Ian's pre show playlist from Friday's Metro Herald paper:

GOLD - James Vincent McMorrow.
HYPERBALLAD - Bjork.
NORMAL PERSON - Arcade Fire.
BLACK BELT - John Grant.
LAY ME DOWN - The Frames.

James Vincent McMorrow - Gold
Three minutes of music & vocal beauty that feel like an hour. Took a while to get my head around the album compared to the simple approach of his first, but I'm glad I did. Gifted with immeasurable talent. And Irish.

Björk - Hyperballad
Great lyrics, great vocals, great atmosphere, great chorus . We watched Björk as a band last year and learned a lot. A song that I would not mind at all if we had wrote it.

Arcade Fire - Normal Person
Unusual, manic, abrasive, dramatic, fantastic groove, and at times aggressive. Heavy angular guitar that reminds me of The Bends era Radiohead. There is nowhere else for the guitar to go.

John Grant - Black Belt
And interesting character, who I feel his music represents the personality that I have seen & heard in interviews perfectly & honestly. Bold synths and in your face lyrics that some how work.

The Frames - Lay Me Down
An understated gem. A song & band my late cousin loved. A signature drum intro from the man who thought me drums, and recording input from our own producer. I feel big connection to this one.