Song 2

“I don’t think you can make rules like that (Song 2) about music. No track is more important than the other”

Shortly after the release of latest LP ‘Futique’ James of Biffy Clyro gives us his thoughts on the merits of Song 2. As Ben has already done this, we just need Simon to get the memo and we can complete the set. Full interview on the way.

(Image: Nostromo Management)

"Number 7 was always my favourite - I still believe in albums, they remain important, the order of songs matter to me"

Today we’re testing that theory with someone who knows all about building an album’s tension and release: Jehnny Beth. Musician, actor, and former frontwoman of the electrifying band Savages, Jehnny has a gift for sequencing songs that feel like carefully staged dramas.

This week, what was potentially one of the songs of the year in 2024. An absolute, certified banger.

We’ve had ABBA, the Spice Girls, the McRib, and of course, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior – supposedly rising from the dead. Welcome to our very own musical bible, where we follow the doctrine that the second song on an album is the best – or at least the most important.

"When we put this new one (listing) together, we were all really close in choice, I thought 'it could not be THAT easy'"

Steps caught up with the effervescent Lauri from Finnish megagroup, The Rasmus, this is Lauri's take on the Song 2 theory.

Today we’re getting airborne, quite literally, with the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Aeroplane”, from the 1995 album One Hot Minute...

...a song that isn’t just track two, it’s bass heavy, unhinged and brilliant.

One Hot Minute was the band’s first album after guitarist John Frusciante left the group, mid-tour, mid-breakdown, mid-lots-of-things. The Red Hot Chili Peppers were coming off a career-defining high. Their 1991 album, Blood Sugar Sex Magik, had sold over 13 million copies worldwide and turned them from cult funk-rockers into global stadium-fillers.

Tracks like Give It Away and Under the Bridge had become massive MTV hits, and the band was now a household name.

"It's absolutely essential (tracklisting), it's your manifesto, you have to craft it, so you don't lose people"

Welcome to Song 2, the podcast where we argue that the second track on any album is often the best, boldest, or most important, and we ask the artists themselves if they agree. Along the way, we dig into the craft of tracklisting and how sequencing can shape the entire listening experience.

This week, our guest is Gavin Rossdale — frontman of Bush, one of the UK’s biggest alt-rock exports of the ’90s. With hits like Glycerine, Machinehead, and Swallowed, Bush sold millions worldwide and carved out their place alongside grunge’s heavyweights.

Gavin joins us fresh off the release of his latest album I Beat Loneliness, a record that proves his songwriting is as sharp and urgent as ever. We’ll be talking about Bush’s legacy, the challenge of keeping albums cohesive in the streaming era, and of course, whether track two really is the sweet spot.

The opener kicks the door in. But track two? Track two defines the journey.

This is episode one of season five and if it seems like we’ve been away for ages, it’s because we have. Not, you understand, due to the relentless beatdowns we’ve had when voicing our USP but due to a lot of other things, cush as Show Tunes, new radio programme launches, and a lot there besides.

Today, we head into the sonic wilderness with none other than Iceland’s most fearless innovator: Björk. And her second track from 1995’s Post, the glacial, emotional masterpiece “Hyperballad” might just be the clearest proof of our theory yet.

Teaser Trailer

Anyway, this is to announce that Song 2 Season 5, which is really season 4.5, as we stopped unexpectedly…is on the way

Look, we are aware that this little hiatus might appear as though we ran out of steam, but the truth is, we simply got overwhelmed…like massively so…

The time, then, is right to get this big old juggernaut turned round and back on track.

We’ve Song 2 agreements, challenges and downright shutdowns coming in thick and fast, including from the likes of Bush, Air, Skunk Anansie, Kaleo, Sprints, Maricka Hackman, Slow Crush, The Murder Capital, Lacuna Coil, Heriot , Chokecherry, Warmduscher, Gia Ford, Sofi Tukker. Jeff Goldblum, Dani Filth, The Wombats, Gurriers and many more.

Is the second track on an album the best, or most important?

Be sure to check back soon

With Linkin Park back in a big way and the new record From Zero proving a hit with most but not ALL LP fans, it’s as good time to go back to the start

Hybrid Theory was a huge record, released in 2000, it was and is packed full of massive tunes, the first of which to garner any attention and / or acclaim was One Step Closer, the debut single and second track from a generation defining record.

One Step Closer still holds a special place in the hearts of fans because it was this song that introduced the band to a mainstream audience, setting the tone for their unique fusion of rock, nu-metal, and of course the electronic elements that became synonymous with their sound.

(image: RTL.fr)

Let us take you back! The year is 2004, grime experienced its first wave of success the summer previous and the wait for Dizzee’s 2nd album is finally over

With “Boy In Da Corner” Dizzee Rascal put Grime well and truly on the map, but what was to follow? Was it going to be another fad like those silly tectonic dances of the early 2000’s or was it here to stay? Dizzee is set to play den Atelier in tickets at atelier.lu