27.12.09
Decadeology
I tried my hand at Madmadcat's decade mixtape challenge: 20 songs, 2 songs from each year, with no band duplicates. I tried to go for a mix with a decent flow and I think I succeeded somewhat. Naturally, it was difficult to pick just 20 songs to represent the past 10 years, but that is part of the fun. And really, it's in no way representative of the entire decade. Get the download link below. You can peruse the tracklist while you wait for the file and clown (or praise) me in the comments.
1. Elliott Smith - Everything Reminds Me of Her (2000)
2. PJ Harvey - This Is Love (2000)
3. Curve - Gift (2001)
4. The White Stripes - Fell In Love With A Girl (2001)
5. Neko Case - I Wish I Was The Moon (2002)
6. Tom Waits - Alice (2002)
7. PUFFY - Planet Tokyo (2003)
8. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Maps (2003)
9. Lali Puna - Left Handed (2004)
10. Ted Leo / Pharmacists - Me and Mia (2004)
11. Kate Bush - How To Be Invisible (2005)
12. The New Pornographers - Sing Me Spanish Techno (2005)
13. Asobi Seksu - New Years (2006)
14. El Perro Del Mar - God Knows (You Gotta Give To Get) (2006)
15. Grinderman - No Pussy Blues (2007)
16. Kaela Kimura - Ground Control (2007)
17. Perfume - Puppy Love (2008)
18. Portishead - Machine Gun (2008)
19. Fever Ray - If I Had A Heart (2009)
20. Sweet Trip - Your World Is Eternally Complete (2009)
>>zip file<<
Favorite films of 2009
Because we all like lists of some sort, these are my favorite films of the past year. Keep in mind these aren't really in any order, and they are basically out of what I've seen. I haven't seen Avatar, Up In The Air, Precious or anything else that people are going crazy about. So there.
In case the images fail, again:







In case the images fail, again:
- Black Dynamite
- District 9
- Fantastic Mr. Fox
- Inglourious Basterds
- A Serious Man
- Thirst
- Up
- The Road
- Zombieland
- Moon








Refrain from breaking my heart
I'm really liking Theoretical Girl's cover of Erasure's A Little Respect. The sleigh bells are a nice touch. I fucking love sleigh bells, maybe even more than handclaps. In any case, she posted this track on her blog as part of her Advent Calendar series. If I were you, I'd head over there and download this, and everything else. There are some really cool tracks available...for free!
Theoretical Girl > A Little Respect
And while we're at it, why don't we show a little respect to the classic original track? See what I did there?
Erasure > A Little Respect
25.12.09
Children's Christmas Song

The Supremes > Children's Christmas Song
23.12.09
You're gonna tell me sweet things

Blondie > I'm Gonna Love You Too
Buddy Holly > I'm Gonna Love You Too
22.12.09
Hey, are you satisfied?
The Replacements > Unsatisfied
21.12.09
19.12.09
No one makes me feel the way you do

Home For Christmas is a b-side from the Rubberband Girl single, which was taken from her 1993 album, The Red Shoes.
Kate Bush > Home For Christmas
And the bells were ringing out
The classic. RIP Kirsty MacColl.
Repost: I will be hating you for Christmas
This one is a repost from last year. It's a holiday fave, what can I say?
Remember that feeling of getting dumped right before Christmas? I'm sure we have all been there. This song sums up that feeling.
I love this:
There's gotta be a better way to deal with the pain
There's gotta be a better way to deal with the hate
Wish that I could find some way to make you go away
Wish that I could have a drink and make you fade
It's so perfect.
Check this out on Everclear's So Much For The Afterglow album. It's an unlisted track at the end of the album, so keep listening after you think the last song is done.
Everclear > Hating You For Christmas

I love this:
There's gotta be a better way to deal with the pain
There's gotta be a better way to deal with the hate
Wish that I could find some way to make you go away
Wish that I could have a drink and make you fade
It's so perfect.
Check this out on Everclear's So Much For The Afterglow album. It's an unlisted track at the end of the album, so keep listening after you think the last song is done.
Everclear > Hating You For Christmas
12.12.09
That was the worst Christmas ever

