mistermixtape

The Brighton Port Authority - Toe Jam (featuring David Byrne and Dizzee Rascal)

i’ve been listening to this latest norman cook project a lot lately. and this track with david byrne on vocals has become the soundtrack to my morning drive. sometimes it’s really hard to dissociate david byrne from the talking heads, and when he works on a song that sounds like it could have actually been written by the talking heads, it’s even harder. amazingly catchy and danceable. and the video ain’t so bad either…

The Minutemen  - History Lesson Part II

There are two kinds of people in this world: people who like The Minutemen and assholes. Which are you?

Los Campesinos! - Sweet Dreams, Sweet Cheeks

i’m not sure who recommended Los Campesinos! to me, which is a shame, because i owe that person a beer.  it’s a strange cacophany of chamber pop and punk, lots of fun, very danceable.

did i mention it has GLOCKENSPIEL?

Billy Bragg - A New England

what’s great about this song is that i’ve heard it four times in the past 3 days.  the first two were completely by chance:  it came up on a shuffle on a road trip for a friend’s wedding (maybe you know him…he’s posted a few songs here, and here, and here.).  the second time was that night at a bar in wilmington and was completely unexpected and awesome.  the third and fourth times have been out of a sheer “holy fuck i need to hear that song again” sort of thing.  and now, you can all listen to it.  i’m hoping you enjoy it as much as i have.

Office- The Silent Parade

This isn’t a typical song off the ‘Mecca’ album. But I love it, because it shows how much Scott Masson’s grown musically since ‘A Night at the Ritz”.This time out, everything feels more natural. Visit http://www.tinymixtapes.com/Office/ for the free download link (blessed by Office), and a nifty background on Masson and company, too.

I’m surprised the new label doesn’t mind him giving the record away, though. Wonder if I can send a donation via Paypal?

Black Lips - Old Man

i’ve been listening to this black lips record a lot lately, trying to decide if i like it.  sometimes the songs get on my nerves (“drop i hold” bugs the everliving shit out of me).  but every now and then, they get the whole fuzz rock/psychedelia pretty close to perfect.  old man is one of those songs.

deerheart - fawn (from the album queen, worker, drone)

what really sucks is when some really crappy band gets on some popular television show, and they have the same name as a really fucking great band, and now when i bring this band up, all i get is a confused look and a “ummm….didn’t i hear them on gossip girl?  i didn’t think they were that heavy.”  fuck you, you’re wrong, and for the record, i’m chuck bass.

R.E.M. - Radio Free Europe (but not the hibtone single)

i don’t think i ever had an actual request for a song to be placed on the mixtape before.  and it’s kind of funny that it’s this one, because it’s a song that isn’t even really matching the request properly.  it’s SUPPOSED to be the version that i talked about (and put a picture up on the BLJ) but i don’t have a cord long enough to drag from my turntable outputs to my computer and then rip it with audacity to make it all nice and purdy.  so i hope this will suffice.

Great sounds from Zambian rocker Chrissy Zebby Tembo. This dude lead the Zambian fuzzy psych scene throughout the early 70’s.

Neko Case - “Magpie To The Morning” Middle Cyclone

What’s not to love about Neko Case and her clear, bell-like vocals? She was the best thing about the New Pornographers, and her new album is the best thing about this spring.

mc chris - pizza butt

i was away on a business trip for a few days and this song kept popping up, and i really just can’t stop listening to it. the song is a clever mix of references to everything from pizza to comic books. a guy i used to work with turned me on to mc chris, and for my money, he does the nerdcore rap thing better than anybody.  yes, even frontalot.  a sample of the lyrics:

some say Polo stole it from China
some say your stomach ate your vagina
is it delivery? no, it’s DiGiornno
let’s microwave it and put in a porno

RaRaRiot - Each Year (RAC Remix)

I know next to nothing about Ra Ra Riot. Possibly it’s because these dance-punk kids with their 1976 uniforms give me hives. But then this song fell into my lap. It’s on every iPod in the house now, and follows me from car to car.

What are you gonna do, right?

The Yachts - Suffice to Say

hailing from liverpool england, the yachts were a short lived (they produced only 2 albums) power pop group.  this song was a minor hit, and it’s not hard to see why:  it’s self-referential, arrogant, and quirky in all the right ways.  so here you go, an SOS straight from the yachts to your heart.

Edip Akbayram & Dostlar - Yaralarim

Nothing like a little progressive Turkish rock from the 60’s. You can see many of this dude’s albums here: http://progressive.homestead.com/EDIP.html. Swinging good shit. His voice can get annoying after a few songs though…

Augustus Pablo - King Tubby Meets the Rockers Uptown

sometimes it takes a little sweet melodica and dub to make everything feel alright.  bbc radio host john peel was a big fan, though nothing made it into his legendary record box.  the thing that’s nice about dub is that it puts you into a vibe no other music can get you close to…more upbeat than reggae, not quite as quick as ska, somewhere right in the middle and really close to perfect for my mood today.