A playlist inspired by My Morning Jacket’s ‘Holding On To Black Metal’. Eleven great tracks which, in spite of their titles screaming Heavy Metal, are anything but: indie rock, electronic, Krautrock, classic 70s rock, reggae all make an appearance.

Now also available as an enhanced podcast and a (slightly different) collaborative Spotify playlist.

Holding On To Black Metal – My Morning Jacket

Indie rock jam band bring in the horns and get soulful on this standout track from their new album Circuital. 

A Daisy Chain 4 Satan – My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult

Late 80s sleazy electro-industrial dance pop / EBM from Chicago. 

Metal on Metal – Kraftwerk

Suitably industrial/locomtive track from German electro pioneers Trans Europe Express album (1977). 

Heavy Metal Drummer – Wilco

The least typical song from Wilco’s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Programmed beats and electronics underpin this dose of power pop nostalgia.

Thrasher – Neil Young

This was inspired by Neil’s decision to leave CSNY in the mid 70s. But it’s about a wider disillusionment than just that with his former bandmates. Lots of references to farming, the land and traditional ways of living. I guess you’d call it a pastoral lament.

Heavy Metal – Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

From the indie / blog rock warblers eponymous debut album (2005). A little bit of The Velvet Underground, a little bit of Talking Heads, a little bit of The Modern Lovers and a hint of Devo?

In Metal – Low

Mimi Parker takes lead vocal on one of the many, many highlights of Low’s Things We Lost In The Fire (2001), their last album to be produced by Steve Albini and a fan favourite.

Sawn Off Metallica T-shirt – Six by Seven

From the Nottingham drone rockers noisier second album The Closer You Get (2000).

Very Metal Noise Pollution – Pop Will Eat Itself

The song that launched a thousand t-shirts. From PWEI’s third album The Pop Will Eat Itself Cure For Sanity (1990). 

Chase The Devil – Max Romeo

From War Ina Babylon (1976) this is one of the classics that came out of Lee “Scratch” Perry’s Black Ark Studio in the mid 70s. As sampled by The Prodigy on ‘Out of Space’ (1992).

Metal Heart – Cat Power

The guitars seem to be playing two different songs but it works. This is the original version from Moonpix (1998) rather than the piano led version on Jukebox (2008), simply because when Chan Marshall sings “I once was lost but now I’m found” in the steal from Amazing Grace, it never fails to blow me away.