Hi Y'all,
I had to say I had lots of fun working on this this CD. At one point, I had about 3 versions of it, plus an extra half hour of material. Then halfway through this project, I watched the movie "High Fidelity" again (a classic music nerd film) and made some more changes. As John Cusack's character says, there are certain rules for making these mix tapes correctly.... :-). With that in mind, I keep fine-tuning the song flow. Sometimes my selections just didn't seem to connect right as I was listening to the results so I either eliminated the songs, added new ones or reordered the mix. In the commentary to the songs below I've mentioned some of the choices I considered.

I see 3 themes running through my selections: some "in my life' tunes reminding me of people and things that went before, a strong dose of singer-songwriters, and finally, some 'guitar god' selections.

So, with that as introduction, let's get to it:

1. In My Life, The Beatles. One of my all time favorite songs. It may be a little obvious but I thought this was a good way to set the theme for the rest of the CD. People and things that went before... leading to the present time.
2. Written on the Subway Wall - Dion. Yes that Dion, but from his 1989 "Yo Frankie" CD filled with excellent tunes. I grew up in NYC and this is my selection and tribute to that period in my life. (PS note the reference to Elvis... this was originally the lead in song before cuts 12 and 13.
3. New American Language - Dan Bern. A master of irony & lyrics and extremely funny, Bern has over the years been compared to Springsteen and Dylan, but he really has a perspective uniquely his own. This beat out "San Francisco Days" by Chris Isaac at the last minute, another great song, Bern is not from San Francisco, where I lived for 25 years, but I saw him a lot there and I was running out of space.
4. Home - Marc Broussard. Broussard is a local boy singing about the Lafayette, LA area where I now live, with an amazing set of pipes. He's just starting to hit the big time. This song really showcases his vocals.
5. Stomp Dance (Unity) - Robbie Robertson. I lived in Arizona for about 5 years. Robbie Robertson (from the Band) has Native American blood and this entire CD by him is one of my favorites. I liked how the beat from "Home" sounded connected to the tradition rhythms in this song.
6. Tchorba -Les Yeux Noirs. I first saw this exciting band at Festival International in Lafayette. From France, they play the same instruments as many local Cajun bands (twin fiddles, accordion, guitar) but boy, do they sound different. Mixing klezmer and gypsy music, with a modern sensibility, this rhythmically complex, minor chorded cut reminded me of "Fiddler on the Roof'" heritage on speed.
7. American Tune - Paul Simon. My favorite song from one of great American song-writers, I liked how this particular song served as a link between the klezmer flavors of cut 6 and my grandparents' own immigration experiences coming on the 'ships that sailed the sea' to the new world.
8. Shiver Me Timbers - Tom Waits. I couldn't put together a mix without one Tom Waits song. I liked how this song picked up the sea theme of the previous tune, as well as, topically, my nod to this summer's Pirates of the Carribean/Johnny Depp channeling Keith Richards craze.
9. A Case of You - Joni Mitchell. Part of the singer/songwriter sub-theme of this mix plus authobiographical in the sense that I used to date a guy who lived in Canada. Also, lyrically connected to the next track... ' you're so bitter but baby you're so sweet"

10. Bittersweet and Blue - David Bankston. Bankston is originally from Lafayette, and this beautifully crafted song, about the end of relationship also features Sam Broussard (of Steve Riley & The Mamou Playboys (see track 16 ) on guitar. Sam is one of the 'guitar gods' I have included on this CD. A track from his solo CD, called "Geeks" (highly recommended) got removed due to lack of space and a thematic tie to the other songs on this CD).

