Don't Tell a Soul, Vol. 41: You're free to have everything you can see

For the uninitiated, "Don't Tell a Soul" is my ongoing, semi-regular awesome mix tape series.

And this, right here, is the latest installment.

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.

Enjoy!
Matt

(Questions or comments? E-mail mperrine [at] duluthbudgeteer [dot] com.)

1. M.I.A. - "Boyz"
She's baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!

2. The Pixies - "Hang Wire"
As recently heard by yours truly in "The United States of Leland." <- A terrific film with a terrific cast (and soundtrack). Netflix NOW.

3. The Cardigans - "Step on Me"
For years I thought "Been It" was the Cardigans' finest hour. Well, that was before I rediscovered this undeniable gem.

4. Dave Mehling - "Idaho"
Although some* have expressed to Sir David (it's the only moniker he responds to, trust me...) that Wyoming would've made for more appropriate subject matter, this is a timeless piece of work. His songwriting is far more mature than his young looks let on.

5. MOTH - "Shock City"
MOTH's systematic execution on this stomper is alarming, to say the least -> I can't keep my ears off it.

6. Shelter Belt - "If It Feels Like"
Bran Van 3000, anyone?

7. The Stereo - "Things to Consider"
Another cherished deep album cut from Jamie Woolford and the boys in the (now-defunct) Stereo.

8. Carbon Carousel - "savior simplex."
Recommended if you like the Bogmen ... if they turned evil. (And had Eyedea out front.)

9. The Shins - "Australia"
A lot of credible people have told me that I'd "love" the Shins, but, come on, if Zach Braff likes them, how good can they be? I must admit, though, despite the whole Z.B. angle, this is pretty enjoyable stuff -- like a really, really, really poppy Rogue Wave.

10. Central Services - "The Salesman"
Speaking of enthralling West Coast post-punkers, Central Services is your new No. 1. Check 'em out.

11. John Vanderslice - "Bill Gates Must Die"
This guy has balls.

12. Cloud Cult - "Alien Christ"
You can't tell me the near-complete departure of a musical interlude at 1:32 isn't transcendent.

13. Oliver Future - "Happiness Machine"
You like Of Montreal? Do ya? Well, then, write this one down.

14. Mouth - "Float"
R.I.Y.L. Metal Molly, the Pixies and songs that are -- without compromising anything -- exactly 41 seconds long.

15. The Robocop Kraus - "Life Amazes Us Despite Our Miserable Future"
Cool, cool, cool: Cool title, cool music and, generally, just a cool song to (pretend to) smoke to -- one foot behind you, bracing yourself against the side of a brick building. Hold that pose, feller, 'cause the pretty girls are only going to be looking for a few ... more ... oops, party over -> you fell. (And, besides, how far do you think you could have gotten with that "spiffy" Canadian tuxedo on?)

16. Jeff Tweedy - "The Thanks I Get" (live)
This shit is vindictive. ... Or is it?

17. The Long Winters - "Ultimatum" (EP vers.)
For some reason, this song reminds me of "We Don't Live Here Anymore," only in reverse.... Yadig?

18. Dropkick Murphys - "The Dirty Glass"
I never really "got" the Dropkick Murphys -- or at least their appeal -- until one fateful night at Thirsty Pagan in Superior. To this end, cheers!

19. Rocket From the Crypt - "Burning Army Men"
As Brick Tamland would say, "Loud noises!"

20. A Sunken Ship Irony - "Lost in the Nintendo"
The 8-bit intro is just killer.

21. The National - "Mistaken for Strangers"
Like a less-slick Arcade Fire....

22. Alternative Champs - "Welcome to Fort Awesome"
That's it, song title of the year ... err, whatever year this came out (2005). Best of all, the song's content lives up to its title!

Another thing I love about this group is that their Web site sheepishly proclaims "The Internet Starts Here."

