Thanks to Redditor u/XtalHedphelym for uploading this excellent image.
I initially found this fantastic image on a Facebook group dedicated to the excellent Spookypasta known as The Backrooms. For me, this image doesn’t really get at the core characteristics of The Backrooms but it’s still a wonderful example of Radiohead’s satirical take on Capitalist Realism. The original post on Facebook incorrectly gave the date as 1997, potentially due to the font used for the bands name, though careful examination of the image after finding this better version of it on Reddit, confirmed the date to be 2000-2001. Hope you like it.
Here’s (probably) Radiohead’s most Backrooms energy track:
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Day 28. Another one influenced by Disco Elysium here. This song doesn’t appear in the game, as such, but appears as one of several easter eggs within the game which reference Manic Street Preachers song titles & lyrics. In the game world, the song was the anthem of a past Communist revolution in the main city, Revachol. An old man who fought during said revolution sings (or speaks, it isn’t voice acted) the opening lines of the song to you. When you ask him how the rest of the song goes, he says: “Something about shooting rabbits? I don’t remember.”
The song was originally written about the Spanish Civil War & became the Manic Street Preachers first number one single in the UK. The song is the longest song title (without using parenthesis) to ever reach the number one spot. It is, as far as I can ascertain, the only UK number one single to address the Spanish Civil War too, although I remember, at the time it was released, journalists saying that The Clash did it better with Spanish Bombs. I’m not sure where I stand on this.
The future teaches you to be alone The present to be afraid and cold So if I can shoot rabbits Then I can shoot fascists
Bullets for your brain today But we’ll forget it all again Monuments put from pen to paper Turns me into a gutless wonder
And if you tolerate this Then your children will be next And if you tolerate this Then your children will be next Will be next Will be next Will be next
Gravity keeps my head down Or is it maybe shame At being so young and being so vain?
Holes in your head today But I’m a pacifist I’ve walked La Ramblas But not with real intent
And if you tolerate this Then your children will be next And if you tolerate this Then your children will be next Will be next Will be next Will be next Will be next
And on the street tonight an old man plays With newspaper cuttings of his glory days
And if you tolerate this Then your children will be next And if you tolerate this Then your children will be next Will be next Will be next Will be next
Day 25. I saw a meme yesterday (that I can no longer find) that stated, “society has progressed beyond the need for Weezer.” Obviously this was meant as a joke (probably). This morning, while watching YouTube music videos, Say It Ain’t So came on. It’s a great tune.
Oh yeah Alright
Somebody’s Heine’ Is crowdin’ my icebox Somebody’s cold one Is givin’ me chills Guess I’ll just close my eyes
Oh yeah Alright Feels good Inside
Flip on the telly Wrestle with Jimmy Something is bubbling Behind my back The bottle is ready to blow
Say it ain’t so Your drug is a heart breaker Say it ain’t so My love is a life taker
I can’t confront you I never could do That which might hurt you So try and be cool When I say This way is a water slide away from me That takes you further every day So be cool
Say it ain’t so Your drug is a heart breaker Say it ain’t so My love is a life taker
Dear daddy I write you in spite of years of silence You’ve cleaned up, found Jesus, things are good or so I hear This bottle of Steven’s awakens ancient feelings Like father, stepfather, the son is drowning in the flood Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Say it ain’t so Your drug is a heart breaker Say it ain’t so My love is a life taker
Looking for some great music? Check the Song of the Day (Chaotic Neutral) Spotify playlist.
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Day 24. It was a toss up between their version of The Kinks’ classic Everybody’s Gonna Be Happy & this, their cover of the ’80’s Post-Punk/New Wave classic Never Say Never by Romeo Void.
Queens Of The Stone Age imbue the Post-Punk rhythms with a hard Rock muscularity that a) makes the song rock harder than the original & b) adds a layer of sleaziness which the original doesn’t quite match. In fact I’d argue the original has a sense of wide-eyed innocence which Josh Homme’s fuzz-laden lead guitar steamrolls right over. A great cover of a great song.
