sys54 :: HUMAN WAS THE MUSIC

Playboy raves, "Smart, sexy, funny and provocative!" (Too bad they weren't talking about this here awesome mix tape series....)



1. Creeper Lagoon - "Big Money Struggle"
I'm not usually a lyrics guy, but the "Please give me something that will make me dream all day" line from this song really struck a chord with me.

2. Blur - "M.O.R." [Road Version]
Collecting Blur's million-and-a-half singles is a passion of mine, so expect many more selections like this in the next couple months.

3. Spiritualized - "Hold On"
How have I lived so long without Spiritualized in my life? During a (scheduled) break at Job No. 2, I literally kept this track on repeat until it was time to clock back in. Like the majority of songs on the Flaming Lips masterpiece "Clouds Taste Metallic," this one's utterly heartbreaking.

4. Damien Rice - "Creep/The Blower's Daughter" [Live Medley]
Man, that was one lucky Glastonbury audience back in '04: a nearly pitch-perfect cover of Radiohead's first single lends itself to Rice's own haunting anthem (which was, if you'll remember, used to perfection in "Closer").

5. Bishop Allen - "Things are What You Make of Them"
Most teenyboppers know this as the group with the cameo in "Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist" (playing themselves -- not "Where's Fluffy?"!), but don't hold that against them. This is undeniably catchy.

6. Soul Position - "Hand-Me-Downs"
Things do go better with "RJ" and "AL." (That's RJD2 and Blueprint, "for those of you without any game." Ha!)

7. The Coup - "5 Million Ways to Kill a C.E.O."
And then there's this militant-rap classic, which juxtaposes nicely against all of Soul Position's positive, anti-cliche messages....

8. Flickerstick - "Chloroform the One You Love"
Speaking of juxtapositions, how about this one? Flickerstick manages to pair one of the most gorgeous backing tracks with a shifty allusion to the disgusting modern-day equivalent of caveman clubbing their female counterparts over the head and dragging them back to their meager dwellings. Still, the song works.

9. The Deathray Davies - "She Can Play Me Like a Drum Machine"
She can, she will and she won't stop.*

10. The Dust Brothers - "Stealing Fat"
Don't recognize this song? Its second half is that amazing piece of music that opens up "Fight Club."

David Fincher, you know what you're doing.

11. Grandaddy - "Pull the Curtains"
... As does Grandaddy mastermind Jason Lytle, who just released a triumphant solo album, "Yours Truly, The Commuter" -- which I should probably get around to reviewing for the Budgeteer.

12. Rob Crow - "Over Your Heart"
Speaking of ubiquitous masterminds, this guy's in at least a dozen bands -- all good (Pinback and Heavy Vegetable being two of my favorites) -- and he still has time to release instantly enjoyable solo records. What's up with the self-loathing, Rob Crow? We could never hate you.

13. Fig Dish - "I Just Want What You Want"
If it's a houseful of Chihuahuas, then this song was definitely written about me and my better half!

14. Pearl Jam - "Go" [Live]
From the somewhat-rare "Dissident" EP series -- which, if you collect all three, nets you an entire set of "Ten" and "Vs." favorites recorded live in Atlanta in the early '90s.

15. Robert Pollard - "Lightshow"
I'm tempted to write that this song is reminiscent of Pearl Jam's glorious "No Code" album, but that's not really fair to the prolific former Guided by Voices frontman -- or to Neil Young, who was obviously a huge influence on both of those legendary groups.

16. The Posies - "Conversations"
Speaking of inspiration, the Posies sound more and more like Big Star and/or the Zombies with every subsequent release.

17. Wilco - "You Never Know"
What a Wilco (The World) we live in: Pretty soon Wilco (The Band) will release "Wilco (The Album)" and, for those lucky Wilco (The Fans) who preordered it on Wilco (The Web site), they were also able to pick up Wilco (The Totebag) and ... OK, I'll stop. But, just for the record, considering how genius the members of Wilco are, they have no right to be so f------ funny!

18. Madness - "You Keep Me Hanging On"
I love this song in all of its myriad incarnations, and Madness' reggae version is definitely no exception.

19. Detroit Grand PuBahs - "Sandwiches" [Live Remix by the Avalanches]
This track alone justifies my ordering the Avalanches' extremely-hard-to-find/wholly illegal live record "When I Met You" off of Amazon's UK site.

Yep, that's me. I'm addicted to CDs.

