Sound & Vision with John Myrtle

Bingo Records have, this week, released the new single from John Myrtle – which precedes his upcoming EP, Here’s John Myrtle– out on 26th July. The World Will Keep Spinning follows Foggy and Cyril The Slug – both of which are available through his Bandcamp page.

The London based singer’s record, which will be released on vinyl and cassette, comprises of five brilliantly written songs – all of which are rich, unique and enjoyable. & whisper it… it may be Bingo’s best release yet!

Here are John’s Sound & Vision picks:

Three albums that are important to me:

The Kinks – The Kinks Collection Part 1 (1985)

I’d never normally choose a best of compilation, especially for a band like The Kinks. I was very tempted to choose Face to Face or Muswell Hillbillies, but I’ve chosen this because my parents happened to have a cassette of it when I was growing up and I used to play it all the time. It’s obviously just another churned out compilation but the first side had a profound effect on me. Autumn Almanac, Apeman, Dedicated Follower of Fashion, just such magical tunes and I’m thankful I heard them so young.  Side B has laughably bad choices…it’s quite a bad compilation all-in-all, but it’s a favourite. My parents were going to throw it out of their house and I had to intervene.

The La’s – The La’s (1990)

There is no album quite like The La’s’ only album. It’s mostly a piecing together of rehearsal takes done by Steve Lillywhite after The La’s walked out on the sessions. Regardless of it not sounding like how Lee Mavers wanted it to, it still sounds like nothing else. I first heard it when I was 16 and fell in love. I was never really into things like Foals or Bloc Party which is what was being played mostly when I used to go out as a teenager. The La’s just sounded like they were from another planet, sent to rescue me from indie-durge. There’s a whole culture with this band to pick and choose your favourite takes of songs, as there are so many done by so many different producers. Even the re-issue of the album has a whole other disc dedicated to a completely different version of the album. These songs are timeless and exist above and beyond what any kind of studio can do.

Bill Fay – Bill Fay (1970)

I played this a lot when I was living in Manchester. I found it in Piccadilly Records and got it just because I thought the cover was cool. I was spending a lot of time on my own back then and Bill always felt like I was listening to a great friend. His songs are very witty and funny but all have a re-assuring-ness to them. The opening track, Garden Song, is a masterpiece. It’s about someone wanting to plant themselves in the garden… he pretty much sings that. It’s funny but also very mysterious, just like Bill. He had a resurgence this decade and has brought out some new music. He’s up there with the best writers England has produced. Long live Bill Fay!

My favourite book:

Three Men on the Bummel – Jerome K Jerome

I love Three Men in a Boat and have read it to death. This one might have made me laugh just slightly more though, so I’ve gone for it.

My favourite film:

Hana-Bi – Takeshi Kitano

I love Takeshi Kitano so much. This film just blew me away when I first saw it…I like how deadpan he always is in his films.

A song that’s important to me:

Elephant Stone – The Stone Roses

This song started it all for me. This will always be one of my favourite songs. The intro is the most uplifting, euphoric opening to any song I’ve heard, and then Ian Brown comes in singing ‘Burst into heaven…’ – he hit the nail on the head.

John’s album can be preordered from here.

& he will be touring the UK throughout August –

August 2 – Sebright Arms, London

August 3 – Tom Thumb Theatre – Margate

August  7 – Delicious Clam, Sheffield

August 8 – Yorkshire House, Lancaster

August 9 – Hyde Park Book Club, Leeds

August 10 – Eagle Inn, Salford

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