The Nextmen’s Secret Playlist

My Milky Way Arms’ Secret Playlist

We checked in with Space Kill of Austin group My Milky Way Arms, who has just released an album of Star Wars-ian ‘crystal operas’ and asked about the music that inspired it all. He started off with, what else but Van Halen’s mega-hit, Panama: ‘I hated Van Halen for years and this song embodied my hatred. Then one day, like a light switch, my mind clicked over to finally realize this is the most awesome band of all time! This is the ultimate party song I’m too scared to play at a party’. [Read the rest of My Milky Way Arms' Secret Playlist]

Alela Diane’s Secret Playlist

With comparisons to Joanna Newsom, Marissa Nadler and Karen Dalton, Californian folk singer Alela Diane is back with her new album To Be Still, the follow-up to her stunning debut, The Pirate’s Gospel. We asked her to give us a rundown on the music that inspired her latest recording. She started with the Fairport Convention song, Who Knows Where The Time Goes [listen below]: ‘Sandy Denny is one of my favorite vocalists — such purity and grace in the way she carries a melody. The words of this song are ringing true for the way my days have been passing lately. Too soon gone, not sure what happened’. 

Read the rest of Alela Diane’s Secret Playlist.

Here We Go Magic

Here We Go Magic came together fairly organically, just over a year ago, from the haze of an old Brooklyn party. Though Luke Temple (founder and lead singer) was known as the main creative force behind much of this first album. Working primarily on his own at the time, he still admits not really knowing what the hell he was creating when writing the first few songs that would ultimately become part of Here We Go Magic’s debut. So maybe a little alakazam was involved after all. When Temple came out of his solitary, songwriting coma (joined by one of his oldest colleagues, Michael Bloch), he encountered the lovely beings that make up the rest of his band — musicians that all remain amazed at Temple’s self-produced work, but even more so of the new sound they’re currently creating with him.

Crimea X’s Secret Playlist

Crimea X is the coming together of two offbeat, disparate characters, DJ Rocca (Ajello, Super Sonic Lovers, Maffia Sound System) and Jukka Reverberi from 90s Italian glam cult rockers, Giardini di Mirò, who have often have been compared with the sound of Mogwai, Arab Strap, and Godspeed You! Black Emperor. We asked them about their favourite music and they started with The Smiths song, Ask [listen below] ‘I saw them playing live on Italian TV. It was during the 80s when I was extremely young, and I’ve never stopped listening to this song’. Read the rest of Crimea X’s Secret Playlist.

Abandoned Swimming Pools

I love the curated selection of abandoned swimming pool photos on Feature Shoot today, featuring work by Carlo Van de Roer and Albert Jodar, amongst others.

Win a set of Sony personal audio prizes

Thanks to Sony Australia, four Lost At E Minor readers will win personal audio prizes, including the new 8GB Walkman S series video MP3 player and the MDRXB500 Extra Bass headphones. Read more