If you're familiar with Sunflower Bean's brand of psychedelic, shoegazey, experimental pop-rock, you probably won't be surprised by the eclectic playlist that they put together for us today. Catch them on their upcoming tour, and in the meantime, hear what it's like to set Sunflower Bean's iPod to shuffle.
–Dave Lucas, Talkhouse Marketing Manager
The Velvet Underground – "Femme Fatale"
One of the band's all-time favorites. The softer side of the VU showcases the most beautiful guitar work. Nico's voice with its heavy German accent counterpointed with the band's harsh American background vocals is really amazing.
Smashing Pumpkins – "I Am One"
I just put my iPod on shuffle for this playlist, so up next is the first song on the first Pumpkins record. Some things about it are super corny and almost hair metalish, but it has a certain quality and you just need to let go and rock out when you hear it. I would consider it a guilty pleasure.
Sheer Mag – "What You Want"
My favorite band of the year is Sheer Mag. This is the first song I heard by them and I was completely hooked after one listen.
The Beach Boys – "God Only Knows"
Not much can be said about Pet Sounds that hasn't been already. The sleigh bells are super amazing for a vibey contrasty melancholy song. Maybe there will be more sleigh bells on our next record...
The Byrds – "Hickory Wind"
Gram's voice has a lot of vulnerability; you can easily sympathize with him. Poor Gram, a super talent.
Talking Heads – "Cities"
Beautiful chaos, completely original. The guitar sounds like a sort of imaginary percussion instrument that doesn't exist. Fear of Music is one of my top ten albums of all time.
Tame Impala – "The Less I Know the Better"
Massive fan of this divisive third record; it's an astonishing achievement. Bassline has a lot of funky grit... goes well with the last Talking Heads track.
Wire – "Reuters"
Powerful, marching, dystopian future, anthem. The cries at the end are haunting. Wire was a band that I couldn't connect with when I was younger and first getting into punk. When I rediscovered it after high school, it clicked instantly.
Link Wray – "Hang On"
You can't tell me that Link Wray didn't invent punk rock. Dude even had a leather jacket and dark sunglasses. 1958...damnnnn.
The Cure – "Fire in Cairo"
Love how sparse this song sounds. The guitar tone is super light and tiny, and the bass is low in the mix. Creates an eerie groovy song. Everything is super quiet and tight.
