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I'm feeling reckless, folks. So it's *shuffle play night*. Expect random music-based raving and drooling.
First up: Alice In Chains, "Sickman". An absolute blinder, from what is still my favourite AiC album - not a duff track on it. AiC were always my favourite band from the so-called grunge scene - those beautiful, distorted harmonies... yum. #RIP Layne Staley.
Next up: Underworld, "Pearl's Girl (Tin There)". Frantic, just-as-you-think-it-can't-accelerate-any-more remix of the Underworld favourite, from one of the formats of the "Pearl's Girl" single. Praise be for that awesome Super Deluxe set, collecting this sort of stuff together.
#3: Pure Reason Revolution, "AVO". In which PRR go gloriously synthpop. I wasn't one of those people who particularly liked "The Dark Third", but I *adored* that second album. Sleek electronica with a rock punch & those wonderful harmonies. Beautiful.
#4: Lykke Li, "Love Me Like I'm Not Made Of Stone". A skeletally sparse arrangement for one of Li's broken-hearted love songs. She's such a brave & honest lyricist - this is incredibly bleak but her songs are never maudlin.
#5: Banco De Gaia, "Mafich Arabi (Original Demo)". It's striking how similar this is to the finished article - testament to Toby Marks's exacting production work. The final track is punchier and the vocal samples are more smoothly blended, but this stands up just fine on its own.
#6: Ex Libris, "The Raid". Magnificent progressive metal re-telling of the story of Anne Frank (in part, anyway - it's from a three-track conceptual EP), topped off with the utterly extraordinary vocals of Dianne van Giersbergen. This Dutch band deserve a much larger audience.
#7: Genesis, "Dodo/Lurker". About which much need not be said. Masterful stuff - and my favourite track from "Abacab". The drumming is a masterclass, and that vocal is wondrous. Banks's one finger soloing on "Lurker" is a joy forever. (We all know the answer to the riddle, yes?)
#8: Jean-Michel Jarre, "Revolutions (Intro)". Studio collage intro from the "Destination Docklands" album. Not so much a song as a brief remix. 
#9: Camel, "The Great Marsh" (Live). Beautifully atmospheric live take from the remastered deluxe edition of "The Snow Goose". But we've all heard this, haven't we? What's that? We haven't? Well, get on it, man/woman! #Camelid4Lyfe
#10: Mediaeval Baebes, "Gaudete". Gorgeous choral reading of the old folk song. These ladies always serve up beautiful records, but I heartily recommend the rather more ribald live experience, which will likely make you a lifelong fan. It did me. 
#11: Anna Phoebe, "Mostar". Gorgeous violin from the ridiculously talented Phoebe, allied to a prog-meets-world-music blowout full of unexpected peaks and troughs. The album this is taken from ("Between The Shadow And The Soul") is *stunning*.
#12: Cobalt Chapel, "Mountain". Otherwordly psychedelic folktronica from 'Ver Chapel' - this is their "Autobahn", a longer track built on a titanic synth riff and motorik drums, Cecilia Fage's ethereal vocals singing you to your (final?) rest. Magical.
#13: The Chemical Brothers, "My Elastic Eye". Downright odd distorted drum'n'bass variant from the Chems. That buzzy synth lead will disappoint your neighbours pretty comprehensively when played via a subwoofer. Just saying. 
#14: Tori Amos, "Broken Arrow". Just one of many highlights from Tori's most recent album, "Native Invader", which is her best for many years IMO. This one addresses inequality with powerful language, and that voice is as powerful & emotive as ever.
#15: Bat For Lashes, "Laura". Unspeakably beautiful, this one - one of my favourites from "The Haunted Man". Natasha Khan at her best, the sparse but haunting arrangement really showing off her spectacular voice and a deeply affecting lyric.
#16: Metallica, "The House Jack Built". One of a multitude of deeply under-appreciated tracks from the ever-controversial "Load". This is actually one of my favourites from this period, the twisted guitar, frankly disturbing lyric and multi-tracked vocals giving it a unique feel.
#17: Karnataka, "Crazy". Ur-Karnataka, from the band's first album, no less. One of my favourite songs from that early period, Jon's choral keyboard riff and Paul's extended guitar solo are a delight. It takes a wonderfully dark turn at the end, too!
#18: Enigma, "Why!..." Typical 90s fare from Michael Cretu's Enigma, built on virtually the same shuffling drumloop as "Sadeness". Formulaic they certainly have been, but I find Enigma strangely hard to dislike, even if "The Cross Of Changes" is still their best for me.
#19: Belinda Carlisle, "You're Nothing Without Me". Wonderfully vindictive rocker from the ex-Go Gos vocalist. That voice is still one of a kind, so powerful you feel sure she doesn't even need a microphone half the time. 
#20: Mediaeval Baebes, "Lo, Here My Hert". Beautiful, minimalist reading of another mediaeval relic. You rarely hear these ladies cited as great vocalists, which strikes me as odd and more than a little unfair. This is gorgeous.
#21: Enya, "Even In The Shadows". A somewhat unconventional composition for Enya, despite the tubular bells and the extended choir of Enyas, built on a tumbling bass figure. Predictably lush and lovely, though.
#22: Rush, "Intro" (Live). From the "A Show Of Hands" album. A welcome little snippet of comedy. I can almost picture them wandering onstage. #RIP Neil Peart. It still hurts.
#23: The Corrs, "Toss The Feathers" (Live). From the "Unplugged" album. As has previously been discussed, I have a lot of time for the unpretentious nature & music of these siblings. This is utterly infectious (and not in a Covid-19 sort of way, before someone suggests it).