If time itself was his demeanor There’d be no sunlight or a glimmer Of sunlight landin’ on the street Some say girls must be discreet Some say girls must be discreet Nursing their fathers locked inside They masqueraded as his bride
I might like you better If we slept together I might like you better If we slept together I might like you better If we slept together But there’s somethin’ In your eyes that says Maybe that’s never Never say never
They slump by the courthouse with windburn skin That man could give a fuck About the grin on your face As you walk by, randy as a goat He’s sleepin’ on papers But he’d be warm in your coat
I might like you better If we slept together I might like you better If we slept together I might like you better If we slept together But there’s somethin’ In your eyes that says Maybe that’s never Never say never
There’s no easy way to lose your sight On the street, on the stairs Who’s on your flight Old couple walks by, as ugly as sin But he’s got her, she’s got him
I might like you better If we slept together I might like you better If we slept together I might like you better If we slept together I might like you better If we slept together I might like you better If we slept together But there’s somethin’ In your eyes that says Maybe that’s never Never say never
I might like you better If we slept together I might like you better If we slept together I might like you better If we slept together
Looking for some great music? Check out the Song of the Day (Covers) Spotify playlist.
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Day 10. I’ve written a fair bit about Manic Street Preachers lately & will probably write more in the future. They’re one of my favourite bands from when I was a teenager & I’ve recently started listening to them a bit more again.
Their version of the theme tune from the classic Korean War drama M*A*S*H was recorded for a double a-side single with Fatima Mansions (who’s contribution was a cover of Bryan Adams’ (Everything I Do) I Do It For You. The single was a charity single with proceeds going to The Spastic Society (since renamed SCOPE).
Through early morning fog I see Visions of the things to be The pains that are withheld for me I realise and I can see
That suicide is painless It brings on many changes And I can take or leave it if I please
The game of life is hard to play I’m gonna lose it anyway The losing card I’ll someday lay So this is all I have to say
Suicide is painless It brings on many changes And I can take or leave it if I please
The sword of time will pierce our skins It doesn’t hurt when it begins But as it works its way on in The pain grows stronger, watch it grin
Suicide is painless It brings on many changes And I can take or leave it if I please
A brave man once requested me To answer questions that are key Is it to be or not to be And I replied oh why ask me?
Suicide is painless It brings on many changes And I can take or leave it if I please
And you can do the same thing if you please
Looking for some great music? Why not check out the Song of the Day (Covers) Spotify playlist?
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Day 30. The link today is actually the recording studio. Yesterdays Pearl Jam tune & Them Bones by Alice In Chains were both recorded at London Bridge Studios in Seattle.
Them Bones is downtempo Grunge done to perfection. Atmospheric, Black Sabbath riffs, driving rhythms & fantastic vocal harmonies combine to create an oppressive & expressive atmosphere. For me personally, Them Bones takes me right back to Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. It’s inclusive on the rock stations fairly short playlist ensuring that I’ve probably heard it hundreds, if not thousands, of times in that particular setting.
I believe them bones are me Some say we’re born into the grave I feel so alone Gonna end up a big ole pile a them bones
Dust rise right on over my time Empty fossil of the new scene I feel so alone Gonna wind up a big ole pile a them bones Toll due bad dream come true I lie dead gone under red sky I feel so alone, Gonna end up a big ole pile a them
I feel so alone Gonna end up a big ole pile a them I feel so alone Gonna end up a big ole pile a them bones
Keep up to date with the Song of the Day (The Chain) Spotify playlist.
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Day 29. From a song about an American teenager opening fire on her school to a song about another kind of American school shooting. Jeremy is about a 15 year old boy, Jeremy Delle, who committed suicide in front of his English class by self inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Interestingly, the same set of circumstances seemed to contribute to Delle’s suicide as many more famous school shootings. Chiefly that Delle, like many school shooters, was mercilessly bullied by his classmates.
