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NE Build A Playlist #04 Chris Scanlon


Photo - Keavey Gamwell



I’m Chris. I’m the sole member of Thought Trumpet and I write songs based on my own experiences and snippets of the random things I hear (and see) around me. I’d never be able to truly say what style I write in as I like to move around between them. With such an eclectic taste in music, what I write can always depend on my mood and what I’ve been listening to most recently. While compiling this list I actually came up with 12 albums so narrowing it down to these 5 was a challenge. I think I’ve picked the ones that have had the most impact on me, my life and my music.


Foo Fighters - There Is Nothing Left To Lose

Track For Playlist: Stacked Actors

Had to include the Foo Fighters and always had to be this album and this track. I hadn’t heard the Foo Fighters before hearing this album. I knew who Dave Grohl was and was very familiar with Nirvana but after starting to learn to play guitar, I borrowed a copy of this album off a school friend and I was instantly blown away by that introductory riff. It was just so heavy and in your face that I just needed to hear more. This album has always held a special place in my heart since that day, so much so I had to get a similar tattoo to the one on the cover.


Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes - Blossom

Track For Playlist: Devil Inside Me

I absolutely love this entire album so choosing one track was difficult. From opening track, Juggernaut, right through to closing track, I Hate You, the album takes you through a barrage of emotion shown through Frank’s poetic lyrical style. Add to that the heavy, power driven musical backing and you’ve got an album that just screams for the attention it deserves. Given the chance to choose one, I had to pick Devil Inside Me. It just seems so relatable to my own personal life. We all have that Devil inside us and I’m sure anyone who suffers from poor mental health could agree, it does feel like a Monolith Of Doom.


Soulwax - Much Against Everyone’s Advice

Track For Playlist: Too Many DJ’s

This quartet that was formed by 2 Belgian brothers in Ghent. Another band I like mostly based on clever lyrical use. This track has elements of EDM and rock and was very poignant at the time of release, due to the fact that in the ‘90s it seemed that almost everyone DID “want to be the DJ”. It’s the bridge that resonates in me the most, with the lyrics “If only I could sell myself, the way that even I would buy”. Because of these, when I finish writing anything myself, I sit back and wonder “Would I buy this?”


The Beatles The Beatles (AKA The White Album)

Track For Playlist: Helter Skelter


Ok, so it may be cliché to mention The Beatles in a list like this but it’s this band that I would have to credit my love of music to. At a very early age, I would climb into bed with my mam and while most would have them read something by writers like Roald Dahl, I would always ask for The Beatles and she would sit and read the lyrics from the Red and Blue albums to me. I chose this track because I remember it being one of the heaviest tracks I’d ever come across when I first heard it. With that punchy guitar and those guttural vocals it made me feel something inside that I’d never felt before.


Pitchshifter - www.pitchsifter.com

Track For Playlist - Please Sir

Finally, another band that manages to avoid the usual pidgeon holes given by the music industry. Pitchshifter formed at the very back end of the 80’s and started life as an Industrial Metal band and over time have developed their sound into a more Drum and Bass style. This track, like most of their releases, is very political and touches on racism, unemployment and homelessness. With a lot of use of programming, it’s one of the many bands who have inspired and motivated me towards the use of modern technology in my future musical style.

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