About 5 Long Islands later, the bar is closing and this guy, Vince, suggest we all go to his place for beers. And so we go. Vince has a case of beer through which we plow. We drank it up fast. Then, Vince produces a bottle of Herradura, which we all proceed to finish. It's something like 2am and I remember being absolutely gone. The doorbell rings, and a few more people join the party. Somebody brought special brownies, but I didn't know they were special. I hungrily wolf a couple of them down.
Bad move.
I pass out on Vince's couch around 3 or 3.30 in the morning. Soon enough, 6.30 am arrives and Vince is waking me up. "Dude, you gotta get outta here, my parents are gonna be home soon", he says. Thick cobwebs in my brain and my head spinning, I somehow manage to drive home. I couldn't even make it upstairs to my bedroom, I pass out on the couch.
Less than an hour later, my little brothers, ages 6 and 7, come galloping down the stairs for the opening of the Christmas presents. All excited, they wake me up and I'm somehow able to play it straight in front of everyone. After the presents are done and everyone else is occupied, I crawl upstairs to my bed and sleep until dinner time.
Sufjan Stevens > That Was The Worst Christmas Ever
5.12.09
Come On Santa

She walks through the doorway and the open doors momentarily allow the wind to announce her presence. She slowly drifts to your booth and the music starts as if it were cued for this moment. For a second she's standing there, staring down at you with big blue eyes shrink-wrapped in tears, and it feels like forever. You give a barely perceptible nod and start to get up. As your frame unfolds, she takes your hand and leads you for a few steps and then stops. She whirls in slow motion to face you and takes a hold of your hips, pulls you close and you both begin to slowly sway to the music. Her arms snake their way up and drape themselves around your neck, her head resting on your shoulders while she breathes sighs into your ears. "Come on, Santa..."
The Raveonettes > Come On Santa
30.11.09
26.11.09
Timing is Everything
I've been working diligently on my 2009 mix. It's a little bit longer than I initially thought it might be, but oh well, this is the stuff I liked. 2009 has been a pretty good year, even if I was attending less gigs. One of the more memorable events of 2009 is illustrated in the images below.

It was also a pretty good year for music. I tried to keep my tracklist low, but it slid up to 30 and I couldn't figure out what to cut. Therefore, I'm just gonna post the whole thing in its entire glory. Some of the songs are kinda long (5 tracks at 7 mins or more) and the entire mix clocks in around 2 hours and 15 minutes. But as I mentioned, this is the stuff I liked, for better or for worse. Check it out, maybe you'll like it. Burn an mp3 disc or stick it on your media player of choice. Scope the tracklist below, and download it here if it suits your fancy. Props to my buddy, @MiriamIsntFunny, from twitter who inspired the mix title when I couldn't come up with a thing.
Timing is Everything
1. The Twilight Sad - I Became a Prostitute
2. Fleeting Joys - You Are The Darkness
3. The Raveonettes - Bang!
4. Afternoon Naps - Seasons May Change
5. Camera Obscura - French Navy
6. The Postmarks - Go Jetsetter
7. Phoenix - Love Like a Sunset
8. Perfume - edge (triangle mix)
9. Fever Ray - If I Had A Heart
10. Riceboy Sleeps - Daniell In The Sea
11. Jay Farrar and Benjamin Gibbard - One Fast Move Or I'm Gone
12. Neko Case - I'm An Animal
13. Mayer Hawthorne - Your Easy Lovin' Ain't Pleasin' Nothin'
14. Kleerup - Until We Bleed (With Lykke Li)
15. Asobi Seksu - Sunshower
16. Bat For Lashes - Pearl's Dream
17. El Perro Del Mar - Gotta Get Smart
18. The xx - Shelter
19. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Little Shadow
20. Sparklehorse & Fennesz - Goodnight Sweetheart
21. Bon Iver & St. Vincent - Roslyn
22. Summer Camp - Ghost Train
23. Sparklehorse & Danger Mouse - The Man Who Played God (feat. Suzanne Vega)
24. Fuck Buttons - The Lisbon Maru
25. Sweet Trip - Your World is Eternally Complete
26. I Was A King - Step Aside
27. The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - This Love Is Fucking Right
28. St. Vincent - Marrow
29. Them Crooked Vultures - New Fang
30. ISIS - Stone To Wake A Serpent


