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The sun is making its first tentative appearances, boat race day and the Grand National are around the corner, and soon-to-be-slaughtered lambs are gallivanting in the fields. This can mean just one thing: spring has arrived, and with it, new music. It\u2019s time to put away winter essentials like Nick Drake\u2019s Bryter Layter<\/i> and Joni Mitchell\u2019s Blue<\/i> and get some potentially cheerier fair\u00a0on. Below are some songs I consider indispensable to any spring playlist.<\/p>\n
Nearly Daffodils \u2013 English Teacher<\/strong><\/p>\n The humble daff is the symbol of spring, heralding her arrival. Seeing them start to appear cannot fail to provoke joy, although there is a student at John\u2019s who, pathetically, is deathly allergic to them. Mercury-Prize winners English Teacher use them as a symbol of hope, with lead singer Lily Fontaine offering a gentler approach to their usual, acerbic post-punk style. The track lists typical spring activities: listening to birds in the morning, wandering the fields, all accompanied by Lewis Whiting\u2019s pared-back guitar. To be enjoy on a walk to Sidge.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n \u201cEnglish accent remind us that it\u2019s only springtime\u201d<\/p>\n
\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Spring \u2013 Saint Etienne<\/strong><\/p>\n A dance classic from the Croydon-based group fronted by nineties sex symbol Sarah Cracknell (yes, I did just used the phrase sex symbol in the same sentence as Croydon). Saint Etienne are also, along with the Kaiser Chiefs, one of only a few bands named after football clubs. Cracknell\u2019s ethereal vocals and unapologetically English accent remind us that it\u2019s only springtime, and this time everything\u2019s going to be different. I for one am a fan of the insubstantiality of the delivery: Cracknell barely whispers into a microphone while Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs\u2019 beats exist somewhat separately.<\/p>\n April Skies \u2013 Jesus and Mary Chain<\/strong><\/p>\n I don\u2019t imagine spring in East Kilbride is particularly sunny, if the music and dispositions of Jim and William Reid are anything to go by. \u2018April Skies\u2019 can soundtrack one of those miserable spring days, all the more depressing for following a week of glorious sunshine. The Reids excellently contrast the deep vocals with soaring guitars. Classic depressing shoegaze, just like their equally brilliant \u2018Happy When it Rains\u2019. Fitting music for a pair of brothers known for live sets that frequently descended into family brawls.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n \u201cThis song should be played while driving around in an open-top car if one is available\u201d<\/p>\n
\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Backyard \u2013 Dre\u2019es<\/strong><\/p>\n Song from a fantastic \u2013 and clinically underrated \u2013 West-coast hip-hop pioneer. Even if it\u2019s hailing outside and your supo essay is due in fifteen minutes and is yet to be started you can imagine that you\u2019re getting high in the LA hills. Despite the sunny delivery, he\u2019s still \u201cfeeling like a gold chain I\u2019ll never buy.\u201d The relaxed guitar soundtracks rap so laid back it\u2019s tipping over. Dre\u2019es\u2019 songs \u2018Warm\u2019 and \u2018Mayjune\u2019 are great spring tracks too. As Dre\u2019es says, \u201cif you don\u2019t know then all you gotta do is ask\u201d. This song should be played while driving around in an open-top car if one is available.<\/p>\n Win \u2013 David Bowie<\/strong><\/p>\n I heard this song in Sid bar the other day and I was reminded that it is an excellent spring track. Young Americans<\/i> is a clinically underrated part of the Bowie corpus. Ethereal is a word that is much, and meaninglessly, bandied around in music reviews, but it perfectly captures the opening guitars. Typically bizarre Bowie lyrics include: \u201csomeone like you should not be allowed\/to start any fires\u2019 and \u2019it\u2019s hip to be alive\u201d.<\/p>\n Big Ship \u2013 Freddie McGregor<\/strong><\/p>\n My friend and I recently took a mid-term, mid-week trip to Barcelona to escape week 5 blues, which I highly recommend. This song was the soundtrack to that trip, listened to while drinking beer while playing cards on a fountain \u2013 in other words, living the life. McGregor\u2019s whimsical reggae track may or may not feature repetitive lyrics and a fairly strange pronunciation of the word \u2018lighting\u2019. Nothing to do with spring whatsoever but perfect for those times, like my friend says, when you want to feel like a big ship sailing on the ocean.<\/p>\n