11. Made Up My Mind - John Mooney. Thematically, what might happen after track 10. Also selected because John Mooney is one of my all time favorite slide guitar players.
12. Weeping Statues - Graham Parker. Elvis sightings, oh my! (connect the dots back to a reference on track 2). Parker came out of the same period of angry young British singer-songwriters as Elvis Costello. He had a string of albums during the 80s that were lyrically brilliant and in ways he also reminds me of Dan Bern (see track 3).
13. From Galway to Graceland - Richard Thompson. Another amazing guitarist, brilliant songwriter and poetic story-teller. More Elvis (I wasn't a big Elvis fan myself, but I thought it was interesting how many songs I like that have references to him). (A very early CD mix also included "Graceland" by Paul Simon in it but in the end I thought that was overkill).
14. Tennessee Waltz/Tennesee Mazurka - Tom Jones and the Chieftains. I liked the connection between track 13 and this song's Ireland/Tennessee connections. Tom Jones' vocals are just outstanding on this track. Plus I've listened to a lot of Irish music over the years, and this song was good way to represent that portion of my record collection.
15. Cajun Waltz - Sonny Landreth. From the Tennessee waltz, just down south a bit, to a contemporary Cajun waltz by Lafayette's master of slide guitar.
16. Lover's Waltz - Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys. A beautiful and more traditional Cajun waltz by my favorite Cajun band. At one time I had three different tracks by SRMP on this CD....all representing different styles of Cajun music... a capella ballads, two-steps and waltzes plus a few tracks by some other Cajun, creole and zydeco bands. This one track now represents on this CD all the traditional music I so dearly love here in Acadiana.
17. Louisiana 1927 - Randy Newman Another great singer-songwriter, post-Katrina this song about my adopted home state took on a new poignancy.
18. O Mary Don't You Weep - Bruce Springsteen. Bruce's is not only a great great-songwriter, but also an inspiration. His own songs have so much depth - about struggles and redemption, but in the end I selected for this CD his interpretation of a traditional tune... With its klemzer strings, New Orleans orchestration, and spiritual healing, I liked how the song tied the Louisiana and klemzer/immigrant themes together and pointed to track 19, which is how I always knew I was going to end this CD. (For a long time, I had "My City in Ruins" in this spot.)
19. Jerusalem - Steve Earle Along with Bruce, Earle is a great songwriter with populist political leanings. Written right after 9/11, this tune, from his controversial and brilliant album of the same name, is, in my opinion, the best song written in aftermath of that horrible day.

Old Enough To Know Better

My first musical loves fall generally in the way of cryin' tunes (Tom Waits' "Tom Traubert's Blues" was to have been my lead-in) but fate stepped in. I’m a recent transplant to Minnesooota so springtime here brought a feeling of freedom. I had to load up the CD player and go somewhere on the first nice day. So most of this collection simply fell out of a group of CDs I had arbitrarily selected for my car's changer (yep, it is NICE to have a large changer). Anyhoo, it was a fabulous day, I was driving in the country and well, you know...

No traffic tickets this time, I'm happy to report. So the song list mostly wrote itself; I hopped on home and picked out a few more to round out the list. As the first few were recent purchases, I tried to stick with that theme. Of course, that says nothing about the recording dates…The editing of this collection prompted no less than three visits from my upstairs neighbor, "um, say, that's kinda loud today".

I hate one-tune wonders. You know, you hear a great song, you rush out and buy the CD and discover the meaning of filler. I've bought many such and they don't last long in my rotation. So I have lots of stuff available cheap for those who are easily pleased. But none o' that here. All of these pieces are solid throughout so if you like what you hear you'll like the rest. OK, so I did sneak in one or two heartbreak tunes. Sue me.

Side 1 – Fat Horns!

1. James Hunter – Watch & Chain c People Gonna Talk (2006)
   

   This is a 2006 release, mind you. Mr. Hunter appears to have fallen through a serious time warp. I looked askew at this recommendation when I got it because Blue Eyed Soul is such a silly moniker. I think it's closer to old-school R & B. White guys rarely do a good job with such music so this one is terrific fun.

2. Gigi – Tew Ante Sew – Gigi (2001)
   

   More fat African horns! This CD is more down-tempo than this song but it's all good stuff. Her new one is pretty good too but this one's better. My sister gave me this some years back as she figured I needed to get over my crush on Sade. It worked. Of course, if either lady tires of a life of fame, wealth, and privilege, Minnesoooota's not such a bad place, eh?

