Spainkiller
the man who sold the world
Uh, yo - I made the changeover! My mixes will be out soon.
PS. 'Set the Ray to Jerry' is from the 1979 single
PS. 'Set the Ray to Jerry' is from the 1979 single
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Spring 2004 GA Mix Exchange Review Thread
- Thread starter FnordChan
- Start date
- Status
DJ Demon J
Banned
Review of Shazapp's Mix "Shazapp's Music Volume 1":
Track Listing:
Shazapp
Track 1: (The Beautiful Mistake--"Circular Parade") A slow, catchy, snare drum beat with a melodic lead guitar that leads into some angsty rock. This song could have been really good, but the band can't sing for shit, and is just screaming into the mic half the time. Not as bad as Headstrong, though it falls under the same genre of music. 5/10
Track 2: (Halford--"Silent Screams") Very nice intro for this mini-rock opera, low throbbing bass guitar and a good lead singer w/ synthesizers flowing like waves in the background. Then the rock kicks in, kinda weak, but still good--reminds me a LOT of Ozzy. Can't go wrong there. Heh, reminds me of something you'd hear after a Freddy movie, like DOKKEN or something. ROCK. 7/10
Track 3: (Gary Numan--"My Jesus") Hello, electronic rock! I started tapping my foot immediately as I dug in to this haunting groove. Excellent bassline, great f/x, and spooky vocals. It teases you several times with the lure of a breakdown rock session. Think of it as a Rob Zombie song with the musical equivalent of foreplay. When the rock breaks, it hits hard and forced me to crank the volume high. Easily one of my favorite songs on this disc. 9/10
Track 4: (The Twilight Singers--"Feathers") Another catchy drumbeat and funky bass guitar lead off this ballad. Mostly forgettable, but definitely not hard on the ears. 6/10
Track 5: (The Stills--"Still in Love Song") Electronic surf rock? What'll these kids think of next? Oh wait, it might not be...oh shit, it's not surf rock, it's just angsty Brit (or imitation Brit) rock. FUCK. 4/10
Track 6: (Schneider TM--"The Light 3000") Hmm, sounds like Dirty Vegas or Daft Punk...this is a good thing. This might be what They Might Be Giants would sound like if you remixed their music with electronic music influences. Not bad. 6/10
Track 7: (Melissa Auf Der Maur--"Lightning Is My Girl") Not a bad track, grungy sounding electronic rock reminiscent of Garbage (minus Shirley Manson's sweet vocals). 6/10
Track 8: (Gary Numan--"Ancients") More Gary Numan ownage? Yes please! Very similar to Hybrid's music but with rock, feels like it belongs in a sci-fi movie. Liked this even better than the first Numan song on this disc. 10/10
Track 9: (Interpol--"Untitled") This band sounds like they're trying to be Coldplay, whom I like very much. Unfortunately for Interpol, they're too long-winded (and off-tune). This song seems out of place with the rest of the mix. 4/10
Track 10: (Pretty Girls Make Graves--"This Is Our Emergency") I'm a sucker for female-fronted rock bands...but this band doesn't seem to have the heart that drives the best rock bands. I can imagine this band playing at the Bronze in Season 2 of Buffy. 5/10
Track 11: (King's X--"Static") Listening to this song is slightly reminiscent of Stabbing Westward, but this band lacks SW's rock edge. 5/10
Track 12: (Zeromancer--"Plasmatic") Aww yeah. Thump thump th-th-thum-thump...ROCK!!! Sounds like it belongs on a Mortal Kombat movie soundtrack. Very nice hard electronic rock. Kinda like Fuel mixed with Orbital. There was a band that sounds like this, began with a "G" I think.....they were on the first MK soundtrack....sounded just like Zeromancer. Gravity Kills I think? *shrug* Excellent song. 10/10
Track 13: (Chemical Brothers--"The Test") Um, it was listed, but no track was there! I was looking forward to some Chemical Brothers too! 0/10
OVERALL SCORE: 7/10 (might have been an 8 if you had included CB!)
This mix had more than its fair share of low points, but some very outstanding songs on tracks 2, 3, 8 and 12 brought it up to par. I'm definitely checking out Gary Numan's other works and probably Zeromancer as well. Thanks Shazapp!
