” High octane instrumental. Much prefer this to their more wordy numbers. (Chris)
10) Tyler, the Creator – “French” ” Another winning introduction. An early indication that we might have a new generation upon us. (Tom)
11) Talking Heads – This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody) ” Rhythmically it’s a driving force, but at the same time somehow gets the balance just right by feeling raw and exposed. (Benny)
12) Kanye West – “Hell Of A Life” ” An audacious way to open any album. Vernon also gives a masterclass. (Hayden)
13) Tyler the Creator – “Bastard” ” Brutal, offensive and quick witted, this isn’t for the faint hearted. (Chris)
14) Tom Waits – “Underground” ” One from my youth, still one of the best introductions to a musician I’ve ever had. A master arranger. (Tom)
15) Nick Cave & Warren Ellis – “Martha’s Dream” ” Great atmosphere with a stunning violin performance. (Benny)
16) Portishead – “We Carry On” ” Intense and unrelenting, gorgeous production that seems to unravel new threads on every fresh listen. (Hayden)
17) The National – “Runaway” ” One of my favourite bands of the last couple of years, it was a pleasure to catch them on the same festival bill several times last Summer. This was their set opener, a gentle way to greet the masses. (Chris)
18) Josh T. Pearson – “Woman, When I’ve Raised Hell” ” We’re crowded with bass frequencies, software, compression. This is in direct contrast, barely finished, barely there, very beautiful. (Tom)
19) Grouper – “Heavy Water/I’d Rater Be Sleeping” ” Stripped back, wonderfully simple and very sleepy. Not a song to listen to whilst operating heavy machinery, but when all is still it’s perfect. (Benny)
20) Fuck Buttons – “The Lisbon Maru” ” Up music if there ever was such a thing. Strides with a beautiful swagger. Deafening but delicate, if that makes any sense. (Hayden)
Title Image Provided by Wild Beasts
