Monday, August 18, 2008

sys19 :: OWL STRETCHING TIME


Awesome mix tape No. 19 out of, oh, I don't know, 3 million or so -- at the very least, I hope you're enjoying the recommendations as much as I am making them!

Advance hint: A fair share of these tracks featured today are available as free downloads from Amazon's better-than-ever MP3 store. (You might just have to do some digging to find some stuff you'll want to download -- yes, even at the cost of zero there's definitely music I wouldn't want to share a cab ride home with....)


1. Marah - "Freedom Park"*
Wife-approved! <- Does it get any more convincing than that?

2. Everclear - "You Make Me Feel Like a Whore"
Not literally, of course, but it seems all those Shameless Budgeteer Plugs are finally catching up on me.

3. The Stills - "Eastern Europe"
It's been exactly ... wait, what? "Without Feathers" came out more than two years ago? Man, time flies when you're having fun/spending your days (attempting to) beat up 12-year-olds online playing "Super Smash Bros. Brawl." Mama would be so proud!

4. Loudon Wainwright III - "Daughter"
Another wife-approved track -- Two on one mix tape; what are the odds, right? -- thanks to its inclusion in "Knocked Up" during the closing credits. Also, I'm sure you already know this, but Rufus' dad plays the oh-so-unreliable Dr. Howard in the film.

5. The Beach Boys - "Wake the World"
I'm a longtime Beach Boys, but I was only recently introduced to this wonderful gem by Jes, aka one of my BFFs.

6. Adam Green feat. Ben Kweller - "Kokomo" [Beach Boys cover]
Speaking as a child of the '80s, this track has always meant a lot to me -- much more than it has the right to, I'm sure -- and this cover version brilliantly weeds out a good portion of the original's most embarrassing "artistic choices."

7. M. Sarif and Kondang - "Tetigo"
A mesmerizing instrumental if I ever did hear one.

8. Felix da Housecat - "Rocket Ride"
Speaking of the "Decade of Decadence" earlier....

9. Mel Gibson and the Pants feat. Dessa - "Bit of a Buzz"
I (HEART) Dessa. <- Worst-kept secret in the universe?

10. The Cool Kids - "Pennies"
Not to sound too redundant today, but ... something about bringing '88 back.

11. Aesop Rock - "No Jumper Cables" [DJ Pawl Remix]
This is why I love my day job: I f------ got to interview Aesop Rock last week!

12. The Orb - "Katskills"
Whoa, whose nightmare/bad acid trip did I stumble into this time?

13. Rob Sonic - "Brand New Vandals"
In case you're just tuning in: Aesop Rock and Rob Sonic will perform at on the corner of Superior and Lake (at Duluth's Pizza Luce, of course) next Tuesday night.

14. Firewater - "Borneo"
Kind of "Music from Bedrock"-ish, but enjoyable nonetheless.

15. Country Joe and the Fish - "Marijuana"
Yet another musical awakening courtesy of Superstar DJ Walt Dizzo -- who, if I'm not mistaken, tried to take me out in my car the other day.... But that's neither here nor there!

16. Richard Swift - "Original Thought"
From the fantastical "Ground Trouble Jaw" EP, which is available for free on eMusic. (For how long, I have no idea.)

17. The Pinker Tones - "The Whistling Song"
If Mr. Slave ever opened up a dance hall, I'm pretty sure this would be appearing nightly.

18. Sloan - "The Other Man"
Leslie Feist is a bad, bad girl.... From the ever-so-reliable Wikipedia: From this album, the song "The Other Man" was released as a single. The song describes a love triangle among the Canadian independent music community as it was inspired by Chris Murphy's relationship with Leslie Feist. While Murphy was dating Feist, she was also seeing fellow Broken Social Scene member Andrew Whiteman.

19. Blind Pilot - "I Buried a Bone"
Look for these guys on a highway near you: This duo gets to its shows on bicycles ... no matter how far away they are! Gimmicky, sure, but once you hear their music, you will drop your reservations about the group in a second. This might just be my most-recommended "find" of the year.

20. The Mother Hips - "TGIM"
Thank God it's Matt's mix tape blog??

21. Bob Mould - "Paralyzed"
Always a winner in my book.

22. Stereophonics - "Positively Fourth Street" [Bob Dylan cover]
If you want to find out more great "Bobby Die-lan" covers, check out an aptly titled mix tape I did in June called "The Best Bob Dylan Covers, Pt. 1."

23. Ben Kweller - "Sorry Signs on Cash Machines" [Mason Jennings cover]
My favorite Honolulu-born/Minnesota-based singer/songwriter covered by my favorite former Radish lead singer -- what could go wrong? Absolutely nothing.

*As always, an underlined selection means I have provided a link to a free, artist-sanctioned MP3 of the song. Happy listening!

Thus concludes your nineteenth dose of SHAKE*YOUR*SHORES, the awesome mix tape series previously known as Don't Tell a Soul.

No comments: