I have spent an awkward smattering of time on this blog throughout the year and now it's coming to an end. The year, that is. Or maybe, I don't know. I've never been terribly consistent with this thing. It's mostly just an idle hobby, I guess. Still, 2009 has been plentiful in its musical offerings and I like to share, so here we go. The last mixtape for 2009.
After the past couple of rapid succession posts, I kind of ran out of new ideas for mixes. I finally settled on throwing together some of my favorite covers along with some of my favorite tracks of the year. None of these songs or artists are really new to the scene or 2009-specific, but they are tracks I've worn the hell out of this past year. (I apologize to my roommate who has for sure heard 85% of this mixtape far more than she probably ever wanted to in the past couple of months).
Track 01: Florence and The Machine - "Hospital Beds (Cold War Kids Cover)"
Florence Welch's voice croons and then vaults, pitching right into the chorus of the song just as the meat of that drum kick hits. There is something so bare boned about this cover, so raw and visceral, and it shakes me as the lines spill over,
I've got one friend laying across from me I did not choose him, He did not choose me
We have no chance Of recovery Laying in hospitals Joy and misery
The reason why I love the Cold War Kids is because of their reckless abandon. Their music is a little bit wily and it gnashes at your ears for your attention. And I think Welch takes a big bite out of "Hospital Beds" and feasts on it furiously – gorgeously.
Track 02: Her Space Holiday - "I'll Believe in Anything (Wolf Parade Cover)
Wolf Parade's “I'll Believe in Anything” might be one of my favorite songs of all time. The ear popping synthesizer, the flat-thwack sound of the snare, the guitar riff that layers into all of it, and Spencer Krug's vocals pulled taut. It's devastating and wonderful as the symbols crash into the chorus. You're compelled to give yourself to this song. Caught between clawing inward and reaching outward, looking for an escape. The urge to be recreated, to be able to see with new eyes, to know that sunshine all over again and for the first time... Man, if I had a quarter for every time I've let myself yearn with this song (“I could take another hit for you / I could take away the your trips from you / I could take away the salt from your eyes / Take away the spitting salt from you”), I'd be rich in so many ways.
In comparison, the cover done by Her Space Holiday is kind of a project of mixed reactions. This blog is no stranger to Marc Bianchi, I think I've featured him in at least two other posts, and I have made it pretty clear how smitten I am with him. However, his take on “I'll Believe in Anything” is a bit of a strange jewel. Bianchi sprinkles it with the twangs of a banjo and the shimmering sounds of bells. His voice is soft and boyish. Whimsical is something Her Space Holiday does well. What makes his cover so unusual is the integration of a movie sound clip, spliced in at the beginning and end of of the song. At first, it reads as part of his quirk...Almost like a throwback to an early Ataris. (Can you believe End is Forever is almost nine years old?) Instead of Good Will Hunting, the passages featured in “I'll Believe in Anything” are taken from early 80's film Streetwise, a movie about teens living on the streets of Seattle. A whole new story of escape is created. Suddenly this subtext of youth and street violence, underage prostitution, and drug culture is roped in and well, “I could take another hit for you / I could take away the your trips from you / I could take away the salt from your eyes / Take away the spitting salt from you ... Look at the trees / Look at my face / Look at a place far away from here.”
Track 04: Mark Ronson ft. Amy Winehouse - "Valerie (The Zutons Cover)"
Oh man, remember when Amy Winehouse wasn't such a hot-motherfuckin-mess? I mean, I barely do, but still. Anyway, I always thought of her cover of The Zutons' “Valerie” as her last hurrah before disintegrating into her own hair. Her voice tears into this song throatily, making the track such a good listen. I've never really caught on to The Zutons, I recognize a couple of tracks here and there but nothing really sticks. But damn, does this cover stick. Here's a version of her covering this song a couple years ago that breaks my heart. She has such a beautiful and rich voice that is so effortless...It really is a shame.
Track 05: Solange - "Stillness is the Move (Dirty Projectors Cover)"
Ok, here's an embarrassing secret: I was outraged that Solange didn't blow up into super-stardom right alongside her better known sister. I mean I appreciate Beyonce just fine, but I thought she was just as talented and (I risk being struck down by Sasha Fierce herself) more attractive. However, I may be biased because I always thought Solange looked a little bit like Mya and I have been loving Mya since forever. Anyway, I was introduced to The Dirty Projectors this past summer and I've been a fan since. Amber Coffman boasts an impressive range and after Questlove of The Roots leaked this video of some impromptu projectin', I've found them a force to be reckoned with. So when I caught wind of Solange's cover of “Stillness is the Move,” I was ecstatic. Their song, her voice, and Erykah Badu's “Bag Lady” hook? For The Win.
Full Tracklist:
01. Florence and The Machine - "Hospital Beds (Cold War Kids Cover)" 02. Her Space Holiday - "I'll Believe in Anything (Wolf Parade Cover)" 03. Mark Ronson ft. Amy Winehouse - "Valerie (The Zutons Cover)" 04. Solange - "Stillness is the Move (Dirty Projectors Cover)" 05. The Kooks - "Kids (MGMT Cover)" 06. The Xx - "Islands" 07. The Weeks - "Buttons" 08. Wolf Parade - "I'll Believe in Anything" 09. Say Hi - "Northwestern Girls" 10. MGMT - "Electric Feel" 11. Silversun Pickups - "Lazy Eye" 12. Lauryn Hill - "Ex-Factor" 13. Cobra Starship ft. Leighton Meester - "Good Girls Go Bad" 14. Playradioplay - "Mr. Brightside (The Killers Cover)" 15. The Dream - "Shawty is the Shit" 16. Santogold vs. Diplo - "Late Night (Unstoppable Mix)" 17. Amanda Blank - "Might Like You Better"
2009 has been quite a journey for me. Things have shifted, the tectonics of my life ebbing along, creating and destroying. I anticipate that 2010 will be just as busy busy busy. I want to enter the new year sure. I resolve to enter the new year sure. Of what, I don't know. As long as the soundtrack is good.
I just downloaded a mixtape that I pilfered from the interweb and Camera Obscura's "French Navy" is the second track. I'm hooked. More importantly, the song is ringing all kinds of auditory deja vu and it's freaking me out because I swear to God I've heard a song exactly like this somewhere else but I can't remember where. I scour my music files trying to find the musical doppelganger, only to be sidetracked by this other song that I love and soon enough I'm playing this game of word (song?) association with myself, piecing together songs that remind me of the one I just listened to. And now I have a mini-mix.
The string of music goes as such:
01. Camera Obscura - "French Navy" 02. Alphabeat - "Boyfriend" 03. Miike Snow - "Animal" 04. Phoenix - "Girlfriend" 05. Passion Pit - "Sleepyhead" 06. Fyfe Dangerfield - "When You Walk in the Room" 07. The Hood Internet - Girls Just Wanna Fix Up (Dizzee Rascal vs Cyndi Lauper) 08. Super Mash Bros. - I Fucking Bleed Purple and Gold
So it's winter and I'm (finally) back in Portland and I'm wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. I mean, yes, I miss my family, pretty much all of my friends are out of town and I still don't have a job. (I'm pretty sore about that last one in particular. I'm trying, I swear). But I'm taking the time to re-prioritize and organize. So what if "re-prioritizing" sometimes takes the form of catching up on "Friday Night Lights?" I think of it as motivational meditation...Clear eyes, full heart right?
(Trust that I was rolling my eyes and heckling myself as I typed that).
Anyway, as part of keeping myself sane entertained, I assembled a mixtape to navigate my wintery debacles.
