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Summer 2004 GA Mix Exchange thread
- Thread starter BuddyC
- Start date
- Status
my review of jackfrost's downloaded mix, "alls well in hell and here's hoping.
it was mostly indie rock kind of stuff and some more pop rock stuff, which is sort of what i listen to now, which is both good and bad in that i immediately recognized and liked a bunch of songs, but it's really nothing new which was a little disappointing.
1. metric - calculation theme: one of my least favorite songs off of old world underground, mainly because i find that underlying synth part kind of annoying. 2/5
2. sufjan stevens - the upper peninsula: everything on michigan is awesome i think. this song is no exception, and jackfrost even picked one of my favorite songs from the album. well they're all my favorite haha. 4.5/5
3. capcom - powerone: a sort of dreamy epic electronic song which was a nice song but it felt out of place even though it was pretty cool. a good late night driving song. 3/5
4. death cab for cutie - we looked like giants: i still say ben gibbard is pretty hit or miss and i think this is a big miss. 1.5/5
5. my bloody valentine - sometimes: i'm pretty much neutral at this point; i liked the song a lot when i was hearing it on the lost in translation soundtrack, but listened to that soundtrack like it was going out of style, so i got kind of sick of it, and then it was on fifty's downtempo mix (which i haven't reviewed yet) so now i really don't care that much anymore. 2/5
6. interpol - not even jail: i never really listened to interpol heavily...it's not that i dislike them, it's just that i'm never really blown away with them. this is still a good song, i like the build and consequent breakdown but i mean i never really cared about interpol that much. 2.5/5
7. the wrens - she sends kisses: another band that i listened to a little bit but never really caught on. the vocals kind of remind me of the long winters in certain spots, which is good. 3.5/5
8. fra-foa - plastic room to ame no niwa: a pleasant sounding guitar part and pleasant sounding female vocalist, and if i understood more japanese maybe i could make a more sound decision on whether or not i like the song as a whole, but right now i say i do. 3/5
9. the pixies - velouria: i never really get sick of this song, despite the fact that i've heard it about 10000 times. 4/5
10. r.e.m. - leave: the beginning of this song is so amazing with the guitar and accordian or whatever instrument that is, and i think the rest of the song is decent, but the beginning is just sooo good. 3.5/5
11. aya - sentaku no asa: reminded me of fra-foa from track 8, but a little heavier maybe. it's still hard to decide whether i like it or not based on the lack of understanding. 2.5/5
12. tori amos - i i e e e: one of tori amos' non-piano driven songs, which i don't really like as much as her piano heavy stuff. but she's got a really great voice, and it's hard to argue with that. 2.5/5
13. tv on the radio - poppy: awesome vocals with a nice drum machine beat and guitar part. good song, i should listen to tv on the radio more. 3/5
14. cocco - rainbow: more language barrier fueled confusion. good melody though, and it sound just epic enough to be a good closer for the mix, so i guess like it. 3/5
overall: as always, i had a favorable experience, because let's face it, i like pretty much anything that doesn't physically climb out of my headphones to stab me. a lot of stuff i recognized, and a bit of stuff i didn't recognize, but generally couldn't understand, which i think takes away some of the experience. but overall i still liked most of it, especially the pixies and sufjan stevens tracks. 3/5
it was mostly indie rock kind of stuff and some more pop rock stuff, which is sort of what i listen to now, which is both good and bad in that i immediately recognized and liked a bunch of songs, but it's really nothing new which was a little disappointing.