Track Listing:
Shazapp
Track 1: (The Beautiful Mistake--"Circular Parade") A slow, catchy, snare drum beat with a melodic lead guitar that leads into some angsty rock. This song could have been really good, but the band can't sing for shit, and is just screaming into the mic half the time. Not as bad as Headstrong, though it falls under the same genre of music. 5/10
Track 2: (Halford--"Silent Screams") Very nice intro for this mini-rock opera, low throbbing bass guitar and a good lead singer w/ synthesizers flowing like waves in the background. Then the rock kicks in, kinda weak, but still good--reminds me a LOT of Ozzy. Can't go wrong there. Heh, reminds me of something you'd hear after a Freddy movie, like DOKKEN or something. ROCK. 7/10
Track 3: (Gary Numan--"My Jesus") Hello, electronic rock! I started tapping my foot immediately as I dug in to this haunting groove. Excellent bassline, great f/x, and spooky vocals. It teases you several times with the lure of a breakdown rock session. Think of it as a Rob Zombie song with the musical equivalent of foreplay. When the rock breaks, it hits hard and forced me to crank the volume high. Easily one of my favorite songs on this disc. 9/10
Track 4: (The Twilight Singers--"Feathers") Another catchy drumbeat and funky bass guitar lead off this ballad. Mostly forgettable, but definitely not hard on the ears. 6/10
Track 5: (The Stills--"Still in Love Song") Electronic surf rock? What'll these kids think of next? Oh wait, it might not be...oh shit, it's not surf rock, it's just angsty Brit (or imitation Brit) rock. FUCK. 4/10
Track 6: (Schneider TM--"The Light 3000") Hmm, sounds like Dirty Vegas or Daft Punk...this is a good thing. This might be what They Might Be Giants would sound like if you remixed their music with electronic music influences. Not bad. 6/10
Track 7: (Melissa Auf Der Maur--"Lightning Is My Girl") Not a bad track, grungy sounding electronic rock reminiscent of Garbage (minus Shirley Manson's sweet vocals). 6/10
Track 8: (Gary Numan--"Ancients") More Gary Numan ownage? Yes please! Very similar to Hybrid's music but with rock, feels like it belongs in a sci-fi movie. Liked this even better than the first Numan song on this disc. 10/10
Track 9: (Interpol--"Untitled") This band sounds like they're trying to be Coldplay, whom I like very much. Unfortunately for Interpol, they're too long-winded (and off-tune). This song seems out of place with the rest of the mix. 4/10
Track 10: (Pretty Girls Make Graves--"This Is Our Emergency") I'm a sucker for female-fronted rock bands...but this band doesn't seem to have the heart that drives the best rock bands. I can imagine this band playing at the Bronze in Season 2 of Buffy. 5/10
Track 11: (King's X--"Static") Listening to this song is slightly reminiscent of Stabbing Westward, but this band lacks SW's rock edge. 5/10
Track 12: (Zeromancer--"Plasmatic") Aww yeah. Thump thump th-th-thum-thump...ROCK!!! Sounds like it belongs on a Mortal Kombat movie soundtrack. Very nice hard electronic rock. Kinda like Fuel mixed with Orbital. There was a band that sounds like this, began with a "G" I think.....they were on the first MK soundtrack....sounded just like Zeromancer. Gravity Kills I think? *shrug* Excellent song. 10/10
Track 13: (Chemical Brothers--"The Test") Um, it was listed, but no track was there! I was looking forward to some Chemical Brothers too! 0/10
OVERALL SCORE: 7/10 (might have been an 8 if you had included CB!
) This mix had more than its fair share of low points, but some very outstanding songs on tracks 2, 3, 8 and 12 brought it up to par. I'm definitely checking out Gary Numan's other works and probably Zeromancer as well. Thanks Shazapp!
JackFrost2012
Banned
DJ Demon J said:
WHAT.
Coldplay is a weak-ass whiney Radiohead ripoff; Interpol is the best new band of the past five years.
TRY AGAIN.
DJ Demon J
Banned
JackFrost2012 said:
Pfft. This band sucks. Also, Coldplay sounds nothing like Radiohead.
JackFrost2012
Banned
DJ Demon J said:
Well, for Chrissake download Obstacle #2 or Leif Erikson before you write off THE BEST BAND OF THE PAST FIVE YEARS, or you have only yourself to blame.
Here's a live version of Everyone Choose Sides if anyone's interested.
edit: new linky
http://members.rogers.com/clee1523/the_wrens_everyone_choose_sides.mp3
edit: new linky
http://members.rogers.com/clee1523/the_wrens_everyone_choose_sides.mp3
Sirpopopop
Member
DJ Demon J said:
Uhh... how doesn't Coldplay sound like Radiohead?!?!?!? Hello - Both bands employ similiar warbled vocals, same type of sweeping droning instrumentation, lead singers who spaz out when on stage, etc.