23. Spoon - "I Didn't Come Here to Die"
Roadhouse blues REDUX, baby!

24. The New Pornographers - "Speed of Luxury"
The fine folks at Matador Records are brilliant: Buy "Challengers" early, get all sorts of free shit now -- like this glorious B-side.

25. Fountains of Wayne - "Fire in the Canyon"
I was experiencing an emotional meltdown when I first heard this track, so that may be why -- and I'm no scientist, by any means, so please don't take (just) my word for it -- I'm kind of scarily attached to this (gently) thundering roller.

26. Nick Heyward - "These Words"
If Nick Heyward is guilty of one thing, it's subdued brilliance. He's great, don't get me wrong, but one gets the feeling he'd be just as happy being a fly on the wall -- at his own concert.

*I have no idea who I could be talking about....

This Week's Shameless Budgeteer Plug: Photographer Craig Blacklock, "ab-fab" Glensheen pics, two amazing debut albums and more city council candidates

A friendly reminder to my fellow Twin Ports-ians ... umm, how do I make that plural? Regardless, your attention please: Bayfront Blues Festival is this weekend. Unless you plan on attending, avoid Canal Park at all costs.

"At-Large City Council Race, Pt. 2" -- Last week I profiled the first four candidates running in the at-large race — Jeff Anderson, Jack Arnold, Henry Banks and Tony Cuneo — and this week I spoke with the final four: Jon Donahue, Becky Hall, Tim Little and Tony Salls. Just remember, kids: It's hip to be informed....

"Discover Duluth: Glensheen" -- Any excuse to visit Chester Congdon's London Road behemoth, and I'll be there. (Two things about the photograph at right: I shot it at Glensheen and, aside from the text, I didn't alter it in any way. Draw your own conclusions.)

"And They Call Him 'Blacklock'" -- I'm too lazy to tease this story again in any sort of creative and/or fashionable way, so here's what I wrote on the Budgeteer's Web site: "The famed Moose Lake photographer Craig Blacklock returns with 'Minnesota’s North Shore,' a large 175-image book and 3-hour DVD (which features an original score by Duluth's Ryan Rapsys)."

Finally, what's an issue of the Budge without more CD reviews from yours truly? This week I fawn over the debuts of Duluth singer/songwriter Greg Tiburzi and NYC stalwarts Phonograph. Headphones = ON.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Mesabi Miner!

A flock of camera-wielding Canal Park tourists welcome the Mesabi Miner to Duluth July 14, 2007, shortly before midnight. According to BoatNerd.com, the ship, which was constructed in Lorain, Ohio, made its maiden voyage (to Superior) June 7, 1977. Matthew R. Perrine/Budgeteer News (I just thought I'd throw this image, lovingly titled "When the Mesabi Miner Comes to Town," on this blog, as I forgot to mention it in the last dispatch of my shameless Budgeteer plugs. Either way, it's also available on my "Discover Duluth" page.)

Don't Tell a Soul, Vol. 40.5: The Many Lives of Charles Douglas

Here it is, Charles Douglas' greatest hits (at least according to me). If you've never heard his work -- or, even worse, never even heard of him (see above) -- you're doing yourself a huge disservice, as he's one of the most talented and prolific post-punk* rockers out there.

From Wikipedia: Charles Douglas - musical pseudonym of popular novelist Alex McAulay, who has recorded four indie rock albums under that name, and recorded with members of the Velvet Underground and the Pixies. He is best known for writing songs about his favorite musicians, including Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys, Chan Marshall (aka Cat Power) and Syd Barrett.

See!

Anyway, here's what I've gathered about how everything came to be (by slyly ripping off the discography he posted on his MySpace page): Things started out in the early '90s when he formed Vegetarian Meat with Indian actor Manish Kalvakota.

Together they released two 7" singles (now both out of print) and one terrific full-length album, "Let's Pet," in 1995. (Douglas has since collaborated with Kalvakota on some of the actor/musician's solo works.)