Pearl Jam wrote Jeremy in a bid to increase awareness of gun violence (specifically in schools), teen suicide & the dangers of unchecked bullying. As the description to the YouTube video states, “the themes of Jeremy highlighted by Pearl Jam in 1991, have sadly only become more relevant in the intervening 30 years as gun deaths continue to increase.”
At home drawing pictures Of mountain tops With him on top Lemon yellow sun Arms raised in a V
Dead lay in pools of maroon below Daddy didn’t give attention Oh, to the fact that mommy didn’t care King Jeremy the wicked Oh, ruled his world
Jeremy spoke in class today Jeremy spoke in class today Clearly I remember Pickin’ on the boy
Seemed a harmless little fuck But we unleashed the lion Gnashed his teeth and bit the recessed lady’s breast
How could I forget And he hit me with a surprise left My jaw left hurting
Dropped wide open Just like the day Oh like the day I heard Daddy didn’t give affection
And the boy was something that mommy wouldn’t wear King Jeremy the wicked Ruled his world
Jeremy spoke in class today Jeremy spoke in class today Jeremy spoke in class today
Try to forget this (try to forget this) Try to erase this (try to erase this) From the blackboard
Jeremy spoke in class today Jeremy spoke in class today Jeremy spoke in Spoke in Jeremy spoke in Spoke in Jeremy spoke in class today
Uh uh uh uh (spoke in, spoke in, spoke in) (Spoke in) Uh uh uh uh (spoke in, spoke in, spoke in) Whoa oh (spoke in) (Spoke in, spoke in) Whoa oh (spoke in) Whoa oh (spoke in, spoke in, spoke in) Ah ah ah yeah Ah ah ah ah (spoke in, spoke in, spoke in) Yeah yeah ah ah ah (spoke in, spoke in, spoke in) Ah ah ah ah ah
Keep up to date with the Song of the Day (The Chain) Spotify playlist.
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Day 27. From a song called Tourniquet yesterday to the only other song I could think of that used the word Tourniquet in it’s lyrics (I’m sure there’s more but my mind is blank).
Luckily, One Of My Turns from The Wall is a great tune. The slow burning synth drones of the opening are so lush & thick. They take me back to a certain time in my life when I first heard The Wall. The movie, I think. & the explosive drop before the loud section is a huge shock. I wish musicians (in the mainstream, at least) still played with dynamics like that. Great tune. & an intense section of the movie.
“Oh my God! What a fabulous room! Are all these your guitars? “I’m sorry sir, I didn’t mean to startle you!” “This place is bigger than our apartment!” “Let me know when you’re entering a room” “Yes sir!” “Um, Can I get a drink of water?” “I was wondering about” “You want some, huh?” “Yes” “Oh wow, look at this tub? Do you want to take bath?” “I’ll have to find out from Mrs. Bancroft what time she wants to meet us, for her main…” “What are watching?” “If you’ll just let me know as soon as you can … Mrs Bancroft” “Mrs Bancroft…” “Hello?” “I don’t understand” “Are you feeling okay?”
Day after day, love turns grey Like the skin of a dying man. And night after night, we pretend its all right But I have grown older and You have grown colder and Nothing is very much fun any more. And I can feel one of my turns coming on. I feel cold as a razor blade, Tight as a tourniquet, Dry as a funeral drum.
Run to the bedroom, In the suitcase on the left You’ll find my favorite axe. Don’t look so frightened This is just a passing phase, One of my bad days. Would you like to watch T.V.? Or get between the sheets? Or contemplate the silent freeway? Would you like something to eat? Would you like to learn to fly? Would’ya? Would you like to see me try?
Would you like to call the cops? Do you think it’s time I stopped? Why are you running away?
Keep up to date with the Song of the Day (The Chain) Spotify playlist.
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Day 25. A bit of an obvious one today, but a good one. From a Nine Inch Nails mix of a Bowie song to one of my favourite Nine Inch Nails songs.