Also, Interpol does not sound like Coldplay - not even close. Coldplay is based upon Radiohead's formula with a bit of U2 added in, and continues in the heritage of Britpop - Interpol is based upon British post-punk of the 1980's. The easiest way to mark the difference- vocal delivery (think: Joy Division, not Thom Yorke), and the production. Interpol's production is completely different from Coldplay's production values, favoring something that is certainly a bit more muddled, and "80ish" sounding (for lack of a better term) - like The Chameleons or Echo & the Bunnymen. Of course, if you haven't heard either band then the comparison is lost upon you, but if you are curious, check em out.
I'm not a big fan of Interpol by the way, so don't consider this an angry post from someone who is a fan of the band. Just someone who has an issue with comparing two bands who really aren't anything alike.
JackFrost2012
Banned
Lambtron said:The best band of the last 5 years Interpol is not (I'm looking at you Exploding Hearts [R.I.P.
And "Obstacle 2" is fucking awesome.
Yeah, that was a wee bit of hyperbole on my part. But they are my personal favorite new band of the past five years, and nobody can tell me different!
I also really really really hate Coldplay, so that got me fired up too.
shoplifter
Member
Vestal, DeadStar and Cornelius. Your discs are out. Sorry about the asshattery, real life got in the way.
mjq jazz bar
Banned
Coldplay doesn't sound like Radiohead because with the exception of Hail to the Thief, recent Radiohead isn't derivative, boring crap. Since Radiohead doesn't completely suck and put insomniacs into comas, they do not sound a thing like Coldplay.
---
I don't see how Franz Ferdinand is the best band of the last five years. They're probably the best band of the every other 15 minutes of last week's radio programming. They're so boring. Interpol may be overrated, but at least they don't sound like the Strokes filtered through Snooze-O-Vision.
---
I don't see how Franz Ferdinand is the best band of the last five years. They're probably the best band of the every other 15 minutes of last week's radio programming. They're so boring. Interpol may be overrated, but at least they don't sound like the Strokes filtered through Snooze-O-Vision.
mjq jazz bar said:
It'll all depend on how their next record turns out. I listened to the self-titled disc about a hundred times in a week or 2 after we got the promo in at the radio station. Quite literally. I think that Franz absolutely blow The Strokes out of the water, and I really like Is This It. They have a lot of similarities, but Franz isn't nearly as dead serious in their music as The Strokes are, which makes them a hell of a lot more fun, in my opinion. Though I think Franz has a bit more in common with the whole "dance punk" scene than The Strokes and the whole "garage rock" thang. Franz doesn't fit perfectly well into either. But goddamn, did they make a good record (and the b-sides I've heard, from the "Darts of Pleasure" single, are hot as fuck).
There won't be another Exploding Hearts record, but Guitar Romantic is fucking amazing. It took a couple of listens, but my GOD did it ever grow on me.
Just in this thread for a check up.
Can I get a confirmation that RK, and Auslander made the board switch?
I would like to make sure they are actually here reading these before I type up their reviews.
Just pop in this thread, PM me, AIM me what ever.
Or has anyone seen either of them?
Can I get a confirmation that RK, and Auslander made the board switch?
I would like to make sure they are actually here reading these before I type up their reviews.
Just pop in this thread, PM me, AIM me what ever.
Or has anyone seen either of them?
scola said:Just in this thread for a check up.
Can I get a confirmation that RK, and Auslander made the board switch?
I would like to make sure they are actually here reading these before I type up their reviews.
Just pop in this thread, PM me, AIM me what ever.
Or has anyone seen either of them?
Auslander hasn't registered yet, at least, not under the same name. Same for rk.
I'm in the same boat as Alucard here, group. I sent out THREE mixes, on time. I received ...one from my group, and one review from my group. Something ain't right here.
Alucard said:
Alas, not nearly as many as should have. Thanks to postal delays, I finally got swoon's mix early last week; I plan on having it reviewed by tomorrow afternoon. JetSetHero checked in with us, so hopefully he'll have mixes and/or reviews out eventually. DothTogo? Who knows. And, that's just my own group.
On the flip side, the timing of this exchange was fairly lousy, what with the deadline showing up right around E3 (and the suspension of the OT during that week) and the death of the old board.
I'd like everyone involved to send me a PM listing who you got mixes and/or reviews from. I'll compile everything and post it to this thread; perhaps that'll remind some folks, "Oh, yeah - mix exchange."
FnordChan
DJ Demon J
Banned
Alucard said:
I did all of mine but two (MAF never sent me a mix to review, and I still need to review Eminem's mix). I deserve an award!
Shazapp
Member
DJ Demon J said:
Glad you liked it. I don't know what happened with the last track. All of my other copies had it. Can't say I can explain it.