1. metric - calculation theme: one of my least favorite songs off of old world underground, mainly because i find that underlying synth part kind of annoying. 2/5
2. sufjan stevens - the upper peninsula: everything on michigan is awesome i think. this song is no exception, and jackfrost even picked one of my favorite songs from the album. well they're all my favorite haha. 4.5/5
3. capcom - powerone: a sort of dreamy epic electronic song which was a nice song but it felt out of place even though it was pretty cool. a good late night driving song. 3/5
4. death cab for cutie - we looked like giants: i still say ben gibbard is pretty hit or miss and i think this is a big miss. 1.5/5
5. my bloody valentine - sometimes: i'm pretty much neutral at this point; i liked the song a lot when i was hearing it on the lost in translation soundtrack, but listened to that soundtrack like it was going out of style, so i got kind of sick of it, and then it was on fifty's downtempo mix (which i haven't reviewed yet) so now i really don't care that much anymore. 2/5
6. interpol - not even jail: i never really listened to interpol heavily...it's not that i dislike them, it's just that i'm never really blown away with them. this is still a good song, i like the build and consequent breakdown but i mean i never really cared about interpol that much. 2.5/5
7. the wrens - she sends kisses: another band that i listened to a little bit but never really caught on. the vocals kind of remind me of the long winters in certain spots, which is good. 3.5/5
8. fra-foa - plastic room to ame no niwa: a pleasant sounding guitar part and pleasant sounding female vocalist, and if i understood more japanese maybe i could make a more sound decision on whether or not i like the song as a whole, but right now i say i do. 3/5
9. the pixies - velouria: i never really get sick of this song, despite the fact that i've heard it about 10000 times. 4/5
10. r.e.m. - leave: the beginning of this song is so amazing with the guitar and accordian or whatever instrument that is, and i think the rest of the song is decent, but the beginning is just sooo good. 3.5/5
11. aya - sentaku no asa: reminded me of fra-foa from track 8, but a little heavier maybe. it's still hard to decide whether i like it or not based on the lack of understanding. 2.5/5
12. tori amos - i i e e e: one of tori amos' non-piano driven songs, which i don't really like as much as her piano heavy stuff. but she's got a really great voice, and it's hard to argue with that. 2.5/5
13. tv on the radio - poppy: awesome vocals with a nice drum machine beat and guitar part. good song, i should listen to tv on the radio more. 3/5
14. cocco - rainbow: more language barrier fueled confusion. good melody though, and it sound just epic enough to be a good closer for the mix, so i guess like it. 3/5
overall: as always, i had a favorable experience, because let's face it, i like pretty much anything that doesn't physically climb out of my headphones to stab me. a lot of stuff i recognized, and a bit of stuff i didn't recognize, but generally couldn't understand, which i think takes away some of the experience. but overall i still liked most of it, especially the pixies and sufjan stevens tracks. 3/5
JackFrost2012
Banned
Thanks for the review! Sorry you didn't like some of the tracks ... but you did like TV on the Radio, which is a major sticking point for most folks!
Here's a kind of clunky translation of the fra-foa song:
http://www.centigrade-j.com/translations/purasuchikkuruumutoamenoniwa_fra-foa.htm
Here's a translation I did of the Cocco song:
http://yukihime.com/music/translations/rainbow.shtml
I need to find the lyrics for the Aya song so I can do a decent translation, but the title means "Morning of Decision" and the chorus (which is English) is "to murder / to mother / give you death or / give you life / you know I'm just so scared."
Not sure if knowing the meaning of the songs will increase your enjoyment of them, but I figured an informed review is the best review.
Here's a kind of clunky translation of the fra-foa song:
http://www.centigrade-j.com/translations/purasuchikkuruumutoamenoniwa_fra-foa.htm
Here's a translation I did of the Cocco song:
http://yukihime.com/music/translations/rainbow.shtml
I need to find the lyrics for the Aya song so I can do a decent translation, but the title means "Morning of Decision" and the chorus (which is English) is "to murder / to mother / give you death or / give you life / you know I'm just so scared."
Not sure if knowing the meaning of the songs will increase your enjoyment of them, but I figured an informed review is the best review.
Litigation Manuel
Member
I got your mix Sirpopopop, the track list looks good. The cover was also funny. Funniest thing EVAR. Except your stick figure body looks weird, like a head on the unpointy end of a squareish hook. Anyway, I'll get that reviewed and Sef's as well in a week or two. Thanks for the mix.
enjoy bell woods
Banned
Sup.
