Influences
Simon & Garfunkel
I absolutely adore Simon & Garfunkel, a friend of mine suggested them to me and fell in love with them instantly. Paul Simon's guitar along with Art Garfunkel's harmonies are second to none. I always wanted to write songs that would affect others the way their songs affected me. I then started to listen to Paul Simon's solo material which I love just as much as when the two of them performed as a duo.
Paul Simon
Paul Simon is by far my favourite singer-songwriter. Not only is his contributions to Simon & Garfunkel incredible, his solo material is also phenomenal. So many of his albums have so much amazing material it's unbelievable. Though my favourite of his songs is "Still Crazy After All These Years" my favourite album of his is self-titular album "Paul Simon". It has, in my opinion, the greatest volume of incredible tracks. From "Duncan", "Everything Put Together Falls Apart", "Me & Julio Down By The Schoolyard", "Papa Hobo" and "Peace Like A River" to name a few. Though I say it is my favourite album of his, it's very difficult to choose given just how many great songs exist across all of his albums. An absolute legend in my eyes and have never gotten tired of listening to him, a constant inspiration.
Elton John
Another of my favourite artists is Elton John. Songs like "Your Song", "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" and "The Circle Of Life" got me interested in listening to Elton John as I enjoyed those songs. I then started to do a little digging and found amazing songs like "Tiny Dancer", "Rocket Man", "Border Song", "Crocodile Rock", "Don't Go Breaking My Heart", "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word" and "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" to name a few. Love his chord progressions and listening to him play makes me want to learn to play piano. Watching his BioPic "Rocketman" learning about his life and troubles was eye-opening, a truly inspiring man.
The Beatles
I always loved The Beatles. I remember their music being a part of my life since I was a child. Their music was always playing in the house as I was growing up. I loved songs like "Yellow Submarine", "Octopuses Garden" and "Penny Lane" when I was a child. I then rediscovered them as a teenager and grew an appreciation for their more mature songs such as "Get Back", "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds", "Rocky Raccoon" and countless others. A friend of mine sent me audio files of all their tracks in High School, including performances they done with Tony Sheridan, and I would listen to them during lunch breaks. I know "Abbey Road", "The White Album" & "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" are all seen as their best but I love "Revolver" the most, at least at the moment.
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald is a vocal master and her renditions of Jazz Standards are legendary. As a child I remember listening to her singing some of my favourite songs such as "'It's Only A Paper Moon", "Dream A Little Dream Of Me" and "Cheek To Cheek". Often when I listen to Ella, I try to harmonise along with her melodies, it's great practice and a lot of fun!
First Aid Kit
I'm a big fan of pop folk music and First Aid Kit hits the spot. Their harmonies and simple instrumentation are fantastic as are their voices. Songs like "The Lion's Roar", "To A Poet" and "King Of The World" are just beautiful songs. Essentially a female version of Simon & Garfunkel they're very easy to listen to with poignant lyrics.
Ian Dury & The Blockheads
Perhaps I was too young when I initially heard Ian Dury & The Blockheads but still absolutely love their music. Ian's lyrics are wonderful to listen too and not only are they funny, intricate and sometimes deep but the grooves and melodies can stand alone by themselves. Though at times a controversial artist, a wonderful artist all the same.
Jonathan Coulton
I first heard of Jonathan Coulton as the writer of a song called "Still Alive", a song at the end of a video game called Portal. The song is nerdy, comical and yet moving. This is Jonathan's style and he does it very well. Writing love songs from the perspective of a giant squid in "I Crush Everything", or from the perspective of an evil genius in "Skullcrusher Mountain", or from the perspective of the the arch-nemesis of a super hero in "Nemeses". His ability to write funny yet emotional lyrics is impressive, similar to Ian Dury but less controversial. Definitely worth a listen if you've never heard of him before.
Ray Charles
Ray Charles is essential listening and I'm sure everybody has heard "Hit The Road Jack" at the very least. Wonderful pianist is selling him short, absolutely unbelievable musician with a plethora of classics under his belt. "I've Got A Woman", "Georgia On My Mind", "Hallelujah, I Love Her So" and "Mess Around" just to name a few. It's incredibly inspiring that he is able to play as well as he can in spite of becoming blind. It's hard to ignore how impressive his talent is, even if he could see. Absolute Legend.
Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder is just a joy to listen to. Songs like "I Just Called To Say I Love You" and "Isn't She Lovely" are great love songs and tunes like "Sir Duke" and "Superstition" are fantastic jams to dance to. His ability to create great technical riffs that are not only impressive to play but sound amazing too is just astounding. He has created so many icon songs throughout his career and across so many different genres too, it's mind-blowing. Definitely one of the most influential artists in the world.