20. Eminem - "3 a.m."
I was never a huge fan of Marshall Mathers, but a drunken evening on Tower Avenue totally changed my mind. (Thanks to the traditionally d-bag youngsters at Lord Stanley's for playing this one!)

21. Beck - "Halo of Gold" [Skip Spence cover]
Well worth seeking out. (Yes, as was the case with Blur, Beck's singles are fun to collect; again, I have what my wife calls a "sickness"....)

22. Sleeper - "Spies"
How was this slowdanceantheminwaiting passed up by the "Dawson's Creek" soundtrack curators?**

23. Oasis - "Songbird"
For my former Budgeteer colleague Suoja, who is a bona fide Gallagher bros. superfan.

*I'm not speaking too cryptically, am I? (I have a feeling I'm good at that....)

**Strangely, it almost sounds as if Michelle Williams is singing on this one.

Thus concludes your fifty-fourth dose of SHAKE*YOUR*SHORES, the awesome mix tape series formerly known as "Don't Tell a Soul."

Zero 7 is back, free MP3 on Fly High, Duluth!

Acclaimed London trip-hop/downtempo duo Zero 7 will be releasing its new album "Yeah Ghost" Sept. 8, and we've got a free copy of the new song "Everything Up (Zizou)" -- which features the vocal talents of Eska Mtungwaz -- for your downloading pleasure.

Download "Everything Up (Zizou)" here. (Comes in a ZIP file.)

A special thanks to Atlantic Records for making this possible!

Today's Moment of Zen: Forget John Updike

... this is what I should be reading in my free time!

sys53 :: OSTEY.

Like "Song(s) 4 Klang" before it, this special installment of SHAKE*YOUR*SHORES was custom-made for a friend of mine. The lucky recipient? Amy Oster, my former secretary (OK, OK, assistant editor) at the NDSU Spectrum. -> Long story short: I would've succeeded in running that thing into the ground had it not been for her. That meddling do-gooder. I kid, I kid; she's a good friend. But she's also a future lawyer of America and loves god-awful pop music, so consider this her education ... education in being a pompous, artf--- music geek like me. (Honesty is divine, no?)

Kidding aside, I hope you enjoy her selections as well.



1. Santogold - "Lights Out"
This Walt Dizzo-approved gem has been getting a lot of mainstream exposure of late -- thanks to a Target commercial or something -- so I thought it'd be a nice one to ease her into the (potentially frightening) listening experience.

2. Matt & Kim - "Don't Slow Down"
Undeniable ear candy. And I know Amy likes another one of the Mates of State-reminiscent duos (I won't name names, because I think they are embarrassing...), so chances are this one's another "sure shot." [BONUS FUN: Read my review of M&K's "Grand" here.]

3. Mason Jennings - "Your New Man" [Live]
Amy became like a sister to me during our short time together at the paper, and the part of this song where Mason playfully mocks an old flame's new guy reminds me of how I felt about someone's less-than-agreeable college sweetheart.

4. Stuart Davis - "Already Free"
Two reasons for this selection: It's a great pop song (always appreciated) and *ahem* I just have to pimp out the fact that I interviewed Mr. Davis!

5. The Evening Rig - "In Spite of All that Happened"
Amy grew up in small-town North Dakota, so I'll just assume she digs freewheelin' songs that are best described as -- oh no, here comes another piece of shameless self-promotion -- "dirt-road driving music."

6. American Hi-Fi - "The Breakup Song"
Again, someone carelessly admitted that he/she liked embarrassing pop music (in this case the All-American Rejects), so I thought I'd introduce her (oops...) to something along those same lines that is, against all odds, incredibly valid and worthy of inclusion in anyone's record collection.

7. Atmosphere - "Reflections"
Like L.L. before him, Slug knows how to write songs for the ladies.

8. Smoosh - "Rock Song"
Crazy, infectious pop from two bubbly sisters who aren't even old enough to buy a pack of smokes legally. (At least they weren't at the time of this song's recording.)

9. LadyHawke - "Crazy World"
As I've mentioned repeatedly, Amy's tastes are unapologetically steeped in the pop scene, so I hunted down the most outlandish pieces I've ever fallen in love with -- and LadyHawke's output accounts for about half of those tracks.

10. The Coup - "Everythang"
Sure, this could easily be slipped into a dance party playlist (like Liz Lemon on "30 Rock," Amy's No. 1 hobby is impromptu dance parties), but I also included it because I thought it would be hilarious to have a future lawyer "bumping" around the Peace Garden State listening to militant hip-hop.