Timing is Everything
1. The Twilight Sad - I Became a Prostitute
2. Fleeting Joys - You Are The Darkness
3. The Raveonettes - Bang!
4. Afternoon Naps - Seasons May Change
5. Camera Obscura - French Navy
6. The Postmarks - Go Jetsetter
7. Phoenix - Love Like a Sunset
8. Perfume - edge (triangle mix)
9. Fever Ray - If I Had A Heart
10. Riceboy Sleeps - Daniell In The Sea
11. Jay Farrar and Benjamin Gibbard - One Fast Move Or I'm Gone
12. Neko Case - I'm An Animal
13. Mayer Hawthorne - Your Easy Lovin' Ain't Pleasin' Nothin'
14. Kleerup - Until We Bleed (With Lykke Li)
15. Asobi Seksu - Sunshower
16. Bat For Lashes - Pearl's Dream
17. El Perro Del Mar - Gotta Get Smart
18. The xx - Shelter
19. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Little Shadow
20. Sparklehorse & Fennesz - Goodnight Sweetheart
21. Bon Iver & St. Vincent - Roslyn
22. Summer Camp - Ghost Train
23. Sparklehorse & Danger Mouse - The Man Who Played God (feat. Suzanne Vega)
24. Fuck Buttons - The Lisbon Maru
25. Sweet Trip - Your World is Eternally Complete
26. I Was A King - Step Aside
27. The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - This Love Is Fucking Right
28. St. Vincent - Marrow
29. Them Crooked Vultures - New Fang
30. ISIS - Stone To Wake A Serpent
12.11.09
Decadeology: Listening too long to one song!

The New Pornographers > Sing Me Spanish Techno
Pop Molecule
Just as an FYI, I've been spending a bit of time over at Pop Molecule. It's a collaborative blog that arose out of a random conversation. Stop by, drop us a line and add us to your RSS reader. It's a pretty cool group of peeps. It's mostly a stuff-we-like type of blog, but a couple mixes have already been posted that I think will be worth your time. Check it out.
http://pop-molecule.blogspot.com/
http://pop-molecule.blogspot.com/
1.11.09
Decadeology: I must above all things love myself

Grinderman > No Pussy Blues
24.10.09
You can't deny

Sweet Trip > Pretending
21.10.09
Decadeology: Bleed you dry

The Twilight Sad > I Became A Prostitute
20.10.09
Decadeology: It's the gift that you're given

Curve > Gift
17.10.09
Decadeology: I close my eyes and I let go

Kaela Kimura > Ground Control
15.10.09
Decadeology: Go and come back

This song, Go and Come Back, is gorgeous. It's like floating on a cloud, while passing in and out of brief thunderstorms. I love the wispy, ethereal vocals; the noisy and vibrating guitars. Yeah, it's a lot like MBV, but but who cares when it sounds this good. They just come off as a band who loves this particular genre and they do it well. Alternatively, it could be that I love this sound so much that I'm probably being a bit forgiving, but hey, it sounds good to me.
Fleeting Joys > Go and Come Back
14.10.09
Decadeology: You gotta give to get

Back to the song, I love how the sad, guilt-ridden lyrics that are wrapped up inside this gorgeous pop song. Musically, it's a bouncy number that harkens back to 60s girl pop, and maybe even a little ballroom style in the middle section. Easily one of my faves from this past decade, I love this song. The video is very sweet, as well.
El Perro Del Mar > God Knows (You Gotta Give To Get)
8.10.09
Decadeology: Welcome to my life, tattoo

Petra Haden > Tattoo
7.10.09
Decadeology: I Wish I Was The Moon

Hearing her songs live made so much sense to me, I totally connected with them. The power of her voice really shines in a live setting. I think the best description I've read characterized her voice as "golden, burnt honey", which someone posted on a message board I used to frequent. I was also charmed by Ms. Case's sense of humor. You've got to see her if you haven't already, her between-song banter is quite amusing. In the days after that gig, I was able to listen to that burned disc with a new enthusiasm and ended up collecting her other works. So I have Ben to thank for introducing me to Neko Case, as well as Mogwai. I Wish I Was The Moon is probably my favorite song from Blacklisted, it's gorgeousness on a stick and definitely one of my favorite songs of the past decade.
Neko Case > I Wish I Was The Moon
19.9.09
Decadeology: Stop coming to my house

