10 OF THE BEST - ELIZA BRATLEY

Bowie was always going to be up there. In fact, he should probably top everyone’s music collection. When I hear Hunky Dory I think of Sunday dinner at my parents’ house. Everyone has overdone it on the food, I’ve had far too many glasses of wine and Bowie gets turned up on the record player. If I ever do make it to the real Desert Island Discs then Oh! You Pretty Things will definitely be one of my chosen tracks.

Closely following Bowie, Arctic Monkeys were constantly on the CD player when I was growing up. Mardy Bum used to be the most played song on my iPod shuffle back in 2006. I’d listen to it back to back on my walk to the school bus. I even based my A Level English essay on the lyrics to Riot Van. My Dad is from Sheffield and every car journey up north as a kid involved Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not playing at full volume. In 2018 I saw the band play a one off gig at The Royal Albert Hall and I definitely cried… It’s not everyday you get to hear Alex Turner sing about Montagues or Capulets from those infamous red velvet seats.

I used to spend hours scouring through the internet to find obscure, alternative songs to use on Myspace profile. My fourteen year old self thought this was the height of cool… I remember Cassius by Foals being a choice I was especially proud of as it took centre stage on my profile for a good few weeks. Watching Foals play Glastonbury last year still took me back to the days of MSN, kohl eyeliner and flip phones. House parties with unidentifiable drinks and ludicrously backcombed hair. They are that band that make me feel like I’m fifteen again, spending my Friday nights running wild at gigs, drinking questionable liquor stolen from the back of the kitchen cupboard. Total Life Forever takes me right back to the happy chaos of my teenage youth.

Laura Marling also conjures the same nostalgia of teenage youth. I remember first hearing her songs on my friends iPod. We were sat in a very rainy bus stop piecing together the misbehaviours of the weekend. Alas I cannot Swim, came out when I was in those complicated teenage years. Many dog walks were spent listening to her lyrics, trying to muddle through my own emotions. If I ever feel a little lost, hers are the songs I turn to first.

For some magical reason my birthday always seems to fall at the same time as a Japanese House gig. I think I’ve now spent a total of three birthdays holding a pint in a paper cup listening to the dreamy vocals of Amber Bain. Her gigs are always so beautiful, like I’m falling out of real life and into an ethereal fantasy. 

Equally, intoxicating sounds come from Currents by Tame Impala. At the end of the year, when Spotify loves spam you with statistics of what songs you play the most, Tame Impala always tops my list. I think it’s because I’m never not in the mood for those psychedelic melodies. They always work. Day, night, rain or shine. Currents will forever be one of my favourite records; it’s like wandering through a daydream. 

Surf is another album that accompanies my daily routine. I remember the moment I downloaded it, I was living in Australia and a friend back home sent it to me. I loved the collaboration of genres. It set the mood for those hot evenings walking through the humid streets of Brisbane, carefree and content. Sunday Candy is a track that makes me particularly happy. I’m one of those musical theatre fanatics so it’s a little nod to Broadway without going full on jazz hands.

Dancing is my favourite past time. If you ever lose me at a festival then I guarantee you’ll find me in one of those hidden disco tents, probably in a jumpsuit and almost definitely dancing to Le Freak. If it’s the ‘Good Times’ that you’re looking for, then look no further… Chic, Jungle and Jamiroquai are my go to albums for joy.

I’ve seen Chic a couple of times and I think on both occasions I injured myself with overenthusiastic shimmying. The minute any of the songs from C’est Chic start, I seem to think I’m in the Strictly final, dancing for my trophy…

...Similarly, The Return of the Space Cowboy has sound tracked almost all of my summers on this earth. The mixture of funk, jazz and disco is the dream cocktail. It never fails to make me smile and always leads me to overdo it on the Sangria…

...I’ve probably seen Jungle play live more than any other band, everywhere from The Natural History Museum to Alexandra Palace. There’s something so feel-good about their gigs. It’s a euphoria I’d like to bottle up and dish out on special occasions.