3. Karl Denson – Dance Lesson #2 – Dance Lesson #2 (2001)
   

   Mr. Denson got off to a dubious start-playing backup for girlie-man Kravitz. He has redeemed himself nicely since then, moving from pop into acid jazz (this too is a fairly useless name for a genre); soul-jazz is probably closer. I hear that Dance Lesson #1 was better but I can't find a print. Another fun, dance-oriented thing.

4. Junior Walker – Shake And Fingerpop – Shotgun (1965)
   

   This is from Junior Walker’s classic R & B horn-fest. Everyone knows the title tune but I love the horns on this one. If you want a more musically sophisticated variation, Don Byron put out a fine jazz LP: Do The Boomerang – The Music of Junior Walker (2006). And if you’re greedy, like me, Shotgun and Soul Session are now sold as a two-fer.

5. Antibalas – Who is this America Dem Speak of Today? – Who is this America? (2004)
   

   Ya gotta love what them Afro-beat bands can do with a horn section! Note, some of the lyrics are a bit political but it's a fun, fat, dancy kinda thing all the way through. Went to their home page wondering about tour dates. Arrgh!I kid you not, they played their only Minneapolis date TWO HOURS before I clicked the link. Note that this is not their latest CD, which is reputedly pretty good but a bit different.

6. Count Basie – Boogie Woogie (I May Be Wrong) – At Newport (1957)
   

   OK, it's dated. But it's a kicking live album by the greatest swing band ever. This tune has Jimmy Rushing on vocals and there are also several by the immortal Joe Williams. You will have to ignore a little yada-yada from a rather annoying emcee.

Side 2 – A Bit o’ This, A Bit o’ That..

7. Lauren MacColl – Tha mi tinn Leis a Ghaol (I am sick with love) – When Leaves Fall (2007)
   

   Gorgeous, melancholy Scottish fiddling and one of the best song titles ever. Well, the translation, anyway.
   

8. Rosanne Cash – God Is In The Roses – Black Cadillac (2006)
   

   The title tune is terrific but it’s been all over the radio so you must have heard it. The Cash name never gave me the urge to run out and buy music. But this was such a surprise to me; it’s a keeper! I've bought a few alt. country CDs before and enjoyed them but they don't hold up terribly well over the long run so I have some reservations here. It’s one unashamedly emotional piece, all about dealing with the death of Rosanne's parents. If you don't care for your grief laid out front and center, this is not for you.

9. Slewfoot & Cary B – Rainin' In New Orleans – Rainin' In New Orleans (2006)
   

   I shouldn't like this album, but it’s rather haunting. Technically a blues duo, they’re a pair of New Orleans street performers doing a sort of hippie/folk/blues/street thing. An acquired taste for sure but it stubbornly remains in my rotation. This is one of those pieces that require several listens to grow on one.

10. Eddie Hazel – California Dreamin' – Games, Dames, and Guitar Thangs (2006 by way of 1977)
    

    I only recently stumbled across this chestnut from the psychedelic/funk era. You'll only care for this if you really enjoy checking out guitarists as the sound is maybe a little dated. But there's real genius at work here and, what the heck, the neo-psychedelic revival is still in flower. Less self-indulgence than Hendrix, more funk. Eddie would have been a contender for the throne had he not passed on in much the same fashion. The original recording is from 1977 but the CD is a new release, believe it or not.

11. The Waterboys – And a Bang on the Ear – Fisherman's Blues (1988)
    

    Irish folk / pop. I'm told they're an acquired taste but this one just keeps growing on me. This song sticks in my head the whole day after hearing it in the car.

12. Richard Buckner & John Langford – Sweet Anybody – Sir Dark Invader vs. The Fanglord (2005)
    

    Yep, Jon Langford of Mekons fame teams up with a folk/country sort of guy. It ain't punk, folk, or country in my opinion. But it’s another one that keeps getting airtime around here.

13. Snow Patrol – Shut Your Eyes – Eyes Open (2006)
    

    Guitar-driven pop, nice songwriting, hooky vocals; doesn’t fit neatly into one style. Sounds good on the car radio.

