Having released their self-titled (or in theory Morrissey-titled) new album yesterday (2 October), The Ordinary Boys’ frontman Preston is on a bit of a self-referential tip. Hence his choice of playlist theme, songs named after the bands that made them. “If a band names an album other than their debut eponymously, it can often be as much of a statement as a bold, self-referential title,” he notes. “With the release of our self-titled, fourth album, I challenged myself to think of ten eponymous songs by bands that I liked for a Q artist’s playlist.” Right, let’s get meta…
Beastie Boys – Beastie Boys
“Beastie Boys cut their teeth as a New York hardcore band playing with Bad Brains and even choosing their band name so as to share the same initials. The energy and chaos of their hardcore roots definitely helped them become the innovators that they became.”
Belle & Sebastian – Belle & Sebastian
“Like Wes Anderson films, everyone’s favourite Belle and Sebastian record is the first one they heard, so unique and perfect is the atmosphere that every note on every song has. It’;s hard to think of another band that so exclusively creates a tone of their own.”
45 Grave – 45 Grave. The Return of the Living
“Dead soundtrack introduced me to the Cramps, Roky Ericson, T.S.O.L. and also 45 Grave whose Evil is a horror-punk classic. Their self-titled song is from the same record.”
Minor Threat – Minor Threat
“This self-titled song is arguably one of their most well known. Never has a band so instantly spoken to me. Minor Threat –and Fugazi although with a different agenda perhaps – are great examples of the power of a direct lyric.”
Slowdive – Slowdive
“The first song on the first EP from probably my favourite band. Souvlaki is still one of the heaviest records ever in the way that it drips with feeling.”
Youth Of Today – Youth Of Today
“As a band we were all straight edge, ironically and rather pathetically up until around drinking age. True Till College is how we refer to those years now. But at the time we took it very seriously and a lot of our friends are still straight edge. Ray Cappo was a real childhood hero of mine and we were lucky enough to support Better Than 1000 in the early Ordinary Boys days.”
Pennywise – Pennywise
“This is quite a weird one because it’s self-titled but it’s about Pennywise, the clown from It. I actually love this song. They may kind of be a Bad Religion clone but if they hadn’t been on almost every skate video in the 90s then I would have never have got the Punk-O-Rama compilations and never discovered Bad Religion in the first place.”
Bad Religion – Bad Religion
“See above. Bad Religion actually had multiple self-titled songs according to the internet but the version from the Back To The Known EP is the one that I remember.”
Veronica Falls – Veronica Falls
“Rory Atwell from Test Icicles and Warm Brains worked a lot with Veronica Falls and he also produced the majority of our new album. They are like a great goth version of a C86 band.”
Built To Spill – Built To Spill
“The guitar solo on this song is ace. Another band that I inherited from my older brother.”
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