This is also the same time Douglas launched his solo career, with "The Burdens of Genius." That album -- as well as 1996's "Minor Wave" -- is now out of print, but was reissued on the "31 Flavors" compilation in 2001.

"The Lives of Charles Douglas" followed in 1999, and featured none other than the Velvet Underground's Maureen Tucker on drums (and handling production duties).

It would be a full six years before "Statecraft" -- my personal favorite -- was released. Not to be outdone by its predecessor, the album features the Pixies' very own Joey Santiago on lead guitar. (Aside from his Martinis releases, it's some of the axe man's most enthralling work outside of the Pixies.)

Without further ado, I humbly present my selections for Charles Douglas' greatest recordings to date:

1. "Blues for Catalina" (from "Statecraft")

2. "New Attitude" (from "Minor Wave")

3. "A Boy Like Me" (from "The Lives of Charles Douglas")

4. "I Don't Care" (from "Statecraft")

5. "She's an Angel" (They Might Be Giants cover) (from "Hello Radio")

6. "Beneath the Flowers" (from "Statecraft")

7. "Part Time Lover" (from "The Lives of Charles Douglas")

8. "Diamond Mine" (from "Outer Limits," credited to Manish Kalvakota with Charles Douglas)

9. "Not You" (from Vegetarian Meat's "Let's Pet")

10. "Free at Last" (from "Statecraft")

11. "Girl (of the World)" (from "The Burdens of Genius")

12. "Splitting the Atom" (from "Statecraft")

13. "Baby Come On" (from "The Lives of Charles Douglas")

14. "Ancient Mysteries" (from "Statecraft")

15. "Go" (from "The Burdens of Genius")

16. "Me + My Woman" ("31 Flavors" outtake, unreleased)

17. "Groom Lake" (from "Minor Wave")

18. "Ring or Ashes" (from "Outer Limits")

19. "If" (from "Minor Wave")

20. "Luxury" (from "Minor Wave")

21. "Sticker Atlas" (from Vegetarian Meat's "Let's Pet")

22. "Minor Wave" (from "Minor Wave")

23. "Summertime" (from "The Lives of Charles Douglas")

24. "Name" (from "The Burdens of Genius")

25. "(Unlisted)" (from "Outer Limits")

26. "Spiders & Snakes" (from "The Burdens of Genius")

27. "Under the Command" (from "The Lives of Charles Douglas")

28. "Volume & Tone" (from "Minor Wave")

29. "The Day You Went Away" (from "The Lives of Charles Douglas")

30. "Earlybird School" (from "The Lives of Charles Douglas")

31. "Trip" (from Vegetarian Meat's "Let's Pet")

32. "The Rabbit Never Gets the Carrot, Pt. 2" (from "Statecraft")

33. "Drive Me Away" (from Vegetarian Meat's "Let's Pet")

*If we must apply labels. It seems fitting, however, as he's done so much work with the Pixies' "axe man," Joey Santiago. And we all know "post-punk" is a term that always pops up in discussions revolving around those legendary Bostonians.

The Best of (the Worst of) Fly High, Duluth!

Greetings! Lawrence tagged me for this "Best of" Meme, in which -- just so you know, I've decided to rip off his explanation, pretty much verbatim, for this whole experiment -- the blogger is supposed to pull out 10 or fewer posts that represent his or her high points to date. I decided to lift out 9 posts that:

1) were original work,
2) showed the variety of things I did on my blog, and
3) may have not received much attention the first time I published them

*******
First of all, I hate Lawrence for doing this to me, because he assumes that A) I do anything even remotely original on my blog, B) "variety" is a word in the Fly High, Duluth! lexicon and C) my blog ever receives attention.

Regardless, an introductory message for all those new to the Fly High, Duluth! "experience": This here blog is my main outlet for archiving pet projects, entertaining myself and promoting things/fake secretaries I love.

