Angels Are Playing With My Heart

Something special for a blue-tiful Monday...

"And I wept both night and day,

And he wip'd my tears away,

And I wept both day and night,

And hid from him my heart's delight."

- William Blake, 'The Angel'

I've recently realised that a large percentage of the songs that turn me on are about angels... Kate Bush's The Red Shoes LP has a permanent place within arms-length of my turntable, and I often listen to "Lily" (really loud) before heading off to work. If this track - which stars angels Raphael, Uriel, Michael and more - doesn't get you through the day, nothing will...

"Gabriel before me,
Raphael behind me,

Michael to my right,

Uriel on my left side

In the circle of fire."

- Kate Bush, 'Lily'

Last week I compiled a playlist for the launch of the awesome new Love Jozi T-shirt range and in the process rediscovered Lamb's "Gabriel", which was a fittingly heavenly accompaniment to the fabulous Ts and fantastic wallpaper. Probably the zenith of Lamb's should-have-been-more-illustrious career, it has been on repeat ever since.

"I can fly

But I want his wings,

I can shine even in the darkness

But I crave the light that he brings,

Revel in the songs that he sings:

My angel Gabriel."

- Lamb - 'Gabriel'

"Gabriel" also got me thinking about angelic conversations and holy connections - and then searching for angel-related records. After ditching Abba's "Angel Eyes" and some dubious business from the likes of Wang Chung, I was left with a selection of ten more-than-decent ditties with celestial overtones. And because I wanna give you devotion, I thought I'd share them all with you...

The Angel-ise folder available for download below contains acts whose divine output might best be described as "art pop": the aforementioned Kate Bush, Cocteau Twins, CocoRosie, Roxy Music, Massive Attack, St. Etienne...

It also features a pretty out-there collaboration between the late Jeff Buckley and Nymphs' vocalist Inger Lorre (from the Kicks Joy Darkness album, a tribute to Beat poet Jack Kerouac), and an easier-gliding collaboration between ace South African emcee Zubz and vocalist Ziza, who's the singer in Suplex (see the last post below).

DJ Dexterity - Angel-ise Playlist [61 Mbs]:

CocoRosie - Terrible Angels

Cocteau Twins - Oil Of Angels

Four Tet - My Angel Rocks Back and Forth

Inger Lorre & Jeff Buckley - Angel Mine

Kate Bush - Lily

Lamb - Gabriel

Massive Attack - Angel

Roxy Music - Angel Eyes

St. Etienne - Angel (Broadcast Remix)

Zubz ft. Ziza - Remember, Drunken Angels Don't Sing

DJ Dexterity's Angel-ise Playlist

*Tip: Use WinZip or WinRAR to unzip this little taste of heaven.