WARMER MIXTAPES #1177 | by George Cosby

1. Eddie Vedder | Guaranteed (Into The Wild Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Eddie Vedder has always been a huge inspiration for me. His voice is so unique and has a ton of character. When he sings you believe what he is saying and that ability to deliver a performance of such passion is quite rare in my eyes. Pearl Jam regularly pulse through my headphones, but for those quieter, more relaxed moments... His solo material also rocks and I have picked a track from his soundtrack for Into The Wild. Makes a good film great.

2. The National | Bloodbuzz Ohio
Dark, brooding and reflective lyrics are right up my street and these guys are the best. I could choose a whole album worth of my favourite songs of theirs, but Bloodbuzz Ohio is a stand out. I recently was lucky enough to see them live at Alexandra Palace and this song blew the roof off.

3. Bon Iver | re: stacks
For Emma, Forever Ago is an astonishing album, heart on your sleeve stuff. I’ve never been so blown away as when I watched his Jools Holland performance of Skinny Love. However, my personal pick from the album is re: stacks. Weirdly, the first time I heard it I was in a bath and I lay there until the water went cold, feeling a little bit emotional.

4. Jeff Buckley | Last Goodbye
A friend of mine once told me that when he first purchased Grace as a teenager he listened to the Please kiss me... Kiss me out of Desire! line from Last Goodbye on repeat seven or eight times in a row. I don't know what to make of that story, but for some reason it doesn't strike me as that strange a thing to do. This is because, like on so many of his songs, Buckley manages to change the most saccharine, lugubrious of lyrics into enraged heart-stoppers by the sheer force of that once-in-a-decade voice. A Pop Classic.

5. David Bowie | Changes
Well, he had to be on the list, didn’t he... The ultimate icon of Cool. I love this song in particular, not just because it is on every playlist I have ever made, but also because it makes an appearance as a cover by Seu Jorge in one of my favourite films, Wes Anderson’s The Life Aquatic. What is not to love about a Portuguese cover sung in an orange Zissou beanie?



6. Simon & Garfunkel | Homeward Bound
A truly God-like figure. Paul Simon is one artist who my mum played a lot while I was growing up and he was one of my earliest influences in playing guitar. I remember being about 12/13 and getting a bit bummed out that I did not seem to be the soloing genius I would have liked to be, so my guitar teacher at the time began to teach me how to fingerpick. Homeward Bound was the first song I learnt.

7. Scott Matthews | Elusive
The soundtrack to so many of my travels. For some odd reason I try and make a mental note to remember certain moments in time when they are happening and one of these moments was arriving in Marrakech in a taxi listening to Elusive. It was my first trip travelling alone after leaving School and in that moment everything just seemed to make sense. From then on Scott Matthews’ album Passing Stranger is the one record I will not travel without.

 8. Grizzly Bear | Yet Again
These guys are so cool. Edward Droste’s voice soars, as smooth as unwoven cashmere, across gliding chords and otherworldly percussion. This would be a great soundtrack to the best dream you have ever had.

9. John Butler Trio | Ocean
I must admit it is not very often I last twelve minutes of a song without skipping. The curse of the modern ADD consumer. This John Butler instrumental track, however, defies any such impulse to click the two rightwardly looking triangles. In my mind this simply has to be one of the most impressive guitar performances ever. You can't help but get a bit pumped as the song builds. What’s more, the live performances all have their own intricate individualism making for 12 minutes I would listen and watch over and over again.

10. Ásgeir | Higher
A more recent discovery than many on this list, but no less special. I read an amazing nugget that apparently his dad helps write the lyrics. How can you not fall in Love with the record knowing that! Some serious family bonding. The whole album is full of great tracks but the silky crunch of Electronica on Higher, accompanied by the soft fragility of Ásgeir’s vocal performance, makes it the go-to track for me.