It’s nothing revolutionary to say that German duo LOVEBYRD are connoisseurs of deep, brooding garage-rock. Their latest single WANNA DIE BEFORE YOU DO is the definitive proof. Melting rich melodies, waves of acoustic, and poignant lyricism, the group have mastered the art of exploring infinite moments and feelings in the space of a single.
Taking some time from their heavy release schedule, we caught up with the group to break down their 10 essential guitar-driven acoustic tracks. These aren’t just your run-of-the-mill tracks however, these are songs that stray from the traditional singer/songwriter roots, penned by artists that you probably wouldn’t expect.
What do The Velvet Underground, Oasis, Hole, and Van Morrison all have in common? Some seriously hectic acoustic tracks, LOVEBYRD know for a fact. Here are their top 10 essentials:
#1 – The Velvet Underground, Sweet Jane
An obvious choice for us. The groove and Lou Reed’s attitude are what make this track in our opinion. The Velvet Underground is nothing less than one of our all-time favourites. What more to say? Classic.
#2 – HAIM, I’ve Been Down
From an absolute classic to something brand new: Women In Music Part III, the new album from HAIM. It’s a gritty little pop record with a modern LA vibe. The drum sound, rooms, and guitars sound so nice on this one. Highly recommended if you haven’t checked it already.
#3 – Oasis, Guess God Thinks I’m Abel
Transitioning from three sisters to two brothers making music together. Well, not anymore, but this track from one of their later records has the most blissful vibe to it. We absolutely love this track, the Gallaghers, and Oasis.
#4 – Kevin Morby, Beautiful Stranger
If you are listening to this playlist track by track, you should now thank us for putting this super easy tune in. You might need to relax from the ending of that last Oasis one. If the sun is about to set and you play this song, beautiful things happen. Go find out for yourself.
#5 – Hole, Doll Parts
Courtney Love is a legend. This track is too. The whole Live Through This album is great but this song especially. Heartbreaking guitar melody plus heartbreaking lyrics, a “minus and minus equals a plus” type of situation. I want to be the girl with the most cake.
#6 – Pixies, Where Is My Mind?
Speaking of timelessness, there’s probably not much you can say about the Pixies‘ Where Is My Mind that hasn’t already been written or said. But, we love this track as much as anyone else (seriously, who doesn’t?) and felt it had to be part of this list.
#7 – Oasis, Go Let It Out
Look, another one! This is a more psychedelic track from their first album with the new band. The bassline on this is a gem to die for and that one vocal variation of the lyric Go Let It Out is probably why we listen to this song over and over again.
#8 – Van Morrison, Into The Mystic
We think that the early Van Morrison and Them material just had that golden ratio of grit and sadness. Van the man himself is nothing less than a rumbling legend and Into The Mystic is his best track, in our opinion.
#9 – Nino Ferrer, Le Sud
If you’ve made it to this point in the playlist, you are about to discover a hidden gem of sadness. Nino Ferrer shot himself into the heart on a field following his mother’s death and we think that this picture of tragedy becomes audible in Le Sud.
#10 – Terry Reid, July
To keep the mood, we conclude this playlist with Terry Reid’s July. A soaring voice in a tragic song from a guy that said “no” to being the Led Zeppelin frontman. Strong.
Check out WANNA DIE BEFORE YOU DO and the band’s full playlist below:
