Gyllene Tider - Du måste skämta

Gratulerer med dagen til Per Gessle, som fyller 56 år i dag. Gessle er simpelthen å regne for en popgud, ikke minst gjennom sin posisjon i Gyllene Tider, kanskje det beste svenskspråklige popbandet som noen gang har eksistert. Med bena godt plantet i en klassisk pop/rocktradisjon som favner bredt, fra Buddy Holly og Eddie Cochran til T. Rex og David Bowie, videre til pubrockere som Dr. Feelgood (hvis hit "Roxette" ga navn til duoen Gessle utgjør med Marie Fredriksson) og Rockpile, og innom alt mellom himmel og jord underveis, er Gessle en ekte poptyv. Han låner/stjeler her og der, og han får det meste til å låte helt perfekt og superfresht. "Du måste skämta" er en av favorittene mine, hentet fra 2004s comeback album Finn 5 fel.

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Slowdive - Ballad Of Sister Sue

Amazingly I had never heard the music of British shoegazing band Slowdive until this summer when I saw the reformed outfit perform a mesmerizing concert at Øyafestivalen here in Oslo. I totally fell in love with their atmospheric music, so here's a song off their 1991 debut Just For A Day, called "Ballad Of Sister Sue". It's so beautiful I almost feel like crying.

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Listen to the new Waterboys album in its entirety now

Modern Blues is the title of The Waterboys' new album, in shops both physical and digital next Monday, but from today you can stream it in full via the Mojo website. The nine track album was recorded in Nashville and is The Waterboys' 11th official album, excluding two solo records by Mike Scott.

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Nina Simone - When I Was A Young Girl

Forgive me if I go on a bit too much about Nina Simone these days, but I just can't help myself. She was a singer and piano player beyond most of her peers and competitors, a performer that, when at her best, was almost otherworldly. Just listen to this haunting take on the traditional "When I Was A Young Girl" that appeared on her 1964 album Folksy Nina. You can feel the emotion in every note played, in every line sung, and mysteriously you simply end up as a participant in the song, rather than a listener. This is the kind of performance that inhabits you, more than it simply entertains you. Masterful, in every which way.

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Michael Bublé - Haven't Met You Yet

One of the happiest songs I know, "Haven't Met You Yet" is a track off Canadian pop/jazz singer Michael Bublé's fourth album, 2009's Crazy Love. It's the perfect song about the person you have yet to meet and that will change your life completely, overly romantic and upbeat, a feelgood song for the ages. In the music video the love interest actually is Bublé's then fiancée and future wife, Argentinian singer and actress Luisana Lopilato. It's a knock-out song that always makes me smile broadly. I love it!

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Gloria - This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)

After being alerted to it only a year ago, the Swedish group called Gloria's 2003 version of Talking Heads "This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)" has become one of my all time favourite covers. Adding further lightness and an updated production it doesn't differ wildly from the original, only emphasizing the song's qualities. Having said that, this is still among my favourite David Byrne songs, a piece of stunningly brilliant and original pop music. Gloria's version is from an album titled People Like You And Me, and either way, this is classic stuff!

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Van Morrison - The Way Young Lovers Do (live)

In 2008 Van Morrison revisited his landmark 1968 album Astral Weeks, performing the eight songs live, starting with two shows at The Hollywood Bowl on November 7 and 8. These concerts were recorded and subsequently released both as a CD and DVD. Of the shows Morrison said they "gave me a welcome opportunity to perform these songs the way I originally intended them to be." Here's "The Way Young Lovers Do" in all its newfound glory, the fifth song of the album, and originally the first track on side B for those who think this matters. Enjoy!

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Rod Stewart - Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?

Congratulations to Rod Stewart, who celebrates his 70th birthday today. In honour of the great man I'd like to share one of his best-known songs, the disco spoof "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" from his 1978 album Blondes Have More Fun. It was certainly not enjoyed by everyone as it was a major departure from Stewart's blues-rock background, although that had already been deluded quite a bit on his last few records, but growing up I loved "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" and I still do. I think it's an amazingly fun song that improves any party. Happy birthday, Rod!

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Rhiannon Giddens - Black Is The Colour

Rhiannon Giddens is known as lead singer, banjo player and violinist in the old-timey band Carolina Chocolate Drops, who gained a certain amount of fame and recognition with their version of Blu Cantrell's "Hit 'Em Up Style" off their Grammy winning 2010 album Genuine Negro Jig. In February she releases her T-Bone Burnett-produced solo debut Tomorrow Is My Turn, after having collaborated with him on The New Basement Tapes project last year. The album title is that of the Nina Simone song which she covers, alongside another Simone staple, the great "Black Is The Colour" that you can listen to by following the link below. Amazing version that she totally makes her own, and the album also includes songs written or performed by Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Patsy Cline, Dolly Parton, Elizabeth Cotton and others.

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Valerie June - Workin' Woman Blues

"Workin' Woman Blues" is a track off Valerie June's fourth album, 2013's Pushin' Against A Stone, the one that made her a semi-household name, gaining praise from critics and audiences around the world. It's the kind of blues that sounds as if it was written during the 1930's, but is in fact an original, and the trumpet solo towards the end of the song is what really nails it. A stand-out performance from everyone involved.

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