Holy shit, a review!
Between Liars and Ghosts, courtesy of Hotarubi:
01 - Max Richter, "Shadow Journal" - A nice atmospheric, ambient beginning. A very subdued beat kicks in around three minutes in, but you'd hardly notice. This song is pure, distilled melancholy. I have yet to listen closely enough to understand what the vocals are in the beginning; I think I like them better as murmuring in the background.
02 - Patrick Wolf, "Demolition" - Things pick up every so slightly, but the music remains just as moody. Is that a recorder piping in (so to speak) around two minutes in? Whatever it is, I like it. The lyrics are very heartfelt in a way that doesn't quite grab me. Around five minutes in, that recorder returns, sounding almost like a calliope; or, vice-versa. A great finish for a song that didn't do a whole lot for me in the beginning.
03 - Juana Molina, "Salvese Quien Pueda" - I'm fond of listening to songs in a language I don't understand; the singing becomes an abstract accompaniment to the music. Even if I don't understand a word, Molina's singing is terrific, with a sort of lilting style. The music flows along quietly in the background, with the occasional guitar showing up, and a nice glitchy beat beginning around two minutes in. I particularly like the chorus, where different musical bits suddenly show up like a break in the clouds. I really dug this song.
04 - M. Ward, "Outta My Head" - Reverb! A low-key, slighty twangy rock number. I like the keyboard bits, but not much else; the singing does zilch for me ala the Patrick wolf tune.
05 - Animal Collective, "Winter's Love" - I've been fond of Animal Collective's deeply quirky pop numbers since first hearing "Who Could Win A Rabbit"; this is very similar, with playful percussion, choral voices chugging along in the background, and an almost childlike quality. I'm reminded heavily of the Danielson Famile, not that this is a bad thing. Another favorite.
06 - El-P & the Blue Series Continuum, "When the Moon Was Blue" - I'm more used to thinking of El-P as a rapper than a DJ, but this is a pleasant reminder of his many abilities. This is either a rather old song being remixed or an excellent imitation of just that. The result has a nicely disconcerting, out-of-time quality to it.
07 - Tom Waits, "Heart of a Saturday Night" - I've tried repeatedly to enjoy Tom Waits, and it just ain't happening. Dunno why exactly, it just ain't, and this song hasn't done anything to change my mind.
08 - Devendra Banhart, "When the Sun Shone on Vetiver" - The layered vocals are what really make this song; someone is in the background wailing along just slightly out of sync with the main vocalist, which works well with the droning instruments accompanying it all. Pretty decent.
09 - Chris Brokaw, "Dresden Promenade" - Quiet instrumental rock that turns into crashing, thundrous instrumental rock a couple minutes in, then back again just before the end. Eh.
10 - Smokey & Miho, "Consolacao" - A mellow, jazzy vocal number, with a very bossa nova vibe to the whole thing: mild percussion accompanying a laid-back guitar, with the occasional horn moments. I liked it quite a bit.
11 - Lisa Germano, "The Darkest Night of All" - And we're back to melancholy, with heartfelt vocals over a piano. Is that an accordion a couple minutes in? Pleasant, in a moody sort of way, but it doesn't reach out and grab me.
12 - Sigur Ros, "Hjartao Hamast" - Menacing guitar (bass, perhaps?), atmsopheric electronics, and an interesting sort of vocal processing that sounds like someone making a confession over a telephone. The bits of fuzz that show up remind me of the Neutral Milk Hotel, and the piano-and-strings moment near the end is nice.
13 - Brad Mehidau, "Goodbye Storyteller" - Elegant piano music; I can't decide if it's more classical or jazz, but it's damn fine either way. I liked this very much, even if I can't find much coherant to say about it.
14 - Nina Simone, "Who Knows Where the Time Goes" - God, I love Nina Simone. Smoking jazz vocals at their finest, with a great live atmosphere. An excellent finale.
