Today is the turn of Jamie Halliday, the man behind Audio Antihero and thus one of the main reasons we’ve been graced with great music from Frog, Benjamin Shaw and, most recently, CHUCK.

Welcome to Danger Town, Population: You

by Jamie Halliday

Song with a name in the title

Bruce Springsteen – Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)

This is THE song with a name in the title. Bruce Springsteen is always good, great, whatever but I like him most from ‘73-’78. These were the years of hope, doubt and desperation and in my mind that’s what music was made for. I love how he took what should probably have been 3-minutes of goofy fun and turned into a seven-minute party. Throw this baby on and within a few moments the whole world is in love with Rosie. Except me, I’m happily fucking married.

Song that reminds you of being somewhere awful

The Blue Nile – Tinseltown in the Rain

I hated my job. I hated it so much that I still kinda keep tabs on the people I worked with, so that I can hate them from afar. Hate is destructive and terrible, hate is the last thing 2016 needs more of. But I have some hate.

The Blue Nile’s A Walk Across the Rooftops was a record that got played a lot in that office. By a guy I hated. I remember saying it sounded like Talking Heads without any melody or ideas. Not sure why. But it was a big time grower and I used it to faux-connect with my Scottish roots by dueting this bad boy with the other (and far more legit) Scot in the office. This song reminds me of trying to make the most of being in a bad place, which might be what the band intended.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTMyr9x6ZPU

Song for the sunniest day of the year

Afghan Whigs – John the Baptist

I used to be a goth, I don’t enjoy the sun. But when I was a wee bit better looking, I used to hit the streets (I.E walk to a train station, maybe go somewhere nice for lunch and a read) to the bright sounds of 1965 by The Afghan Whigs. So, I think this is a pretty good call. “John the Baptist” is comically sexy.

Song from at least ten years ago

Fear of Pop – In Love

This is my favourite song of all time. I try and sneak it into every playlist in the world. Listen to it once, listen to it one thousand times, you’ll keep finding new things to think about. On “In Love”, William Shatner represents every shitbag you’ve ever been and every shitbag you may still become. It’s a joke and it’s a warning. I’ve liked, loved and disliked Ben Folds but this is always my favourite thing. I don’t think many people like the records I release, but it’d be an okay consolation prize if I could get a few people to accidentally hear this song.

“So now you have me completely figured out. You feel sorry for me, I can’t express my feelings, I can’t tell the truth, We are all alike. At puberty I was sworn to secrecy by the international brotherhood of lying fickle males. I can’t tell you anything, and I can’t commit! You’re right, I can’t commit… to you! I will always treasure our time together. I don’t feel enough of anything to harbor the kind of disdain that you’ll maintain. You painted me into what you wanted to see and that’s fine…But you will never know me.”

Song that sounds like the bottom of the ocean

Bjork – Play Dead

I wanted to make a joke about how there’s some musicians I’d wanna put in the ocean but I’m trying to be less horrible about music I don’t like because who cares.

“Play Dead” is so good, powerful and wild that you could probably say that it sounds like anything. End of the world, glacier calving, moonlanding, Eleanor Roosevelt’s professional wrestling debut, whatever. Anything interesting or special, “Play Dead” could represent. I always felt like Bjork was inhumanly talented, like RJ MacReady may have something to say about it. If you didn’t know about The Sugarcubes, it probably wouldn’t be the most shocking thing if Bjork turned out to come from the greatest depths of the Ocean.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHiHZ35TPfM

Song without words

Benjamin Shaw – Johnny Come Home

Nobody is ever gonna tell that you that Benjamin Shaw isn’t a pain in the arse. He’s also my hero and the absolute best. This is from a largely instrumental record that he self-released back in 2010 that I can’t take any credit for but still kind of tried to. Oh, we were younger then. He gargles and it sounds nice.

Song in a different language to your native tongue

Mellow Man Ace – Mas Pingon

So, I married into a Cuban American family last year and have found that I have very different Cuban idols than my wife. She has Ricky Ricardo, I have Rocky Romero. She has Celia Cruz, I have Cypress Hill. Did you know Cypress Hill had a former member? Did you know Sen Dog had a brother? Both are true and the answer to both follow up questions is Mellow Man Ace. “Mas Pingon” is from his album ‘Escape from Havana’ and I guess it’s about his big dick but that doesn’t seem so bad when you can’t speak Spanish.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tF9KmHRCa94

Audio Antihero has a very neat Bandcamp page, so click on over and dip a toe into their discography. While we’re often beating the Frog/Shaw drum, rest assured that acts like Nosferatu D2 and Low Low Low La La La Love Love Love are equally unusual and incomparable and generally well worth your time.

Oh and check back next week for the next Mystery Mini Mix!

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