'Tis the season for mix tapes that have absolutely, positively nothing to do with the season. (Thanks to KOOL 101.7 FM, it's pretty safe to say none of us will want to listen to Christmas tunes ever -- I repeat: EVER -- again in this lifetime.)Submitted for the approval of the Twin Ports Awesome Mix Tape Appreciation Society, the latest installment of "Don't Tell a Soul."
As always, to encourage the consumption of music that doesn't suck, I have provided -- wherever available -- links to free, artist-sanctioned MP3s of the songs.
We got a red alert!
Matt
(Questions? Comments? Want one of your band's songs to be considered for an upcoming awesome mix tape? E-mail mperrine [at] duluthbudgeteer [dot] com.)
*******
1. Crew Jones - "Banjones" (listen here)
Coming in somewhere between Atmosphere and Ween, this track proves that “hip-hop from Duluth” isn’t just a punchline. (Self-plagiarism alert!)
2. Office - "The Ritz" (listen here)
The most instantly enjoyable song since Metal Molly's "Orange."
3. Mark Ronson feat. Rhymefest - "Bout to Get Ugly"
... Or this one. Talk about party anthems!
4. Father Hennepin - "Girl from the North Country" (Bob Dylan cover)
Go, Starfire, go! Bar none one of the best Dylan covers out there. (And that's saying a lot!)
5. J Church - "Turn to Stone" (Electric Light Orchestra cover) (other MP3s here)
On the other hand, this isn't exactly the most imaginative ELO cover out there; but J Church doing J Lynne ... what's not to love?!
6. Cars & Trucks - "Everyone was There"
Apparently I've been talking up C&T a little too much these past few weeks. Here's a message I got from frontman Tony Bennett on the e-mail: "I'm starting to feel like I'm the Suri Cruise to your Access Hollywood!" (!) ha ha ha
7. Fitzgerald - "Laxmi Nagar Lullaby" (DL others here) (and here!)
It's always something special when a (legitimate) husband and wife team can make such beautiful, beautiful music.
8. Low - "Starfire" (DL others here)
Speaking of that phenomenon, here's Duluth's Johnny and June Carter Cash.
9. Nothing Jive About Jupiter - "Cave-In Day" (aka "Your Eight Dollars Worth")
A sign of greatness -- When NJAJ/reru split, two terrific groups emerged: Best Friends Forever and Harp and Finial. (All three of which -- plus P.O.S.'s hardcore outfit, Building Better Bombs -- will perform at the Hexagon Bar in Minneapolis* Friday, Feb. 15, for the big NJAJ reunion blowout!)
10. Girls Against Boys - "Kill the Sex Player"
"How am I doing so far?" Brutal.
11. Ambulance Ltd. - "Heavy Lifting" (listen here)
I should really be paying a lot more attention to this band: Pretend Beulah was a '70s underground rock outfit from the United Kingdom, and you're on your way.
12. Rivers Cuomo - "Superfriend" (listen here)
This brilliant demo from Weezer's scrapped "Songs from the Black Hole" project (the album that would gel into "Pinkerton") finally got an official release earlier this month on "Alone."
13. Doves - "There Goes the Fear" (live acoustic vers.)
It's hard to improve on a classic, but this comes pretty damn close.
14. The Magic Numbers - "Take a Chance" (free Daytrotter session)
Not to totally rip off this band's name, but this shit is magical. Why did it take me so long to get into this group?
15. Sondre Lerche - "Europa & The Pirate Twins" (free Daytrotter session)
A previously unreleased track on the obscure Astralwerks label showcase "Get Off Uranus and Listen to This..." -- worth it for this gem alone!
16. Athlete - "Hurricane" ("Airport Disco" available here)
Sorry, Athlete, but I have to take this opportunity to endorse Winchester's Old Fashioned Jerky: "It may be made in Las Vegas, but it's devoured in Superior, Wis."
17. The Cruxshadows - "Birthday" (radio edit)
I've inadvertently gone mainstream: "Birthday" recently topped Billboard's Hot Dance Sales Chart and nabbed the No. 2 slot on the Hot Singles Sales Chart. It's funny, too, because had I known how much mascara these clowns (err ... "goths," I'm sorry) wear, I probably wouldn't even given the track a second spin.
18. Supernova - "Chewbacca"
The best part of Kevin Smith's film "Clerks"? Close!
19. Iffy - "Double Dutch" (Tom Rothrock radio remix)
For fans of Len ... no joke.
20. Dan Wilson feat. John Hermanson and Gary Louris - "Breathless" (listen here)
Trip Shakespeare/Semisonic + Storyhill/Alva Star/(Olympic) Hopefuls + Jayhawks/Golden Smog royalty = one damn fine track.
21. Brenda Weiler feat. John Hermanson - "Daisy"
Hey, Johnny's back; but this time he's helping out Fargo songstress Brenda Weiler.
22. Badly Drawn Boy - "Don't Stop Believing" (Journey cover) (live at the El Ray Theatre) (download the Avalanches' mix of "The Shining" here)
He's certainly no Steve Perry (really, who is?), but a damn fine cover nonetheless.
*On 26th Street and 26th Avenue ... hope to see you there!
No comments:
Post a Comment