On my way out of the show, I picked up Happy Songs for Happy People, which was the latest Mogwai disc at the time (eventually, I worked my way backwards and collected everything I could of their discography). Happy Songs became part of my soundtrack to that year, I listened to it constantly. Stop Coming To My House is one of my favorite tracks on the album (and I love the title). Understated. Devastating. Beautiful.
Mogwai > Stop Coming To My House
11.9.09
Decadeology: This is really happening

Radiohead > Idioteque
4.9.09
There's a million ways to go

Cat Stevens > If You Want To Sing Out, Sing Out
3.9.09
Decadeology: Candy says

Fast forward to the spring of 2006, I had read somewhere that Asobi Seksu were about to drop a new album, Citrus. I was curious, but it wasn't something I was eagerly awaiting. A few weeks later, I lazily clicked on a preview of one of the new tracks, New Years. Holy shit, I was blown away. I think I put it on a mix for someone with a similar taste for such things (Jen R?), and she was enthralled as well.
Everything is there; crystal clear production, towering walls of fuzzy guitars, hooks for days, driving bass-lines, ethereal vocals (in Japanese as well as English). It is the perfect combination, and all the songs are really great. I swear, once I finally got a hold of a copy, I pretty much listened to it at least once a day for a year. I still enjoy listening to it and I still get chills at certain parts of certain songs. I totally have no problem recommending it to anyone.
For this, I'm tempted to post my favorite, Red Sea. Or maybe the unabashedly My Bloody Valentine inspired, Pink Cloud Tracing Paper. Or the haunting and soaring, Thursday. Any of those would be worth a listen. However, I'm going to drop New Years here, as it was the first song from Citrus that I heard. Honestly, though, there's not a bad track on this album. Only three years later, I daresay it's a classic. Seriously, I'll be rockin' this til I die.
Asobi Seksu > New Years
31.8.09
Decadeology: It's the place you want to be

After a few false starts, I finally obtained a full copy of Nice., which was the latest release, and I was finally able to click the play button. The opening track, Planet Tokyo, blindsided me the way that Scott Stevens destroyed Eric Lindros. Seriously.
This album checked a bunch of different genres, but it didn't sound like cheesy ripoff. It sounded more like a joyous celebration of all things pop. The production was airtight and pristine. The voices of Ami and Yumi melded together in harmony so perfectly, you'd never guess that it was a talent contest that brought them together. Listening to Nice. is like being on a party bus made of cotton candy. If you took Nice. along with you on a fishing trip, you'd catch more fish than you could carry home because this album has hooks for days. Okay, that was really bad, but I think you get the point.
This was the album that got me hooked into Jpop. Like the lyrics in Planet Tokyo said, "Planet Tokyo, it's the place you want to be, tonight." Yeah, I wanted to be there.
Puffy AmiYumi > Planet Tokyo
28.8.09
Decadeology: A veil of diamond dust
So my friend, Madcat, came up with the idea of making an end-of-decade mix. The rule being that you can have only 20 tracks, two per year. It'll be tough leaving stuff out, but it'll be interesting to see what makes the final cut. Just for fun, I will try posting some of my candidates here and, eventually, posting the final tracklist. Here is one of my candidates.
One of the biggest releases in the past ten years, for me, was Kate Bush's Aerial. I fell in love with her when I first came across her in the mid-eighties. Hounds of Love had just been released and I quickly grabbed her previous releases. In 1993, she put out The Red Shoes and I have to confess that I was disappointed. So I hoped it was just a minor misstep, even Kate Bush can make a mistake, and waited for the next album. And I waited and waited. Soon enough, it seemed like she had disappeared from music altogether. There would be whispers and rumours of a new album every now and then, but nothing. In the summer of 2005, another rumor popped up. Then, there was actually a single, and a shiny new website! The anticipation was killing me.
I picked up Aerial one day in early November and, let me tell you, it did not disappoint. It's difficult to quantify whether it was worth a twelve year wait or not (how would you really measure that?), but the fact that it was a solid album helped lessen the sting a bit. I'd say that Nocturn is probably my favorite song on the album. It's the second to last track on the album and, to me, the preceding songs are like the steps that lead up to the pedestal of Nocturn. This song is the centerpiece of the album. The way it moves, it's very sensual. Not to mention the lyrics, running around on a beach naked, just before dawn. She's very good at painting pictures with her words.
I actually wrote a review of the album that was published in a very small fanzine, I think I'll post that, hopefully, this weekend. Until then, listen to this.
Kate Bush > Nocturn

