The Firstpost Playlist: Post-Brexit Odes to Britain and the European Union

This weekend, the Firstpost Playlist is heavy on European musicians as it pays tribute to Britain, its departure from the European Union and the EU itself that is now facing the threat of France leaving it too. From Pitshshifter’s Un-United Kingdom (which may just come true if Scotland and Northern Ireland follow through on their threats to leave) to Yesterday Was Hard On All Of Us by Fink, we have compiled some of the best European songs that will keep you company as you contemplate the plight of Britain, EU and the shadow this Brexit decision has cast on the rest of the world. Relax, it’s not all melancholic; we are kicking off the playlist with the icon of British pop culture, James Bond.

You Know My Name (Studio Live) by Poets of the Fall

What do you get when you combine James Bond and a great band like Poets of the Fall? An amazing cover of one of the most underrated yet one of the best James Bond theme songs.

You Know My Name was originally performed by Chris Cornell and used as the theme for my favourite James Bond movie, Casino Royale. Its lyrics are better than that of Adele’s Skyfall (and that’s saying something) and it was the first rock-based theme song for a 007 movie. Even though critics were a bit skeptical about a rock-based theme for a Bond movie at first, the song worked out perfectly well for the movie.

And Poets of the Fall has given its own unique energy to this song, especially the chorus. If you are a Poets of the Fall fan, this is a song you have to listen to.

- Anshu Lal

Un-United Kingdom (Un-United Kingdom (EP)) by Pitshshifter

Now, this is as timely as it gets! A 51-49 split in the EU referendum shows that the ‘Kingdom’ is anything but united. And so, Un-United Kingdom, the 1999 offering from the now defunct British industrial combo Pitchshifter is nothing if not apt for the occasion. Before we get to the actual music, sample these lyrics:

Rule Brittania? The b*tch’s scammed ya No smiling Union Jacks My friends, I want my money back

Angry guitars and drum-n-bass rhythms mesh well with JS Clayden’s sneering vocals to channel the band’s (early era) spirit of anarchy, particularly with references to ‘brain-dead corpses in the House of Lords’ and how ‘we could all learn a thing or two from Guy Fawkes’.

And if you don’t particularly care about what’s happening in Europe, it’s just a very nice track with which to start your day. No, really.

- Karan Pradhan

Jiye Toh Jiye Kaise (Saajan) by Pankaj Udhaas

Well, Britain decided that it doesn’t want EU to be a part of its life. European Council president Donald Tusk was quite crestfallen when he addressed the media and mouthed these words:

“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”

Instead of saying all that, we think Tusk should have just sung this soulful song from the ’90s blockbuster Saajan. This soulful, heartfelt composition, sung by the ever-~sad~ green Pankaj Udhaas, aptly describes EU’s position. But I don’t think the EU-UK relationship will end the way Saajan did (everyone went back to their homes happily in the film)

Listen to the song and feel sad.

- Devparna Acharya

Yesterday Was Hard On All Of Us by Fink

Where do we go from here? Where do we go?

Because, because our paths they cross, Yesterday was hard on all of us, on all of us,

Who can we trust from here?

Britain bid adieu to the European Union even though it seems unlikely that it knows where it is headed from here. Recession? Messing up the GBP maybe?

There are plenty of articles to go through on Firstpost , and while you do that listen to this beautiful song by Fink (Fin Greenall) — blue-sy, mellow with a hint of melancholia and most importantly signals the end of an era, some era, any era.

Fink is when The National meets Jose Gonzalez meets Alexi Murdoch and therefore, exquisite.

- Vishnupriya Bhandaram

Finale (Februus) by Uneven Structure

This French progressive metal band is a cut above the rest in the Djent style of music. But much like the genre itself, this band is fairly unknown.

The whole album is a lush soundscape with complex lyrics about the birth and freedom or ending of an entity. Finale is the last track in this journey.

This song descends from bright, ethereal tones to a quiet, droning ending. This can make one question whether it truly is freedom, or just termination for the entity. The same can be said for Britain, and even EU at this point.

- Siddhi Desai