Friday, December 31, 2010

SKINS (series 2)

Skins, I love you, but you're bringing me down.
Can't resist--here's my compilation of from the second series of Skins. Same disclaimers as before apply:
 Happy New Year, y'all!


MISS U CHRIS

Thursday, December 30, 2010

SKINS


Hey Y'all. One of my many New Year's resolutions is to blog/journal more, in various places. So look out for that.
In the meantime, I had to share my latest obsession with the British teen drama Skins (available on Netflix Instant). While the show is a tragic/amusing heart fuck, it also features some pretty kick-ass tunes throughout. With the help of this site I've been able to compile a playlist for Series One.
I say it represents about 86-90% of the music from the first series, minus the songs that were a) well-known American hip-hop b) not on grooveshark c) way to fucking annoying to listen to while I'm at work.
So yeah, as someone who's been stuck in a music rut for a while (took a brief vay-cay to immerse myself in Christmas music for two straight weeks), it's been great to get a hep sampler of all of the hipster bands I missed knowing about while I was busy not being cool in college. Some random cheeky tracks in there as well.
(Is this all just my London nostalgia kicking in?)
Anyway, I'll soon be making similar compilations for the next series(es) so stay tuned!
 Two words: Guilty. Pleasure.

Sunday, November 28, 2010

50 Ways to Leave Your Lover (vintage-ish 7/6/06)

I made this mix when I was 18. Yes, think back to those emotional days when everything had so much...meaning. It was made for a specific person as part of a bimonthly exchange of music/frustrated desires (in retrospect perhaps this was all a bit one-sided). But, as far as teenage mixes go, I'd say that this one is at least laudable in its concept and execution. So, without further ado, slip into your emo pants and step right into this blast from the past...



Running Time: Aprox 1 hr. 14 min.
Track Pick: Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Bang!
Original Text Accompaniment:

 and would you please explain about the 50 ways...?
01. slip out the back, jack.
02. make a new plan, stan.
03. hop on the bus, gus.
04. drop off the key, lee.
05. son, you must go back to the life.
06. go pack your bags; take up your scythe.
07. this world wasn’t meant for us both.
08. you're embarrassing me.
09. you're embarrassing you.
10. this isn't goodnight, this is goodbye.
11. as a fuck, son, you sucked.
12. my skin tonight is a’blazing, but i don't think you're my type.
13. what i need tonight’s the real thing; i need the real thing tonight.
14. i'm leaving while you turn away.
15. remember when i said ‘i love you’? well, forget it; i take it back.
16. found eighteen reasons i can't pick up on the phone.
17. i've been wonderin' what i'm about.

18. i've been thinkin' about the road.
19. but all this dirty talkin' and all these whores a-drinkin' , all this worried walkin' and all this worried talk and i'm movin' out.

20. when your rooster crows at the break of dawn, look out your window and i'll be gone.
21. we never did too much talkin', anyway.

22. goodbye's too good a word, babe, so i’ll just say fare thee well. 
23. you could have done better, but i don't mind.
24. she told me she worked in the morning and started to laugh. i told her i didn’t, and crawled off to sleep in the bath.
25. this bird has flown.
26. i'm not the one you want, babe. i will only let you down.
27. it ain't me you're lookin' for, babe.
28. you'll be happier when i'm gone.
29. things got weird, and i started growing bob dylan's beard.
30. you'll never touch him again, so get what you can.
31. one more night, the end should be a good one.
32. and as the summer's ending, the cool air will rush your hard heart away.
33. and this is all that's left: the empty bottles, spent cigarettes.
34. so pack a change of clothes, 'cuz it's time to move on.
35. you tell me what you want, and i'll tell you what you get: you get away from me.
36. collected my belongings and i left the jail. well thanks for the time, i needed to think a spell; i had to think awhile.
37. let's just forget everything said, and everything we did.
38. not to be overly dramatic, i just think it's best.
39. you can't miss what you forget.
40. so let's just pretend everything and anything between you and me was never meant.
41. fools leave too soon.
42. well i'm not dead yet, but the regrets are killing me.
43. we might not be fooling around today.
44. at the end of a song so long, say goodbye good.
45. you are a china shop, and i am a bull.
46. you are really good food, and i am full.
47. i don’t want to risk our paths crossing some day, so you walk that way, i’ll walk this way.
48. the world’s got me dizzy again; you’d think after 22 years i’d be used to the spin. and it only feels worse when i stay in one place, so i’m always pacing around or walking away.
49. so i’m up at dawn, putting on my shoes. i just want to make a clean escape. i’m leaving but i don’t know where to.
50. so tell me girl, do i have to say please? or do i have to involve the police?


