Welcome to May – A month of uncertainty – #1

May as Well – Angel Olsen (2017, Jagjaguwar Records, Taken from ‘Phases’)

Older readers of this blog might remember that last May, we had a whole month dedicated to alternative versions.  It was a month all about demos, live versions, reinterpretations, session tracks, album versions, extended 12 inches and all that.  I ran a sort of competition to see which were ultimately better, the alternate version or the original and in the end the original version ran out winners relatively easily. 

Well, this month was supposed to be another month of all that.  So, each day we would have a track that was slightly different from the original version and we would debate which one was better.

We would have debated whether this version of the staple indie classic ‘Sheriff Fatman’ was better than the single version that we all love.  Personally I love the way that Jim Bob, says “Scheemmeee” in this version and the guitar around two and a half minutes is brilliant.

Sheriff Fatman (BBC Session) – Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine (1998, Cooking Vinyl Records)

Sheriff Fatman (Single Version) – Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine (1990, Big Cat Records)

But, all that changed when I was out for a cycle ride with my daughter at the weekend.  We ended up at the beach, eating ice cream and kind of sat on shore just dreamily looking at the sea as it gently lapped against the shingle.  Two hours later, I’d compiled a playlist of about 50 songs that feature the words “sea”, “Water”, River”, “Lake” or “Stream” in their titles and I was all set for May to be a Month of Staring at the Sea (or other watery feature), where that playlist would be explored alongside a story about some of my favourite beaches.

We almost certainly would have discussed the quality of this track for starters,

All Waters – Perfume Genius (2012, Turnstile Records, Taken from ‘Put Your Back N 2 it’)

But all that changed when I listened to a podcast on Sunday in which Run the Jewels rapper and all-round living legend Killer Mike waxed lyrical about “mouthfucking roast cauliflower” and instantly made me want to dedicate an entire month to people I consider to be living legends.  So again, I sat down and made a list of about fifty people who I respect, admire, adore and would consider the world to be a much sadder place if they were not on it.  Not all the people on that list are involved in music in fact very few of them were, but every day I would pick someone and crowbar some music in somewhere, sometimes it would be easy though.

Yankee and the Brave (ep.4) – Run the Jewels (2020, Jewel Runners Records, Taken from ‘RTJ4’)

But all that changed when just this morning, when I was the school run and an astonishing cover version came on the radio and in my head as I walked home, I formulated a series of cover versions that were unlikely yet brilliant.  For instance, I heard a reggae version of Nirvana’s ‘Heart Shaped Box’ three days ago, that needs to be shared and you all need to hear Dorian Dumont take on various Aphex Twin tracks armed only with a grand piano, but most of all you all really need to hear this version of ‘I Wanna Be Adored’.

I Wanna Be Adored – New Jackson (2024, Permanent Vacation Records, Taken from ‘Oops!… Pop’)

But, then I thought, stuff it I’ll do all four.  A week of each or a day of each, who knows, I’ll probably change my mind and by tomorrow May will be a month of French Ambient Soundscapes.

Tohu Bohu An Rinceoir – Paul Mahoux (2024, Natural Selection Records, Taken from ‘Lysergie Villageoise’).