14. The Rockford Mules – True North – Crooked Tooth (2005)
    

    Straightforward bone-crushing guitars plus a bit of lap steel from a Minnesooota band. Really no fun at all if played at responsible listening levels.

15. Muse – Starlight – Black Holes and Revelations (2006)
    

    It’s gothic power pop / neo prog rock, another high-volume thing. Reasonable listening levels will disappoint. I'm getting too old for floor pounding from my neighbor. Time to buy a house?

16. Sonny Landreth – Creole Angel – South Of I-10 (1995)
    

    Sonny is a slide guitar magician and represents the pinnacle of Cajun-style rock. It was hard to pick one song from this CD. In spite of Sonny’s gentler vocal style, this one comes with a volume warning as well for you gotta crank it up to appreciate that slide work. I get funny looks every time I drive into the lot at work playing this one (shouldn't a guy have matured by his age?).

17. Rhys Chatham – Two Gongs (1971)
    

    Heh-heh, just kidding, it's not here. No idea how I ended up with the strangest avant-garde CD I've ever heard. This is a one-track CD, 61:39 of two guys keeping two large Chinese gongs busy.

Sacrifices to the 80-Minute God
I need more room, Scotty! Captain, she canna take no more. Sorry.

• Big Country – Driving To Damascus (2002)
  

  They’ve been around 20 years and this is one of their best. Soaring guitars and hooky vocals everywhere! Plus a great cryin’ tune (Fragile Thing).

• The Black Angels – Passover (2006)
  

  Darkish, neo-psychedelic guitar drone kinda stuff. Not too many listens yet, but I gotta make room in the changer for it!

• Drive-By Truckers – A Blessing And A Curse (2006)
  

  Country / hard rock. Sorta Rolling Stonesy (circa their Exile On Main St days when they didn’t suck) guitars and vocals. Maybe a little like Wilco et al but more enjoyable listening.
  

• Mavis Staples – We'll Never Turn Back (2007)
  

  No kidding, her new album is great! Ry Cooder produced and did the guitar work. It’s a terrific set of spirituals harkening back to the civil rights heyday.

• The Bottle Rockets –Brooklyn Side (1995)
  

  It's unusual for me but here's another entertaining country/rock outfit. I’m making money and I'm having fun, with my brand-new radar gun.

• Ketama, Toumani Diabate, Jose Soto – Songhai 2 (2006)
  

  Honorable mention. Flamenco crossed with African folk music. Sorta flamenco done gentle
  and pretty.

Nowhere Version 2.1 (with commentary)
As brought to you by Rachel Nabors auf SubcultureofOne.com

This playlist was designed to take you on a journey to my home in the Blue Ridge Mountains. I just moved to a city and was feeling nostalgic, so I put together this auditory odyssey as a measure of comfort. You will see the sunny, happy, rural settings in addition to hidden aspects usually not associated with “simple country folk.”

1. "Road to Nowhere" by Talking Heads
I ripped this off an Internet radio station, so that's why it has that weird opening.

2. "No Myth," by Michael Penn
I usually ended up wandering around alone in the local Rite-Aid pharmacy for my birthday, and inevitably this song would start playing over the speakers. I have no idea why. Sometimes I like to change the lyrics to "Juliet in black jeans."

3. "Blood and Roses," by the Smithereens
Whenever I would get all dressed up to go out, this song would play in the back of my head whenever I would open a door. That opening bass is just so coooooool.

3. I don’t know the name of this one, as a musician friend gave it to me. See his site at: novaoneproductions.com

4. "Und Dafur," by And One
One of the few instrumental pieces I have by this German synth/industrial group.

5. "The Hard Disk Approach," by Len
It sounds German, but Len is actually a Canadian group of varying talents. The rest of the songs on the album I took this from ranged from rap to old school rock and roll. Whenever I hear it, I see a montage of my dog and chickens. And a rooster in a space suit singing the lyrics.

6. "I Would Walk," by The Proclaimers
A chicken-sounding song.

7. "Some Cow Fonque (More Tea, Vicar?)," by Buckshot LeFonque
From the Men In Black soundtrack!

