Seven Songs for the Week #137 - 19th Nov 25

Just had the one listen to the Rosalía album so far but this track and the single Berghain stick out. It's great, needs more listens.

The return of Squeeze, eight years on from their last record. Saw them live in the summer of 2024 and they did a new song (not this one) which they said was an old song from pre-Squeeze days. Mojo reported at the end of last year that two Squeeze albums were coming - one made up of old pre-fame songs and one of new songs. Here's the former: Trixies is apparently a concept album written by Chris and Glenn in the pre-Squeeze days of 1973-75, about a nightclub in the 1980s. This first single took a few listens before it clicked, then I was sold. There's a good deal on their web store for the new album, plus a CD of the 1970s demos and an Atmos Blu-ray for €22. That's the way to do it.

Mojo's number two album of 2025, but I haven't got around to it yet - and I love Suede!

I love Neu!, not so familiar with the solo stuff. I saw someone comment that this track sounds like blur's Tender. It vaguely does at first, then shuffles into that rhythm and you could listen to it for hours.

After a lifetime of intentional avoidance, I watched the movie Grease this week for the first time. It's terrible, really, but the star power of Travolta does elevate it above Xanadu and the Sgt Pepper movie. The other problem is that it's so utterly familiar, even though I'd never seen it. This track was not so familiar to me, and when Rizzo started singing it I immediately wondered who had covered it, because it should have been Amy Winehouse. Out of all the covers I tried out, I think Joan's is the best.

Listened to all of Sign O' The Times this week, straight through, for what might be the first time. A vinyl copy bought in 1987 I purloined from my brother's records many years later when he had foregone owning a record player. The Cross stands out.

This was playing Dublin's Tower Records last weekend, an even more floaty version than the original. They've put out a whole remix of the album like this.