11. Beck - "Girl"
Well, she is a girl. Only appropriate, right?

12. Anya Marina - "Cut it Out"
OMG I love Anya so much that I'm not afraid to use "OMG" when describing that love.

And something tells me Amy will dig her just as much as I.

13. Basement Jaxx feat. J.C. Chasez - "Plug it In"
This is a perfect track for Ostery: half dance party, half s----- pop. (har har har)

14. The Posies - "Second Time Around"
I've always been a semi-dedicated fan of the Posies ... and then I heard this. <- Will make a believer out of any soul with a working pair.

15. The Flys - "Got You (Where I Want You)"
I feel pretty embarassed to be so moved by this song, so ... it's probably right up Amy's alley then, right? Ha, I kid.

A little too much, perhaps.

Do you think I have her crying yet?*

16. Brad - "La, La, La"
A little rock 'n' roll trivia for my fellow geeks out there: This song used to be called "Be with Me." Maybe it sounded too lame for an awesome power pop song?

17. Flickerstick - "Got a Feeling"
Emotional music (and I don't mean "emo," jackasses) hasn't sounded this sincere since the '80s. God I miss the '80s.

18. Jamestown Story - "Love vs. Life"
Speaking of wearing hearts on sleeves and whatnot, former Duluthian Dane Schmidt -- who/m** I've had the pleasure of interviewing (imagine that...) -- is right up there with Flickerstick for producing "Dawson's Creek"-worthy songs you're not embarrassed to put on mix tapes for friends.

19. Motion City Soundtrack - "Point of Extinction"
As it turns out, Dane is now tight with the boys from MCS, and I believe Ostey will appreciate their high-energy bottle rockets just as much as yours truly.

20. Michael Franti & Spearhead - "Life in the City"
Come on, who doesn't like Spearhead? Sincerely.

21. Ben Lee - "Into the Dark"
I wanted to use his great new track "I Love Pop Music," but that just seemed too obvious. (Don't worry, this one's just as lovely.) [BONUS FUN: Lee's new LP, "The Rebirth of Venus," was praised as one of the albums to restore your faith in recorded sound. Read why.]

22. Brian Wilson - "Baby Let Your Hair Grow Long"
OK, I was just being selfish with this selection. I've been listening to it a lot lately and I didn't want to forget to include it on one of these here awesome mix tapes. Regardless, only a bona fide devil woman wouldn't appreciate the visionary Beach Boy's solo output!

*I sure hope not. She could sue the s--- out of me.

**Ostey, help me out; is it "who" or "whom." I'm sinking without my AP-enhanced "secretary" by my side!

Thus concludes your fifty-third dose of SHAKE*YOUR*SHORES, the awesome mix tape series formerly known as "Don't Tell a Soul."

sys52 :: MISTER DON'T COME NEAR ME

Mulligan?

1. Cracker - "Yalla Yalla (Let's Go)"
Mulligan!

2. The Boggs - "Remember the Orphans"
Whad'ya know? Another mulligan!

3. Queens of the Stone Age - "Avon"
Here too!

4. R.E.M. - "Suspicion" [Live]
And here ...

5. Spoon - "Not Turning Off"
here ...

6. The Who - "We're Not Gonna Take It" [Live at Woodstock]
here ...

7. The Rumble Strips - "No Soul"
here ...

8. Wilco - "The Jolly Banker" [Woody Guthrie cover]
here ...

9. Gomez - "Little Pieces"
here ...

10. Chris Cornell - "Poison Eye"
here ...

11. Fred Williams - "Tell Her"
here ...

12. Adam and the Ants - "Human Bondage Den"
here ...

13. Lady Sovereign - "So Human" [Jools MF Remix]
here ...

14. Thunderheist - "Jerk It"
here ...

15. Green Day - "Do Da Da"
here ...

16. The Disciplines - "Yours for the Taking"
here ...

17. Slowride - "Panther 1"
here ...

18. John Vanderslice - "Tremble and Tear"
here ...

19. Frances - "Cold Water"
here ...

20. Glen Phillips - "Falling"
here ...

21. Pisces - "Motley Mary Ann"
here ...

22. Richard Laviolette and the Hollow Hooves - "Your Body Your Love"
here ...

23. The Polyphonic Spree - "Light to Follow"
and here!*

*Don't worry; next week we return "live" with a mix tape lovingly hand-crafted (har har har) for my former "secretary." <- Hey, it was college, everyone else had one too!

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

A&E FYI: New E&A coming July 21 on RSE!

Via Biz3...

