So, below is a track listing with a few words, again, just like I would if I was making a mix. The hyperlink on the artist's name will zoom you through the internets to a link of some of the live performances or videos. The graphic itself is how to work the tape. Just run the cursor over the tape and you can play, skip through songs, etc.
Please to enjoy...
Side A
1 "Swing Your Heartache" Young Galaxy
I absolutely love how this song builds through the first verse until that guitar riff into the first chrous just kicks the song widescreen. The swell works better in headphones, but I think even through computer speakers, you'll get the idea.
2 "This Isn't It" Giant Drag
I saw this band three times in a week during CMJ '04 and this song burned its way into my mind and hasn't gone anywhere since. I was kinda surprised that this record didn't make an impact when it came out; there was some major buzz overseas and some buzz over here. I tend to not dig the two-member (i.e. no bass player) line-ups, but it really works well for their overall sound, with the washy, distorted guitar not needing much more additional backup.
3 "Second Chance" Liam Finn
So far, his I'll Be Lightning is the best 2008 release I've heard. It's got a pop sensibility with a frantic, almost creepy melody thrown on top of it. The beauty of the record is that Finn, who usually plays most everything in concert himself with the aid of loops and pedals, makes the recordign should almost as immediate as the live performance. It doesn't sound like it has been fussed over and slicked up in a studio. It still has the fire. Click on his name above and check some of it out.
4 "Behave" Charlotte Hatherley
One of the best things I heard last year. Great hooks, catchy choruses, atypical song structure - this song is as good an introduction to Hatherley's music as any other. Both her records are only available as imports, but worth the money and time hunting them down.
5 "Words You Used to Say" Dean & Britta
And this was my favorite record of last year. And still up there this year. After becoming completely immersed in all things Luna in the summer of 2006. This was the first new music I got to hear after accumilating their entire catalog. So, there was quite a buildup in expectation. And this song and the whole album, Back Numbers far, far, far exceeded anything I expected. Driving four hours away to see them in Atlanta gave me a rush at a show that I haven't experienced in years. I was so hyped up, and it was amazing. Just simply amazing.
6 "Apartment Story" The National
The National are quite unique. Maybe because of that, this song was the huge breakout hit I thought it should have been. After one listen, you'll be repeating it in your head, or if you're more brave, singing it aloud.
7 "Come On/Let's Go" Paul Weller
I've already flashed my Paul Weller Fan Club credential on this blog with my effusive praise for Wild Wood, but couldn't find any of my favorite tracks from that on Mixwit. So here is a blazing tune from his 2005 record, As Is Now. Doesn't sound like a guy who's running out of ideas or spark. Cannot wait for the American release of his new one, 22 Dreams, that just came out in Europe.
8 "Me & Joe Drove Out to California" Drag the River
The two vocalists in the band, Chad Price and Jon Snodgrass, are two of my favorite writers ever. And how they have slipped under the radar for so long is beyond me. They take everything I like about rock and everything I like about country and make damn good music. As do pretty much every other band they're associated with, All (Price) and Armchair Martian (Snodgrass) chief among them.
9 "Suffering" Shawn Smith
Smith sang this song in Satchel on their 1994 debut, EDC, and this one is a live version done solo with Smith at the piano. Satchel changed the way I listen to music and got me out the tunnel-vision I was in around that time listening to a lot of pop/punk and hard rock. It showed me that you can rock with more than just speed or volume (not that there is anything wrong with either of those).
Side B
1 "The Good in Everyone" Sloan
Do you like 70's power-pop? Like a band that can deliver the goods live? Then you probably already know this band. Or should. Some very smart, tasteful people I know insisted I go check them out live some years back before I even heard a single song. And I just stood there in front of the stage, with my mouth hanging open like an idiot, just in awe of how incredible all four of these musicians are. They all write, they can all sing and nothing extra is there. The songs never drone on, they're just right. Always.
2 "Teenage Wristband" The Twilight Singers
Black out the windows, it's party time. This song sounds huge just with the intro, never mind that chorus. Hearing a room full of people singing this at the top of their lungs is the recommended way to hear this song, but this here will do. This revolving lineup, led by Greg Dulli, has a consistent mood and swagger to them that makes the records and show consistently good. And most of the Singers are currently touring as...
3 "Idle Hands" The Gutter Twins
Just add vocalist Mark Lanegan and some other folks and while you think it may be dark and bleak, it's not nearly as apocalyptic as I thought it would be. The full-length, Saturnalia, may require a few spins to take, but it will.
4 "Motor Away" Guided By Voices
I made the mistake of taking a flyer on GBV throughtout their career, only listening to them right after they broke up and missing several opportunities to see their legendary live shows. I've tried to repent for this by collecting as much of their immense catalog as possible and a good number of DVDs as well (the Austin City Limits show is one of the most gloriously unhinged shows I've ever seen). They have a good deal of tunes that sound like a greatest hit the first time you hear it. I would be hard pressed to just select 90 minutes of their music to put on a tape as "the best GBV songs". I couldn't imagine the agony over deciding what to leave on and what to leave off.
5 "Mexico" Billy Reese Peters
And I feel quite the same way about these guys. They have less than 20 songs recorded, but they're all classic in my mind. Anytime I see them play, it's some of the most fun I have hearing live music. The lyrics are permanently memorized and not going to fade away no matter how much scotch or beer might try to wipe them away. No mix I make would be complete without them.
6 "Unsatisfied" The Replacements
Or this band. There are a ton of musicians who are heavily indebted to this band, and I am one of them. No matter what different things I check out musically, I always go back to the Replacements.
7 "Helpless" Sugar
This was fairly popular when it was out, but I'm surprised that more people today are listening to this 90's band led by Bob Mould. It was a college rock staple, but always seems left out of any mention of music from that era. I still listen to both records (and the stellar live CD that was a limited bonus with their B-sides disc) quite a bit.
8 "The Golden State" John Doe
The legendary John Doe (from X) gets better and better with each release. I've thought after this last couple of records that he couldn't improve on the next one. And he repeatedly does. I used to automatically hear Exene from X whenever I hear John's voice. Their singular sound is one of X's cornerstones, but the last few records have seen John singing with many other vocalists and Kathleen Edwards may be the best match in the bunch. This is from his latest, A Year in the Wilderness, one of the songs Edwards appears on. And the beauty here is after being utterly bewitched by this tune, I started checking out Edwards' own records and now have some more great music to listen to as a result. And to see a fantastic covergence of one talented writer covering another click here.
9 "Message of Love" The Pretenders
I almost forgot about how much I love the Pretenders. Almost, until Rhino reissued their first four records with a slew of bonuses. I started out played drums in the late 70s and Pretenders drummer Martin Chambers was one of my idols. He had a sound unlike anyone else in that era and a feel that no one could reproduce once he left the band before the recording of their fourth record in 1986 (returning in the mid-90s). This track from Pretenders II has been a favorite of mine since the first time I heard it. And I spent hours playing along to it, first as a young drummer, then years later when I switched to bass.