If you liked the Gary Numan tracks I included, check out his post 1994 albums, SACRIFICE, EXILE, PURE, and HYBRID. Any of his earlier stuff might make you wonder if it's the same guy. (I love all his stuff, but he definitely covers all the bases before 1994...including funk, jazz, electro-pop, and punk.) Too bad most people only know "Cars."
i'm just going to put this review in this thread also, just so all my reviews are in it. and maybe it'll make other people post their reviews.
fart's mix is all over the place from rock to electronic to a little bit of rap. it seemed like it sort of had a theme at times and didn't at others, so i don't know what to say about that...so here's my thoughts:
1. zany canadian radio guy - intro: the intro is some guy talking about the unicorns playing at some car wash, which was funny because the next track wasn't the unicorns...ok it wasn't that funny.
2. hella - the d.elkan: a cool short little electronic ditty. sort of videogamey with cool synthy stuff and a sweet beat. i like it, except for the fact that it's too short. 3.5/5
3. iran - jets and sprites: opens up sort of flailing and heavy and sort of stays that way, just then with vocals. sort of cacophonous, which i didn't like. 1/5
4. dirty projectors - my offwhite flag: this is the first i've listened to the dirty projectors and i can't say i was all that impressed. but i wasn't really put off either, so i guess it was ok in my book. 2/5
5. kill me tomorrow - natural woman: kill me tomorrow reminds me of another band but i can't quite put my finger on who. but anyways it was a fun song. 3/5
6. hint hint - harry's ass is a picnic: it started off fucking awesome, and then proceeded to get slightly less awesome, but only by a little bit. the opening riff ruled but then got kind of knocked down by the vocals, but it didn't turn into a total disaster and instead stayed pretty good. 3.5/5
7. beastie boys - i forget the name but it was mislabeled: a quick break in the mix. supereducated i'm smarted than spock i is.
8. modest mouse - breakthrough: except for the low quality recording (considering it's a live recording), it's a pretty wild ride i suppose. until the ride grinds to a halt and you sue the amusement park halfway through. 2.5/5
9. nirvana - sappy (verse chorus verse): i would call this typical nirvana, but i don't mean that in a bad way. i like this song. 4/5
10. the pixies - hey: another live song, the beginning vocals sort of, for some strange reason, make me think of marvin gaye. then the chorus comes up and it's awesome and everyone is happy and the people cheer and they play their guitars and i think this song is awesome. 4.5/5
11. KAOS: another break. hey they spelled "chaos" wrong. stupid bastards.
12. violent femmes - country death song: another live song and it didn't seem all that country but that's actually probably better than if it was. 3/5
13. tindersticks - until the morning comes: the last time i listened to "waiting for the moon" i think i liked this song more, but that was awhile ago. i still thought it was a nice song though. 3/5
14. tarnation - game of broken hearts: i found this boring. i mean who would play a game of broken hearts, games are supposed to be fun. 1/5
15. the microphones - blood: another break, which was kind of a weird story i guess.
16. xiu xiu - suha: more live stuff, which sounds really, really, really kickass. it made me want to take a train and stare out the window looking thoughtful like people do in movies. it's sort of one of those kind of songs, but not really, it could also be a song that plays while a character wanders around feeling depressed or something then discovers something great about 1 minute at 30 seconds through the song. kickass. 4/5
17. dntel - don't even try: i wasn't sure if this was dntel or figurine but it was labeled as dntel so i don't care. besides it was amazing. this reminded me of a postal service beat just minus ben gibbard. which is good because ben gibbard's lyrics can be really stupid. 4/5
18. aphex twin - iz-us (morning becomes eclectic): i haven't heard the album version of this song in a long time, but it sounds just like it from what i can remember. anyways it's still a kickass song. 3.5/5
19. modest mouse - australopithecus: australopithecus was one of them caveman ape species i think, and this song is kind of a cavemannish song for all of its 30 seconds or so.
20. mirah and the microphones - slighted: had this been any other singer, i wouldn't have liked this song, but mirah seriously has the best voice ever. it sort of reminds me "oh september" but minus ginger brooks takahashi who can't sing as well so it makes this song better. 4/5
21. bright eyes - falling out of love at this volume: i like bright eyes, despite the fact that that connor oberst really irritates me sometimes. 3/5
22. mirah - land ho!: i'm really under the impression that mirah can do no wrong, but this song really tempts me to change my stance. it gets a free point because it's mirah, but loses a free point because it's not that good. 2.5/5
23. leslie feist - intuition: neat song that reminds me of a lounge singer but in a good way. 3/5
24. phil elvyrum w/ jason alexander - where lies my tarp: i would've liked this song more if it went somewhere. i'm noticing a bit of a slowing down trend, and i don't know if i'm pleased or not. 2/5
25. [[[vvrssnn]]] - guilded golden ladies: a slow slow slow post-rockish bit that is actually pretty nice to listen to, until you get to the vocals which i didn't like all that much but still liked it overall despite the fact that it was unreasonably short. 3/5
26. something to do...: ok i don't know what this is supposed to be because it's just silence for like a minute. it made me find something else to do, but if that was it's intention i guess it got the job done.
