Perry Benthos, head of Benthos Records, took the weekend off to mull over the “Toppest 5 Songs of my Heart”, and here they are
“Hey Perry, main man,” said my close friend Mr. Noise over a steaming-hot pint of Guinness in Electric the other night. “What’s the boda-shoga dude? You diggin’ any fresh tuneos these days, doggy-doo-dah?”
“I most certainly am, young man. What, pray tell is a ‘doggy-doo-dah’?” I answered absentmindedly, busy as I was blowing the steam off my scorching pint.
“For shizz, Mr. Biz. Anyhowdy, wanna throw me your Top 5 for the bloggedy-bo-bo-ding-dong?”
“But of course.”
That, as is said, was that. And so, after much last minute browsing through my music library – the offline one – I finally came to a decision. Unfortunately that decision only involved one song; one which I may or may not have had a vested interest in promoting as manager of the band and director of the song’s video (Rusty Badgers’ smashing tune ‘Under Thee Twisty Sunne’, video directed by Perry Benthos).
Mr. Noise bluntly informed me it would be enough, “No spizz P-Dude.”
And so I got to work afresh, adding not five, nor three more tracks, but four more tracks: four of my favourite tracks (plus the Rusty Badgers one).
They are listed below in order of best thumbnail for visual purposes, a foolproof method to ensure that the listing is not biased in any way.
1. Rusty Badgers – ‘Under Thee Twisty Tree′
What can be said about Rusty Badgers that has not been said before? Not enough, to answer my own rhetoric. Sweet harmonies, intricate string plucking, and some of the deepest lyrics this side of the Irish Ocean, I signed the chaps as soon as I saw their performance in the Douglas Village Shopping Centre about a year ago.
Their delicate trans-rustic folk still reminds me of the sweet smell of burnt coffee, the rattling of empty shopping trolleys and the sparkling-though- expressionless white walls of the shopping centre interior.
Pure bliss!
Under Thee Twisty Tree from Benthos Records on Vimeo.
2. видно – ‘не судьба′
Sometimes it is necessary to look a little farther afield when looking to poach sign fresh new talent to our roster. That afield-looking took me to the faraway kingdom of Russia and onto a band called видно (or не судьба, I don’t speak Russian so I honestly have no idea what their name is. Could be both).
Electro-bonk meets fug-pop in a pasteurized blend of semi-skimmed dance-plop. And what more can one man ask for in a song than a panpipe solo? Again, to answer my own rhetoric: MIDI trumpet solos, that’s what!
Pure ecstasy!
3. Pat Hayes – ‘Talking To The Wrong Man′
“Hey Daddy, I’ve got a problem”. These are the words no man wants to hear. Mr. Pat Hayes takes us on a penetrating and meloncholic musical voyage through the rarely discussed issue of the father-son dynamic in this surging exploration of the darker side of masculinity.
Pure delight!
4. Q-Feel – ‘Dancing in Heaven’
Time to get your fu*k on readers! And what better way than Dancing in Heaven? A somewhat over-looked classic this one, but it still packs a punch, let me tell you.
This video also has the honour of being the official celebratory office dance for us here in the Benthos Records HQ, last danced three months ago upon passing the 50 likes mark on our Fecebook page (current standing: 55 likes)
Pure elation!
5. Celtic Thunder – ‘Ireland’s Call′
A song very close to my heart, I saw these guys play an absolute stormer of a gig in a packed biker bar on my travels throughout Boston several suns ago. Though far away from Mother Ireland at the time, for some inexplicable reason I just felt a little closer to home when they performed this rockin’ original.
Pure joy!
