Don't Tell a Soul, Vol. 9

OK, I've been sitting on this mix tape for far too long (no, it hasn't hatched...). I would like to provide a track-by-track preview of the new Low album before it's "old news," so I must shoulder through this. (The accompanying photo is an outtake from the "Discover Duluth: Congdon Park" outing Jan. 1.)

1. Weezer - "American Gigolo"
I like the way this song makes its presence known. And "Keep on / Keep on" crawls under your skin (in the most delightful way possible).

2. Ash - "Won't Be Saved"
This wasn't necessarily a "new" direction for Ash, but from them, that's A-OK. At least they're not regressing to the sound of their first album.

3. R.E.M. - "Leaving New York"
I think I was too harsh on the "Around the Sun" album when it was released in '04. This is a damn (same-y) good song. They may suffer from the "Ash disease," but at least they're keeping the botched rapper collabs to every 13 years. (Ha!)

4. The Amps - "I Am Decided"
For the longest time, I was putting up with a scratched-to-[expletive deleted] copy of "Pacer." What the "H" is wrong with me? This is probably the best song to be released in '95. (Yes, it appears I'm stuck in a time warp tonight.)

5. Beulah - "Gene Autry"
Know what's funny? I know this song was used on NBC's craptastic "Friday Night Lights." You see, I have this disorder that forces me to keep a muted TV on when I'm listening to music (and alternately piss off hippies, but that's another story all together). Anyway, I glanced over one evening and my CC bug was buzzing about this song being featured when some hokey actors were driving around in a truck. Strange, innit? (Full disclosure: My "Beulah Saves" T-shirt is one of my prized possessions and, similarly, I like bragging about interviewing Miles for one of my desktop publications.)

6. The Rentals feat. Petra Haden - "Keep Sleeping"
I purchased "Seven More Minutes" sometime in high school. While the year's uncertain, I know it was a Circuit City in Las Vegas -- of all places. It was great. I had a lot of Christmas money, and I didn't want to go to the mall, so I got dropped off with a mission: Blow all of it. It was something like $150, so I loaded up on the Rentals' two albums, the Clash's entire catalog and Steely Dan's "Can't Buy a Thrill." It was bliss.

7. Track Star - "Something to Do"
These guys are really terrific. Kind of a subdued approach, like Death Cab, but definitely more "rock" in these guys' diets.

8. Air - "Surfing on a Rocket"
I really, really wish the teenaged version of me -- the one that so "adored" White Zombie -- could look in at me now, enjoying the subtle nuances of France's Air.

9. Gay Dad - "Joy!"
With this song, the ! is actually warranted. (And, not that anyone cares, but this is a front runner for appearing on highest number of my mix tapes. Just this song, too, because I can't for the life of me remember anything else Gay Dad did.)

10. The Sights - "Scratch My Name in Sin"
I feel so stupid. When the Sounds' new album came out, I was super-excited because it was getting rave reviews and I LOVE this song and this album. But -- oh yeah -- this is the Sights. People have got to be more creative with their band names....

11. J Church - "Where the Trains Go"
The first time I heard J Church was on "Honest Don's Welcome Wagon," a compilation I found in the bargain bin at a Fargo pawn shop. Isn't that sad? The bargain bin at a pawn shop? Anyway, "Alone When She Dies" blew me away. I didn't get that feeling again from J Church until I ran across the "One Mississippi" album and this track. It's amazing.

12. KRS-One - "Let 'em Have It"
Hey, he survived his R.E.M. collab. Do you think Q-Tip can survive his?

Just kidding, "Galvanize" with the Chemical Brothers (and, now, beer commercials!) has changed my life. On a number of occassions.

13. Goldfrapp - "Strict Machine (Sasha's We are Glitter Mix)"
This is hot. I know dorky journalists can't say that, but I did. Please don't take away my access to a keyboard.

14. Prince - "Kiss"
This is hot too. (See, I'm unstoppable!)

15. Sloan - "Keep on Thinkin'"
If only everyone else in the entire world knew how much Sloan means to me, then I wouldn't have to put them on every single mix tape.