27. spooky: weird noises of radio static, sneezing, and maybe something else.
28. modest mouse - bmx crash: another 30 second or so semi-song.
29. phil elvyrum w/ jason alexander - i got stabbed: ok more really slow stuff. which made an appropriate end to the mix, but at the same time was really slow and dreary and not what i wanted to be listening to at the time. 2/5
overall: overall i was sort of unresponsive to the beginning, loved the hell out of the middle, and the end didn't like so much, especially the last 4 tracks in which nothing seemed to happen. but xiu xiu, dntel, and lots of mirah made it cool and regained my favor. the ride had its ups and downs but i still went away pretty satisfied. 3.5/5
yeehaw, i'm done with all the reviews. unless i decide to review auslander's mp3 cd (which i probably won't because i didn't even look to see what was in it yet.
fart's mix is all over the place from rock to electronic to a little bit of rap. it seemed like it sort of had a theme at times and didn't at others, so i don't know what to say about that...so here's my thoughts:
1. zany canadian radio guy - intro: the intro is some guy talking about the unicorns playing at some car wash, which was funny because the next track wasn't the unicorns...ok it wasn't that funny.
2. hella - the d.elkan: a cool short little electronic ditty. sort of videogamey with cool synthy stuff and a sweet beat. i like it, except for the fact that it's too short. 3.5/5
3. iran - jets and sprites: opens up sort of flailing and heavy and sort of stays that way, just then with vocals. sort of cacophonous, which i didn't like. 1/5
4. dirty projectors - my offwhite flag: this is the first i've listened to the dirty projectors and i can't say i was all that impressed. but i wasn't really put off either, so i guess it was ok in my book. 2/5
5. kill me tomorrow - natural woman: kill me tomorrow reminds me of another band but i can't quite put my finger on who. but anyways it was a fun song. 3/5
6. hint hint - harry's ass is a picnic: it started off fucking awesome, and then proceeded to get slightly less awesome, but only by a little bit. the opening riff ruled but then got kind of knocked down by the vocals, but it didn't turn into a total disaster and instead stayed pretty good. 3.5/5
7. beastie boys - i forget the name but it was mislabeled: a quick break in the mix. supereducated i'm smarted than spock i is.
8. modest mouse - breakthrough: except for the low quality recording (considering it's a live recording), it's a pretty wild ride i suppose. until the ride grinds to a halt and you sue the amusement park halfway through. 2.5/5
9. nirvana - sappy (verse chorus verse): i would call this typical nirvana, but i don't mean that in a bad way. i like this song. 4/5
10. the pixies - hey: another live song, the beginning vocals sort of, for some strange reason, make me think of marvin gaye. then the chorus comes up and it's awesome and everyone is happy and the people cheer and they play their guitars and i think this song is awesome. 4.5/5
11. KAOS: another break. hey they spelled "chaos" wrong. stupid bastards.
12. violent femmes - country death song: another live song and it didn't seem all that country but that's actually probably better than if it was. 3/5
13. tindersticks - until the morning comes: the last time i listened to "waiting for the moon" i think i liked this song more, but that was awhile ago. i still thought it was a nice song though. 3/5
14. tarnation - game of broken hearts: i found this boring. i mean who would play a game of broken hearts, games are supposed to be fun. 1/5
15. the microphones - blood: another break, which was kind of a weird story i guess.
16. xiu xiu - suha: more live stuff, which sounds really, really, really kickass. it made me want to take a train and stare out the window looking thoughtful like people do in movies. it's sort of one of those kind of songs, but not really, it could also be a song that plays while a character wanders around feeling depressed or something then discovers something great about 1 minute at 30 seconds through the song. kickass. 4/5
17. dntel - don't even try: i wasn't sure if this was dntel or figurine but it was labeled as dntel so i don't care. besides it was amazing. this reminded me of a postal service beat just minus ben gibbard. which is good because ben gibbard's lyrics can be really stupid. 4/5
18. aphex twin - iz-us (morning becomes eclectic): i haven't heard the album version of this song in a long time, but it sounds just like it from what i can remember. anyways it's still a kickass song. 3.5/5
19. modest mouse - australopithecus: australopithecus was one of them caveman ape species i think, and this song is kind of a cavemannish song for all of its 30 seconds or so.
