Guest Selector: Wild Beasts
The band's Tom Fleming on the songs behind Boy King
Wild Beasts returned last year with Boy King; an album that saw the Kendal-formed quartet examine the self-destructive effects of 21st-century notions of masculinity, with a heavier focus on electronic sounds. As the band prepare to headline Liverpool's FestEvol Gardens, bassist Tom Fleming reflects on some of the sounds that inspired the album, bringing us "the most Boy King-ass playlist since Boy King." With an offer like that, how could we refuse?
The Rolling Stones – Beast of Burden
[Some Girls, 1978]
I really like this period of the Stones. Despite the presumably massive budgets they always sound like they don't give a single fuck, and I love the guitars wrapping around each other. Jagger even sounds likeable!
Oneohtrix Point Never – Blue Drive
[Rifts, 2012 expanded reissue]
OPN has been a staple for years with us – he even did a remix back in the Two Dancers days – and he remains so. This is an enormously deep recording. Very, very still and very simple, but it finds its way deep into the folds of your brain.
Van Halen – Panama
[1984, 1984]
I feel as if Van Halen, and indeed a lot of that eyeliner LA metal sort of thing, are due a critical reappraisal (although it's not as if they ever stopped being huge). I know it comes over as subtle as one of David Lee Roth's magnificent codpieces, but underneath the presentation is a beautifully tight little pop song, and the playing is ludicrous. Trust.
Frank Ocean – Nikes
[Blonde, 2016]
Imagine having the most absurdly hyped record of the year in your pocket, ramping up the tension to a ridiculous degree, making people wait, then making them wait more, then the first track you put out has your voice pitched up to such a point that it's unrecognisable. Silly as it all was, I really do think this is that good; this track in particular has barely been off on the tourbus.
Lindstrøm – Closing Shot
[Windings EP, 2016]
A pre-gig staple, for when you've been awake for 26 hours and need to find the energy. Has that city-at-night blur to it and I find it impossible not to burst into a huge grin every time I hear it. It's that squelchy bassline, I think. Quite literally played before every show we played in 2016.
Sonic Youth – Becuz
[Washing Machine, 1995]
I recently started going over the alternative rock of my youth and picking some diamonds out of the mud. This whole record is great – pacing, sounds, artwork, everything, and the track has stayed with me for years. You could spend a lifetime going into Thurston and Lee's guitar interplay, but this is an excellent place to start.
Xasthur – A Gate Through Bloodstained Mirrors
[A Gate Through Bloodstained Mirrors, 2001]
I love Xasthur. I think his black metal days may be behind him, but I'm always looking for solo electronic music that doesn't sound like it's been minted straight from the same plugins as everyone else is using. This sounds like it's been recorded in a basement with the washing machine running, and it's beautiful. If depressive astral projection is your thing (it is mine).
Nine Inch Nails – The Becoming
[The Downward Spiral, 1994]
Nine Inch Nails were a constant touchstone for us making the last record, and we spoke a lot with John Congleton (producer) about this track in particular. Try and imagine an alternative today where tracks with these themes, sounds and rhythms come out on major labels with huge budgets. You can't, can you?
Shirley Collins – Cruel Lincoln
[Lodestar, 2016]
I'll admit, I was a little starstruck when we recently became labelmates with Shirley Collins. I suppose this is a pretty unreconstructed folk record, and not going to recruit anyone who's being brought up on radio-friendly R'n'B, but for the fans, this is an absolute goldmine. Love her.
Imogen Heap – Headlock
[Speak For Yourself, 2005]
Put Imogen Heap into WhoSampled if you want a diverting hour. It was a Clams Casino sample (for Soulja Boy of all people) that sent me back to this track. It's a totally bonkers pop song that seems to prefigure Sia and maybe even Hatsune Miku. Maybe I'm falling down a well there, but it's great.
Boy King is out now via Domino. Wild Beasts play Live at Leeds 2017, 29 Apr, FestEvol Gardens at Invisible Wind Factory, Liverpool, 30 Apr, and Summerhall, Edinburgh, 1 May