16. The Rakes - "22 Grand Job"
Another faceless (pretty much nameless too) member of the latest British invasion, but, per usual, it's really catchy. Undeniable fun, just undeniable faceless fun.

17. Sunday's Best - "The Try"
Who are these guys? Seriously, how did they get on my mix tape? It's pretty good, but there's no saying where I found it. A pickle, for sure.

18. Steely Dan - "Peg"
Of course, this selection was inspired by Best Friends Forever's masterful telling of this ancient fable at Diorama-rama 2.

Right, that was a while ago now....

19. Chris Smither - "Origin of Species"
Funny stuff. This sounds like a Charlie Parr knockoff, but it comes highly recommended by Rolling Stone. (And that's the first time I've said that since ... ... ... ever?)

20. Violent Femmes - "Out of the Window"
Straight outta Milwaukee. I always get a kick out of these guys, especially after I heard they played a show in a University of Minnesota Twin Cities parking ramp. Yeah!

21. Maximo Park - "Once, a Glimpse"
Oh, hey, remember what I was saying about nameless, faceless Brit acts? Here's another. Similarly fun, though, so it warrants inclusion.

22. Pushover -"Pitiful"
Rising from the tortured* ska ashes of Mealticket comes this wonderful project ... that's probably already ashes itself now. Considering my record collection is scattered throughout time -- and what's "new" to the bargain bins of America isn't necessarily new-new. Yadig?

23. The Kickovers - "Fake in Love"
Similarly, this group was founded by a former member of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones. Desptie somehow owning two of their records, I kind of hate that band -- so I'm glad I didn't possess this information when I picked up the Kickovers' excellent "Osaka" from Cheapo in Moorhead a year back.

24. Everclear - "Pennsylvania is..."
Wrong.

Hey, do you remember when Everclear actually mattered? Everything Art did before "So Much for the Afterglow" was great -- especially Colorfinger's "Deep in the Heart of the Beast in the Sun," which I possess an original** copy of. Don't get me wrong; there were moments of greatness until the last two albums (like "Local God"), but the man just kind of fizzled, no?

*OK, not really. Poetic, though, isn't it?
**I hope, anyway.

File Under: How Duluth Am I?

So I'm recovering from a day spent with the mayor (on State of the City day, no less) and what comes in my mail? A review copy of Low's "Drums and Guns" -- not to be released until March 20.

I'm so excited ... I might vomit!

Shameless Budgeteer Plug No. 8

Another short week, with only enough output to look lazy! But there's some good stuff: "Catching up with Duluth’s online community," a story I've meant to do for some time (many thanks to Mark Ryan for the splendid photo), the second installment in my beloved photo essay series, "Discover Duluth: Congdon Park," and a chance to interview one of the three lovely sisters in QuinnElizabeth, "Making mama proud (three times over): A Q-and-A with Elizabeth Christianson of Wisconsin’s sister folk trio QuinnElizabeth."

As always, if you read them, please let me know what you think!

File Under: Ouch!

As an employee of the Budgeteer, I receive the newsletter put out by one of the leading daily newspapers in Duluth.*

The recent edition included a quick ad announcing employee subscription rates. Swell, I thought, dirt cheap. I quickly called them up and said, "Sign me up." I was told I would have to stop in at their offices and sign some payroll-deduction forms. Fine. The whole process only took a few minutes.

But when I get back to our offices, there's a message on my phone saying I'm not employed directly through them, so no go.

Not a problem, but then the lady explains to me, in the nicest possible way, that I am eligible to get my paper -- a free paper -- at a discounted rate because I am an employee.

I don't know if I should laugh or cry!

*Come on, use your noggins.

Don't Tell a Soul, Vol. 8: Best of Beaner's

Since 2001*, Beaner's Central has been releasing live CDs. And, save for 2005, I've collected 'em all: "Best of 2001" and volumes one through three of "One Week Live." ("Cover art" taken at Congdon Park New Year's Day for an upcoming installment of my "Discover Duluth" photo essay series in the Budgeteer.)


