Som nævnt vil jeg ikke ligefrem vade i juleriet, men helt uden om den kommer man jo ikke. Duoen She & Him (Zooey Deschanel & M Ward) er retro på den fede måde. De kan deres pophistorie og bruger hæmningsløst, men også talentfuldt og personligt af den, så gamle nostalgikere som overtegnede må sænke paraderne og smelte hen. The Guardian har bedt de to om at lave en playliste som en slags nedtælling til julen. Og det er – ikke overraskende – en frydefuld tur tilbage i musikkens annaler. Kun få nyere navne har fået plads på listen, hvilket blot understreger, at alt ikke er opfundet inden for det sidste årti eller sådan… Værsgo – i samarbejde med Hun & Ham og YouTube Capacs adventslytteliste…
James Brown – I Know It’s True
M Ward: “A beautiful and rare find.”
Michael Nesmith – Joanne
Zooey: “This song has such an incredibly beautiful melody. Michael Nesmith is a very underrated songwriter.”
The Carter Family – Lover’s Lane
M Ward: “Probably my favorite musical group of all time.”
Dusty Springfield – Let Me Down Easy
Zooey: “Dusty Springfield’s voice is as great as they come. This is a lesser-known song from her London days.”
Elmore James – Sho Nuff I Do
M Ward: “My favorite slide guitar player.”
The Louvin Brothers – My Baby’s Gone
Zooey: “The Louvin Brothers are genius. Like the Everly Brothers they are masters of the two-part harmony, but lesser known. It’s definitely worth buying all of their records.”
Daniel Johnston – To Go Home
M Ward: “The Beatles filtered through the mind of Daniel Johnston.”
Ozzie Kotani – Ku’u Kika Kahiko
M Ward: “Probably my favorite Hawaiian guitarist”
The Zombies – Whenever You’re Ready
Zooey: “One of my favorite bands of all time. This song is a classic. Colin Blunstone is an exceptional vocalist. There is no other group like the Zombies.”
Fats Domino – What a Party
M Ward: “Great chorus, great voice, great piano, great production.”
Gene Clark – No Other
Zooey: “He left the Byrds because he was afraid of flying. Gene Clark had a very interesting solo career with many great records. This is the title track from his haunting album No Other.”
Sonic Youth – Kool Thing
M Ward: “Revolutionary guitars.”
Christopher Parkening – Bach: Prelude 1 from Well-Tempered Clavier
M Ward: “Good song to wake up to.”
Billy Joel – Allentown
Zooey: “This song has an uplifting melody but dark subject matter: my favourite combination. One of Billy Joel’s finest.”
She & Him – Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?
M Ward: “One of the first songs we ever recorded together.”
Ella Fitzgerald and the Ink Spots – I’m Making Believe
Zooey: “This song puts me to sleep in the best way. I love all of Ella Fitzgerald’s duets with the Ink Spots but this is a favourite.”
Den eneste af de valgte numre, jeg ikke har kunnet finde, er Dusty Springfields “Let Me Down Easy”. Men her er en anden, meget fin udgave med The Spencer Davies Group…