I picked up Aerial one day in early November and, let me tell you, it did not disappoint. It's difficult to quantify whether it was worth a twelve year wait or not (how would you really measure that?), but the fact that it was a solid album helped lessen the sting a bit. I'd say that Nocturn is probably my favorite song on the album. It's the second to last track on the album and, to me, the preceding songs are like the steps that lead up to the pedestal of Nocturn. This song is the centerpiece of the album. The way it moves, it's very sensual. Not to mention the lyrics, running around on a beach naked, just before dawn. She's very good at painting pictures with her words.
I actually wrote a review of the album that was published in a very small fanzine, I think I'll post that, hopefully, this weekend. Until then, listen to this.
Kate Bush > Nocturn
17.8.09
Við spilum endalaust
I found this over at La Blogotheque. Apparently, these guys at La Blogotheque ask random bands to play in random places. They have a bunch of very cool vids from very cool bands. I really dig this one. It's Sigur Ros playing in a cafe in France. The couple at the beginning of the video crack me up. They're like, "Icelandic musicians? Okay, we have to leave now." Very amusing.
Sigur Ros > Við spilum endalaust
Sigur Ros > Við spilum endalaust
Sigur Ros - Við spilum endalaust - A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.
9.8.09
Give me these moments back

She's Having A Baby probably wasn't my favorite Hughes flick, but for me, that was definitely one of the best musical interludes in his films. As for movies, I might actually like Planes Trains and Automobiles best. Steve Martin and John Candy really worked well together, I thought. And the scene where Steve Martin is yelling at the car-rental lady is absolutely classic.
Kate Bush > This Woman's Work
6.8.09
My Theme Song

Warren Zevon > Splendid Isolation
2.8.09
Rhyme The Macaroni Well
I'm totally obsessed with this track. Generally, I'm not a fan of mashups, but I really dig this. It's Perfume's Macaroni vs. the Beastie Boys' Rhyme The Rhyme Well. I even found an mp3 of it. Flawless victory!
1.8.09
Honesty is not always the best policy

Depeche Mode > Policy of Truth
30.7.09
Damnation

Listening to this song again, I can say that I still like it. The rest of the album sounds good as well. Kind of a nice trip back, I'm glad the song somehow found its way into my brain on my dreary bus ride home.
Squirrel Nut Zippers > Hell
New Paths...
I just came across this video while searching out Mogwai clips. The editing is perfect, but the subject matter is incredibly heartbreaking. According to the Youtube blurb, the video portion is "footage from a documentary about one of the largest modern crime inflicted against humanity, namely Hiroshima". New Paths To Helicon Pt 1 is one of my favorite Mogwai tracks, it's very emotional and compelling to my ears. That plus the tragic imagery of Hiroshima really did in my head. Brilliant video, I almost wish I had not seen it.
23.7.09
If you can just get your mind together

Belly > Are You Experienced?
21.7.09
If Cupid's got a gun, then he's shooting

Kleerup (featuring Lykke Li) > Until We Bleed
20.7.09
Nothing's left here but you

Asobi Seksu > Thursday (Acoustic)
14.7.09
You and I, meant for each other

Check out downloadables here, listen to more here, and look for their discs over at Darla.
Sweet Trip > Noise is a Social Skill
10.7.09
Never/More

Takako Minekawa > Never/More (Sweet Trip Remix)
9.7.09
Triangle

Perfume > Edge (¡é-mix)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)