Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Awesome Mix Tape #62 (in the shake*your*shores series)

Submitted for the approval of the Mix Tape Appreciation Society, I humbly present "Angels Live in My Town."


1. Everclear - "White Noise"
The hidden track on "Slow Motion Daydream" and, coincidentally, the best thing about that release besides its cover.

2. The Pink Spiders - "Back to the Middle"
For those of us who fell head over heels in love with Handsome Devil (there's 12 of us), this is a nice reminder of how a little sugary power pop can brighten one's day.

3. The Killers - "Sweet Talk"
Some more dreamy goodness from the love-'em-or-hate-'em Vegas boys.

4. The Watson Twins - "Savin' You"
Majestic sentimental rock. Fit for royalty and/or the princess in your life.

5. Islands - "Vapours"
What I said then: "This grooves like old-school Elvis Costello and the Attractions, and then there’s that brazen brass section … I’m starting to subscribe to Diamonds’ assertion that “Islands are forever.” These tracks will surely be pumping on my stereo for years to come.

Another chance accolade: This is the best title track in some time.."

What I'm sayin' now: "Ditto, kiddo."

6. Boys Noize - "Jeffer"
Likewise, I've said my words about this group (and how I couldn't imagine listening to this outside of a rave-type situation) and ... while my thoughts haven't changed, I just want to reiterate that I appreciate what they're doing. Even if I wouldn't put it on if the queen came over....

7. Ash - "Return of White Rabbit" [Free MP3]
This song was written by Mark Hamilton. How random is that?

8. Colourmusic - "You Can Call Me By My Name"
Note to self: When you're giving a girl ride home for the first time -- and you want to see said girl again -- maybe this song, aka the quirkiest slice of heaven I ever did hear, isn't the one you want to put on after saying, "Oh yeah, I have 'normal' tastes when it comes to movies, music and beer." Not that I've ever been in that situation or anything....

9. The Phenomenal Handclap Band - "15 to 20 (Den Haan Remix)"
Nor is this one. It's funky enough, but it's kind of trance-inducing. She might think you're into purple pills or something.

10. Zack Martin - "The Trapper" [FREE MP3]
I was just about to write about this song's magical cinematic quality. But then I remembered it was used in "The Way We Get By."

Can I retire yet? I'm certainly already at that losing-my-mind stage....

11. Weezer - "In the Mall"
Anyway, back to the platter at hand. -> This little doozy, written by drummer Patrick Wilson, is exactly what you would expect from the genius behind the Special Goodness: Pure bliss. That's right; write off Weezer's "Raditude" all you want, but then you'd miss out on this *ahem* special goodness. Fool.

12. The Mother Hips - "White Falcon Fuzz"
Why aren't these guys huge rock stars yet? Selling out stadiums left and right, yeah? If you know anyone who can't get beyond classic rock, let this be the first "new" band you play for them. Chances are they won't hate life so much anymore.

13. Built to Spill - "Hindsight"
Doug Martsch can do no wrong. He's not quite at "golden god" status in my mind, but "can do no wrong" fits him pretty well, don't you think?

14. Atmosphere - "Mattress"
Funny, sexy and ... actually kind of sleazy. Ha!

15. Bob Dylan - "To Ramona"
This selection tracks back to my interview with Iron Range artist Nancy Miller. She's a huge Dylan fan now, sure, but it took this vintage composition to win her over: "I felt that the song really spoke to me of the heartache and loss I felt leaving Minneapolis, the friends and the dreams that I thought I had when I was living there. I truly gained respect for his work right then and there, and I really have adored his writing from that point on," she told me during a recent Budgeteer interview.

16. Breathe Owl Breathe - "Linda"
Kind of sleepy. Getting sleepy....

17. The Pixies - "Manta Ray"
But not for long, because I have this spaz-tacular Pixies B-side to help pick up my dance party's mood, pace and overall vibage.

18. Cars & Trucks - "Too Bad So Sad"
The most exciting to happen to rock 'n' roll since "New Jersey." ha ha ha (Anyway, for the Budgeteer's "Behind the Music" special on this song and accompanying album, visit this here linkeroo.)

19. Beulah - "Silver Lining"
Unlike Doug Martsch, Beulah's outspoken ringleader, Miles Kurosky, attained golden god status long ago. How? By uttering the words "Fuck Bob Dylan" (in the opening scenes of the band's documentary DVD, "A Good Band is Easy to Kill," no less). I'm a huge Bob fan, but, man, even I have to admit that takes guts.

20. Sloan - "Last Time in Love"
So true. And, surprisingly, it's a wonderful feeling!

21. Marching Band - "For Your Love"
If Rogue Wave were an '80s band, they probably would've sounded exactly like this. Makes me want to go back in time and attend North Dakota State University before Facebook was around to remove any sense of mystery.

