Welcome to the inaugural edition Saturday Scattergories, a new monthly feature here on Switchbitch Noise in which musicians, bands, and other contributors to the alternative scene curate playlists for our readers based on specific categories. This month’s contributors are Lou Smith of the Capitol Region based punk band Lurking Class, Jon from the Edinburgh based pop punk band Paper Rifles (of whom I have been a fan of for nearly my entire adult life), Anthony from the Providence based Never Coming Home, as well as some friends from the Emo Trash Podcast.
Song with the best groove
Lou Smith (NVS, Lurking Class): “Still Sound” Toro Y Moi (2011)- This track absolutely blew me away the first time I heard it when it was released. And no, it’s not because I play bass (although that song is wholly driven by it), but moreover the band successfully captured that indie-rock sound so many bands strive to achieve and don’t quite attain.
Jon (Paper Rifles): God, there are loads! I’m going to immediately change my mind after I settle on something… Ok, I’m going to go for two. First up is Son Of A Preacher Man by Dusty Springfield because that intro is just amazing. I have to add Regulate by Warren G and Nate Dogg too. I ended up with this on cd single after a mate left it at my house when we were kids, and I played it to death. I reckon I’m still word perfect today. It’s just so smooth and it has its own little place in my memory. Both absolute bangers, but there are so many more I could have gone for!
Anthony (Never Coming Home): For this song i choose Forgive & Forget by The Kooks! Our bassist hates this song whenever I play it so he’ll get mad that I put this on, but I just love the kick drum sound. Super groovy and fun to vibe to.
Emo Trash Podcast: Exception to the Rule by Better Oblivion Community Center.
Best transition between two songs on an album:
Lou Smith: “The National Anthem” & “How To Disappear Completely” Radiohead (2000)- I’m getting goosebumps just thinking about these two tracks. Radiohead had a massive impact on me during my impressionable high school years, and “Kid A” is easily my favorite album of theirs. “The National Anthem” is a huge song, super loud, and very unsettling (but in the best way possible). That gives way to one of the most heart-wrenching songs I’ve ever heard. For me, those two songs hit such a wide range of emotions; anger, anxiety, sorrow, and fear.
Jon (Paper Rifles): I don’t know if it counts as a transition as such, but Remedy into Trusty Chords on Caution by Hot Water Music gets me every time. The first time I heard that record (my brother-in-law gave me it) I just thought “wow”. What a start to an album. Again, I’m sure I’ll come up with something else in an hour’s time, but I’m going to go for this pair.
NCH: Probably any song on the album The Everglow by Mae. Every song on that record transitions so well into the other and looking to choose my two favorites, I really cannot choose because they all work so well.
Emo Trash Podcast: Stay into Call Me Hopeless, but Not Romantic by the Mayday Parade.
Best first song for an album:
Lou Smith: “Overkill” Motörhead (1979)- I don’t think there’s a song that gets me more jacked up than “Overkill.” Period. The entire album starts off with this insane, almost jarring, drumbeat that doesn’t let up AT ALL, it’s fucking wild. For me, “Overkill” perfectly captures the essence of that band.
Jon: Ok, there is only one correct answer to this question and it is Yes from The Holy Bible by Manic Street Preachers. It is, in my opinion, the best album of all time and this song sets the tone perfectly. It could have been a commercial single in a different world, but dropping a big swear four words into the opening line sets the uncompromising tone for the whole album. I cannot overstate how much I love this record and how influential it was for me as a kid. I know five different versions of it and I have never heard anything else that has hit me as deeply as this album. If you haven’t heard it and you like uncompromising, rough but beautiful music, buy it immediately.
Anthony: I think I have to go with The End/Dead by My Chemical Romance. In my eyes The Black Parade is a perfect record and that intro is just so incredibly iconic I had to put it here. Also I know those are two songs but they go hand in hand with each other.
Emo Trash Podcast: Settling by A Will Away
Best love song
“Time After Time” Cyndi Lauper (1983)- I absolutely admire how Cyndi and her production team were able to deliver a song that literally features synthesizer, drum machine, a guitar riff, and her voice for 80% of the song. Then by the time the chorus comes in with the bass synth and vocal harmony…absolutely perfect. Plus, how much more spot on can you get lyrically addressing the fact that humans make errors; “If you fall I will catch you, I will be waiting- time after time.”
Jon: Ah, this is an easy one for me. It’s First Day Of My Life by Bright Eyes because it was the first dance at my wedding. Lovely stuff.
Anthony: This one is kind of a sad one but I absolutely love Long Night by With Confidence. It’s just so bare bones with just piano and vocals and I love that. It’s a bit more of a break up song but in my eyes it can still be construed as a love song.
Emo Trash Podcast: Stay With Me by Better Love
Song you’re most looking forward to when live music comes back
Lou Smith: “Seeing Double at the Triple Rock” NOFX (2006)- This song has kind of warped itself over the last seven-or-so years as an unofficial “party anthem” between me and one of my best friends, who rages pretty fucking hard with me. Although I only got to see them live once, they played this song during that set and I was (of course) urinating in a portapotty. So, I’m looking for a shot at redemption, experiencing this track live properly. A very intoxicated redemption.
Jon: It would be very easy to just say “all of them”, but I’m going to go for Sick Of Drugs by The Wildhearts. If I ever get to holler that “whoa-oh-oh” intro in a crowded, sweaty venue with all my pals ever again, I’ll be very happy indeed
Anthony: This is the hardest one because every week I’m sitting listening to a record I just think “wow I miss this live” but i think right now what I most want to hear live is Melancholy Kaleidoscope by All Time Low because that song came out in quarantine. It’s a song that was made for the live setting but has never been able to be played out.
Emo Trash Podcast: Gas City by Cliffdiver
Song with your favorite drum fill
Lou Smith: “The End” The Beatles (1969)- So, I guess it’s more of a plinky-sounding drum “solo,” but I don’t care. Let’s be honest, Ringo wasn’t known for his “flash” but he was an expert beat-keeper, and his drum feature on the tracks still holds up.
Jon: God, I’m not sure. I like simple, well placed drum fills more than anything showy really. For example, I love James’ drum fill into the last chorus of Made To Break off our first record precisely because it does exactly what it needs to. That said, I’m going to go for basically all of No-One Knows by Queens of the Stone Age – that’s surely some of Grohl’s best work, even when you consider some of the brutal magic on In Utero.
Anthony: A lot of times on weekends, Derek (bass man) and I will get together and listen to a band’s full discography. One of the first we did was Alkaline Trio, and on the first record there’s a track called Message From Kathlene that doesn’t have my favorite fill necessarily, but I’m putting it here because the drummer goes so fast and so hard in certain places. It’s so funny to me to listen to.
Emo Trash Podcasts: Critical Disdained by Bowling for Soup.
A full playlist of all of the songs that our guest selected can be located here. Do you know a band that you want to hear from or see on the site? Do you have categories that you’d like me to use? Let me know below. Thank you so much to all of our contributors, they can be found at the links below.
