Inferior Playlist #1:

As you may have gathered by now, if you've spent some time on my blog, I'm a huge music fan (but who isn't, really?).  My commute every day takes about 45 minutes each way by bus, and is only made bearable by music.  For most of my life I've been a serial 'shuffler', by which I mean that I'll just stick the contents of my whole iPod on shuffle and listen to whatever it decides I should.  However, I've started to realise that in shuffle mode my iPod plays favourites with some tracks and never deigns to let me listen to others.  In the past, this has meant that I'll put whole albums on there and only end up hearing a few songs from a perfectly enjoyable full record.

Source: here

Constantly listening to the same songs on shuffle has (sadly, but inevitably) made me hate the songs that my iPod seems to be overly attached to.  As a result of this, I suppose, my listening habits have changed quite drastically over the last couple of months.  I now listen to full albums.  From the beginning to the end.  A few times.  Then I pass judgement.  Crazy, right?

I thought I would celebrate by starting a new monthly blog feature!  So, as you will already have read, this is my first Inferior Playlist for the month of March:

The Favourite:

Neon Bible by Arcade Fire (2007)

Source: here

As I mentioned in this post a while ago, I've only recently started listening to Arcade Fire, but I'm so glad that I did.  I really enjoyed their first album, Funeral, but I've been obsessed with listening to Neon Bible this month (and most of last month too!).  Almost every song is great, but my favourite stand out tracks are Black Mirror, Ocean of Noise and My Body Is a Cage.  I love this album's moody feel, and the big organ sounds on lots of the songs never fail to send shivers down my spine.

The Old Favourite:

Pedestrian Verse by Frightened Rabbit (2013)

Source: here

I wrote a whole post on seeing Frightened Rabbit live (read it here) very recently at the Barrowlands in Glasgow.  They are one of my all time favourite bands, and I pre-ordered a copy of the new album but (in true Alex style) didn't get around to listening to it properly until a few days before the gig.  Since then, so many of the songs have been stuck in my head and it's been played most mornings on the bus.  My favourites are Late March Death March, Nitrous Gas and Dead Now, but all of the songs grow on me every time I listen to them.  I'd say this album is grungier than Frightened Rabbit's earlier albums, but with the same sometimes painfully honest and heartwrenching lyrics.

The Newcomer:

Read Music/Speak Spanish by Desaparecidos (2002)

Source: here

Although I've been a huge fan of the band Bright Eyes and its frontman, Conor Oberst, for many years, I'd never listened to his other band Desaparecidos before buying tickets to see them live.  As Oberst is one of my favourite musicians (and hands down my favourite lyricist) I was pretty sure that the band's music wouldn't disappoint, and it didn't!  Although I haven't listened to Read Music/Speak Spanish as thoroughly as I would like to, it's an excellent album and I look forward to spending more time on it.  Greater Omaha, Man and Wife, The Latter (Damaged Goods) and The Happiest Place On Earth are my favourite tracks so far, and the band's sound is a great combination of angry punk and thought provoking lyrics.

The Wildcard:

Thrift Shop by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis (featuring Wanz) (2012)

Source: here

At the risk of making myself sound like an old lady, I probably won't be including chart music on my monthly playlists very often.  This isn't even an album, just a single, but it's damn catchy.  Lyrics are usually the main factor that attract me to a song, so I find myself enjoying a surprising amount of rap, and the more tongue in cheek the better.  (I know more Lonely Island songs off by heart than I'd like to admit.)  Listen to Thrift Shop here and make your own mind up (but be warned there are a lot of swear words!).  Sorry, Mum.

What have you been listening to lately?  Please feel free to leave me ideas for what I should listen to in April, all suggestions welcome!