EYEDEA & ABILITIES RELEASE FIRST ALBUM IN FIVE YEARS

RHYMESAYERS ENTERTAINMENT TO RELEASE BY THE THROAT ON JULY 21

A duo thoroughly steeped in hip-hop accolades, the Minnesota-based duo Eyedea and Abilities have returned with their brand new album By The Throat, out July 21st on Rhymesayers Entertainment.  Their first album since the breakout 2004 release E&A, By The Throat's songs range from intensely personal topics to the more esoteric (quantum mechanics).  The end result is leaps and bounds beyond what MC Eyedea is perhaps best known for, his prowess as a battle rapper (winner of HBO's Blaze Battle, Scribble Jam and several others).  DJ Abilities, also a well-known battle vet and contributor to El-P's now-classic Fantastic Damage, adds heavily to the sonic soundscape of this album, which advances beyond boom-bap hip-hop into rock-fueled guitar riffs, gritty production and melodic songwriting. 

Eyedea and Abilities were instrumental in the wave of independent hip-hop that includes Atmosphere, El-P, Aesop Rock, Living Legends and several other seminal acts.  By The Throat is their most progressive and refined effort to date.  

E & A will be performing at Rhymesayers' Soundset '09 on May 24th and will be headlining a tour in the fall of 2009.  They have also been confirmed for the following Rock the Bells dates this summer.

06.27 - Chicago, IL @ First Midwest Bank Amphitheater 

06.28 - Detroit, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theatre 

07.05 - Toronto, ON @ Molson Amphitheater 

07.12 - Washington DC @ Merriweather Post Pavilion 

07.18 - Boston, MA @ Comcast Center |

07.19 - New York, NY @ Jones Beach Amphitheater 

08.01 - Vancouver, BC @ Deer Lake Park

08.06 - Denver, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheater

08.08 - Los Angeles, CA @ San Manuel Amphitheater

08.09 - San Francisco, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheater

EYEDEA & ABILITIES ON MYSPACE: 

http://www.myspace.com/eyedeaandabilities

RHYMESAYERS:

http://www.rhymesayers.com/

sys51 :: SONG(S) 4 KLANG

It always fills me with great joy when a friend asks for a personalized compilation — especially when it's someone who has introduced me to a bunch of music themselves. This special edition of my awesome mix tapes series is a batch of songs hand-selected for my good pal Kristi, whom I met in college, worked with at our college newspaper and, to cap it all off, took a roadtrip with up to Winnipeg to eat grilled-cheese "sammiches" at McCanada and *oh yeah* catch the Pixies' second reunion show after a decade-plus hiatus. (Read about our exploits here, in a jointly written column for the NDSU Spectrum that definitely should've won a Pulitzer or two.) Either way, these tracks all deserve more than an audience of two, so hopefully everyone who's not Kristi will pay attention as well.



1. Spoon - "Don't Buy the Realistic"
When Kristi first requested a new mix CD, I kindly asked her what she's been listening to lately. A lot of it was stuff you'd find for sale at Fifth Element — not surprising, considering all the cool kids listen to Minneapolis hip-hop — so I thought I'd step away from that a little bit and start off with something exciting from "our past." Now, she and I have never gushed over (nor listened to) Spoon in each other's company, but, seeing as how she's a fellow Pixies fan — who just happened to introduce mt to Plexi — I'm pretty certain she's going to dig this one.

2. Wired All Wrong - "Nothing at All"
This (tragically) instantly forgotten collaboration between Self mastermind Matt Mahaffey and God Lives Underwater's Jeff Turzo is quite a find for those who grew up worshipping Ken Andrews — and, seeing as how I already told you she's a cool kid, Kristi matches that description to a T. Hopefully Wired All Wrong's fanclub will have two members now....

3. Adam and the Ants - "Why Do Girls Love Horses?"
This is the mix tape equivalent of paying it forward: DJ Walt Dizzo, the guy I turn to for new sounds, got me hooked on this when he played it on his radio show; I, in turn, will make sure the girl who's introduced me to plenty of music herself will not go through life without hearing this gorgeous "Desperate But Not Serious" B-side.

4. The Coup - "We Are the Ones"*
Whenever Kristi and I talk about essential hip-hop, she never seems to mention the Coup. This could just be a simple oversight on her part, but ... I just can't take that chance!

5. Grieves & Budo feat. Luckyiam - "Identity Cards"
Before they were married, Kristi and her husband-in-waiting Rob drove up to Duluth for that Atmosphere / Mac Lethal (with Grieves) / Grayskul / Luckyiam blowout at Pizza Luce a few years back, so I'm hoping she'll appreciate this humorous little jam. [Mini Shameless Budgeteer Plug: Read my review of Grieves' "88 Keys & Counting."]

