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