Tony is joined by Sampler host Nick Bollinger and Mediawatch producer Hayden Donnell to bring you five brand new tunes (and one from the archives).
1. Jed Parsons - 'She’s The One'
Nick: "He's obviously setting out to be a pop craftsman, and he's well on his way. I don't think this is the big one, but he'll get there".
2. The Lemon Twigs - 'No One Holds You Closer (Than The One You Haven't Met)'
Hayden: "To me this sounds like they got Billy Joel and Supertramp and Elton John and kidnapped them all, put them in a lab and harvested their DNA, and made some sort of super-musician out of it, and created this song."
3. Future Islands - 'Thrill'
Tony: "Sam T. Herring is completely for real, he's feeling the music, and I think people can perceive that as ironic or silly, and that's fine. I don't think he cares."
4. Hudson Mohawke - 'Spruce Illest Bumper'
Nick: "Music is environmental, and this is probably not something you'd listen to quietly at home while you're in a contemplative mood. But imagine what this would do for a room full of people in a club. It's fantastic."
5. Chai/ Hinds - 'United Girls Rock N’ Roll Club'
Tony: "They sing in Japanese as well as Spanish on this track, but mostly English, and I think the most pointed line is 'How does it feel to be a girl in a band', which I think is having a go at the music press."
6. Justin Townes Earle - 'Mama’s Eyes' (live at Paste in 2009)
[Justin Townes Earle died on August 20th, aged thirty eight]
Hayden: "This is a song where he's saying 'I've overcome this. I'm moving on'. And it's clear from recent stories and stories throughout his life that he never really could. We're used to these stories of redemption and overcoming, but some stories are just not like that, and they don't have happy endings. Sometimes the best that you can hope for is to amalgamate your trauma and your pain, and make it a part of yourself, and move on regardless."
