So, this is the first of the mailbox mixtapes not to be anonymous. This is from my buddy, Meg, who has her own cool mixtape thing going at Lost Art of the Mixtape. Thanks Meg!
This is also not in traditional mailbox format, in that it wasn't sent to said mailbox but via mediafire. So, no packaging or some such. This is where I find the digital age disappointing. It also means that the track list is given, so the discovery element is missing. Nevertheless...
Track 1: King Harvest (Has Surely Come) -The Band
Lots of futzing around. This must be some sort of outtake. Take 1 fumbles. Begin again.
Man, I love this song. Love The Band in general, but this is one of their songs that doesn't get mentioned enough. This and "Tears of Rage." People forget how good those two songs are.
Yeah, this is arguably the greatest song that Robbie Robertson ever wrote. I love how the verses are more upbeat and then the chorus more subdued.
Seriously, if you haven't heard this song you need to. Ask me and I'll burn you a mix by The Band. Great stuff.
Track 2: Trailing -The Sandals
Never heard of this band or this song, but I dig it. Beachcomber music. Not Beach Blanket Bingo, but more "Bustin' Surfboards" by The Tornadoes. In fact, this song would fit in nicely to the Pulp Fiction soundtrack. Chris Isaak would love this song. Lovely little instrumental. Dig it.
Track 3: Nobody's Business -Cedric Im Brooks
Also not familiar. Also digging it. Reminds me of "Iko Iko," but better. Much better.
Love a song that makes good use of the saxophone. Very street corner salsa. Jamaican rhythms.
Yeah, I am very much digging this. Cedric Brooks (if that is your real name), I will be looking you up. Good stuff.
Track 4: Doo Wop (That Thing) -Lauryn Hill
Love. This. Song.
Before we get to that, let me say how well Meg arranges a mix. Previous mixes have depended on theme to bring them together, but have lacked a certain flow. This mix moves from song to song as if they were written to be arranged this way. This is clearly not Meg's first mix. Out of order, this mix would never work. Ordered as it is, this mix works perfectly. Well done.
Back to Lauryn Hill. One of my all time favorites. This album is perfect. I wore this album out when it first came out (and for pretty much the entire year that followed). Lots of people hated the MTV Unplugged show, but I dug that too. This though. Just amazing.
Seriously, this is of its moment and timeless all at once. That is not easy to do. It invokes times passed and yet it will always remind me of the year 1998. Graduation. Marriage. Good times.
Track 5: Ce Matin-La -Air
My buddy, Andrew, raves about Air, but I've never really given them much of a listen. I'm liking this alright so far. Sort of waiting for it to begin.
Ok, so here's the thing about Air. I feel like I'm always waiting for the song to begin. It feels like background music. I don't find myself drawn to it or wanting to give it my full attention. It's...nice.
Yeah, this is nice. But not much else. This feels like the song that gets me from Lauryn to whatever's next. Which is fine. Let's hear what's next.
Track 6: Don't Let Me Down -The Beatles
I was wrong to doubt you, Meg. "Ce Martin-La" was exactly the song to get me from Lauryn Hill to the Beatles. I'm not sure that song would do much for me, otherwise, but it made for a seamless transition. Man, you're good at this.
Ok, so I'm about to be completely unoriginal and say that The Beatles are, without a doubt, my favorite band (if you don't count E Street, which is a different kind of thing). For as little as happens in this song, it is one of my favorite Beatles' songs. John's achy/slightly screamy/genuine plea songs are some of my favorite Beatles' songs.
I love how the assurance of the verses are undermined by the doubting chorus; talk of love that will last forever followed by cries not to let him down. Perfect. The Beatles are just so good. Again, I'm not telling you anything you don't know.
I want to go perform this song right now. Who's with me?!
Track 7: About Face -Grizzly Bear
Speaking of bands I love.
This album (Veckatimest) was my favorite of 2009. Some bands do that fuzzy mellow harmony to a point that I almost can't take it anymore, but Grizzly Bear never crosses that line. It has this gentle edgy melancholy that just makes you ache.
The perfect follow up, by the way, to John Lennon's ache. Again, Meg, well played. It takes the Beatles' open wound and wraps it in gauze, but it doesn't mean the wounds gone away. Just that it's beginning to heal. We can anticipate something even gentler to follow.
Track 8: Everything's Alright -Yvonne Elliman
What was I saying? What could be gentler than Andrew Lloyd Webber's take on Mary Magdalene?
I tend to hate musical theatre, which means that there's no special place in my heart for Andrew Lloyd Webber. That said, you've taken this song out of its context and improved upon it. I don't care for Jesus Christ Superstar, but I like this. And the male vocalist makes sure we don't lose some of that edge. Just in case we were tempted to think everything's actually alright, the undercurrent of the song remains tense.