6. Midnight Juggernauts - "Into the Galaxy"
Before her hip-hop kick, Kristi seemed to be hooked on a lot of groups who were "aided by electronics" — not in a bad way / forward-thinking groups like Placebo come to mind — and I'm currently obsessed with this Bowie-meets-Chemical Brothers Astralwerks signee, so I thought I'd give it a push.

7. Terry Lynn - "Kingston Logic" [Angry Mix]
Kristi's current faves include Damian Marley's "Road to Zion," so I've included a few reggae and reggae-inspired "bangers" (like this one) on this here mix tape. [Mini Shameless Budgeteer Plug: Read my review of Terry Lynn's "Kingston Logic 2.0."]

8. Crew Jones - "Swimming Hole"
... And, since she's all about organic hip-hop, I thought I'd pimp out the Northland's pre-eminent purveyors of such.

9. Wild Light - "Call Home"
Another one of Kristi's current faves is the Killers' "All These Things That I've Done," but, since I'm sure she celebrates their entire catalogue (like I do), I thought I'd forgo another Brandon Flowers anthem and pick one of my favorite songs from that Las Vegas group's current tourmates, Wild Light. If any of you reading this like the Killers or Arcade Fire, this one shan't be missed. [Mini Shameless Budgeteer Plug: Read my review of Wild Light's "Adult Nights."]

10. Phoenix - "Napoleon Says"
Going back to that Placebo reference, Kristi has always seemed to dig ultra-hip rock songs that wouldn't sound out of place in iPod commercials. This is the ultimate example of that.

11. Thunderheist - "Sweet 16"
She never seemed that "up" on dance parties, and she may very well question my sanity for including this, but, damn, if Thunderheist isn't the most exciting disco/electro hybrid out there! [Mini Shameless Budgeteer Plug: Read my review of Thunderheist's self-titled debut.]

12. "Trogdor" theme [MP3]
It was college, you couldn't escape HomestarRunner.com.

13. Lazerbeak - "Legend Recognize Legend"
Kristi's a huge Doomtree fan, and I'm sure she already jams out to this one regularly, but this Jay-Z-sampling masterpiece is worthy of inclusion on every mix tape I make.

14. Freeland - "Do You!"
A headphone-must if I ever did hear one — hopefully "Do You!" makes its way to Kristi's pod. (One of the five things she claims never to leave the house without — that's dedication to music, man.)

15. John Vanderslice - "D.I.A.L.O."
As a fellow (pre-"Hail to the Thief") Radiohead enthusiast, I really hope there's a place in her heart for JV.

16. The Evening Rig - "Lil' Miss Miserable"
Kristi and her husband are in tight with some of the Hold Steady boys, so we'll just assume that love of old-school rock 'n' roll will extend to Minneapolis' finest.

17. Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley - "It Was Written"
I know she's already into this member of the Marley clan, but, seeing as how "It Was Written" — released on Sept. 11, 2001, creepily enough — is the first reggae song I honestly fell in love with, I thought it worthy of inclusion.

18. Cloud Cult - "Moving to Canada"
Mm, grilled cheese shaped like a hockey puck....

19. The Pixies - "Something Against You" [Live in Winnipeg]
From that very same show we attended. I still can't get over that initial thrill, those four Bostonians walking onstage all godlike in the Burton C. Cummings Theatre and everything.

20. Fol Chen - "The Idiot"
Seeing as how the musical food pyramid is a mix tape, Fol Chen is as vital as niacin.

Wait ... what? (Kristi and I used to take turns writing the entertainment calendar for the NDSU Spectrum and, I shit you not, some of our entries were as clouded-over as that statement!) [Mini Shameless Budgeteer Plug: Read my review of Fol Chen's "Part I: John Shade, Your Fortune's Made."]

21. Equal Xchange - "Weird"
Again, since she's so into all the cool rap groups, here's to Kristi appreciating another Duluth favorite.

22. BS 2000 - "It Feels like ?!@#?!"
A friend who digs BS 2000 is a friend indeed.

23. Dealership - "I Start to Explode"
Similarly, no matter who I'm making a mix tape for, this indie pop trio from the Golden State will always be included. It is my No. 1 mission in life to spread the good word.

Thus concludes your fifty-first dose of SHAKE*YOUR*SHORES, the awesome mix tape series formerly known as "Don't Tell a Soul."