All in all, this was a mixed bag for me, though not through any fault of the music itself; I just tend to bounce off gloomy rock and eletronica. There were some songs on here I really enjoyed, however, and I'll be looking for more by Juana Molina because of it. So, objectively this is excellent, but personally I'm going to have to be in just the right mood to listen to it. Oh, and I loved the cover design.
Sorry that took so astoundingly long! Yoshifumi, Jack Frost, I haven't forgotten about you two, and will have your reviews up sooner or later. Hopefully the former, but with my track record "later" is more likely. Either way, you'll be sure to get them eventually.
FnordChan
Between Liars and Ghosts, courtesy of Hotarubi:
01 - Max Richter, "Shadow Journal" - A nice atmospheric, ambient beginning. A very subdued beat kicks in around three minutes in, but you'd hardly notice. This song is pure, distilled melancholy. I have yet to listen closely enough to understand what the vocals are in the beginning; I think I like them better as murmuring in the background.
02 - Patrick Wolf, "Demolition" - Things pick up every so slightly, but the music remains just as moody. Is that a recorder piping in (so to speak) around two minutes in? Whatever it is, I like it. The lyrics are very heartfelt in a way that doesn't quite grab me. Around five minutes in, that recorder returns, sounding almost like a calliope; or, vice-versa. A great finish for a song that didn't do a whole lot for me in the beginning.
03 - Juana Molina, "Salvese Quien Pueda" - I'm fond of listening to songs in a language I don't understand; the singing becomes an abstract accompaniment to the music. Even if I don't understand a word, Molina's singing is terrific, with a sort of lilting style. The music flows along quietly in the background, with the occasional guitar showing up, and a nice glitchy beat beginning around two minutes in. I particularly like the chorus, where different musical bits suddenly show up like a break in the clouds. I really dug this song.
04 - M. Ward, "Outta My Head" - Reverb! A low-key, slighty twangy rock number. I like the keyboard bits, but not much else; the singing does zilch for me ala the Patrick wolf tune.
05 - Animal Collective, "Winter's Love" - I've been fond of Animal Collective's deeply quirky pop numbers since first hearing "Who Could Win A Rabbit"; this is very similar, with playful percussion, choral voices chugging along in the background, and an almost childlike quality. I'm reminded heavily of the Danielson Famile, not that this is a bad thing. Another favorite.
06 - El-P & the Blue Series Continuum, "When the Moon Was Blue" - I'm more used to thinking of El-P as a rapper than a DJ, but this is a pleasant reminder of his many abilities. This is either a rather old song being remixed or an excellent imitation of just that. The result has a nicely disconcerting, out-of-time quality to it.
07 - Tom Waits, "Heart of a Saturday Night" - I've tried repeatedly to enjoy Tom Waits, and it just ain't happening. Dunno why exactly, it just ain't, and this song hasn't done anything to change my mind.
08 - Devendra Banhart, "When the Sun Shone on Vetiver" - The layered vocals are what really make this song; someone is in the background wailing along just slightly out of sync with the main vocalist, which works well with the droning instruments accompanying it all. Pretty decent.
09 - Chris Brokaw, "Dresden Promenade" - Quiet instrumental rock that turns into crashing, thundrous instrumental rock a couple minutes in, then back again just before the end. Eh.
10 - Smokey & Miho, "Consolacao" - A mellow, jazzy vocal number, with a very bossa nova vibe to the whole thing: mild percussion accompanying a laid-back guitar, with the occasional horn moments. I liked it quite a bit.
11 - Lisa Germano, "The Darkest Night of All" - And we're back to melancholy, with heartfelt vocals over a piano. Is that an accordion a couple minutes in? Pleasant, in a moody sort of way, but it doesn't reach out and grab me.
12 - Sigur Ros, "Hjartao Hamast" - Menacing guitar (bass, perhaps?), atmsopheric electronics, and an interesting sort of vocal processing that sounds like someone making a confession over a telephone. The bits of fuzz that show up remind me of the Neutral Milk Hotel, and the piano-and-strings moment near the end is nice.