8. "Cottoneye Joe," by Rednex
The guys who made this song are actually Norwegian, I believe. Makes me feel like racing over fields.

9. "Kaze wa Mirai ni Fuku (The Wind Blows to the Future),"Akima & Neos
The ending themesong from the anime Trigun. Cropcircles and cowrides all the way.

10. "Scarecrow," by Ritalin
Ritalin is associated with Skinny Puppy, a very hardcore group. This song serves as a comfortable bridge to the next one, which is much more disturbing.

11. "Imago," by Ritalin
"Down in the back and around the corner." I like practicing bellydancing and kicking to this.

12. "Funeral Diner," by WUMPSCUT
As lovely and backwards as my home was, sometimes very otherworldly things would happen. I heard stories of a road that you could drive down twice in the middle of the night. As in drive past the clump of gas stations, keep driving straight, and pass them again. Appearances are deceiving, and all sorts of things happen on strange and lonely mountains.

13. "Stripped," as covered by Rammstein
I think this one outdoes the original Depeche Mode version. It's all about unplugging and going back into the forest. But note how ominous and foreboding it all sounds when coming from Rammstein.

14. "I Might Be Wrong," by Radiohead
For long walks in empty fields.

15. "Didn’t Leave Nobody But the Babe," by Emmylou Harris
You may remember this from O Brother, Where Art Thou? A great Halloween song. Very spooky. The little noises in the background should not be listened to after dark ;)

16. "Come on in Out of the Rain," by 12 Rounds
Because the last song sounded so wet and dark.

17. "Lonely Days," by The Future Bible Heroes
A friend of mine sent me a tape with this on it. I had to buy the album for the MP3. It perhaps best sums up how living in this area felt for a young person.

18. "Tokyo Morning (Tokyo no Asa)," by the New Kyoto Ensemble
I call this "Blue Heron Song" because it makes me think of bus rides past wetlands and flying herons.

19. "Waiting to Leave," by The Crüxshadows
Time to get the heck out of Nowhere!

Songs that did not make it:
"The River Sings" by Enya because it didn't fit anywhere and I was infatuated with it.

"The Drive Home" by Thomas Newman because I don't own the Series of Unfortunate Events soundtrack :(

WARNING: There is a slight possibility that your playlist may not match this one exactly. There was an accident which may or may not have involved some 2.0’s getting added to the 2.1’s I was preparing to mail you.

Hi all:

So February's disc is finally on its way. I'm really sorry it's not February anymore, but perhaps the disc will bring some nostalgic February memories back into your humdrum March routine. I neglected to mention when I proposed "The Flying Monkeys" as a prospective name for our club that I am in fact so fascinated by flying monkeys that I have a tattoo of one. But I'm thinking of changing it in honor of our group.
What do you think?

Here's the track info for the CD:

1. Barbecutie
Sparks

• This past summer, for some reason, was summer of Sparks. This song, like a worn-down charcoal briquette you find in the backyard after all the snow has melted, was left over.
  

2. Take Five
Kashmere Stage Band

• Between 1968 and 1975, Kashmere High School in Houston had an award-winning stage band that would dazzle the competition in platform shoes and crushed-velvet suits. I love this all-black high-school band's funked-out version of Dave Brubeck's anthem to hip-time-signatured cosmopolitan cool.
  

3. Book Of The Month
Lovage

• "You are the griddle, I am the meat": I guess it's kind of the same song as "Barbecutie," but with a different tone. I'm a big fan of Mike Patton side projects, but given everything he's done that's like saying "I like music." This one kills me.
  

4. Sunset Road
Béla Fleck & Flecktones

• This song reminds me of my little brother. He got disturbingly into jam bands for a little while in his turbulent adolescence, but this was a nice offshoot of it all.
  

5. Underwater
All-Time Quarterback

• Well, it's not exactly a Postal Service song, but I'm doing my part. All-Time Quarterback is Ben Gibbard's solo project, recorded straight to Walkman with toy instruments. I like my low-fi really, really low.
  

