Romance is in the air with Island of Love's smouldering Valentine's Day playlist

Freshly signed to the new Third Man Records London imprint, with a name like Island of Love, who else are we going to ask about matters of the heart?

Music isn't a complicated business. Generally, it's a case of putting the right shaped blocks in the right shaped places, jiggling it around a bit and hoping against hope someone likes it (what? - Ed). That's the level of editorial cognitive thought going on when we agreed that, yes, it would make perfect sense if new Third Man Records London signees Island of Love were to put us together a playlist filled with romance and seduction for Valentine's Day. It's all in the name, right?

So, despite one band member admitting to being - quote - "a slightly pretentious pick when asked about the greatest love songs of all time", here we are. Maybe not the soundtrack to woo that special someone, but if they'll love you after your three-hour monologue about how you only like Weezer's earlier work, they're probably a keeper.

Here's what Island of Love came up with, the lovable little Casanovas...

Love seems to be the first thing to bring out the poet in a lot of great writers - Dylan, The Beatles etc. - and as the writer of many of the Elevators most poetic songs, Roky Erickson seems to be no exception. I think it’s a real skill to write a song with such obscure and surreal lyrics while still making it so blatantly romantic.