The Dear Hunter
The Dear Hunter are a great band, I first heard of them through one of my friends from America back in 2010. They are a progressive rock band and released a series of albums called The Acts, which go from 1 to 5 and have a deep story through out the albums. My favourite album they released was a series of 9 EPs called "The Colour Spectrum". 4 songs to each EP, each EP was a colour with the addition of white and black. Each of the songs on each EP is inspired by the colour each song is on. Definitely worth a listen!
The Who
I knew about The Who since I was a child with my dad playing their songs around the house but it was in High School I rediscovered their music and listened to them a lot. Songs like "Eminence Front", "Baba O'Riley" and "My Generation" I would frequently listen to on my iPod during lunch breaks and after school too. I wouldn't say I write music like The Who but they were a big part of what I listened to as I grew up.
Wolfmother
Wolfmother's self titled album was one of the first albums I asked for as a gift. I loved the song "Woman" as well as "The Joker And The Thief". I again used to listen to this album constantly during lunch in High School and grew to love all the songs on the album. The lead singers vocals are incredible and the rest of the band create amazing sounds. Fantastic band that really got me interested in music.
Gorillaz
Though I don't write songs in the same style or genre as Gorillaz, they were a major part of what I listened to as I was growing up. I remember listening to "Clint Eastwood" and "Dirty Harry" as a child and loving their grooves. Then as I got older and hearing tracks like "Feel Good Inc." and "19-2000" made me love the band even more. I like that each of the band members has an alter ego with their own back story and personalities which I think is a cool concept. I listened to the album Plastic Beach a lot in my early twenties so their songs bring back pleasant memories.
Bright Eyes
A friend put me on to Bright Eyes and I'm glad he did. His raw poetic lyrics accompanied by his acoustic guitar is just a joy to listen to, even if it's a heart breaking theme. His song "First Day Of My Life" is one of the most beautiful love songs I've ever heard. The whole album "I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning" is a wonderful album and I have just learned he has a new album that was released last year (2024), so I'll definitely be listening to that as soon as possible. He also collaborated with First Aid Kit on a song called "King Of The World" and he really brings a great performance to the song.
John Martyn
John Martyn is an another absolute legend, watching him is a feast for the eyes as well as the ears. His performances are electric and his catalogue is stunning. Songs like "May You Never" & "Over The Hill" are beautiful to listen to and are technically difficult songs to play. I remember watching him play a song on YouTube at a concert and was absolutely blown away when mid song he moves his capo up the guitar neck and continues playing without any hesitation, mind blown. A true master of his craft, never time wasted listening to John Martyn.
Tom Waits
Tom Waits is another inspiration and in one of the first bands I was in, we played a version of "A Little Drop Of Poison". Another excellent poet and a wild arranger with some songs with very intricate rhythms such as in "Kommienezuspadt" or just him and a piano like in "A Little Drop Of Poison" or full band pieces like "2:19". He has such a variety of material, you never really know what you're going to get next if you listen to his albums. One of my favourite songs of all time is "On The Nickel", just breath-taking heart breaking lyrics accompanied by strings and piano. "Orphans" and "Heartattack And Vine" are both amazing albums.
Fleetwood Mac
Another incredible band with an extensive catalogue of brilliant songs. "The Chain" has one of the most iconic riffs of all time, everybody knows it and for good reason too. Songs like "Go Your Own Way", "Never Going Back Again" and "Black Magic Woman" are classic songs. I don't listen to them a lot but would gladly spend a whole day listening to their songs. A great pop-folk band with a diverse list of original material.
Paul & Storm
A comedic duo similar to Jonathan Coulton and great songwriters too. They have some very weird songs like "Nun Fight", which is a like a church choir crossed with a boxing ring announcement, and "Write Like The Wind" is an ode to George R. R. Martin and a plea to keep writing so the band can keep reading the Game Of Thrones series. Very clever writers and can write in many different genres and styles whilst also being very funny. Maybe not everyone's cup of tea but I have good memories listening to them.
The White Stripes
I have very fond memories of listening to The White Stripes. "Seven Nation Army" is one of my favourite songs, I figured out a chord progression that worked well with the melody of the song and would play it a lot when I was first learning to write my own songs. I also remember songs like "Icky Thump" and "Fell In Love With A girl" playing on Kerrang! A friend of mine was obsessed with the band so got to listen to them whenever we met up. I'm glad he did because they are a band I love now with good memories associated with them.
