Not only are Blackpool’s Boston Manor one of the brightest lights of the UK’s pop punk and emo scene, but their debut album, Be Nothing, is one of the most exciting records of 2016. The follow-up to last year’s acclaimed EP, Saudade, it’s an emo/pop-punk fireball of a debut album that the band are quite rightly excited about. Still, there’s a whole bunch of songs by other artists that vocalist Henry Cox wishes he’d written. Here are 10 of them.
10. Deftones – My Own Summer
“This is just such a banging tune. Deftones are one of the only bands who have mastered dynamics like that – the album is so loud and heavy but so soft as well and I don’t know how they do it. It’s sick. I was probably about 10 when I first heard this, and I didn’t really get it at the time, but I still thought it was sick. And I still love it.”
9. Gotye – State Of The Art
“This is just the fucking coolest song ever. It’s just wicked – it’s all done with an electric organ and different synths, and the song itself is about an electric organ that this family buy and then the organ eats them and takes control of the house and then the world. The video is this awesome Jetsons-style animation of the story.”
8. Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here
“This is probably my favourite song. I just think it’s the saddest song ever written. It’s absolutely heartbreaking but it’s so amazing. I could talk all night about Pink Floyd – they’re amazing musicians who have written some of the best albums ever and this song is just one of the highlights of their career.”
7. Apologies, I Have None – Raging Through The Thick And Heavy Darkness Of A Bloodlust
“These guys were like a proper punk band, and now they’re in this super-heavy, dark, post-punk kind of world. This comes from an EP called All Black Everything and the cover’s literally just black and it’s the darkest EP ever. This is the first track and it’s just a brilliant, intense song.”
6. The Cribs – Be Safe
“Lee Ranaldo from Sonic Youth does spoken word over this song and it’s just so great. It’s dead different to their normal stuff, so it really stands out and I really like it. It’s very creative and it just puts you in this very specific place. I genuinely listen to all sorts of different stuff, and I always thought The Cribs were just this indie-schmindie band but when I finally listened to them I realised how ignorant I was thinking that.”
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5. Pixies – Where Is My Mind?
“I’d like to say I heard it beforehand, but I probably heard this song first on the Fight Club soundtrack. That was my intro into the Pixies and at the time I hadn’t heard many bands like them and this song just bugged me out. It was really creepy, but at the same time really sad, and that’s a really odd mix of feelings. I thought it was awesome.”
4. Smashing Pumpkins – 1979
“1979 by the Pumpkins is such a wavy, dreamy song. It’s super chilled out but at the same time really depressing, and they really hit the mark with the video in terms of the era they were trying to evoke. I love this album – I think it’s the best they ever did – and I love this song.”
3. Radiohead - Creep
“I know a lot of Radiohead super fans dismiss this song and the album [Pablo Honey] but it’s why they got so big in the first place. It’s a very simple song, but it’s so brilliant. They’re a very hit and miss band for me, but I love this so much.”
2. White Lies – Bigger Than Us
“I first heard this when I was on holiday with some friends. Nobody’s iPod fit with this speaker that we had and the only thing that fit on it was my mate’s iPhone, and the only song he had on it was this song, so we just listened to it a thousand times the week we were away. It’s an epic-sounding song that’s just so anthemic and massive. Plus the video is the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”
1. David Bowie – Life On Mars?
“I don’t need to describe why David Bowie’s a genius. He’s just brilliant, and Life On Mars? is one of my favourite songs of his. The lyrics are surreal and read like newspaper headlines, but they sound completely relevant.”
Boston Manor release their new album Be Nothing. on September 30 through Pure Noise. The band tour from November.