20. mirah and the microphones - slighted: had this been any other singer, i wouldn't have liked this song, but mirah seriously has the best voice ever. it sort of reminds me "oh september" but minus ginger brooks takahashi who can't sing as well so it makes this song better. 4/5
21. bright eyes - falling out of love at this volume: i like bright eyes, despite the fact that that connor oberst really irritates me sometimes. 3/5
22. mirah - land ho!: i'm really under the impression that mirah can do no wrong, but this song really tempts me to change my stance. it gets a free point because it's mirah, but loses a free point because it's not that good. 2.5/5
23. leslie feist - intuition: neat song that reminds me of a lounge singer but in a good way. 3/5
24. phil elvyrum w/ jason alexander - where lies my tarp: i would've liked this song more if it went somewhere. i'm noticing a bit of a slowing down trend, and i don't know if i'm pleased or not. 2/5
25. [[[vvrssnn]]] - guilded golden ladies: a slow slow slow post-rockish bit that is actually pretty nice to listen to, until you get to the vocals which i didn't like all that much but still liked it overall despite the fact that it was unreasonably short. 3/5
26. something to do...: ok i don't know what this is supposed to be because it's just silence for like a minute. it made me find something else to do, but if that was it's intention i guess it got the job done.
27. spooky: weird noises of radio static, sneezing, and maybe something else.
28. modest mouse - bmx crash: another 30 second or so semi-song.
29. phil elvyrum w/ jason alexander - i got stabbed: ok more really slow stuff. which made an appropriate end to the mix, but at the same time was really slow and dreary and not what i wanted to be listening to at the time. 2/5
overall: overall i was sort of unresponsive to the beginning, loved the hell out of the middle, and the end didn't like so much, especially the last 4 tracks in which nothing seemed to happen. but xiu xiu, dntel, and lots of mirah made it cool and regained my favor. the ride had its ups and downs but i still went away pretty satisfied. 3.5/5
yeehaw, i'm done with all the reviews. unless i decide to review auslander's mp3 cd (which i probably won't because i didn't even look to see what was in it yet.
I'll Be Yr Shelter, courtesy of swoon
As always, swoon gets points for superior packaging. Included in the CD case was a polaroid of several parked cars as seen from an apartment building, an arrow and circle marking a person in an SUV, along with the question "Is she dead?" On the back: "I would kill her for you." And, if that doesn't set the tone, the track listing is written on the back of a "Strike Out Victim" coupon for a free waffle from Waffle House.
Now, that's going the extra mile. At any rate, enough of the package as the fetish object - on to the music.
"I'll Be Yr Shelter" - The Housemartins - We start with a song of the "Lean On Me" school. For the first half there's a piano rolling in the background to go with crooning about cloudy skies and helping hands and what have you. Then halfway through the song the music picks up, the singer calls for the chorus, and suddenly it's rolicking gospel. By the time the lyric "Dont despair hell be there with his loving and his care/Marx will work for us right around the clock", I'm completely sold. Fantastic.
"Queen of the South" - Divine Comedy - Next, a brooding (in a "sitting in the back of a smoky rock nightclub drinking heavily" sort of way) song about the absolute wrong words coming out of your mouth at the absolute wrong time. The vocals are what really make this song, with some great harmonies flowing in and out, as the singer repeats his mantra "Let it all flood out". Rocking, yet restrained, and I enjoyed the hell out of it.
"Rainy Night in Georga" - Brook Benton - Oh, man - I'm a sucker for an organ, especially in moody soul songs. Then the electric guitars show up, then the string section, and then Benton is pouring out the sadness of being a man on the road alone and it's just incredible.
"Mad World" - Tears for Fears - As swoon writes in the margins of the track listing, "Fuck Donnie Darko". 'Nuff said.
"We People Who Are Darker Than Blue" - Curtis Mayfield - Then, out of the blue (as it were), we're hearing band introductions. It's 1971, you're sitting in a small, intimate club setting club, and Curtis Mayfield is joking around and wondering aloud why they call the bassist "Lucky the Freak". It's a nice transition moment, and helps prepare you for six and a half minutes of deeply soulful social commentary. Curtis wails plaintively over subdued funk - and then halfway through "Master" Henry Gibson begins going insane on the bongos and congas. Gil Scott Heron, eat your heart out.
"Our Anniversary" - Smog - Then the mix comes to a grinding halt. Granted, live Curtis Mayfield is a tough act to follow, but not much could help this tune: seven minutes of droning guitar and Bill Callahan rambling. Maybe I'd appreciate the lyrics more if he wasn't mumbling the entire time. I can see the appeal but, alas, it eludes me completely.
"Shipbuilding" - Robert Wyatt - Elvis Costello doesn't do a whole lot for me, so Robert Wyatt doing a Costello sing isn't going to do a whole helluva lot for me either. This isn't horrible or anything - it's just that the sort of gloomy rock that I enjoyed so much in "Queen of the South" just isn't drawing me in here; this is partly because the Divine Comedy vocals are astounding and Wyatte and Costello's rather less so. Eh.