We’re In This Together was the lead single from the bands excellent 1999 album The Fragile. Precision production, industrial percussion & some of the nastiest Noise Rock guitar ever committed to tape ProTools combine to create a huge single. Aa creeping sense of dread grows throughout the songs verses before exploding into the fury of the loud, angry, & somehow optimistic, chorus.
I’ve become impossible holding on to when When everything seemed to matter more The two of us All used and beaten up Watching fate as it flow down the path we Have chose
You and me We’re in this together now None of them can stop us now We will make it through somehow You and me If the world should break in two Until the very end of me Until the very end of you
Awake to the sound as they peel apart the skin They pick and they pull Trying to get their fingers in Well they’ve got to kill what we’ve found Well they’ve got to hate what we fear Well they’ve got to make it go away Well they’ve got to make it disappear
The farther I fall I’m beside you As lost as I get I will find you The deeper the wound I’m inside you For ever and ever I’m a part of
You and me We’re in this together now None of them can stop us now We will make it through somehow You and me If the world should break in two Until the very end of me Until the very end of you All that we were is gone we have to hold on All that we were is gone we have to hold on When all our hope is gone we have to hold on All that we were is gone but we can hold on
You and me We’re in this together now None of them can stop us now We will make it through somehow You and me Even after everything You’re the queen and I’m the king Nothing else means anything
Keep up to date with the Song of the Day (The Chain) Spotify playlist.
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Day 24. From songs produced by David Bowie (Lou Reed’s Perfect Day & Mott The Hoople’s All The Young Dudes) for the last two days to a David Bowie song produced by another artist. In this case it’s the V1 mix of I’m Afraid Of American’s, produced by Nine Inch Nail’s polymath Trent Reznor. Although not the original version, this mix surpassed the album version in popularity (partly due to the video, one would assume) & is even included on many ‘best of’ albums.
I’m Afraid Of Americans already shared some major characteristics with Nine Inch Nails. Bowie was, after all, heavily influenced by them in this period. Trent Reznor transforms it into a behemoth of punishing Industrial Noise Rock. Check out the video below.
Johnny’s in America, no tax at the wheel Ah-ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah-ah No-one needs anyone, they don’t even just pretend Ah-ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah Johnny’s in America
I’m afraid of Americans I’m afraid of the world I’m afraid I can’t help it I’m afraid I can’t I’m afraid of Americans I’m afraid of the world I’m afraid I can’t help it I’m afraid I can’t I’m afraid of Americans
Johnny’s in America Ah-ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah-ah Johnny wants a brain, Johnny wants to suck on a coke Johnny wants a woman, Johnny wants to think of a joke Ah-ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah-ah Johnny’s in America (ah-ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah-ah)
I’m afraid of Americans I’m afraid of the world I’m afraid I can’t help it I’m afraid I can’t I’m afraid of Americans I’m afraid of the world I’m afraid I can’t help it I’m afraid I can’t I’m afraid of Americans
Johnny’s in America, Johnny looks up at the stars Johnny combs his hair and Johnny wants pussy in cars Johnny’s in America (ah-ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah-ah) Johnny’s in America (ah-ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah-ah)
I’m afraid of Americans I’m afraid of the world I’m afraid I can’t help it I’m afraid I can’t I’m afraid of Americans I’m afraid of the world I’m afraid I can’t help it I’m afraid I can’t I’m afraid of Americans
God is an American God is an American (Ah-ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah-ah)
I’m afraid of Americans I’m afraid of the world I’m afraid I can’t help it I’m afraid I can’t I’m afraid of Americans I’m afraid of the world I’m afraid I can’t help it I’m afraid I can’t
Yeah I’m afraid of Americans I’m afraid of the world I’m afraid I can’t help it I’m afraid I can’t I’m afraid of Americans
Johnny’s an American Johnny’s an American Johnny’s an American Johnny’s an American Johnny’s an American
Keep up to date with the Song of the Day (The Chain) Spotify playlist.
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