Seven Songs for the Week #144 - 7th Jan 26

It was known that Peter Gabriel was working on a follow up to 2023's i/o and that it was not going to take 20 years to deliver like i/o did (because that would mean he would be in his 90s when it came out). However it was a surprise on Jan 2nd when it was announced that a new single would come out the next day and, mirroring the strategy from 2023, a new single would appear on each full moon ahead of the o\i album later in the year. Three years between Peter Gabriel albums? It's a miracle.

It's also a very good song that repays repeated listens, and feels more simple and live than some of his studio tracks. In a supporting YouTube video PG says it was mostly recorded in October (with elements going back to the 1990s). That's a really fast turnaround, and no bad thing. He also intimated in the video that he had thought of putting o\i off for another year, but instead is getting on with it.

When I started these lists nearly three years ago, the first track was I/O, then a new PG track. It seems appropriate to start 2026's lists with PG again, and in the cumulative playlist covering all 144 lists, this is the 1,000th track. Yes, I know the maths seems a bit off on that (143*7=1,001), but something must've fallen off Apple Music in the interim.

It was pointed out to me this week that although the song is called mangetout, and indeed the beloved sugar pea is mentioned in the song, it's actually shorthand for Man Get Out. This is the type of dumb wordplay that will push a song up in my estimation.

Heard this on DSFM this week, Shazamed it, and here it is.

The Cathy Davey song reminded me of this, for some reason. The first time I heard this was in 2005 on a free CD with Word magazine [ https://www.discogs.com/release/1259985-Various-Word-Of-Mouth-The-Best-Way-To-Discover-Great-New-Music-March-2005 ] and if you don't know it, then take a few minutes and pay attention because the song doesn't end up where it starts.

I saw this on a playlist David Byrne sent out this week of unusual covers of songs. I like this.

Driving back to Dublin last weekend and Minneapolis station The Current was playing two hours of music from 1986. I love Robyn but cannot claim to know his catalogue particularly deeply, so I didn't know this one. He has a new album out this year, apparently.

Also played on The Current's 1986-a-thon. Is Byrne being sincere? It sounds heartfelt and is the flip of TH's The Big Country.