Miles Recommends is the indie pop rock brainchild of former United Nations worker, Des Atkinson, and journalist Lou Cadell. The band have just released their latest single, ‘You’re Never Alone’, a track that empathises with those of us who are disheartened by the state of the world today. ‘You’re Never Alone’ is the first single from their forthcoming debut album, Keep it Warm, which will be released early next year.
“‘You’re Never Alone’ is that voice that says ‘I’m overwhelmed too, and whilst I can’t make it better for you, I am here with you.’” – Lou Cadell of Miles Recommends
Miles Recommends’ band name comes from when Des and Lou used to work at their local video store – so to celebrate the release of ‘You’re Never Alone’ and their forthcoming debut album, Speaker TV asked the band to share their top 5 favourite songs from movies. They shared their favourites with us in their own words below:
1. ‘Do You Love Me’ by The Contours in Dirty Dancing
‘Do You Love Me’ is a revenge song about someone who dissed someone else because they couldn’t dance. But guess what? That other someone is back and now they can really “shake em’ down”. Not only does this song encapsulate the entire Dirty Dancing movie in one go, it fits so perfectly around Baby’s first introduction to the sexy underground dance parties at the resort her family is holidaying in. Who wouldn’t want to learn how to “shake em’ down” like the group of ridiculously talented people Baby watches from the side-lines, especially when a song is as cool as this one? It has everything – a screeching-full-throttle lead vocal, lush harmonies, claps, breaks, even instructions on what moves to pull (mash potato and the twist, anyone?). Exhilarating, erotic, and entrancing, just like the film.
2. ‘Father Kolbe’s Preaching’ by Wojciech Kilar in The Truman Show
The Truman Show is utterly engrossing as it forces us to question not just our voyeuristic culture and our willingness to ingest and be manipulated by mass media, but also, our own hold on what “reality” is. ‘Father Kolbe’s Preaching’ underlies the true climax of the film when Truman discovers he was right all along; he isn’t crazy – everything he has known up until that point has been a lie. It anchors the moment in emotion subtly and allows the kaleidoscope of joy, anger and resignation wash over us with hypnotic strings and ticking-clock piano chords. Truman’s realisation is the beginning, and though we suspect he’s about the find out how deep the rabbit hole goes, the understated score makes this is an uplifting moment of transcendence.
3. ‘The Power of Love’ by Huey Lewis and the News in Back To The Future
Des is OBSESSED with everything Back to The Future, including this song. Yeah, we’re worried too.
4. ‘Circle of Life’ by Carmen Twillie and Lebo M in The Lion King
Goosebumps every time! It’s just such an incredible, powerful, and moving song, the kind that really does take the listener on a journey. And it’s the first three minutes of the film! The Elton John version, whilst decent, pales in comparison to this version. Don’t even try to fight us on this one.
5. The Interstellar soundtrack by Hans Zimmer
Hans Zimmer always deserves a mention, and whilst Inception rates pretty highly, the score from Interstellar featuring the 1926 Harrison & Harrison organ in London’s Temple Church gets the win. The musical score is woven together with synths, pianos, choirs and a wind instruments, echoing the concepts of air and breath, space and time, history and the future. Everything exists in duality, at once powerful and fragile; human and machine. No doubts from us that Interstellar wouldn’t be half as powerful without Hans Zimmer’s soundtrack. A true wonder.
Listen to Miles Recommends’ single, ‘You’re Never Alone’, here.
Watch the ‘You’re Never Alone’ music video here.
Catch Miles Recommends at their single launch party on May 10th at Mr Boogie Man Bar in Abbotsford.
Follow Miles Recommends on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Tumblr.