6. NYC-25
The Olivia Tremor Control

• Oh, Elephant 6! How to pick just one song from one band among them all?
• http://www.elephant6.com/bands.html
  

7. Ziggy Stardust
Seu Jorge

• When Seu Jorge started singing Bowie covers in The Life Aquatic, all of a sudden I couldn't pay attention to the movie anymore. I just wanted to get out of there and go buy the soundtrack. What I actually found was the "studio sessions" album, which has none of the score and a bunch of songs that didn't make it into the movie. Five stars!
  

8. My Pal Foot Foot
The Shaggs

• When my dog was a puppy, her feet were so enormous in proportion to the rest of her that they formed the basis of most of her nicknames: babyfoot, mudfoot, grabby-foot, and, inevitably, foot foot. So not only is this song kind of about Lulu, but its melodic and rhythmic attributes remind me of how I always imagined her actual thought processes might work.
  

9. Baby Gonna Leave Me
Tom Waits

• Tom Waits is like an iron rod running straight through my life and keeping everything more or less in line. I have to admit that some of the more recent "banging on stuff with other stuff" songs are distracting; if you're trying to do anything else, a random crash or bang will make you forget what it was. But this song is a nice mix of driving rhythm and noise, and gosh darn it, he's practically beatboxing!
  

10. The Model
Big Black

• I had a mix tape in high school that I used to listen to over and over again in the dark in bed at night, hating the world. It was taped off the local college radio station, and it was very cool and punk rock. This song was on it, right before "cunt tease" by Pussy Galore. Recently I did a big ipod-contents-swap with a friend of mine and lo and behold, there I was right back in high school when I heard this one.
  

11. Farmer John
Neil Young & Crazy Horse

• The Magnolia Rifles, a band of kids with whom I went to college, did an amazing cover of this song. For a long time I would make everybody mad by swearing it was the only Neil Young song worth a listen.
  

12. Campfire
Komeda

• Swedish pop!
  

13. Everything Reminds Me Of My Dog
Jane Siberry

• Um, because it does.
  

14. When You Sleep
Cake

• Haven't you always wondered?
  

15. Province
TV On The Radio

• This is currently the song I need to hear a few times each day or I don't know what I'd do. Oh, and fairly often I also have to watch the video: http://www.ifilm.com/video/2818751
  

16. Madness
Deltron 3030

• People don't make concept albums often enough anymore. This one takes place in 3030 in a world run amok. Plus, Deltron 3030 is a supergroup. People don't gather together into supergroups often enough anymore.
  

17. Indagine Su Un Cittadino Al Di Sopra Di Ogni Sospetto
Kid Sundance

• This is from an album of lovely remixes of Ennio Morricone songs from various movie soundtracks. Some are simply atmospheric, but I think the weird beats help this one stand on its own.
  

18. All My Little Words
The Magnetic Fields

• Just in case you broke up with anyone recently.
  

19. Adeus Maria Fulo (Good-bye Maria Fulo)
Os Mutantes

• Who was Maria Fulo? Where did she go? If she came back, would everything be all candy buttons, playful puppies, and carefree hijinks again?
  

20. Rouge A Levres
S.F.

• Off the same epic ipod-contents-swap. I have no idea who these people are, I don't really speak French (though I do know that "rouge a levres" is lipstick, since it's important to know the word for lipstick in every language), and I couldn't find any info on this song. It's a beautiful mystery.
  

21. Llorando (Crying)
Rebekah del Rio

• Sometimes I make everyone mad by saying the same kinds of things about David Lynch as I used to about Neil Young. But the scene featuring this song in Mulholland Drive, like "Farmer John," is totally and completely an exception to the rule.
  

Enjoy!

Beth

My contribution is actually a team effort with my fiancé, Pete. We put together all of our current favorite songs, or, as I like to say, all the songs that burst right out of the speakers for me. These are songs we can listen to over and over and have in fact been listening to a lot since we started making this mix for you guys about two months ago!

SIDE A:

Zvezda Rok-n-Roll
This song comes off the “Everything Is Illuminated” soundtrack (great movie if you haven’t seen it). There is something a little bit hilarious and very fantastic about the energy of the song.