13 - Brad Mehidau, "Goodbye Storyteller" - Elegant piano music; I can't decide if it's more classical or jazz, but it's damn fine either way. I liked this very much, even if I can't find much coherant to say about it.
14 - Nina Simone, "Who Knows Where the Time Goes" - God, I love Nina Simone. Smoking jazz vocals at their finest, with a great live atmosphere. An excellent finale.
All in all, this was a mixed bag for me, though not through any fault of the music itself; I just tend to bounce off gloomy rock and eletronica. There were some songs on here I really enjoyed, however, and I'll be looking for more by Juana Molina because of it. So, objectively this is excellent, but personally I'm going to have to be in just the right mood to listen to it. Oh, and I loved the cover design.
Sorry that took so astoundingly long! Yoshifumi, Jack Frost, I haven't forgotten about you two, and will have your reviews up sooner or later. Hopefully the former, but with my track record "later" is more likely. Either way, you'll be sure to get them eventually.
FnordChan
Litigation Manuel
Member
Not yet. I'll post when it does come though, which should hopefully be soon.
I guess now would be a good time to stop anticipating ever receiving mixes from my other group members. I was hoping to get at least a review from my group members as I was all over this thing and sent out my mixes well in advance of the stated due date. This whole mix exchange is a great idea but totally dependent on the individuals involved actually following through. Why sign up if you don't plan to actually take part? Archaix and =W=, my glaring is directed in your direction.
sefskillz said:
Sweet. I hope you like it. I'm enjoying your mix, aside from a few tracks that drag on for a bit too long or I just don't like very much. But yeah, the first 4-5 tracks are all ace.
Uhh..I guess you kind of have to be in the mood for the stuff that's on my mix, but I think there should be SOMETHING on it you'll enjoy to some degree. If not, at least you've got the nice CD packaging.
StrikerObi. He's being lazy, they're already burned, he just needs cases and to ship.Fatalah said:
I doubt we're missing much
I've been busy too, strange how that works
At this point, I'd be happy to see a brief review of my mix, kinda a thumbs up/thumbs down "hey this song really kicked ass" thing.
Here's how my review for you will go. I'll mark it down as a to do on Friday, becase I'm pretty slammed until then. If any of my game reviews are late, I'm blaming you
okay okay, I'll get your review in too goddamnit! but you're not the one that sent 2 discs?! if so, i'm just reviewing the first disc because it seemed like the more reputable mix. I ain't reviewin no goddamn videogame music in the second disc!
BTW, buy or rent Def Jam? Wait for NBA Live? or NBA Street 3?
Out of those 3, which would be best to buy....hmm...
Or save up for the DS?!
BTW, buy or rent Def Jam? Wait for NBA Live? or NBA Street 3?
Out of those 3, which would be best to buy....hmm...
Or save up for the DS?!
There were a whopping two video game tracks (6 and 7, specifically) on the second disc, of which you can skip right past. Jeez, I try to enlighten people with Deltron, Oingo Boingo and this is the thanks I get?
Rent Def Jam. Forget NBA Live. Isn't Street next year?
Save save save! This season is gonna be tough as it stands, and the more frugal you are, the better. Remember, hardware drops in price MUCH slower than software, and most games will be super cheap next spring/summer. It's not like you'll have the time to play them all anyways.
Rent Def Jam. Forget NBA Live. Isn't Street next year?
Save save save! This season is gonna be tough as it stands, and the more frugal you are, the better. Remember, hardware drops in price MUCH slower than software, and most games will be super cheap next spring/summer. It's not like you'll have the time to play them all anyways.
so in this case, save up for the DS so i can have my friends marvel at me for the whole winter?....hmm....sounds like a plan...
But I'd like a cool game to play with my girlfriend throughout the fall, we play MVP baseball SO much. I just wanted to spicen up life on the couch with a new game. Hmm
do I smell an Editorial ideaaaaaa....
PS-- You're zombiewaffles now??