Here's the best of what I've found:


1. Mr. Lindquist - "In Addition"
This guy never gets old.

2. Black-eyed Snakes - "Honey"
Sublime Moby cover.

3. Pete Ekstam - "The Lines"
I like this song, I do, but its inclusion is more of an "I'm sorry for the infamous review of Onatangent's last show in The Statesman" kind of gesture.

4. Black Labels - "Unknown"**
This is really cliche, but this sounds like it was beamed to Beaner's from the great Quentin Tarantino jukebox in the sky -- although I really don't think anyone involved in this comparison is dead.

5. Father Hennepin - "John's Song"
This is good, real good. I should probably get these guys' album.

6. Haley Bonar - "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy"
Sadly, no Big & Rich cover here.

OK, kidding ... that's the last thing I need: "That dork from the Budgeteer hearts the country/rap exploitation of little people."

7. Martin Devaney - "Landlord's Daughter"
According to the Wiki Monster, Martin Devaney is a footballer currently playing for Barnsley F.C. Wait a second....

(I hate it too. The most popular Matt Perrine on Google was called a "Tuba Monster"*** by NewOrleansNightcrawlers.com. What the hell does that even mean?)

8. Ballyhoo - "Forever"
When I lived in Fargo (don't ask) for about four years, it made me a little sad each time I found a Ballyhoo CD in the bargain bins at Moorhead's Cheapo. It's jam-y, sure, but it's good. It must be, because I do more than tolerate it.

9. Both - "You're Such a Bore"
I'm glad Greg Cougar Conley pursued his solo career, but this works too.

10. No Room to Pogo - "Good Times"
Despite all the hurricanes and death and W. not caring about black people, OMNIMAX's "Hurricane on the Bayou" had some feel good gems on its soundtrack. Point? This could've made the cut.

11. Charlie Parr - "1922"
I'm still waiting for Parr to release a bad record. This can't go on forever, can it?

12. Ben Weaver - "Cold House"
This guy could be rich. But, of course, that would mean selling his soul to the Ying Yang Twins like Maroon 5's Adam Levine.

(I'm sorry, but that's probably the saddest money-grabbin' collaboration these eyes have seen. Pathetic. And I still love Kara's Flowers!)

13. Dukes of Hubbard - "Anne Marie"
Hint: If you want to make any Duluth mix tape, just mention our city within the first couple of lines. See, easy as pie.

14. Sight Like December - "Doot Doot Do Do Doot"
Who are these guys? And can they play at the Budgeteer's next Neil Diamond Day party?

15. Trampled by Turtles - "School Bus Driver"
No one needs any help liking these guys. Next.

16. Jerree Small - "Trap Door"
Does anyone know where a guy could get a really good trap door? I knew this rental property was lacking something. Besides size. (It's comically small.)

17. The Alrights - "I'm So Great"
Me too. We'd probably get along swell.

18. Accident Clearinghouse - "Lonely, Broken-Hearted Fools"
While they'll never top "Bird on the Wing" (don't worry, few could), this is a nice attempt.

19. Muldoons - "Bottomless Town"
This is really swell. I do hope their albums are easy to find.

20. I.P.A. - "Barricades"
A little long for my tastes, but the "Promise me you won't tell a soul" bridge is incendiary.

21. Mr. Lindquist - "Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven"
I'm pretty sure this is a take on the Love and Rockets classic.** Either way, it's a nice way to end this here album. (Love the line "The Ripsaw music critic with a grudge.")

*To the best of my knowledge.
**Unfortunately, my version of "Best of Beaner's 2001" came without a track list. If you have any information on this album, please leave a comment.
***Know what's really sad? I used to play the tuba. From grades 5 to 12. Yeah.

Story in the key of 'X'

"They said it was a weather balloon /

I know the truth / I know the whole shebang."

