The first rehearsal we ever had with Other States we decided that we wanted to channel the spirits of dead cowboys. We’re still figuring out what that means but here’s a playlist of songs straight from the scorched desert landscape that we try to visualise whenever the ouija board comes out.
Nancy and Lee – Some Velvet Morning
Written by the original psychedelic cowboy Lee Hazlewood. Tripping between Nancy’s “flowers growing from a hill” and Lee’s obsession with someone called “Phaedra”. Freaky beautiful.
Fat White Family – Touch The Leather
This song grumbles its way through the outback, you can almost see the sweat marks listening to lines like: “fat white skin on the devastated leather”.
Other Lives – Weather
I love these guys and their dusty cinematic qualities. They gave me their CD 13 years ago in a guitar store in Stillwater, Oklahoma back when they were called “Kunek”.
Isaac Hayes – Walk On By
From the self-proclaimed “Black Moses” (and who can argue with that) this version de-flowers Burt Bacharach’s original tune and turns it into a desert jaunt through the desolation of Hayes’ broken heart.
Ennio Morricone – The Ecstasy Of Gold
The choirs, the trumpets, bells and whistles from the guy that created the sound of the spaghetti western. File next to Scott Walker.
Thelma (previously Cessna Deathwish) – Jensen
From a fellow Brighton band we’re big admirers of, they’re taking it out west with an atmospheric tale of fabled lands and redneck armies. Totally addictive and we dig very much.
HMLTD – To The Door
Something silly for desert. An affirmation of everything that’s weird and great about the British music scene. Video features cowboys hats and blood so we’re sold. Is it a song? A theatre piece? Who knows.
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Check out Other States’ most recent releases here. Keep up with the Brighton-based blues-psych project here.