But I'd like a cool game to play with my girlfriend throughout the fall, we play MVP baseball SO much. I just wanted to spicen up life on the couch with a new game. Hmm
do I smell an Editorial ideaaaaaa....
PS-- You're zombiewaffles now??
yoshifumi said:i still need to review fnordchan's and sefskillz's mixes. i said i'd review them 2 weeks ago and i still haven't done it but i figure i'm allowed to be late considering everyone else's track records.
Considering how painfully late I am at reviewing your mixes, I reckon we can let it slide just this once. ^_^
FnordChan
i'd like to be involved in the next one, i wonder if the extra effort that is needed is turning some ppl off. for instance i just have a monochrome laser printer, it's just not suitable for printing covers with photos.
getting some blank cds and cases and burning the tracks - that is the easy part, designing and printing out covers etc is kinda difficult.
getting some blank cds and cases and burning the tracks - that is the easy part, designing and printing out covers etc is kinda difficult.
nitewulf said:
Wait, we have to use photographs for our covers? Oh, shit, why didn't anyone tell me? And, if need be, there's always:
Exactly. Awesome covers = no problem.
Nope. Plain ol' printer paper. Photoshop helped, but isn't exactly crucial to the scheme; I'm sure the free equivalent would do just fine.
Suerte, I've said before that I like the actual "getting stuff in the mail" aspect of a physical mix exchange. But, if you want to organize a digital exchange, hey, I'm all for that, too.
FnordChan
Litigation Manuel
Member
Alcuard, I got your mix, thanks for getting that out, it looks like it will make me feel all tingly inside! I will within the next week or so get everyone's reviews up, probably all around the same time.
Litigation Manuel
Member
Sefskillz, here's the review for "The Late Mix."
1. Music Box- The Cooper Temple Cause: The beginning is kinda neat, once the lyrics come in it doesn't sound all that out of the ordinary, but not bad. The chorus sounds typical of some of the bands out today, for some reason evanescence came to mind (I know that's rude to say, no real similarities, but it did! I'm sorry!). Pretty boring chorus all in all, a little predictable, didn't feel like it matched the song. Not necessarily a bad song, but not quite my taste. 4/10
2. From Arkansas with Love- Imaginary Baseball League: A nice calm song, I really like the harmonica in it. When I heard it I was all "Is that harmonica!? Frantastic!" And I meant frantastic, not fantastic, harmonica is just that great. Nothing too out of the ordinary, nothing too original, but not bad. It is a sad love song, so it can't be too unique from the start, but it does it well. Pretty good all in all. 7/10
3. One Big Holiday- My Morning Jacket: This flows well with the mood from the last song. The main riff is kinda neat, but when the lyrics come in it seems to set off the mood it created, the sound of the singer's voice doesn't quite fit. The riff revives it a bit, but when it goes into the solo it seems to lack a little passion, more there just for the sake of a solo. It's decent though, the format does feel a bit standard though. 5/10
4. Running up That Hill- Placebo: This song isn't bad, however, I'm a bit put off by all the echo and synth-ish parts. The whole song seems like a lot of build up that doesn't quite pay off. It's okay, but nothing I would listen to often. Again, not quite my style. 3.5/10
5. So Low- Self: This begins pretty nicely, but I don't like the chorus much at all. It feels kind of overdone, and the lyrics seem kind of stupid to me. The break in the middle of the song redeems it a little, but again, I just can't stand the chorus. "I'm so low that I wish I was dead...", come on, we can be a little less obvious than that. 4/10
