Songs for Summer Sketching

I was recently tagged by the lovely Laurel over at It's Her Factory, but rather than songs that are 'shaping my summer' I have decided to present a list of songs that I find inspirational and love working to - sitting in the sun with nothing but my headphones, a sketchpad and my imagination.

Rules:

List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether they have words, or even if they�re not any good, but they must be songs you�re really enjoying now, shaping your summer. Post these instructions in your blog along with your 7 songs. Then tag 7 other people to see what they�re listening to.

Without spending hours rummaging through the hundreds and hundreds on songs on my computer, I have come up with a list below which strike me immediately. It's in no particular order...just whatever popped out of my head first.

1. I Melt With You - Nouvelle Vague - This will always be a favourite of mine with it's witty and playful elegance.

2. Demolition - Patrick Wolf - A musical genius. This hauntingly simple song sets my imagination on fire, not intruding upon but gently stroking my imagination!

3. Verita - Josh Groban - Listened to in solitude, this song pulls at every heart string and sends shivers down my spine, even though I don't understand Italian.

4. Bad Education - Tilly and the Wall - With a tap dancer for a drummer and vocalists who wail like heartbroken children yet still manage to sound beautifully enchanting, this song is a must. It's a heavily layered folksy song, with twangy guitars, amazing percussion makes me want to climb trees and frolic in the sun.

5. Money Note - Camille - As much a performance artist as a singer/songwriter, Camille is an exciting new talent. She sings mostly in her native tongue - French - however this song is made up of groans, whoops, screeches and other aural agitations. Wonderfully imaginative.

6. You Belong - Hercules and Love Affair - This is a bit techno-gay/pop, but I love it none-the-less. It reminds one of my housemates of an ex, and is sung on a weekly basis in our flat! Imagine yourself sat on our balcony, sun blazing, beer in one hand and a cigarette in the other with this blasting from the living room. Pure bliss.

7. Purple - Skin - This is one of those rock anthems I can listen to over, and over, and over again. I never tire of Skin's voice, and her painfully passionate delivery.

Almost everyone I was going to tag has already been tagged, someone's beaten me to it, so I'm going to miss out that part. Rebel rebel!