OK, no more excuses -- I must get this latest mix done. Actually, I have NO excuses: I'm stuck at home in the middle of the biggest storm I can remember ... one that will, in all likelihood, KILL US ALL.In other news, there are three very good reasons to survive this storm: "Either Way," "You Are My Face" and "Walken," leaked tracks from Wilco's new album, "Sky Blue Sky" (due May 15)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ladies and gentleman, this is your birthday. The following 24 tracks -- which are EXCELLENT, by the way -- are just the candles on the overworked cupcake.
Enjoy!
1. Toadies - "Velvet"
Yeah, this is one of those songs you can tell the lead singer was mad -- real mad -- when he wrote it. Sample lyric: "You hurt me, you f*ck!"
Raw power, man.
2. The Broken West - "On the Bubble"
It's OK that these guys are uberhyped right now; they deserve it. This is some "pretty" rock. (Don't miss the bubbling bass lines in the intro ... fantastical!)*
3. Nillah - "February"
Infectious female-fronted fun. Definitely one of my favorite under-appreciated acts working right now.
4. Aqueduct - "Living a Lie"
A lot less "The Princess Bride," but still dark nonetheless -- an existential crisis posing as a pop song if I ever did hear one. (I pretend to know what big words mean....)
5. The Frames - "Falling Slowly"
From their new album, "The Cost." After just a few listens, I'd have to say this is the ideal song for driving around in the rain. After being dumped. By someone you actually cared for.
6. Murder City Devils - "Rum and Whiskey"
"Guitar Hero 3" should be jumping all over this. If that were the case, I'd run out to buy another PS2 in a heartbeat.
7. The Surfactants - "A Black Matter for the King"
If you long for Man or Astro-man?, this quasi-Duluth group has a tune or two for you. It really gets under your skin, doesn't it?
8./9. Ms. Dynamite - "Natural High/Dy-Na-Mi-Tee"
I know, I know; this goes against THE MIX TAPE RULES, but ... you just can't listen to one without the other. When "Natural High" lends itself to "Dy-Na-Mi-Tee," there are just no words. (This one means even more to me because I discovered Ms. Dynamite the same day I discovered the Polyphonic Spree and American Hi-Fi's "The Art of Losing."** That sure was a good mail day.)
10. Dynamite Hack - "Anyway"
I totaled my first car to this song. Nervous tension aside, it's a great soundtrack for almost dying.
11. Arcade Fire - "Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)"
Since I haven't been able to get my grubby little paws on "Neon Bible" yet, I thought I'd reconnect with this gem from these Canadians' last triumph.
12. Nerf Herder - "Feeling Bad"
Catchy, per usual, but what's with that "And then I touched myself" line?
13. Lady Sovereign - "Hoodie"
This cute little midget is infallible -- I love it! It harkens back to the golden age of pop. <- I don't know ... just go with it.
14. The Bravery - "An Honest Mistake"
Sorry, I've just really been on a Bravery kick lately. And it's not even new Bravery, either.
15. Neutral Milk Hotel - "Love You on a Tues." (live)
I'm used to (for the most part) sweet sounds from Jeff Mangum and his "orchestra majestica," but here, he makes Kurt Cobain's job seem ... easy.
I kind of miss grunge. (Yeah, I know; this coming from a Bravery and/or Kanye West fan of all people....)
16. Kanye West - "Celebration"
The first time I bought Kanye's second album, I ... sold it on Amazon.com later in the day. I decided to buy it again because his first album was pretty much the soundtrack to whatever summer it came out in, and I've found that album No. 2 isn't without its "moments." This one's great, especially the line "It's a celebration, bitches!" Pure Kanye = more of a caricature than someone who could actually exist.
17. No Wait Wait - "Beaches of the World"
ObsCuriosities Retro (720 E. Fourth St.) has this album for 5 bucks, brand new. It's excellent, and so is the store. (I found a copy of the Move's "Shazam" on vinyl!)
18. Ash - "Everybody's Happy Nowadays" (Buzzcocks cover)
What a great song. How could you not like Ash?
19. VietNam - "Welcome to My Room"
Hey, it's the new Mudhoney.
20. Josh Joplin Group - "Happy at Last"
And the new mid-period R.E.M.
21. Mark Mallman - "We Only Have Each Other in the Night"
I've been told this is Mallman's most well-known song. It is enjoyable, but I hesitate to back that statement because I neglected to put it on my handpicked Mark Mallman greatest hits mix. Oops!
22. Dave Mehling - "Morning Sun"
Dave is the man, but how could he be younger than me? He sounds so old, so wise -- an guitar-playing enigma, living right here in Duluth. Excellent.
23. My Morning Jacket - "Dancefloors"
Per my recent conversation with Mehling about his group the Brushstrokes, I thought I'd put him back-to-back with the band he compared their approach to. I like the way he thinks.
24. Whiskeytown - "Mirror Mirror"
If you have an affinity for listening to great '70s classic rock records and burning incense like you've got something to hide, here's a worthy shot from Ryan Adams' first group.
*I'm a little worried that my text editor believes "fantastical" is a legitimate word....
**Say what you want, but you know that that album's title track is golden.
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