6. The Doctor and the DJ- Her Space Holiday: I like this song. It has a nice calm, flowing feel to it. The vocal stylings match it perfectly, very quiet and smooth. Not too much to say about this one, besides that I liked it. I may look into Her Space Holiday some more, recommend me a good album sometime. 8/10
7. Minty- Outside: It's a nice little jazzy song. The piano reminds of something I'd hear on the weather channel though. Seriously. I could imagine this song there. Maybe my weather channel just plays good music, but being reminded of the weather channel doesn't help my liking of this song. Not bad though, I like all the changes at the end. 6/10
8. Passing on the Stairs- Elysian Fields: This is pretty mellow and sad. But it pulls it off well. The girl's voice is (dare I say again?) frantastic. I just really like the tone and qualities of it. I also like how the lyrics keep referring back to the line "passing on the stairs", not as if a refrain, but just a common theme almost. A little too mellow for me most of the time, but when the mood is right, this song would do well. 8.3/10
9. Mashin on the Motorway- DJ Shadow: Well, it probably doesn't help that when I first heard this song I was driving downtown. The honks and stuff kept setting me off. I could imagine hearing this song in Jet Set Radio if it had some high pitched singing part. It's not bad, but all the sounds of traffic and people shouting just seems kinda stupid. 5/10
10. Michael in Reign- Shun: Mellow. Guitar isn't too bad, I like the beginning, with the long ringing notes. The voice isn't too bad. I won't take this out on my review, but when he kept singing "he's drowning in the reign (rain)" I wasn't sure which word to think of. Then I got into thinking whether or not you can drown in reign, and I figured you could metaphorically, but I want literal! So I think rain, but then I remember "reign" in the title and I get all confused. Once the drums drop in, and the song picks up pace, it's not bad, however, I don't like the power chords in it. They feel a bit too standard for this song. The form in which the song is delivered is a little common. Not bad, the beginning is better than the end. 6.5/10
11. Punk Rock- Mogwai: Not bad. If it were any longer, I think I wouldn't like it. But it's short and to the point, the vocal sound clip is pretty interesting all in all, the music backing it is beautiful, flowing, very soothing. 8/10
12. Le Soleil Est Pres De Moi- Dan the Automator: I'm mostly familiar with Dan through his work with Deltron and Kool Keith, so it was interesting to hear something that he did for once. I like it all in all, very tranquil. Good music to think to. Goes on a little too long for my taste, but I can handle it. 7.8/10
13. Maaya Sakamoto- Yubiwa: Did I mix up the song title and the artist here? It looks that way now. Oh well. Anyway. I don't like this song. Really, at all. It sounds like something I would hear on workday radio. Overly dramatic, a bit cheesy, what I would hear in at the dentist's, except in Japanese. If only my dentist were Japanese, then maybe I wouldn't have had to add that "except in Japanese" part. Damn you European heritage! The singer has a very pretty voice, but pretty doesn't cut it for me. 1.5/10
All in all, a pretty good mix. A lot of it just wasn't quite my taste in music, but it wasn't necessarily bad, it just didn't click with me. I did hear some good songs though, and I will likely be looking more into Mogwai, Elysian Fields and such. In total, I will give this mix a 6/10. Not bad, but some that I just didn't like much. Thanks again for sending it, and it introduced me to some good music which is all I was looking to get out of it anyhow.