22. Dressy Bessy - "Princess"
I thought I missed Denver. That was until I spun this hearty little fuzzbox. Now I just wanna get in my car and drive, drive, drive. Way out west is where my heart is.

23. Los Fabulosos Cadillacs - "Contrabando de Amor"
Haven't heard from these guys in a while. Starting to think that was a major oversight.

24. Gogol Bordello - "Wonderlust King" [Live at the BBC]
Another big thanks to Sir Walt Dizzo for introducing me to this rambunctious-as-f--- number. Cheers!

Thus concludes your sixty-second dose of SHAKE*YOUR*SHORES, the awesome mix tape series formerly known as "Don't Tell a Soul." Hope you enjoyed it!

Is there hope for KQ after all?

KQ MORNING SHOW HOST AND O.M. BILL JONES LEAVING DULUTH

Management Changes Take Place at Red Rock Radio with New Morning Show to Debut in January Bill Jones, co-host of the popular KQ Morning Show and Operations Manager for Red Rock Radio Duluth’s 8 radio properties has announced he is leaving the market.
“As of December 15th, I will no longer be a part of the KQ Morning Show. It is with mixed feelings that I make this announcement as I will be sad to leave KQ and Duluth, but excited at the opportunity to do new things outside of broadcasting,” said Bill Jones.
Jones has been with KQDS-FM since the mid-1990’s and has been Operation’s Manager for the past 11 years. He has been co-host of the popular KQ Morning Show with Bill Jones and Jason Manning during that time. The KQ Morning Show has been the No. 1 morning radio program in Duluth/Superior with Adults and Men 25-54 since 1999.
“We will miss Bill and the energy he brought to the morning show over these many years,”said Red Rock Radio Vice President and General Manager Shawn Skramstad. “We are excited about the new morning show that will debut in January, and think that the very best of what the KQ Morning Show is all about will provide for an almost seamless transition.”
Morning show co-host Jason Manning will become KQDS-FM Program Director, while Tom Roubik takes over as Red Rock Radio Operations Manager.
The new version of the KQ Morning Show will debut on January 4, 2010 with more details to be
announced soon.

~Information courtesy Red Rock Radio

Just bought 'Starry Night'? Way to be original! (I'm a Picasso fan, if you can't already tell....)

Vincent van Gogh’s Starry Night World’s Most Popular Oil Painting in 2009

overstockArt.com Releases Annual Top 10 List of Most Popular Oil Paintings

Wichita, Kan., Dec. 2, 2009 – The popular online art gallery, overstockArt.com, revealed today the annual Top 10 Oil Paintings rankings for 2009. Topping the list is Vincent van Gogh’s irrefutable magnum opus, Starry Night.

Van Gogh’s Starry Night reclaims its title as the world’s most popular oil painting a year after Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss snatched the title away. According to overstockArt.com’s statistics, van Gogh has the top two most popular oil paintings in the world, with Starry Night in first place and Café Terrace at Night in second. “Van Gogh consistently remains the most popular artist in the world, his total sales numbers have left everyone well behind,” said David Sasson, CEO of overstockArt.com. The top oil paintings sold online according to overstockArt.com are:

  1. Starry Night – Vincent van Gogh
  2. Café Terrace at Night – Vincent van Gogh
  3. The Kiss – Gustav Klimt
  4. Poppy Field at Argenteuil – Claude Monet
  5. Luncheon of the Boating Party – Pierre Auguste Renoir
  6. Garden Path at Giverny – Claude Monet
  7. The Rest – Pablo Picasso
  8. Red Cannas – Georgia O’Keeffe
  9. Farbstudie Quadrate (Color Study of Squares) – Wassily Kandinsky
  10. The Dream – Pablo Picasso

According to Sasson, the Top 10 list is released annually due to popular demand. “A lot of people want to know what’s selling best because it helps them stay up to speed with the latest trends and allows them to know which paintings are the hippest and most desirable on the market.”

“In the business world especially, where image is everything, many companies strive to keep up with the latest interior décor trends to maintain a modern appeal that will impress customers and clients,” said Sasson.

Van Gogh’s masterpiece, Starry Night, was created in 1889. To celebrate the 120th anniversary of the creation, overstockArt.com developed a special rendition of the masterpiece in deep oil paint. This special version of Starry Night was created by overstockArt.com over the course of a year, it took seven months to dry and weighs over 18 pounds. This distinctive one-of-a-kind 36” X 48” reproduction of Starry Night is available to purchase for $2,458. The conventional 20” X 24” reproduction is $119.

In 2009 overstockArt.com sold more than 45,000 oil paintings. They are one of the Web’s most successful distributors of wall décor items with over 10,000 daily visitors and 100,000 loyal customers.

~Information courtesy Overstock.com