I struggled with whether I wanted to make this a definitive Christmas mix or an enjoyable playlist with holiday(ish) undertones. I suppose I settled somewhere in the middle. In any matter, I would like to make a note that I labored over the track order of this playlist. Seriously. I shuffled between songs and ideas, themes and genres, it was quite a task. So, (I ask of no one in particular because no one reads this blog other than myself, months later), please respect the track order. At least for the first listen through. At least once, just play it through unshuffled. Have it on in the background while you're doing other things so that if there's a song you don't think you're liking, you can tune it out by busying yourself. Pretty please.
The playlist takes its own progression from high to low, (hopefully), naturally. I started to assemble it around three songs that I knew I wanted in the mix for sure and then tried to bridge the gaps between style and sound with other songs.
The first track that I had my heart set on was DJ Zebra's mashup of Yael Naim, Otis Redding and Lou Reed. I just thought there was something so delightful and heartwarming about the track. It's familiar and completely new at the same time.
Yael Naim's "New Soul" is probably most recognized by the Macbook Air ad dropped early last year. I will admit, I was instantly addicted to the song once I heard it, but I guess that's the point, isn't it? But anyway, DJ Zebra's mashup really does a fantastic job on giving the track a new perspective. Lou Reed's "A Walk on the Wild Side" lends its light guitar riff and luscious bass to give a nice depth to the song that, upon re-listening to the original Yael Naim single, I yearned for. Then the pieces of Otis Redding's "My Girl" slip in and, well isn't that wonderful? It's sudden and uplifting and so charming. I'm smitten, really.
The second track that I knew just had to be part of the equation was "Last Christmas" done by the cast of Glee. My reasons are two-fold:
One: I feel that any rendition of "Last Christmas" is kind of obligatory when it comes to the holiday season. Even if you don't celebrate Christmas, this goddamn song is everywhere. Good Charlotte did a cover of it, for crying out loud!
Two: Glee is kind of obligatory when it comes to my existence. Before the creation of Glee, I was essentially a figment of society's collective imagination. It's a metaphysical conundrum. Actually, to be specific, it's scientifically referred to as the "Glitter Pony Conundrum."
Bonus Reason Three: Kara told me to use it in a playlist and she's a genius.
The third track that I needed in the mix was anything by Chet Baker. I started listening to him over the summer and fell in love with his rendition of "It's Always You." I told myself, once the winter season hits, I will do nothing but snuggle up in a blanket and listen to this track. Unfortunately I didn't quite like the way "It's Always You" worked with the mix but I thought "But Not for Me" played well in succession to Rachel Z's cover of "Tonight, Tonight." In the end, it worked out perfectly. The song has this kind of playful and jolly tempo, but really it's about being a chump for love and ending up alone...True holiday spirit!
Anyway, Here's the full tracklist with the link on the bottom. God, I wrote a lot more than I was expecting to but oh well, it will probably be another year before I write again.
01. Passion Pit - "Cuddle Fuddle" 02. DJ Zebra - "New Walk on the Soul Side (Yael Naim vs Otis Redding vs Lou Reed)" 03. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - "Over and Over Again (Lost and Found)" 04. Cast of Glee - "Last Christmas" 05. Handsome Boy Modeling School ft. Jack Johnson - "Breakdown" 06. Matt Sharp and Maya Rudolph - "Not Tonight (Tegan and Sara Cover)" 07. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - "Blue Turning Grey" 08. Nick Drake - "Which Will" 09. Landon Pigg - "Coffee Shop" 10. Eliza Lumley - "How to Disappear Completely (Radiohead Cover)" 11. Nick Drake - "Horn" 12. William Fitzsimmons - "Hold on With My Open Hands" 13. Fink - "This is the Thing" 14. Rachel Z - "Tonight, Tonight (Smashing Pumpkins Cover)" 15. Chet Baker - "But Not For Me" 16. Judy Garland - "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"
p.s. Yes, I know track 9 is that song from that fucking Zales commercial...And that Landon Pigg was Ellen Page's (ultimately disappointing) love interest in Whip It!, but it fit well and it makes me think of the holidays so shut it up.