1. Music Box- The Cooper Temple Cause: The beginning is kinda neat, once the lyrics come in it doesn't sound all that out of the ordinary, but not bad. The chorus sounds typical of some of the bands out today, for some reason evanescence came to mind (I know that's rude to say, no real similarities, but it did! I'm sorry!). Pretty boring chorus all in all, a little predictable, didn't feel like it matched the song. Not necessarily a bad song, but not quite my taste. 4/10
2. From Arkansas with Love- Imaginary Baseball League: A nice calm song, I really like the harmonica in it. When I heard it I was all "Is that harmonica!? Frantastic!" And I meant frantastic, not fantastic, harmonica is just that great. Nothing too out of the ordinary, nothing too original, but not bad. It is a sad love song, so it can't be too unique from the start, but it does it well. Pretty good all in all. 7/10
3. One Big Holiday- My Morning Jacket: This flows well with the mood from the last song. The main riff is kinda neat, but when the lyrics come in it seems to set off the mood it created, the sound of the singer's voice doesn't quite fit. The riff revives it a bit, but when it goes into the solo it seems to lack a little passion, more there just for the sake of a solo. It's decent though, the format does feel a bit standard though. 5/10
4. Running up That Hill- Placebo: This song isn't bad, however, I'm a bit put off by all the echo and synth-ish parts. The whole song seems like a lot of build up that doesn't quite pay off. It's okay, but nothing I would listen to often. Again, not quite my style. 3.5/10
5. So Low- Self: This begins pretty nicely, but I don't like the chorus much at all. It feels kind of overdone, and the lyrics seem kind of stupid to me. The break in the middle of the song redeems it a little, but again, I just can't stand the chorus. "I'm so low that I wish I was dead...", come on, we can be a little less obvious than that. 4/10
6. The Doctor and the DJ- Her Space Holiday: I like this song. It has a nice calm, flowing feel to it. The vocal stylings match it perfectly, very quiet and smooth. Not too much to say about this one, besides that I liked it. I may look into Her Space Holiday some more, recommend me a good album sometime. 8/10
7. Minty- Outside: It's a nice little jazzy song. The piano reminds of something I'd hear on the weather channel though. Seriously. I could imagine this song there. Maybe my weather channel just plays good music, but being reminded of the weather channel doesn't help my liking of this song. Not bad though, I like all the changes at the end. 6/10
8. Passing on the Stairs- Elysian Fields: This is pretty mellow and sad. But it pulls it off well. The girl's voice is (dare I say again?) frantastic. I just really like the tone and qualities of it. I also like how the lyrics keep referring back to the line "passing on the stairs", not as if a refrain, but just a common theme almost. A little too mellow for me most of the time, but when the mood is right, this song would do well. 8.3/10
9. Mashin on the Motorway- DJ Shadow: Well, it probably doesn't help that when I first heard this song I was driving downtown. The honks and stuff kept setting me off. I could imagine hearing this song in Jet Set Radio if it had some high pitched singing part. It's not bad, but all the sounds of traffic and people shouting just seems kinda stupid. 5/10
10. Michael in Reign- Shun: Mellow. Guitar isn't too bad, I like the beginning, with the long ringing notes. The voice isn't too bad. I won't take this out on my review, but when he kept singing "he's drowning in the reign (rain)" I wasn't sure which word to think of. Then I got into thinking whether or not you can drown in reign, and I figured you could metaphorically, but I want literal! So I think rain, but then I remember "reign" in the title and I get all confused. Once the drums drop in, and the song picks up pace, it's not bad, however, I don't like the power chords in it. They feel a bit too standard for this song. The form in which the song is delivered is a little common. Not bad, the beginning is better than the end. 6.5/10
11. Punk Rock- Mogwai: Not bad. If it were any longer, I think I wouldn't like it. But it's short and to the point, the vocal sound clip is pretty interesting all in all, the music backing it is beautiful, flowing, very soothing. 8/10
12. Le Soleil Est Pres De Moi- Dan the Automator: I'm mostly familiar with Dan through his work with Deltron and Kool Keith, so it was interesting to hear something that he did for once. I like it all in all, very tranquil. Good music to think to. Goes on a little too long for my taste, but I can handle it. 7.8/10
13. Maaya Sakamoto- Yubiwa: Did I mix up the song title and the artist here? It looks that way now. Oh well. Anyway. I don't like this song. Really, at all. It sounds like something I would hear on workday radio. Overly dramatic, a bit cheesy, what I would hear in at the dentist's, except in Japanese. If only my dentist were Japanese, then maybe I wouldn't have had to add that "except in Japanese" part. Damn you European heritage! The singer has a very pretty voice, but pretty doesn't cut it for me. 1.5/10
All in all, a pretty good mix. A lot of it just wasn't quite my taste in music, but it wasn't necessarily bad, it just didn't click with me. I did hear some good songs though, and I will likely be looking more into Mogwai, Elysian Fields and such. In total, I will give this mix a 6/10. Not bad, but some that I just didn't like much. Thanks again for sending it, and it introduced me to some good music which is all I was looking to get out of it anyhow.
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