NOTE ONE: Ok, so the track pick is purely arbitrary. All of these songs are clearly fucking golden.
NOTE TWO: The reason this post is labeled "vintage-ish" is that I have changed one of the tracks from its original form/placement, upgrading to a far superior Dylan cover (Metric FTW). "Don't Think Twice" also happens to be my favorite Dylan song in all its original finger-picked glory. But yeah, enjoy this cover, and dig the original on your own time. Also-- please mentally replace that stupid Alanis cover with the real Fab Four track. Thank you.
NOTE THREE: Grooveshark is stupid. Do the refresh/rescroll thing if you have problems. Also, let me know if one of the tracks is cut off or something and I'll try to replace it. Also holler if you want any of these em-pee-threezies.
NOTE FOUR: I once saw a stripper dance to a techno remix of "50 Ways." Asked her who did it, and she did not know. :-/
NOTE FIVE: Alkaline Trio will always hold a special place in my <3.




Thank you, Paul.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Bird Songs

Here's a little ditty I threw together just 'cuz...
(note: if mix stops, refresh, then use top buttons to scroll to desired track...stupid grooveshark...)

Running Time: Aprox. 1 hr 4 min.
Track Pick: Josh Ritter - Snow is Gone

Hard to pick a favorite track for this one. I was leaning towards "Bird on a Wire" by Rogue Wave, 'cuz that song is so fucking cool, but I had to hand it to Mr. Ritter for some committing to some pretty awesome bird imagery throughout that song. "Canary" by Laughing Owls (aka Wisdom Tooth aka Meagan Day) is also a track I find so touchingly catchy in a beautiful simplicity. I hope y'all dig it.

Like I said, I compiled this mix on a whim this evening. Birds are some of those take-for-granted critters; they're everywhere and we hardly pay them any mind...except when you see a bunch of birds on a wire and remember how creepy that scene from The Birds is (I may or may not have the urge to kick every mildly overweight pigeon I encounter on the street). But anyway, the coolest thing about birds by far is that you can totally tell how they used to be dinosaurs. Pretty fucking bad-ass if you ask me.

What do you think of when you think of birds? Are there any cool bird songs that I missed? Let me know!


Big Bird: Great bird, or the greatest bird?

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Plastic Fantastic

Here's an unintentionally censored version of a mix I made with a very specific purpose in mind. So grab some wine (but not too much), and get in the mood for...


Standard 8track disclaimer: Due to weird copyrighty things, you can only listen to the mix in its intended order once. So basically, if you're going to listen to it, you better sit down and listen to it all the way through or you won't get the full (sexy) experience.


Running Time: Aprox. 54 minutes
Track List:
01. Lou Reed - Rock 'n' Roll*
02. The Rolling Stones - Street Fighting Man
03. Cream - Sunshine of Your Love
04. The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced?
05. Cream - White Room
06. The Beatles - I Want You (She's So Heavy)
07. Jimi Hendrix - Foxey Lady
08. The Velvet Underground - Foggy Notion
09. Jefferson Airplane - Plastic Fantastic Lover
10. The Beatles - Dear Prudencce
11. The Velvet Underground - Oh! Sweet Nothin'
*Indicates Track Pick

Ok I'll let you in on a little secret. This mix was supposed to be a bit longer, and include several songs more songs...but 8track has weird rules so this will  have to do.


This mix breaks pretty much all of the rules regarding artist repetition and hipster street cred, but I don't give a damn. These are some prime, vintage booty call songs and I dare you to keep your clothes on for its entire duration.
...works every time.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Fear Itself

Here is a mix to commemorate the upcoming Rally to Restore Sanity on October 30, 2010.

Standard 8track disclaimer: Due to weird copyrighty things, you can only listen to the mix in its intended order once. So basically, if you're going to listen to it, you better sit down and listen to it all the way through or you won't get the full experience

Running Time: Aprox. 50 minutes
01. Ani Difranco - Literal
02. Tim Fite - I'm Not Scared of You
03. The Long Winters - Scared Straight
04. Death Cab for Cutie - Pity and Fear
05. Suuns - Fear
06. Bon Iver - Creature Fear
07. Maritime - I'm Not Afraid
08. Alexi Murdoch - It's Only Fear
09. Stars - Don't Be Afraid to Sing
10. Otis Redding - Don't Be Afraid of Love
11. Andrew Bird - Don't Be Scared
12. The National - Afraid of Anyone*
13. Rogue Wave - Fear Itself
14. French Quarter - For Andy
15. Bob Marley - Three Little Birds

*Indicates track pick

The National song is what inspired this mix. I get shivers when I hear it, turn it up and listen to it over and over..."I defend my family / with my arms umbrella'd"...at times I get so scared that I want to just huddle up with the people I love and hang on for dear life. There is so much hatred and so much fear in this world that I find it hard to bear. And yet I'm a devoted liberal news junkie; I'm addicted and I can't get enough. I wish I had something eloquent or even original to say on this subject, but at the end of the day I feel frighteningly average and ridiculously indebted to the great minds that came before me. By the end of his life, not even Kurt Vonnegut thought this country could be saved. I'm still young enough to believe that he was wrong, but I expect I'll come around in the next 40 years or so.