"For The Love I Gave To You" - Delfonics - Then the Delfonics show up and all is forgiven. It all drips soul: the falsetto vocals, the backup singers, the horn section, every last bit of this song is just swimming in it, with more than a bit of doo-wop backing it all up. It's the soundtrack for your next apology to a love you've cheated on.
"In Shreds" - Chameleons - Grr! Angry! Angsty! English! I reckon "post-punk" is the technical term here. It's okay, but it's not setting my world on fire. Maybe I'll listen to it again when I'm feeling more pissed off and not busy groovin to the Delfonics...
"Wax/Wane" - Cocteau Twins - Take the last song, replace the anger with a drum machine, add a few gothic sensibilities (before "goth" became a synonym for "annoying"), and voila! I've never been a huge Cocteau Twins fan, but I have to admit that this is pretty damn good, particularly Liz Fraser's undulating vocals.
"I Don't Want To Be Right" - Luther Ingram - My first thought was, "Wait, this sounds familiar" at which point I poked around and did a bit of research about Mr. Ingram. As it turns out, this song has been covered to death, but Luther did it first and, holy Jesus, is it some kind of amazing. I'm just disappointed that I knew about this song thanks to inferior versions by lesser artists. Then it turns out that Ingram originally did "I'll Be Your Shelter", as covered by the Housemartins at the beginning of this mix. Considering how much I liked their version, I can scarcely imagine the raw power of the original. Meanwhile, this song makes me want to go get married, just so I can turn around and go cheat on my wife; Luther makes it sound so appealing. "If loving you is wrong, I don't want to be right..."
"I'm Losing You" - Rare Earth - Finally, we wrap up with blistering, soulful rock music about your woman slipping away from you. A bit of blues here, a bit of psychadelia there, and perhaps a hint of latin - all throbbing away for eleven solid, glorious minutes. This, my friends, this is a proper mix CD finale.
Overall, damn fine stuff, even if the middle of the disc has me diving for the skip track button. I'm going to go out and buy the complete works of Luther Ingram posthaste. swoon, after listening to Rare Earth wrap up your mix, I'm assigning you to go back and give Jefferson Starship's "Hyperdrive" a few more times until you see the light.
FnordChan
Edit: Whoops, I forgot to mention that I'll be posting my review of the free waffle seperately, just as soon as I've copied down the track listing for posterity.
As always, swoon gets points for superior packaging. Included in the CD case was a polaroid of several parked cars as seen from an apartment building, an arrow and circle marking a person in an SUV, along with the question "Is she dead?" On the back: "I would kill her for you." And, if that doesn't set the tone, the track listing is written on the back of a "Strike Out Victim" coupon for a free waffle from Waffle House.
Now, that's going the extra mile. At any rate, enough of the package as the fetish object - on to the music.
"I'll Be Yr Shelter" - The Housemartins - We start with a song of the "Lean On Me" school. For the first half there's a piano rolling in the background to go with crooning about cloudy skies and helping hands and what have you. Then halfway through the song the music picks up, the singer calls for the chorus, and suddenly it's rolicking gospel. By the time the lyric "Dont despair hell be there with his loving and his care/Marx will work for us right around the clock", I'm completely sold. Fantastic.
"Queen of the South" - Divine Comedy - Next, a brooding (in a "sitting in the back of a smoky rock nightclub drinking heavily" sort of way) song about the absolute wrong words coming out of your mouth at the absolute wrong time. The vocals are what really make this song, with some great harmonies flowing in and out, as the singer repeats his mantra "Let it all flood out". Rocking, yet restrained, and I enjoyed the hell out of it.
"Rainy Night in Georga" - Brook Benton - Oh, man - I'm a sucker for an organ, especially in moody soul songs. Then the electric guitars show up, then the string section, and then Benton is pouring out the sadness of being a man on the road alone and it's just incredible.
"Mad World" - Tears for Fears - As swoon writes in the margins of the track listing, "Fuck Donnie Darko". 'Nuff said.
"We People Who Are Darker Than Blue" - Curtis Mayfield - Then, out of the blue (as it were), we're hearing band introductions. It's 1971, you're sitting in a small, intimate club setting club, and Curtis Mayfield is joking around and wondering aloud why they call the bassist "Lucky the Freak". It's a nice transition moment, and helps prepare you for six and a half minutes of deeply soulful social commentary. Curtis wails plaintively over subdued funk - and then halfway through "Master" Henry Gibson begins going insane on the bongos and congas. Gil Scott Heron, eat your heart out.
