WARMER MIXTAPES #1431 | by James Alexander Graham (The Fruit Tree Foundation) of The Twilight Sad

Photo by Nicola Collins

1. The Smiths | There Is A Light That Never Goes Out
Andy and I recorded a cover of this when we were 18 or 19, I think. It was the first time I'd ever recorded anything. The Smiths are one of my favourite bands and this was the first song I ever heard by them.

2. Manic Street Preachers | A Design For Life
The first album I ever bought was Everthing Must Go after I'd watched The Manics perform this song on Top Of The Pops. I could have picked about 20 Manics songs as my favourite, but I chose this one as its one of my first Musical memories.

3. Mogwai | Tracy
My favourite Mogwai song changes all the time. This is my favourite at the moment because I have been playing with a little Music Box which plays the main melody from this song - I sat for about 10 minutes playing it over and over again. I also love the phone calls that feature the band on the track.

4. Arab Strap | The Shy Retirer 
Arab Strap were a huge influence on me. This song made me realise it was OK to sing in your native accent and sing/write about about everyday life.

5. Buddy Holly | Everyday
This song reminds me of someone special and it's also in one of my favourite films, Stand By Me.



6. The Flaming Lips | Do You Realize?? 
This song and the lyrics explain how I feel about Life. I wish I could have wrote it, it's honest and brilliant at the same time.

7. Portishead | The Rip
I love Portishead. I love this song. The way the song evolves as it goes on has inspired every song I've written since I heard it.

8. Bill Wells & Aidan Moffat | The Copper Top
I relate to everything Aidan says in this song. Aidan is from Falkirk and I used to visit Falkirk a lot when I was younger and he talks about certain places in this song that I remember from my youth. It's an extremely sad song but really beautiful at the same time.

9. Interpol | Untitled
Interpol's debut album is one of my favourite albums of all time. It just captured a certain time in my life. This song is the perfect start to that record.

10. Joy Division | Isolation
I could have picked a number of Joy Division songs, but this is my favourite at the moment. There's nothing I can say about Joy Division and the way they have influenced people over the years that hasn't already been said.