Innacity
We have been the lucky recipients of a lot of music shared by our friends. We found Colossus on a mix a friend of Pete’s sent us with over 7 albums of artists we’d never heard of. (I appreciated Andrea’s post about how much music is out there we’ve never even heard of) This song manages to bridge hip-hop and jazz effortlessly.

La Ritournelle
I found this artist while living in Paris. For a few months, this song was playing in every “cool” café in the city and I finally inquired about it and bought the disc myself. Sebastien Tellier’s album Politics is really eclectic and this is the only song on the album that deeply resonates with me.

Darlie Kea Lemang
This song comes from an album called “Township Swing, Jazz: Vol. 1.” How we would love to get our hands on Volume 2!! It is swing music that used to be played in the townships in South Africa in the 1950s.

The Outer Banks
This is another song we got from a friend. I love the mood it sets.

Breathe Me
Speaking of songs in ads, this one just showed up in a movie preview and I think in a commercial also. However, we found this album a few months ago while we were searching for another artist on the iTunes Music Store (we have found a lot of music that way!) Sia is the lead singer for the band Zero7. She joined forces for a re-mix of “Breathe Me” with Ulrich Schnauss who kicks off Side B of this mix.

Honeyed Out
This artist is a close friend of ours. I just love this tune.

Hide and Seek
Also from a mix from a friend. There is debate as to whether the song is entirely a-cappella--thoughts?

SIDE B
Nobody’s Home
Ulrich Schnauss was one of the 7 new artists on the same mP3 mix with Colossus. All of his music tends to sound a lot like this tune and he has clearly been heavily influenced by U2. Pete cannot get enough of this artist despite the fact that it’s a bit cheesy. It sets a nice mood, though!

Cheryl Tweedy
We actually found this artist while listening to All Songs Considered and thought about not including it on this mix given the audience. However, I think it’s awesome and insisted, so…

He Lays in the Reins
Iron and Wine was the first artist who I’d heard perform “Such Great Heights” (see Jamie’s mix) The deal was sealed for this song to be on this mix when my 7 year old niece admitted to thinking it was “pretty cool.” I love the combination of Calexico’s vocals with the Iron and Wine sound. The whole album (In The Reins) is awesome.

D’Ror Yikra
This song comes from a compilation CD called Siddharta put out by the Buddha Bar restaurants in Paris. Oi-Va-Voi is someone we had heard and loved earlier but had had trouble getting our hands on. This song stands out among the rest on the 2 disc album.

Peanut Dreams
Another tune from a friend. A new favorite.

Something Pretty
I found this song on the iTunes Music Store. But I have to admit that it was on the Music From the O.C. Soundtrack. Unlikely perhaps, but it became the song that reminds me most of time that Pete and I met and got together. It’s a sentimental choice.

You Ex-Lover is Dead
Artist #3 from the 7 artist master mix from our friend. Another tune we simply love.

The District Sleeps Alone Tonight
The Postal Service has been VERY popular so far. I wonder what the stats are from the other clubs about repeat artists.

Doubletree
Jeffrey Foucault is married to Kris Delmhorst (“Honeyed Out”) and also a good friend of ours. I love his voice!

Lullaby 101
The perfect end to any album. We hope we’ve lulled you right to sleep.

Hi all,

Just a quick post to let you know that I've made everyone an administrator of the new blog; a couple of people had suggestions about visual changes they wanted to see, so now anyone can make whatever changes they want by going to "template." Have fun!

Beth

Hi all,

Blogger works! Here is the song list and comments about disc 2, same thing form the email.

1. "Heaven Knows" by Squeeze
Squeeze is great and this is a great song, sweet and lovey and hey, yes, you do remember hearing that in the pool make-out scene from the movie Hackers. Should I even admit to playing this while people were finding their seats at my wedding (no, not in 1995, just 2 months ago..)?!

2. "Holes in the Sun" by The Blood Group
This is from their 2001 EP and actually not my favorite on that but I picked it as being more "accessible" so if you are thinking *this* is depressing music well have I got more of that for you..