"Our Anniversary" - Smog - Then the mix comes to a grinding halt. Granted, live Curtis Mayfield is a tough act to follow, but not much could help this tune: seven minutes of droning guitar and Bill Callahan rambling. Maybe I'd appreciate the lyrics more if he wasn't mumbling the entire time. I can see the appeal but, alas, it eludes me completely.
"Shipbuilding" - Robert Wyatt - Elvis Costello doesn't do a whole lot for me, so Robert Wyatt doing a Costello sing isn't going to do a whole helluva lot for me either. This isn't horrible or anything - it's just that the sort of gloomy rock that I enjoyed so much in "Queen of the South" just isn't drawing me in here; this is partly because the Divine Comedy vocals are astounding and Wyatte and Costello's rather less so. Eh.
"For The Love I Gave To You" - Delfonics - Then the Delfonics show up and all is forgiven. It all drips soul: the falsetto vocals, the backup singers, the horn section, every last bit of this song is just swimming in it, with more than a bit of doo-wop backing it all up. It's the soundtrack for your next apology to a love you've cheated on.
"In Shreds" - Chameleons - Grr! Angry! Angsty! English! I reckon "post-punk" is the technical term here. It's okay, but it's not setting my world on fire. Maybe I'll listen to it again when I'm feeling more pissed off and not busy groovin to the Delfonics...
"Wax/Wane" - Cocteau Twins - Take the last song, replace the anger with a drum machine, add a few gothic sensibilities (before "goth" became a synonym for "annoying"), and voila! I've never been a huge Cocteau Twins fan, but I have to admit that this is pretty damn good, particularly Liz Fraser's undulating vocals.
"I Don't Want To Be Right" - Luther Ingram - My first thought was, "Wait, this sounds familiar" at which point I poked around and did a bit of research about Mr. Ingram. As it turns out, this song has been covered to death, but Luther did it first and, holy Jesus, is it some kind of amazing. I'm just disappointed that I knew about this song thanks to inferior versions by lesser artists. Then it turns out that Ingram originally did "I'll Be Your Shelter", as covered by the Housemartins at the beginning of this mix. Considering how much I liked their version, I can scarcely imagine the raw power of the original. Meanwhile, this song makes me want to go get married, just so I can turn around and go cheat on my wife; Luther makes it sound so appealing. "If loving you is wrong, I don't want to be right..."
"I'm Losing You" - Rare Earth - Finally, we wrap up with blistering, soulful rock music about your woman slipping away from you. A bit of blues here, a bit of psychadelia there, and perhaps a hint of latin - all throbbing away for eleven solid, glorious minutes. This, my friends, this is a proper mix CD finale.
Overall, damn fine stuff, even if the middle of the disc has me diving for the skip track button. I'm going to go out and buy the complete works of Luther Ingram posthaste. swoon, after listening to Rare Earth wrap up your mix, I'm assigning you to go back and give Jefferson Starship's "Hyperdrive" a few more times until you see the light.
FnordChan
Edit: Whoops, I forgot to mention that I'll be posting my review of the free waffle seperately, just as soon as I've copied down the track listing for posterity.
nice!
yea i was really questioning the placement of (smog) after curtis, but i saw it as a side 2, flip the record over sort of transition - but yr right it doesn't work well.
likewise for the post punk/goth shift after the delfonics. i thought maybe the guitar intro on the chamelon's song would be enough - but yea it could go either way. i really love that les savy fav pretty much uses that song as a blueprint for every song they've done.
luther ingrim is one of my favorite soul singers these days. he is in great need for a cohesive collection of his work, the stuff out there doesn't cover enough of it, i don't think. but goddamn he's so good. millie jackson's verison the song is almost as good i think.
yea i was really questioning the placement of (smog) after curtis, but i saw it as a side 2, flip the record over sort of transition - but yr right it doesn't work well.
likewise for the post punk/goth shift after the delfonics. i thought maybe the guitar intro on the chamelon's song would be enough - but yea it could go either way. i really love that les savy fav pretty much uses that song as a blueprint for every song they've done.
luther ingrim is one of my favorite soul singers these days. he is in great need for a cohesive collection of his work, the stuff out there doesn't cover enough of it, i don't think. but goddamn he's so good. millie jackson's verison the song is almost as good i think.
the millie jackson verison is fun, cause really the album - Caught Up is almost a concept album based around that song - the first three songs - If loving you is wrong - the rap - if loving you is wrong (reprise) flow perfectly together - it's like one long great female issac hayes trip.
there is a awesome twofer of caught up and still caught up, that can be gotten for the cheap on ebay/half.
there is a awesome twofer of caught up and still caught up, that can be gotten for the cheap on ebay/half.
Saint Cornelius
Banned
i finally sent my stuff out
- Status