Todays best song in the world is "primitive painters" by Felt. I listened to it 5 times in a row. A work of godlike genius from one of the lost heroes of british music. Lawrence we salute you!

It's Bob Marley week at our school (a special needs primary), and I've just this minute put "One Love" on the stereo in the dinner hall while the children have their lunch.
The video's on the big screen - that cringeworthy, posthumously-made one with Paul McCartney looking like an embarrassing Uncle.
Anyway, everyone, from autistic loner to behaviourally challenged misfit to hassled school cook, instinctively started singing along.
It's good to hear them singing "Let's get together and feel alright".

So that is today's best song in the world ever.

Today's best song ever is The Clash's White Man In Hammersmith Palais - it come on shuffle in the car this morning and justified a repeat listen.

Today's best new song (although it may have been around a while) is Sage Francis' The Best Of Times - if only for the line...

"Conveniently religious, on Easter Sunday and on Christmas
The television went from being our baby-sitter to a mistress"

Hadn't heard it in years.

...of a small obsession with "Full House" by the J. Geils Band, so for me, right now, it's "First I Look At The Purse".

Can't find the "Full House" version on the EweChoob, but here's them doing it recently.

and genius today it is

Live At The Barbican

No horns and no covers promised on the forthcoming album and the first track, Bang Bang Bang, bodes well. It's full of summer and excitement (and Q Tip).

http://www.thefader.com/2010/05/25/mark-ronson-f-mndr-q-tip-bang-bang-ba...

I posted this last week and I think it is the most Summery, beguiling song. From the new Silver Seas album 'Chateau Revenge', this is the wonderful 'Jane'.

Right here, right now, it's either:

"Oh, the Divorces" by Tracey Thorn (fantastic lyric, beautifully arranged); or

"Sigourney Weaver" by John Grant (purely for the line "I feel just like Winona Ryder. In that movie about vampires. When she couldn't get that accent right").

In the longer term it's "A Change is Gonna Come" by Sam Cooke - the single most perfect song I've ever heard.

In the car on the way home from work in the sunshine on Monday I skipped to the last 2 proper tracks on Songs in the Key of Life, As and Another Star. Made me wonder why I listen to other music when those two songs are always available.

Before that Still by Ben Folds from the Over the Hedge soundtrack. That's gorgeous.

Tomorrow something else.

and just because I like it.

from Josh Ritter's latest.

Lovely words, lovely performance.

Sixteen Tons. I have played it in the car 4 times this afternoon. It is the first track on the rather wonderful free cd in the latest Tom Waits compiled Mojo issue. He also compiled this cd. There is a resonance for ne as my Dad used to sing this song to me as a kid - I always recall the fervour with which he sang the line"I sold my soul to the company store'. Didn't know the name of the song nor who sang it and i don't suppose he ever did either as he is a bit of a philistine when it comes to music. So I put the cd into the car stereo and up this plops as first track. Fair made my day. The old man is coming over for dinner on Sunday so will play it and reminisce.

Walked into a coffee shop in a foul mood following an unbelievably crappy meeting

This was playing and I couldn't help singing along with "hey hey bum dee hey dah hey dah hey hey " and suddenly the world was a better place

yes.

This is top of the pops !

to a chilled out Ma Bisto listening to Beethoven watching the rain through the French doors and she made a comment that took me completely by surprise, one of those comments that stops you in your tracks and makes you look at someone you've known for years anew and with an added sense of love and respect. A short time later I was thinking about our subsequent conversation and this song came to me and in the context of what went before it's the best song in the world today...and maybe even tomorrow.

“Oh! The Divorces” by Tracey Thorn (see above).
“I Speak Because I Can” by Laura Marling – the title track, although the whole album is brilliant; the missing link between Led Zeppelin and Joni Mitchell. Which leads me on to
“Real Good For Free” by the Hejira Hitmaker herself, because I’m in Boston at the moment and I keep passing the Fairmont Hotel. And “The Circle Game” because an old friend died at the weekend.
“Grace Under Pressure” by Elbow, because I will be attending my friend’s funeral shortly, and it’s what I would like to be played at my own.

I hope to recommend some happier best songs in the world soon!

So it's this:

It's Charmed Life by the Divine Comedy. Anyone who thinks Neil Hannon is "too clever by half" might reconsider on hearing this utterly charming and sincere paean to his daughter.

'All I ask of you
Is make my wildest dreams come true'

Brilliant, Brilliant Song!

The studio version of this came up on my i-Pod earlier. Just extraordinary.

My left sacro-iliac joint has been giving me gyp all day. Off to the osteopath's surgery tomorrow. The "..broke my sacro-iliac.." line has been a recurring ear-worm loop today.

because of the wonder of Youtube, because I can share it and because it just is... today

"Here and Now"

Because it's wonderful

as i was on a plane

so had to play it (thanks to a word cd)

the walk to work was enlivened by this little ditty with its fabulous line of "his eyes are close together and he wears a toothy grin, don't let him in"

Do you remember Rock n Roll Radio by da Ramones.

It paints a great picture for the singer/writer. And takes me back.

Stay tuned for more Rock n Roll!

about "the best song in the world ever" being able to change from day to day - or even from person to person.

The best song in the world ever is Killed By Death by Motorhead. And always will be.

Anyone who disagrees is Wrong. Though I might just be prepared to listen to a counterproposal by Lemmy...

Slade - Wheels Ain't Coming Down

Dexys Midnight Runners - Burn It Down

...it's Conversation 16 by The National.

It's old but great

It's new and wonderful

Brian Matthew played 'Flowerman' by The Syn on Saturday morning.
Deram single (good, they only made two), from September 1967 (excellent), that is a cross between (unsurprisingly) Deram-era Bowie, The Kinks and Syd Barrett.

That move from the flower power, sipping cups of tea in a Berkshire garden stuff to the R.O.C.K era, often sited as a good thing, was the worst thing to ever happen to popular music.
'Exile' better than 'Satanic Majesties'.....get outta here!

Edit....walking the pup again....todays top track is "Be brave" off the second Comsat Angels album. Cavernous drums.

I've always liked Maggie Holland's epic folk broadside "A Place Called England", and here's a version of it rendered by the grande dame of English traditional singing, June Tabor:

I dug this out last night from the depths of the garage storage facility. This is currently rocking my world.

All hail King Wilko!