3. "Aguas de Marco" by Cibo Matto
Cibo Matto are 2 Japanese chicks now living in NYC known for singing kooky songs about food but they are quality musicians and vocalists and this cover is really smooth and enjoyable. The male voice is Sean Lennon. There is an mp3 of the original at http://photomatt.net/2005/01/27/aguas-de-marco/ if you want to compare.

4. "Beautiful Machine" by Legendary Pink Dots
LPD is one of my all time favorites and I really struggled to pick 1 song for the disc. You might be surprised that this is one of their most commercially appealling songs in that it is not 12 minutes long with a 4 minute electric clarinet solo, you can hardly detect the singer's trademark lisp and it isn't about a mythic king, alien visitations or the end times of modern civilization.. oops.. yes it is about the end times of modern civilization. Enjoy!

5. "Uncertain Smile" by The The
The The is great and this is a sweet song. My high school band Seven Sesquipedelian used to cover this. What do you mean you never heard of us?

6. "See a Little Light" by Bob Mould
Stand-up rock from a Minneapolitan boy.

7. "Give up" by The Postal Service
Actually the song is called "Nothing Better" but I didn't fix the file name so, sorry about that. While Jaime picked the optomistic "Such Great Heights", this one is the perfect picture of the painful break up.

8. "Rainshine" by Bran Van 3000
Not enough people are completely obsessed with Bran Van 3000. They can play the ass off of any musical genre you throw at them, I nearly filled the entire disc with Bran Van 3000 disco songs.

9. "Sunshowers" by MIA
Refugees are putting out some interesting, quality tunes lately so I am not sure what that says about the world. And then sometimes I start to think MIA is really annoying and then I remember Lady Sovereign.

10. "Reward le fin" by Mach Fox
Mach Fox might be my favorite local Minneapolis band at the moment. This is the soundtrack for driving your Eagle Talon. Check out more at http://www.myspace.com/machfox

11. "Human" by Cyber-Tec
You can tell by the band name, some of you ain't going to like this - but check it out. Maybe you think "industrial" is hateful devil music but this is actually a pretty uplifting song that your Lutheran minister could really get behind. It is pretty tempting to take it sarcastically as well..

12. "Devil" by OhGr
OK this is some of that hateful devil music industrial and good for listening while you lace up your Dr. Marten's to go ass kicking or something.

13. "Sweat" Meg Lee Chin
This chick completely kicks ass! Sweat it out.

14. "Meet Sue Be She" by Miss Kittin
I am a sometime hobby Mitsubishi race car driver and this is part 1 of 2 songs about race car driving - rally racing.

15. "Dune Buggy Driver" by Future Wives
Another Minneapolis band and part 2 of 2 songs about race car driving. "Tuesday Wednesday fix the dune buggy" rings sooo true.

16. "The Globe" by Big Audio Dynamite II
When Mick Jones left The Clash he eventually started Big Audio Dynamite and experimented with different styles of music. Possibly best known for "Come on Every Beatbox" but this song was popular too back in the day. By the way if you like Squeeze, The The and Big Audio Dynamite, I could probably think of a dozen other bands from 1986-1991 that you would like.

17. "Senegal" by Bran Van 3000
A really pretty song with vocals by Youssou N'Dour. Music is a good way to learn the character of another language and how to sound like a native speaker.

18. "Butterfly Radio" by Avenpitch
OK time to get back to the Minneapolis Electropunk. This one is pretty poppy and they could be the next Panic! at the Disco, now with more 80s!

19. "Thin Ice" by the Soviettes
Tons of guitars, tons of Twin Cities chicks, and an anti-Iraq War song in 1 minute 15 seconds flat. Can't beat that.

20. "Shhh..." by Slug
Slug is another local from the group Atmosphere which has been getting some national attention. This song is a proper shout out to your awesome Midwest hometown. We have great tap water here, just the right amount iron and it's pretty important to us.

So, that's it. I am fairly sure many of you won't exactly dig 70% of this but it is an accurate representation of what is going on in my Creative Labs Nomad while strolling the airport hallways around the world.

Wishing you Peace in the New Year.

-Mara