"Background singers, when on the road and deciding whom to f--- first, will start with the roadies and move up from there, without necessarily ever getting to the stewards of the actual intellectual property upon which the success of the enterprise depends." —Steely Dan's Donald Fagen and Walter Becker
1. Self - "Wednesday Again"
I know I've said it probably as many times as I've jammed out to this one "Risky Business"-style, but: Matt Mahaffey is a golden god.
2. Pavement - "Shady Lane/J vs. S"
Was there a more important band in the '90s? Conventional wisdom would probably nominate Nirvana, but my money's on Stephen Malkmus and the boys.
3. Vanessa Paradis - "I'm Waiting for the Man" [Velvet Underground cover]
There's a lot of "I'm Waiting for the Man" covers out there, but this one just feels right.
4. The B-Sides - "Bigger than Jared"
This little-talked-about band from Chapel Hill is actually a supergroup of sorts, featuring members of Collapsis/Dillon Fence and the Squirrel Nut Zippers (another wholly underappreciated group these days). Either way, this song sounds exactly nothing like what you'd expect having read that last sentence: There's shades of Vitreous Humor, Carmine and, perhaps most prominently, the Danburrys. -> There's a lot to love here.
5. Lenola - "Shared a Route"
Atmospheric like the "Lost in Translation" soundtrack and slow burning like the best Eric's Trip had to offer.
6. Kimya Dawson - "Little Panda Bear"
With this silly little ditty, it's easy to hear this Moldy Peach gets along so well with the Terrordactyls.
7. Dada - "All I Am"
Another feel-good band I could've easily dropped into my hey-remember-the-'90s review of "Sweet Precious Time" by Ben Durbin's Modern Antiques.
8. Johnny Bravo - "Rodeo"
One of my most exciting "finds" in months; this song's mother album, "Then Again, Maybe I Won't," was produced by the Cars' Ric Ocasek around the same time he made Weezer a household name.
9. Fear Factory - "Genetic Blueprint (New Breed)"
Dreamed up by a pre-"A Little Less Conversation" Junkie XL, this is one reworking that puts its original to shame. And, I don't want to cheerlead too much, but it's on my short list of the best remixes of all time.
10. Ghostface Killah feat. Jadakiss - "Run"
An interesting narrative and top-notch production from Wu mastermind RZA — what's not to love?
11. Trackademicks - "Enjoy What You Do"
OutKast meets the tried-and-true Delicious Vinyl sound -> Trackademics is one to watch.
12. We Have Band - "Oh!"
Something to get the hipsters dancin'.
13. The Rogers Sisters - "The Light"
Of all the quirky, hyperkinetic indie rock outfits I've encountered over the last couple years, this is definitely one of the most consistent (and entertaining!).
14. Ministry - "Hero"
Note to George A. Romero: As a huge fan of the walking-dead genre, I believe I have some authority to suggest that this song desperately needs to be utilized in one of those montages featuring hordes of zombies, trunks full of shotguns and nearly as many exploding zombie heads.
If you don't use it, I will, financing aside!
15. Kritical Kontact - "Let Me Be Me"
While some of the beats seem to sound a little "in the red," you can't help but love this one. Classic Northland hip-hop.
16. Cage - "Nothing Left to Say"
Doesn't grab you as quickly as, say, Cage's Q-Tip-leaning anthem "Perfect World," but this layered epic is really starting to grow on me. Rap, evolved.
17. Daft Punk - "Technologic" [Radio Edit]
Two million cool kids can't be wrong.
18. P.O.S. - "Low Light Low Life"
From my review of "Never Better," aka one of the most imaginative hip-hop records in some time: Oh, Dessa, why can’t you guest on more P.O.S. tracks? Her feminine intuition works wonders balancing out P.O.S.’s “macho tendencies.” [For the record, this track also features, to the best of my knowledge, every other Doomtree emcee as well.]
19. Ice Palace - "Trampolining"
Like the Valet records this band seems to be as obsessed with as I am, this is indie pop perfection ... no wonder Cloud Cult signed them to their Earthology record label!
20. Department of Crooks - "X-Ray Vision"
There's an old(ish) saying in my house: "Love the Pixies, love Department of Crooks." <- This is especially true for those of you who, like me, thought "Trompe le Monde" was a f------ great album.
21. Dent May and His Magnificent Ukulele - "Meet Me in the Garden"
Never mind the fact that it conjures up images of Austin Powers, here is some shiny happy music to help you get through this last stretch of winter.
22. Haley Bonar - "Highway 16" [Daytrotter.com vers.] [MP3]
So sayeth the she on Daytrotter: "[This song] is about the highway in the Black Hills of South Dakota, where I grew up. I wrote it in my math class in high school right after I recorded my first album, which was recorded right off that highway in a farmhouse by Hill City, South Dakota." [For further Bonar fun, check out my interview with the former Duluthian.]