--Soul Coughing, "Unmarked Helicopters"

*******

from CNN.com...

FAA blames UFO report on weird weather

CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) -- -- Federal officials say it was probably just some weird weather phenomenon, but a group of United Airlines employees swear they saw a mysterious, saucer-shaped craft hovering over O'Hare Airport in November.
The workers, some of them pilots, said the object didn't have lights and hovered over an airport terminal before shooting up through the clouds, according to a report in Monday's Chicago Tribune.
The Federal Aviation Administration acknowledged that a United supervisor had called the control tower at O'Hare, asking if anyone had spotted a spinning disc-shaped object. But the controllers didn't see anything, and a preliminary check of radar found nothing out of the ordinary, FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory said.
"Our theory on this is that it was a weather phenomenon," Cory said. "That night was a perfect atmospheric condition in terms of low (cloud) ceiling and a lot of airport lights. When the lights shine up into the clouds, sometimes you can see funny things."
The FAA is not investigating, Cory said.
United spokeswoman Megan McCarthy said company officials don't recall discussing any such incident from November 7.
At least one O'Hare controller, union official Craig Burzych, was amused by it all.
"To fly 7 million light years to O'Hare and then have to turn around and go home because your gate was occupied is simply unacceptable," he said.

Don't Tell a Soul, Vol. 7: Disc Go Round ‘Finds’

Since my perfect Duluth New Year’s Eve plans were squashed by heavy rain (which turned into all-out slush and, eventually, troublesome wet snow) and a bothersome cold, I decided to kill some time at Disc Go Round, one of my favorite former places of employment. While not all of these tunes are from today’s expedition, many are. Seventeen CDs for 30-some bucks? Not bad at all. (The accompanying “cover art” is a self portrait shot today in my kitchen.)

1. Matthew Sweet – “Where You Find Love”
Many of Sweet’s compositions are blasé, mild mannered and just kind of bleed together, but he cranked up the glorious fuzz for this tight and infectious space anthem.

2. Prince – “Life ‘O’ the Party”
It’s nice to see Prince selling records again.Spare me the porno reactions.)

3. Wilco – “Theologians”
“Theologians / They don’t know nothing / About my soul.”

Wilco, honey? Please come back to Duluth.

4. Electric Light Orchestra – “Four Little Diamonds”
One of the last additions to my ELO master collection, 1983’s “Secret Messages” is a bit of an enigma. You’re pretty much conditioned to believe it’s going to suck as bad as Ali G’s full-length movie, but it doesn’t. Not even close. And – bonus! – this one made the cut for one of those “Grand Theft Auto” soundtracks.

5. Hot Rod Circuit – “Consumed by Laziness”
Likewise, HRC is quickly dismissed by many as “just another emo band.” While that statement is at least 85 percent true, they have a few great rock songs, like this one. Labels be damned.

6. Iffy – “Can-O-Cope (Freddy Fresh Mix)”
This is probably way too “hot summer night” for this weekend’s slushy grayness, but these guys disappeared way too fast, and that kind of sucks. But hey, at least they got to sell out to Kmart before the end.

7. Greg Cougar Conley – “Lonely in L.A.”
I moved on past “Billy Bumblebee” … aren’t you proud of me? “Lonely” finds Conley channeling Greg Dulli – pre-“Powder Burns,” of course, because that’s when his voice took a scratchy nosedive one toke over the line.

And, since it's moody and the City of Angels is referenced in the slightest, I’m going to have to say this would’ve fit in perfectly on the “Mulholland Drive” soundtrack.

8. Radio 4 – “This is Not a Test”
Strong percussion worthy of Blur’s “Think Tank.” An urgent, perky bass line Elastica (R.I.P.) would die for. A cowbell. Or at least something that sounds a lot like a cowbell. What’s not to love?

9. Cosmo Vitelli – “Alias”
I bought this “budget-priced” album simply because it was on Astralwerks. Guess what? Per usual, I wasn’t let down. Even that label’s forgotten releases are full of gold. I can really see Placebo fans getting into this track.

