Exclusive: Sexy Seven: Party Anthems
4th September, 2011
As the nights draw darker and summer sadly comes to a close, here at Unseen we’re whipping out our sexiest of sexy seven party anthems for your perusal and enjoyment. So rave the autumn nights away and find that craving for your ultimate party anthem. Whether it’s an old guilty pleasure or full blown club track, have a read of ours and get your own list!
Jude Law and a Semester Abroad - Brand New
Coral Williamson
You can’t spell ‘party’ without ‘pop-punk’, and on their debut album Your Favourite Weapon, Brand New proved they were more than capable of creating a monster of a tune in Jude Law and a Semester Abroad. Sure, it’s not what you’d call the cheeriest of songs, but it can get a room dancing faster than you can say ‘Red Stripe’ and it’s ultimately a classic that reminds us why we fell in love with the Long Island band in the first place. And let’s not forget that it features Jesse Lacey’s untrained vocals singing “whatever poison’s in this bottle / will leave me broken sore and stiff” – clearly it’s a song to be drunk to, and there are probably opportunities for hardcore Brand New fans to create drinking games around any of the albums. Two fingers for a reference to a girl standing you up or dumping you; down your drink if they sing about the sea (in Jude Law and a Semester Abroad this would be the line “she'll find some way to disappoint me /by not burning in the wreckage / or drowning at the bottom of the sea” but for Deja Entendu’s Play Crack The Sky you might as well drink for the full five minutes).
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We Can Dance – Caravan Palace
Cameron Bray
If you like your parties to have touch of sophistication, you need look no further than bohemian French oddities, Caravan Palace, a band originally put together by a production company looking for a soundtrack to silent pornography. They are an astounding Electroswing group who make use of a wonderful array of instruments to deliver fantastic tunes. They have oodles of fun songs to enjoy but my favourite song by them, and the song that introduced me to them, is We Can Dance. It has a gentle string opening that suddenly brashly announces a change of pace, descending into a maelstrom of a song, You’ll be tossed and turned around before it’s over, it’s such a phenomenal bundle of energy that it is sure to rejuvenate or maintain any party atmosphere.
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Anthem – Zebrahead
Lauren Peel
It can be difficult to find a song that gets everyone up and dancing at a party, especially with the eclectic music taste so many people seem to develop as we get older. However, I find that this upbeat power track seems to put a smile on everyone’s faces when it comes on with its delightful combination of pop/punk guitar and (yes, I will say this) punk rapping. This song says a big ‘Screw You’ to anyone who tries to cause an issue or put a downer on things which is exactly what you need at a party sometimes. After all, it claims to be ‘the anthem of our lives’ and with lyrics such as ‘Get up get up / let the good times roll’ it’s no surprise that you’ll find everyone dancing and partying as hard as they can. It also has some lovely harmonies behind the rapping which give it a nice melodic feel as well as power. Definitely one to listen to with friends when you’re celebrating your weirdness!
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Just a Girl - No Doubt
Abi Pitts
Just a Girl is one of those songs that is just too infectious to dislike, especially if you’re a girl. Despite the majority of my musical taste being heavy rock and metal, it’s bands like No Doubt that really get me off the sofa and dancing. Coming from the band’s album Tragic Kingdom along with other singles such as the huge Don’t Speak and Spiderwebs it is an awesome track which really marks the band’s lively and upbeat style. The fast tempo and bouncy melodies throughout make it an anthemic party anthem which is always a hit on a night out and never fails to get people jumping up and down.
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Get A Move On – Mr. Scruff
Andy Goddard
Mr. Scruff is a DJ from a place called Macclesfield He DJs in Manchester all the time and has his own brand of tea. Aside from this, he’s world renowned for his eclecticism in his music and this track sums that up pretty neatly, mixing a gentle electro sound with a dingy bar jazz feel signified by the gorgeous trumpet solos which flit in and out of this solid 4 minute party classic. Not for the hardcore amongst us who like to have their brains melted by something weighty and powerful, instead this is for the slightly wistful and carefree who like to float on a wave of happiness with a cold one and a bunch of smiley happy friends as it comes up to way past everyones bed time. Enjoy my fellow unseen ones.
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TKO - Le Tigre
Amy Durrant
As far as party anthems go, I need a track that oozes vibrant rhythm, melts beautiful bass lines with foot stomping fuzzed riffs and is all tied neatly together by the lead vocalist from Bikini Kill. Well, the latter isn’t absolutely necessary but it damn well helps! Le Tigre achieve all this and more with TKO, producing a truly old skool electronic rave track that gets you up and bopping along like it’s the 90’s all over again (even if it is slightly out of its time with a 2004 release date under its belt.) This provocative punk piece sets the tone perfectly for a power night at the diskotech, or acts as a hyper trip hop anthem for your not-so-secret house party. As far as party anthems go, indie just doesn’t cut it and dub-step’s deep bass just cuts it too much; I’ll take the vox from Bikini Kill over that nonsense any day!
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Sister Ray - The Velvet Underground
Ukiyo Cjelli
I could tell from the second I saw the words 'party' and 'anthem' used together to create a new and exciting tag that I was in trouble. I don't go to a lot of parties, at least not the sort that are generally accepted by proper society as meeting the perfunctory requirements; balloons, cake, people in the plural, whatever it is that happens at these things. Apropos of this I don't really know many party anthems; I sing along to songs at parties, but no song ever seems to last for more than a verse before someone with a bottle of wine and a reckless idea reckons you should hear something his brother made. Besides from that, there aren't many songs that are made better by a wagonload of drunks 'antheming' along to it. In that vein then, I am going to select The Velvet Underground's Sister Ray. At 17 minutes long it's repetitive enough to deter determined sing-a-longs, experimental enough to hold the attentions of stoners like moths to a lava lamp, and old, unfashionable, and ridiculous enough to antagonise the type of person who would much rather be listening to Wonderwall instead.