WARMER MIXTAPES #1619 | by Richard Flynn (The Junket) of Captain


1. The Breeders | Off You
I love Kim Deal more than most artists. She's got the knack to write stunning tracks that sound like she hasn't tried at all. This one is from Title TK and is one of my favourite tracks in The World. Tend to listen to it alone though...

2. The Flaming Lips | A Spoonful Weighs A Ton
To be honest, I could basically say anything off The Soft Bulletin. It was an album that changed everything for me. I must have gone to sleep to it about 3000 times when I was kipping on our drummer Reu's floor – way before Captain – when I'd just split with my long-term girlfriend. Things worked out OK, so I have fond memories of the period, it wasn't a trying to get over it LP at all, just a stunning way to fall asleep. I met Wayne Coyne when we played SXSW in Austin and made a complete dick of myself, he was lovely though. Told me to be careful not to get arrested…

3. Swervedriver | Sandblasted
My best friends and I count Swervedriver as one of the greatest bands in The World. We see them whenever they play London and it's kind of an event – we're all going again in May this year, actually, to pretend to be kids again. I must have listened to Mezcal Head, Ejector Seat Reservation, etc., etc., etc.... A trillion times! But it was this EP and the Raise LP that started it all for me – and us!



 4. Evil Superstars | B.A.B.Y.
Another pivotal album for me and my friends. Not much to say, it's just a really dirty track that kind of exudes Cool, or my idea of what Cool should sound like if it were able to express itself. It's tuned super low too. It makes me feel very dweeby indeed, but it's OK to be a geek. The album it comes from – Boogie-Children-R-Us – is amazing.

5. The Beach Boys | Surfer Girl
My mum and dad only had about 4 cassettes in the car when I was a kid. One was John Denver, one was Simon & Garfunkel, one was Don McClean and the other was a Best Of Beach Boys one. The upbeat Surfy stuff kind of passed me by to be honest, wasn't into it, but this track has sort of followed me around wherever I go ever since like a personal soundtrack – that and the bloody Addam's Family theme tune that won't get out of my head. When I started writing Hazelville I wanted the first track I wrote to sound like this, mixed with a sort of blunt sampled feel for the rhythm track – Western High is what came out. I think Surfer Girl's just a beautiful song and so nice and simple. We always sing it really late at parties around a piano whenever my incredible pianist mate Michael is about. Love it.

6. Don McClean | Vincent
I just adore-adore this song – and, yes, it was another to come out of the endless cycling of the four cassettes in the family car on the way to Devon or whatever. We played a lot of I Spy too.



7. The Pecadiloes | Peace & Quiet 
Or anything from their catalogue... We saw every Pecas show we could after we'd seen them at In The City in Manchester back in the '90s. We were in another band back then that went nowhere really. We started a new, (slightly) more successful group and ended up rehearsing next door to them in Bedford – as we had the same manager. That was in The Junket – we were absolutely massive fans and we basically ripped them off quite a lot, because all we heard was them through the walls and it was kind of inescapable… (That's my excuse anyway). In retrospect it was pretty lame, but we were young and they were much, much better than us. They should have been huge. Anyway, Reu and I ended up playing in a band with Nick the singer, for one single (terrifying) show at Bedford Esquires. It was the shortest band in history… Caught On Venus, their debut (and only released) album is great – as it is most of their stuff.

8. Jacob's Mouse | It's A Thin Sound
Long haired twins on guitar and bass, a singing drummer and a generally brilliant noise. John Peel was a fan. I have everything they ever released. When I was 15 they were the only band that would agree to a charity gig at our school without asking for money. Nice guys. We gave them £12 for petrol from Bury St Edmonds – they gave us their entire rider of beer. I asked the singer Sam what all his lyrics were. Must have got really, really boring for him. Best night of my life though.

9. Elliott Smith | Speed Trials
Elliot Smith is a massive influence for me. Especially for my solo stuff that no-one's heard (or ever going to hear)… His is a truly tragic story though. This one is from Either/Or and it's a magical track that makes me feel sad in a nice way. It sounds like it's recorded in a hole, but I love that.

10. My Bloody Valentine | Only Shallow
Loveless is a true Indie classic, I know, but I am in Love with that era of Music and always will be, anything from Ride's early stuff could easily have ended up here too. Also, more recently, MBV influenced bands like Ringo Deathstarr are right up there for me. I love the way Kevin Shields created that massive noise using EQ rather than loads of effects. Saw them on the Rollercoaster Tour with Dinosaur Jr., The Jesus And Mary Chain and Blur when I was smaller.