23. Drew Danburry - "Artex Died in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico" [MP3]
Thus concludes your forty-third dose of SHAKE*YOUR*SHORES, the awesome mix tape series formerly known as "Don't Tell a Soul."
1. Self - "Wednesday Again"
I know I've said it probably as many times as I've jammed out to this one "Risky Business"-style, but: Matt Mahaffey is a golden god.
2. Pavement - "Shady Lane/J vs. S"
Was there a more important band in the '90s? Conventional wisdom would probably nominate Nirvana, but my money's on Stephen Malkmus and the boys.
3. Vanessa Paradis - "I'm Waiting for the Man" [Velvet Underground cover]
There's a lot of "I'm Waiting for the Man" covers out there, but this one just feels right.
4. The B-Sides - "Bigger than Jared"
This little-talked-about band from Chapel Hill is actually a supergroup of sorts, featuring members of Collapsis/Dillon Fence and the Squirrel Nut Zippers (another wholly underappreciated group these days). Either way, this song sounds exactly nothing like what you'd expect having read that last sentence: There's shades of Vitreous Humor, Carmine and, perhaps most prominently, the Danburrys. -> There's a lot to love here.
5. Lenola - "Shared a Route"
Atmospheric like the "Lost in Translation" soundtrack and slow burning like the best Eric's Trip had to offer.
6. Kimya Dawson - "Little Panda Bear"
With this silly little ditty, it's easy to hear this Moldy Peach gets along so well with the Terrordactyls.
7. Dada - "All I Am"
Another feel-good band I could've easily dropped into my hey-remember-the-'90s review of "Sweet Precious Time" by Ben Durbin's Modern Antiques.
8. Johnny Bravo - "Rodeo"
One of my most exciting "finds" in months; this song's mother album, "Then Again, Maybe I Won't," was produced by the Cars' Ric Ocasek around the same time he made Weezer a household name.
9. Fear Factory - "Genetic Blueprint (New Breed)"
Dreamed up by a pre-"A Little Less Conversation" Junkie XL, this is one reworking that puts its original to shame. And, I don't want to cheerlead too much, but it's on my short list of the best remixes of all time.
10. Ghostface Killah feat. Jadakiss - "Run"
An interesting narrative and top-notch production from Wu mastermind RZA — what's not to love?
11. Trackademicks - "Enjoy What You Do"
OutKast meets the tried-and-true Delicious Vinyl sound -> Trackademics is one to watch.
12. We Have Band - "Oh!"
Something to get the hipsters dancin'.
13. The Rogers Sisters - "The Light"
Of all the quirky, hyperkinetic indie rock outfits I've encountered over the last couple years, this is definitely one of the most consistent (and entertaining!).
14. Ministry - "Hero"
Note to George A. Romero: As a huge fan of the walking-dead genre, I believe I have some authority to suggest that this song desperately needs to be utilized in one of those montages featuring hordes of zombies, trunks full of shotguns and nearly as many exploding zombie heads.
If you don't use it, I will, financing aside!
15. Kritical Kontact - "Let Me Be Me"
While some of the beats seem to sound a little "in the red," you can't help but love this one. Classic Northland hip-hop.
16. Cage - "Nothing Left to Say"
Doesn't grab you as quickly as, say, Cage's Q-Tip-leaning anthem "Perfect World," but this layered epic is really starting to grow on me. Rap, evolved.
17. Daft Punk - "Technologic" [Radio Edit]
Two million cool kids can't be wrong.
18. P.O.S. - "Low Light Low Life"
From my review of "Never Better," aka one of the most imaginative hip-hop records in some time: Oh, Dessa, why can’t you guest on more P.O.S. tracks? Her feminine intuition works wonders balancing out P.O.S.’s “macho tendencies.” [For the record, this track also features, to the best of my knowledge, every other Doomtree emcee as well.]
19. Ice Palace - "Trampolining"
Like the Valet records this band seems to be as obsessed with as I am, this is indie pop perfection ... no wonder Cloud Cult signed them to their Earthology record label!
20. Department of Crooks - "X-Ray Vision"
There's an old(ish) saying in my house: "Love the Pixies, love Department of Crooks." <- This is especially true for those of you who, like me, thought "Trompe le Monde" was a f------ great album.
21. Dent May and His Magnificent Ukulele - "Meet Me in the Garden"
Never mind the fact that it conjures up images of Austin Powers, here is some shiny happy music to help you get through this last stretch of winter.
22. Haley Bonar - "Highway 16" [Daytrotter.com vers.] [MP3]
So sayeth the she on Daytrotter: "[This song] is about the highway in the Black Hills of South Dakota, where I grew up. I wrote it in my math class in high school right after I recorded my first album, which was recorded right off that highway in a farmhouse by Hill City, South Dakota." [For further Bonar fun, check out my interview with the former Duluthian.]
23. Drew Danburry - "Artex Died in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico" [MP3]
Thus concludes your forty-third dose of SHAKE*YOUR*SHORES, the awesome mix tape series formerly known as "Don't Tell a Soul."
