02 March, 2011

March 2011

I mentioned last time that I’d have a surprise in store this month, and it’s now time to let the cat out of the bag: this month I present to you the first in (potentially) a series of guest/collaborative mixes! I won’t do this every month, and you won’t know when they’re coming, but you’ll damn well like it! Alright, enough with the exclamation points, this month’s mix is brought to you by myself (of course) and a former Philadelphian whom we will refer to as TS. Due to the internet being weird and creepy, I’ll sign my contributions as FiS. Next month it’ll be another solo outing from moi, but for now, here’s Collaborative Mix Volume 1!

March 2011 Mix

  1. The Moles – Bury Me Happy (Untune the Sky, 1991)
    The Kill Shaman label referred to their recent 2xLP "Untune The Sky" reissue as "18 tracks of pure pop genius". I checked it out - it's all true, and it's all Australian. I considered including "Europe By Car" instead, but FiS suggested "Bury Me Happy" would make a better intro track. So this is the opener, I guess. I promise my commentary will improve as we move forward. -TS

  2. The Velvet Underground and Nico – I’ll be Your Mirror (The Velvet Underground and Nico, 1967)
    I recently helped (really mostly gave moral support) my significant other edit her sister’s wedding video. Their wedding song was I’ll be Your Mirror. Two months later and this song still gets stuck in my head in the morning shower. –FiS

  3. Alastair Galbraith – As in a Blender (Little Boat, 2008)
    A live version of Galbraith's "As In A Blender" recorded at a party in Duniden in 2003 from a very limited self-released CD-R. Luckily, someone put the mp3s on the internet somewhere some time ago, especially since the hand-made/hand-painted gatefold sleeves that held the discs supposedly reeked of patchouli. This song makes me want to hug you. Don't think I'm just saying that. -TS

  4. Lower Dens – Blue and Silver (Twin-Hand Movement, 2010)
    I slept on this record last year way hard. I also missed seeing them play about four times to date, including a show last week. I am really bummed out about both of these things, so please accept my apologies Ms. Hunter. -FiS

  5. Robert Pollard with Doug Gillard – Pop Zeus (Speak Kindly of Your Volunteer Fire Department, 1999)
    THE BEST. There are no words – I’ve said too much already. -TS

  6. The Chocolate Watchband – I’m Not Like Everybody Else (The Inner Mystique, 1968)
    Sound familiar? This one’s a cover of a Kinks track. They also cover Dylan’s “It’s All Over, Baby Blue” on the same LP. The worst part? They’re the two best songs on the record. -FiS

  7. Traffic Sound – Virgin (Virgin, 1969)
    I don't know much about this band but - goddamn - this song! They're Peruvian blah blah blah. Thanks to WFMU-er/Lame Driver/Free Music Archivist Jason for playing this for me in his living room the other week. I'm downloading their "Lux" record now and I suggest you do the same (this song is not on it). –TS

  8. Vivian Girls – Can’t Get Over You (Everything Goes Wrong, 2009)
    There’s something about this band, and I can’t quite place it, but I was in love from day one. I listen to this record so much it’s borderline embarrassing. They really managed to perfect their sound here, and I can’t even imagine where they’ll go next. Thankfully, I only have to wait a little bit longer, as they have a new record coming out in April. -FiS

  9. Unit 4 – Hidden Faces (VA: FM-BX Society Tape 001, 1981)
    If you've made it to the :20 mark, you've already decided this is a great song. For me, the reversed drum pattern adds a lot. More than I realized after the first few listens. I'll never fully get used to it and that will make this track last forever. Thanks to S-S Records for recently re-releasing the cassette comp that this originally appeared on. - TS

  10. The Lines – Don’t Need Surgery (Cool Snap!, 1980)
    Two compilations of material by The Lines were released in 2008. At the time, I listened to Flood Bank, which compiles their two LPs. I didn’t make much of an impression on me, and I pretty much forgot about the band. While working on this mix, good ole TS suggests I check out the other collection (Memory Span), which contained singles and comp tracks. Memory Span is much better in my opinion, so start there first. -FiS

