This guy is genuinely going to be massive
You’ve heard of Tom A. Smith before, right? He’s the Sunderland-born heir to the indie-pop throne, with the moves of Mick Jagger and the pop-leaning sensibilities of LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy.
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Now, if there’s one thing we love at One on One HQ, it’s finding out what makes our favourite artists tick.
That’s why we couldn’t resist asking Tom to put together a playlist of his favourite tunes, exclusively for your listening pleasure.
You can find his full selection at the bottom of this page – but, first, here’s a little run-through from the man himself of why he chose a handful of the top-tier bangers in his stellar selection.
Modern Love – David Bowie
This is arguably my favourite song ever written. The production is faultless and so inventive. The vocal delivery is so iconic and distinctive. I think there’s something so telling about someone singing about modern love 40 years ago and it still feeling so cool and timeless now – it’s just a testament to how much of a legend he is.
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Life During Wartime – Talking Heads
David Byrne is probably the coolest man to ever walk the earth. I did a cover of this on my new EP. The lyrics are genius and obviously the Stop Making Sense live version of this is so iconic.
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Someone Great – LCD Soundsystem
I don’t think there’s a band that have made synthesisers feel so emotional. It’s of no surprise to anyone that these guys have been a big inspiration for me. James Murphy’s voice is so distinctive and I love how percussive everything feels in all their mixes. I’m such a huge fan of New York bands and LCD are right up there for me.
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Cover Me – Bruce Springsteen
I could have made a playlist of twenty Bruce tracks. Though it isn’t my favourite track, it is just prime 80s ‘The Boss’. It’s these sort of tracks from him that have inspired me in the studio. The guitar solo in this song is genuinely phenomenal and the tone is so timeless. His use of digital sounds in this album, mixed with his iconic Americana sound, just demonstrates how he was able to move with what was popular at that and stay relevant for so many years. I saw him in Sunderland two years ago and it was like watching a god.
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Carry Bag Man – The Fall
This album is genuinely phenomenal. I could have picked any song off it. I love how lethargic and sloppy the performances are on this track and how simplistic the production is. I always find myself going back to this song.
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Friends – Led Zeppelin
This album is the first record I bought from Pop Recs in Sunderland after it was suggested to me by Barry Hyde from The Futureheads. It’s such an important album to me and the acoustic half of this record is so cool and unique. I love the jangly, almost hypnotic riff to this track. Robert Plant’s voice on this album is it at its best for me.
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Ol’ 55 – Tom Waits
Tom Waits has one of my favourite voices of all time, and as a songwriter, he is one of the best. The imagery and storytelling in this song is beautiful. The lyric and delivery of the line ‘Just a-wishin I’d stayed a little longer’ gets me every time. I could have picked a couple of tracks off this record – ‘Martha’ is just as beautiful.
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Blue Skies – Noah & The Whale
If I could name a band that reminds me of being a kid, it’s Noah & The Whale. My dad always had them on in the car and I felt like I was the only person in the world who knew who they were. I think Charlie Fink is a genius and such a genuinely underrated songwriter. Though this album wasn’t as much of a commercial success as their first, it’s so hauntingly beautiful, and the lyrics in this album feel like a hopeful turning point in the record – you hear his mindset change.
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Peacebone – Animal Collective
This is the opening track to ‘Strawberry Jam’. The main thing I love about this song is how it sounds like a random concoction of noise, ’til slowly, a groove develops out of something that felt like it was going nowhere. It’s so inventive – I’ve tried to implement those ideas into a couple of my records because I find it so satisfying.
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