Regardless of your views, please remember to vote this Tuesday. I know it's not the most important thing in the world, but it is the thing that connects us to those around us. This is our country and it belongs to all of its citizens, sane and insane. Mankind has struggled for thousands of years to obtain this right, so I know I'm going to use it.

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Extraordinary Machines

Here is a mix I cooked up around the theme of ROBOTS!

Standard 8track disclaimer: Due to weird copyrighty things, you can only listen to the mix in its intended order once. So basically, if you're going to listen to it, you better sit down and listen to it all the way through or you won't get the full (sexy) experience.


Running Time: aprox. 1 hour
Track List:
01. Daft Punk - Technologic
02. Tullycraft - Building the Robot
03. Modest Mouse - Perpetual Motion Machine
04. Pixies - Bone Machine
05. The Thermals - My Little Machine
06. Nada Surf - Robot
07. Robyn - Robotboy
08. The Dresden Dolls - Coin Operated Boy
09. Fionna Apple - Extraordinary Machine
10. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Machine
11. Stars - Sad Robot
12. Robyn - Fembot*
13. Daft Punk - Robot Rock
14. Caribou - Subotnick
15. The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots
16. The Flight of the Conchords - Robots
17. Justin Versnon + Aaron Dessner - Big Red Machine
18. Andrew Bird - Not a Robot, But a Ghost

*Indicates Track Pick

Truth be told I build this mix around the Robyn song (three words: automatic booty applications). I was actually a huge Robyn fan back in ...'97ish when she came out with her first CD. Her newest albums Bodyrock parts 1 and 2 are completely stellar pieces of pop. My new fantasy is a collaboration between Robyn and Lady Gaga.
There was also a time, back in my educational years, when the term "post-human" was thrown quite liberally around my post-modern English class. Annoying, yes, but certainly thought provoking...it's a future I don't think we're too far from.
Don't watch the movie A.I. unless you want to be deeply disturbed.
I suppose that's all I have to say about robots...




...the distant future.

Friday, October 8, 2010

songs that make me cry (vintage 1-27-09)

everyone's gotta learn sometime

10.

ok, i know what you’re thinking, but logisically speaking, songs over 9 minutes in length tend to have a strong impact on me, and this one has history working for it, so there you go. find me one sixteen year old who doesn’t agree with me
9.

flaming lips cover. such a sweet song, and i heard it before the original so it has always stuck with me.
8.

a story of lost friendships…
7.

oy, i first heard this song live and i swear i froze right in my shoes on the floor of the arogan ballroom…of course i froze shortly after in the chicago winter with no jacket, but i digress. it is my opinion that this song should have been used in the series finale of six feet under rather than sia - breathe me. though they are rather similar…
6.

a song about giving up…
5.

lost love poetry pure and simple.
4.

same as above really, only better because it’s about janis joplin
3.

we're going deep into breakup territory with this one. perhaps it's another case of the long song blues, but this one goes by in a flash for me.
2.

the first time i heard this song live, the entire theater was shivering, silent. ani has a beautiful way of merging the political and the personal into a melodic synthesis of emotion...
1.

this was the first thing to make sense to me after 9/11. i highly recommend taking a look at the lyrics

well there you have it...top ten tear-jerkers. you may have noticed a disproportionate amount of ani, but i did spend a disproportionate part of my formative crying years emoting to her music, so there you go.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

albums under the influence (vintage 2-23-09)

i don't need drugs to enjoy this...only to enhance it

10)
brian jonestown massacre - their satanic majesties' second request

the opening track says it all...

09)
animal collective - strawberry jam

you haven't listened to animal collective until you've listened to animal collective stoned...visualizer encouraged.

08)
iron & wine - the shepherd's dog

i completely dig the eastern elements in this album...i have a sitar fetish.

07)
the beatles -  sgt. pepper's lonely hearts club band

duh.

06)
kevin drew - spirit if...

a very sexy album, incidentally.

05)
wilco - yankee hotel foxtrot

it might change your life.

04)
broken social scene - you forgot it in people

a true indie-classic.

03)
modest mouse - the moon and antarctica

starts out uplifting, but it goesto  some freaky places...

02)
the velvet underground - the velvet underground & nico

taking it back...

01)
the beatles - revolver

you haven't smoked until you've listened to tomorrow never knows.  interpretive dances welcome.


don't do drugs.

Track One


I got bit by the mix bug, which in turn gave me the blog virus, and now here I am. I don’t know that much about music, but I know that I like it…compulsively. I’ll be posting lists, mixes, stuff, whatever! Read, listen, comment, share!
I’ll start off with some posts from my old failed blog: Em's List