Track 9: Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating Through Space -Spiritualized
See, this song is what I want Air to be that they never quite are. This song (this whole album) is incredible. That gentle ache just gets gentler and achier. This is the lullabye that anticipates the bough breaking. This is the song that reminds you that the bough breaking isn't the end of the world. Even the end of the world isn't the end of the world. This makes me the kind of sleepy and happy that makes me want to make out in the rain. Or on a porch, just out of the rain.
Track 10: All Through The Night -Cyndi Lauper
Wow. Meg. You are so good at this! Someone says to me "you know who Spiritualized puts me in the mood for? Cyndi Lauper" and I'm gonna call that person crazy. But it does now.
Cyndi Lauper can sing. She's got real pipes. People forget this. They think of her as one more brainless 80's be-bopper; good only for a walk down memory lane.
Make no mistake; Cyndi Lauper is great. This song is great. No I really want to make out under a porch just out of the rain. I'm putting this on when Rachel gets home. Starting with track 9. I can't make out to Mary Magdalene comforting Jesus.
Slightly off topic; you want proof that Lauper has mad skills? Check out "We Are The World" on YouTube or some such. Crazy good.
Track 11: The Only Living Boy In New York -Simon & Garfunkel
I will say it again; wow. Great song. Great follow up to track 10.
Can't ever decide if I'm a bigger Paul Simon solo fan or Simon & Garfunkel fan. Listening to this song makes me think it's no contest (I'll feel similarly, but the opposite, the next time I listen to Graceland again). How can a song be this sweet without becoming saccharine? How can it be this melancholy without becoming maudlin? How can it be so lonely and yet I don't feel alone?
Simon & Garfunkel are geniuses. That's how.
Track 12: Sull'Aria... Che Soave Zeffiretto -Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
I love this song. Let me say that first. It is epic. Heartbreaking and heart healing. Sweeping. Grand.
That said, it's the first song to song transition that feels abrupt. I might not have noticed it on a mix less than this great, but I noticed it. You needed a song to get you from 11 to 12. I'm not sure what that song was. Maybe another instrumental.
Anyway, this song is gorgeous. I'm going to listen to it a second time and just enjoy it. Be back...
Track 13: Communist Daughter -Neutral Milk Hotel
This should have been track 12. Perfect follow up to OLBINY. Awkward follow up to Mozart.
Ok, I'm done talking about track 12. It never happened.
Considering that I would list NMH among my top 5 favorite bands, I do not listen to this song enough. Or, I do, but I don't really listen. Placing it on this mix has helped me pay attention. When it sits between "Holland, 1945" and "Oh Comely" I tend to miss it, especially since it's less than 2 minutes long.
That said, I'm listening now. I dig this song. It has a sad whimsy to it. Like he's nostalgic for a time that he knows wasn't actually that great. Which makes the song great. Good choice.
Track 14: Hey Joe -Daniel Johnston
And speaking of sad whimsy...
Again, excellent follow up. And an excellent and underappreciated song from DJ. Love his stuff.
"There's a heaven and there's a star for you." Keep punching Joe.
Track 15: Quantegy - Trey Anastasio
Not gonna lie. I find Phish annoying. Which means I find Trey Anastasio annoying. This song is no exception. Trying to be Talking Heads meets Grateful Dead and failing to come close to either.
I think he thinks he's being clever. I don't think he is.
I may be biased against this, but it also feels like an abrupt follow up. Like I've been discussing the meaning of life with my closest friends and some stoner from down the hall ducked his head in and exclaimed, "Hey guys!? Whatcha doin'?"
Get out Anastasio. The grownups are talking. Even if they sometimes talk like children.
Moving on.
Track 16: Symphonique #6 (Good for Goodie) - Moondog
Not just an excellent song, but an excellent follow up to track 14. I may have to burn my own expurgated version of this mix. Still, I couldn't have done it without you, Meg.
This has this great whimsical childlike playfulness and yet a real darkside as well. You could follow this with a Tom Waits tune. I feel like I'm hanging out with circus freaks in a trailer park. That's not quite right. But it's close.
You're cleansing my palate for an incredible close. I can't wait.
Track 17: Little Green Bag -George Baker
Perfect. Just. Perfect.
I'm just gonna sit back and enjoy this. Thank you.
Track 18: Time Loves A Hero -Little Feat
Can't decide if you went for one too many or not. This is a great song and a great follow up. "Little Green Bag" was just such a perfect way to wrap up this mix.
That said, I don't get enough Little Feat in my life. Good stuff. Great mix. Thanks.
Whoa...wait a minute. This mix just started over at track 1. And Little Feat was the perfect transition from Baker to Band.
Did you do that on purpose?! Either way, brilliant. I'm gonna listen to this mix again right now. Maybe Rachel will be home by track 9.
Monday, February 14, 2011
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