On the other hand, here are a few posts (and series) I'm quite proud of:

"Don't Tell a Soul, Vol. 27: Wear Your Headphones, and I'll Whisper You the Code" -- I could've picked any installment of my awesome mix tape series, but, at least for me, this one is a special marriage of choice cuts and my amateurish forays into "cover art."

And if awesome mix tapes weren't enough, with "Don't Tell a Soul, Vol. 11: Mark Mallman Rules, OK?," I started occasionally featuring just one artist. Even cooler was Mallman's response after I told him about it on MySpace: "

RE: My Awesome Mallman Mix Tape No. 6
Body:	Matt - very cool. thank you! quite spot on in the PERSUASION "Travelling Wilburys" comparason... I actually was thinking of CONGRATULATIONS when I wrote that song... crazy! very. Interesting choices very flattering indeed.... -mm

Of course, I'd be remiss to neglect my "This Week's (Shameless) Budgeteer Plug" series. (The one I selected here has a "very special" photographic tie-in with a recent Twin Ports drug bust.)

"Nothing Says 'We Need to Have a Talk' Like..." -- I'm still strangely proud of this post, which is probably the first unofficial "Today's Moment of Zen." (And, no, I'm not ashamed of myself for so blatantly ripping off "The Daily Show." It's an homage ... yeah, that's it.)

"Failed Attempts of Stay-at-Home Copy Editors, Pt. 1" -- No need to worry, my friends, the spiteful (vindictive even?) streak that started at The Spectrum is still alive and well.

Finally, "'Scrubbed in Sunshine'" proves I do, indeed, have a serious side. I may not be the "Nancy Grace of the Twin Ports," but I like to believe ... OK, there's no way to finish this sentence without sounding pretentious; so, instead, I'll simply let you read the post and make up your own mind about my level of pretension.

*******

Okay, meme accomplished! I hereby tag Klang (and her "dream cronies"), Suoja, Swany, Sybil and Greg "The Tooth" Boose.

Meme Rules:

1. Please try to limit your post to 10 items or less.
2. Tag five.
3. Take your time. Do some digging in the archives and find the perfect ones -- it’s to your advantage more than anything else.
4. Please if possible, link to this post for meme info, and please link to the post that you were tagged in. Memes go on for quite a long time and, when trying to follow one backwards to see some of the other posts, it gets quite difficult when only the blog URL is used. Just a request.
5. The people you tag, please let them know by email, contact form or some other efficient method.

This Week's Shameless Budgeteer Plug: Candidatos aún más políticos, a 'Special' book review, Greg Tiburzi and Zenith City Weekly

You are now reading the words of an official Spirit Valley Days parade judge -- how cool is that?

"Eight Vie for At-Large City Council Seat" -- Guess what? I only talked to four of 'em this week (I don't think anyone's brain could sort through any more in one sitting): Jeff Anderson, Jack Arnold, Henry Banks and Tony Cuneo. Next week I'll catch up with the rest. Promise.

"Book Review: Minnesota State Fair Book a 'Special One'" -- I had so much fun writing this one -- I really hope you get as much enjoyment out of it as I do! (p.s. Wifey dearest, if you're reading this, "Apollonia" meant nothing ... nothing!)

"Greg Tiburzi Heads Down Singer/Songwriter Path" -- Not to take too much away from my upcoming review of his solo debut, "In a Blue Haze," but Greg Tiburzi is a singer/songwriter on par with the likes of [HINT: I decided not finish this sentence -- so as you might just read my review when it comes out in a few weeks' time].

Finally, "Introducing ... Zenith City Weekly," is ... exactly what it sounds like: Say hello to the Northland's newest newspaper.

Today's Moment of Zen: As a former tuba player AND "Guitar Hero" fanatic...

Activision Reports Sluggish Sales For Sousaphone Hero

SANTA MONICA, CA— "I played in career mode for hours and kept feeling like I was playing the same annoying circus tune over and over," complained a disappointed gamer.