International Jukebox

I’ve been a bit lazy this week with exams and all that (on the blog front anyhoo – in library time it’s been a solid 8am-6pm for the last week or so). And whilst my mental muscles ache I thought it would be time to hand the reins over to some people who I would trust with collating my music collection. A little twist: they’re all from different countries.

I suppose the general aim of this blog is to demonstrate the wonders of the World Wide Web, that you can have an online conversation about the latest, freshest beats tearing up American clubs, or even the latest “Swedelicious” offerings and instantaneously check them out via Youtube or Spotify. I love that the exchange of music is so quick-fire and rapid, that the democratisation of music availability means that it’s now so easy to fall in love with new sounds from all corners of the globe.

Thanks mainly to my year abroad, Facebook and Skype means ready access to a few legends with better taste in music than SJP has in shoes, and so via a general thread I grilled them on what their current choons on repeat were. Several pages of music-swappage later, I’ve finally got them down to my personal picks of the crop. If you want to see the most comprehensive list of their offerings, click on the spotify link on the right hand panel. Too good, I know.
From urban North America to rural Wales, The Miranda goes on tour....

We’re kicking off this world tour with what’s caliente down in Madrid. ¡VAMOS!

Ines (Madrid/ Geneva)

Ines offered up a delectable pick n’mix of treasures from Yeah Yeah Yeahs to Passion Pit, but after much deliberation I thought this would be a sweet inclusion. Two minutes and eighteen seconds of trickling-acoustic immenseness by The Weepies, with an adorable video to boot. Gracias chica!!





Emma (Monmouthshire, Wales)

Emma was actually at school with Marina (offof the Diamonds) although she hastens to assure me that her choice was not borne of nepotistic favouritism, and can reveal that leg-warmers and dancing were more her scene at school than bawling out melodies. In Emma’s opinion, the ”whole scenario (of her being famous and having a Selfridges store window) is rather laughable and bizarre”.




Made me think of Regina Spektor just a wee bit, though i suppose that’s par for the course when you’re a throaty, STRONG woman.

Falk (Malmo, Sweden)

I think the blogosphere is missing a new star. Falk’s list to me was so comprehensive that it would take a fair few posts to do it justice!

He went for the new Radio Department (which I’m loving as well), Bombay Bicycle Club and The New Pornographers among others but it was his description of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club’s “Shadow’s Keeper” as one of the songs on their new record “with several distinct sounds brought close to perfection” which caught my eye. Laddish and lairy, it’s pretty bloody good.





Chris (Brooklyn, US)

Zooming across the Atlantic now, it’s on to Chris’s folk-tastic list: crammed with exactly the type of music necessary for summer road trips and lazy-barbecue days. Specifically, he recommended this Brett Dennen tune which I’m in complete agreement with, not least for the cheeky Mandy Moore video cameo and Dennen’s beautiful barnet.




Last, and by no means least...


Pascal (Ottawa, Canada)

Pascal is officially THE go-to for the latest and greatest in club anthems and their remixes, as well as the best moves to serve up to them. A shout out from P-dawg to “all the coloured gays in Canada” for this record: five minutes of frolics and fierceness in outfits I would sell my mother for.




Massive thanks to all for their contributions and don't forget to check out the entire list over on spotify (link in panel!).

© Miranda Thompson 2010

DISCLAIMER: The video links hosted on my blog are not being presented as my own. If you believe that the copyright in your work has been violated through this post, please contact me through the blog