WARMER MIXTAPES #271 | by Tobias Isaksson [Azure Blue/Nite Flights] of Laurel Music, Irene and Personal Trainers

I get inspired by everything from film to literature and music and my musical interest and taste is broad so this was pretty hard.
I could include new bands like Twin Shadow, Warpaint, Neon Indian and all that great new stuff...
But it would easily turn into some 2010 special similar to what's posted in a lot of hipster blogs out there.
Instead I've taken a trip down memory lane as the sentimental fool I am.

1. OMD | Secret
This is actually my favorite OMD song. Although the drum sound is a bit 90's fat and vulgar I love the atmosphere and play the song almost every time I DJ.

2. New Order | The Beach
Basically the same song as Blue Monday but on this instrumental version the drums and bass sound even hotter.

3. China Crisis | Working With Fire And Steel
Amazingly underrated song and album. Perfect guitar/synth interaction.

4. James | Sometimes
One of the best dramatic pop songs I've heard. You can almost see what Tim Booth is singing about as a movie before you.

5. Grant McLennan | The Dark Side Of Town
I love Australian pop from this era. The Go-Betweens are one of my favorite bands ever but both Grant McLennan and Robert Forster have written some really great solo material. I've recorded a cover of the song Fingers from the Fireboy album. Grant McLennan RIP.

6. The Triffids | Save What You Can
The sad story of David McComb of The Triffids is similar to Grant McLennan's. Another sensitive songwiter from Australia who passed away too young. This is one of the most heartbreaking lyrics I've ever heard.

7. Lloyd Cole | Man Enough
I love Lloyd Cole. I just saw him do a PR gig in Stockholm in a small bar that only holds 50 people. He came up to me and said That's the exact mustache I was trying to grow but it was too grey so I had to shave it off.

8. Roxy Music | More Than This
One of the most perfect songs and albums ever. Bryan Ferry seems to be the perfect gentleman and his voice is Godlike.

9. Todd Rundgren | It Wouldn't Have Made Any Difference
For Todd Rundgren it seems so easy to write the perfect ballad that he had to choose a more experimental path for the bigger part of his carrier. Another true hero of mine.

10. Margo Guryan | Someone I Know
I love female voices but somehow this list was accidentally dominated by male singers. I'm a big fan of sunshine pop and soft rock and I'm actually working on a soft rock album as a long term project. For a while I corresponded with Margo Guryan. It was totally surreal to read her personal reflections about making this beautiful music in 1969 and her in person meetings with Astrud Gilberto, Harry Nilson and Dion!