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Hello and welcome as always to this week’s Plec Picks!

If you’ve never experienced The Plec Picks (listen to older playlists here) or are a little confused about what The Plec Picks are, the GP team (and sometimes readers) jot down what their most listened to songs of the week are and we make a lovely playlist of all the songs for everyone to enjoy. It’s interesting to hear what everyone’s listening to and it’s a chance to hear something different. You might even discover your new favourite band! As there’s a lot of different tastes in the mix here, every song isn’t going to be to everyone’s liking so feel free to skip to the next song if there’s something that doesn’t quite float your boat.

Click play once (it’s a playlist) and it’ll cycle through all the videos / songs (so you can just leave the tab open and keep listening).

If you come across something you like, click the social media icons beside the artist and throw them a like/follow and explore what more the artist has to offer.

As always, we hope you enjoy this week’s offerings and be sure to let us know what you’re listening to and you might make it into next week’s edition!

What’s in there?

Haim // Forever (Chosen by Stuart O’Hara & Aisling O’Brien)

Stuart – I was introduced to these sisters recently and haven’t been able to stop listening to them. Their sound has a huge Fleetwood Mac vibe to it, which is never a bad thing.

P.S. The hipster within me wants to make it clear that I started listening to them before they won the BBC Sound of 2013. It may have only been a few days before but it still counts.

Aisling – It’s easy to tell why Haim were crowned as BBC Sound of 2013, they are awesome. This has been on loop in my head all week.

I was introduced to these sisters recently and haven’t been able to stop listening to them. Their sound has a huge Fleetwood Mac vibe to it, which is never a bad thing.

P.S. The hipster within me wants to make it clear that I started listening to them before they won the BBC Sound of 2013. It may have only been a few days before but it still counts.

SOAK // Sea Creatures (Chosen by Debbie Hickey)

This is just a stunning song from start to finish, beautiful guitar playing with the most perfect and angelic voices to compliment these powerful lyrics – I’ve yet to see SOAK live and I can’t wait to hear more – this 16 year old is going places!

Queens of the Stone Age // No One Knows (Chosen by Sean Conroy)

Normally I’m the resident funk-music guy, here at GP Towers. This week I’m not here to help you get your groove on. I’m just here to make you feel old.

QOTSA’s No One Knows left the Irish Charts this week TEN. YEARS. AGO. this week.

It was a phenomenal piece of work. It still is, I guess. Except now it’s just reminds you how long you’ve been on this planet. So, listen up, put on those rose tinted glasses, remember when you had money and were so damn cool.

Suede // Barriers (Chosen by Jonathan Klein)

Suede’s first song in over a decade sounds very indie, but it still sounds distinctively Suede-y. Has grown a lot on me

Bad Bones // Bad Bones (Chosen by Niall Swan)

Toast Office Records are releasing a compilation of songs from artists on their label next month and Bad Bones is up there with the very best they have to offer. Expecting big things in 2013.

Sleigh Bells // Born to Lose (Chosen by Kevin Donnellan)

All the talk of Taylor Swift breaking up with someone yet again and THAT song she wrote about ex-boyfriends. Well this is a proper break-up song. Sit back and enjoy the bile.

Little Xs For Eyes // Kind Hearts (Sounds of System Breakdown remix) (Chosen by Yan Bourke)

I still don’t know nearly enough about electronic music to risk trying to classify this without embarrassing myself, but man, I love this remix. Just listen to it! The only youtube video I could find is a trailer for the SOSB remix EP it’s on, which has a slightly longer version, so check it out there! Check it!

Johnny Marr // The Messenger (Chosen by justin mcdaid)

A new album on the way from Johnny Marr this month. This is how you do a guitar intro lads…

New Valley Wolves // Fire in the Blood (Chosen by a GP reader on Facebook)

Straw Bear // Kitty (Chosen by Frank Hughes)

They followed me on twitter so I gave their album a listen. ‘Kitty’ was the first song on it and I liked it from the first time I heard it.

Hudson Taylor // Cinematic Lifestyle (Chosen by Sean Smyth)

Hudson Taylor. These guys are just superb! Saw them at Hard Working Class Heroes this year and very much impressed me. Only get around to listening to their EPs and I can’t wait for their forthcoming debut album. It’s gonna be a good year for Hudson Taylor. They’re even supporting Jake Bugg in England and Ireland on his Tour next month!

Destiny’s Child – Remix by Cyril Hahn // Say My Name (Chosen by Mark Earley)

A mate of mine put me on to this over Christmas. It’s an upbeat, catchy and slickly produced remix. Could listen to it all day…

Taylor Swift // Never Grow Up (Chosen by Abe)

So generally when an artist releases a new album [or, em… dies] , people tend to rediscover their back-catalogue. So with the recent release of Red, it’s all about Ms Swift at the moment.

This simple lullaby, a gem from her previous release Speak Now, is a good example of her now somewhat overshadowed story-telling skills, which is what the big fuss was all about in the first place

Christopher Owens // Here We Go (Chosen by Claire Beck)

Girls frontman Christopher leaves the bands, hearts are broken. He comes back with a stunning solo album Lysandre (out this week), hearts are mended. Here’s the first single from it.

Biosphere // Substrata (Chosen by a GP reader on Facebook)

No Twitter

Liza Flume // What We Called Love (Chosen by Stephen Byrne)

It’s a beautifully sombre, yet uplifting, post break-up tail of hope, regret and anger. I have high hopes for Liza Flume in 2013

Skrillex & Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley // Make It Bun Dem (Chosen by Greg SYnnott)

Playing Far Cry 3 to distract myself from study, this song came on in the game and just suited the scene perfectly, anyone who has played it will understand what scene I mean all too well.

The Black Keys // Set You Free (Chosen by Ian Keegan)

Wye Oak // Civilian (Chosen by a GP reader on Facebook)

Two Door Cinema Club // SUN (Chosen by a GP reader on Facebook)

The Radioactive Grandma // Another Wasted Line (Chosen by a GP reader on Facebook)

Val Normal // Metal Gear Salad (Chosen by a GP reader on Facebook)

The Verve // Rolling People (Chosen by a GP reader on Facebook)

No known Twitter