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Baker's Dozen

Blissful Resonance: Brian DeGraw Of Gang Gang Dance's Favourite Albums
Tristan Bath , January 14th, 2014 06:16

With Brian DeGraw's debut solo album as bEEdEEgEE released last month, the Gang Gang Dance founder member speaks to Tristan Bath about thirteen of his favourite albums, from Scott Walker and Pharaoh Sanders to Burial and Public Enemy

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Scott Walker - Scott 4

This became my favourite Scott Walker record mainly because of 'Rhymes Of Goodbye'. That song delivers the type of sadness that I love and romanticise. It's a glorious sadness, something more akin to an overwhelming sense of sentimentality… a sadness that brings joy. Whenever I hear this song I time travel through so many moments of my past - relationships, friendships, hardships, youthful celebration, desperation - it makes me want to be drunk on wine and roll around on a cobblestone street. It evokes some sort of bohemian paradise for me, the feeling I had in my first years living in the city. It seems like a song that's been with me my entire life even though it hasn't. I suppose it's the gamut of senses and emotions that it stirs up that make me feel like I've known it forever. I get very emotional when I hear it. I think it's best listened to in autumn, when you're not quite ready to say goodbye to summer but you have no choice, so you find a moment to embrace the change and revel in it. The entire record is beautiful of course, but that one track is so special to me.