10. Songs: Ohia – “Nervous Bride”
More classic rock masquerading as indie rock. I love it. (Let’s just say Neil Young’s influence becomes more and more apparent with each Jason Molina release.)

11. Midtown – “Like a Movie”
Midtown suffers from the same plague as Hot Rod Circuit, except that these guys are far more consistent because – believe me, this is all speculation – they incorporate that ’80s FM rock sound that no one (except maybe my wife and I) will admit to absolutely adoring.

12. Sebadoh – “Rebound”
Aside from Robert Pollard, Lou Barlow is probably the most inconsistent songwriter in my record collection. But, as the Guided by Voices story goes, when this guy hits it, he really hits it. This single’s EP is worth seeking out.

13. The Promise Ring – “Best Looking Boys”
This song probably wasn’t written about me, but I can dream a little dream, can’t I? (Ha!)

14. The Minus 5 – “Emperor of the Bathroom (video mix)”
Not too many of this collective’s tracks sound the same, but that’s quite all right. This early “hit” benefits from the presence of the Posies’ Ken Stringfellow and Jon Auer. Pretty tame compared to some of this year’s songs from the group, but quite enjoyable – jangly and loose like Wilco’s early records.

15. Love as Laughter – “Margaritas”
I actually hate much of this group’s output, but I still buy their records because … well, here’s the part where I admit that I have an addiction to buying music. But it’s more than that: It’s for songs like this. Each LAL release comes packed with a few.

16. Five-Eight – “Shouldn’t Be Here”
These guys are actually pretty decent, but they’re plagued by two very important issues: much of their artwork is crap (no joke) and the fact that all of their albums are always in the bargain bins kind of devalues the entire experience.

It’s not like in Denver, where I picked out a rare Sean Na Na release at Second Spin – that was good fortune. Finding a Five-Eight CD in those bins is, sadly, expected.

17. Ash – “Taken Out”
Ah, yes, another excellent Ash B-side that’s only available on – you guessed it – a $20 single. (Thanks, DGR, for not caring what items are currently going for on Amazon.com.)

18. Poststardom Depression – “Suntan Lotion”
This is an exercise in parallel ministries (if you will). Take a sleazy-sounding singer and put the best strings this side of “The Big Chill” behind him, and “Suntan Lotion” is born.

19. Sloan – “Everything You’ve Done Wrong”
How does this always happen? Every time I find myself living in Duluth (yes, all two of them), I just happen to be completely enamored with these lovable Canadians. Borderline obsessed, more accurately. Is it the relative proximity to the border?

But enough about me, this is the best Chicago-sounding song since the late ’70s – which is excellent news for closet Chicago fans (like me).

Right, sorry.

20. The Get Up Kids – “Mass Pike (live)”
Youngsters need more ivory in their diets.

21. Air – “Bathroom Girl”
Important people somewhere (elusive) say you can never go home again. Well, I did, and this is what I listened to. It was in “The Virgin Suicides,” sure, but it’s forever locked in my mind with that “transitional” month.

(By the way, please don’t take this as pandering to my local audience, but it really sucks living anywhere else in Minnesota when you know Duluth is just a few hours away. We may have our problems, but our city by the bay*, well, she’s a survivor.)

22. Idlewild – “Mistake Pageant”
I can’t say I was entirely “taken” by these guys when they opened up for Pearl Jam in Fargo, but they’ve really grown on me. This one will make you a believer too.

(Strangely, I wasn’t really “cuckoo” for Frank Black when he opened up for PJ back in ’98, either, but it’s probably no secret how I feel about him now: When I wasn’t being singled out in college for playing the role of “the guy who mentions his crush on Tina Fey at least once in each and every article he writes for the school paper,” I found time to fulfill my other “role”: “the guy who mentions his crush on the Pixies at least once in each and every article he writes for the school paper.”)

p.s. Eat your Ritter Sport Alpine milk chocolate. There is none higher.

*Tear? Journey lawsuit?