  11. Zach Swagger, Data Panic, and William Murray – Try To (TV True Tonight/Try To 7”, 1981)
    Zach played drums and sang, Data Panic played guitar, both Data Panic and Bill Murray played synth, and a woman named Margaret wrote the lyrics. I don't know anything else about these people, except that Zach has another 7" titled "Empty Highways", which I first heard on Brian Turner's 2010 Tom Lax Take-Over show last summer and which led me to the track I'm sharing with you now. This song starts off great and each direction it takes is better than the last. Actually, ha, after all this close analysis I've realized that the last full minute is not so hot. I still love it though! -TS

  12. Population – Waltzing a War (Demo, 2010)
    Population is from Chicago, and played a show with Circle Pit a few months back. The show was great; I picked up their demo and have listened to it pretty regularly since then. Think Joy Division meets that first Killing Joke LP. Great stuff, and hopefully we’ll hear more from them soon. -FiS

  13. Tripod Jimmie – Nu Spartans (Long Walk Off a Short Pier, 1982)
    Tripod Jimmie's "Long Walk Off A Short Pier" is an essential record. Don't go much further without making this one a part of your life, I can't stress this enough. Sure, it's got some duds but somehow they WORK. A member of this band was also in a more famous band but who fucking cares. I chose an instrumental track for this mix. It closes SIDE A and does so perfectly. A perfect SIDE A closer. Sure, it could have closed SIDE B and it would have been good, but trust me - SIDE B's got it covered. -TS

  14. Der Moderne Man – Telefonlied (80 Tage Auf See, 1980)
    I’ll be honest, I don’t know much about this band, and only checked out this LP a mere two weeks ago. However, it instantly clicked, and not only that but I knew good ole TS would love it (and he did). -FiS

  15. The Sods – Pathetic (Minutes to Go, 1979)
    For quite a while I thought The Sods from Denmark and The Sods from the UK were the same band. They existed at the same time and they were both good! I eventually decided that The Sods from Denmark were a lot more interesting, and became completely enamored with their song "Tin Can People" from the Paere Punk Compilation after first hearing it on Music For Your Methlab some years back. I knew they had a full-length LP also, and fuck me for not checking it out until now. The whole record, "Minutes To Go", is great, and I felt the same way listening to it for the first time as I did to The Gun Club's "Fire Of Love" and X's "Aspirations." They cover a Suicide song on here, which hints at their more experimental endeavors shortly afterward under the name Sort Sol and some collaborations with Lydia Lunch that are worth hearing. -TS

  16. Naked on the Vague – All Aboard (Blood Pressure Sessions, 2008)
    I’ve been trying to put this track on a mix since the first one, and I finally found the perfect spot for it! The second LP is a completely different animal, and while still good, not quite as interesting. -FiS

  17. Kitchen’s Floor – Orbit (Live, 2010)
    Was not super into this band the first time I heard 2009's "Loneliness Is A Dirty Mattress" LP, but after revisiting it, yes, they totally won me over and are now one of my favorite new bands. This track is from a shitty youtube live recording, but it's the one recording that kept me coming back to this band, plus I prefer it to the 7" version. Now does anyone know where I can get that live tape? -TS

  18. The Skull Defekts with Daniel Higgs – Gospel of the Skull (Peer Amid, 2011)
    Boy when I first heard about this record it immediately went to the top of my “must hear now” list (not a real list). I thought most of the earlier Skull Defekts LPs were alright, but I love Lungfish to death, so the prospect of hearing Higgs sing in a rock band again made me super-excited. Anything’s better than listening to the hoofprints on the ceiling of my mind. Turns out, they’re a match made in heaven. Go see them on tour together in April. -FiS

  19. Cynamid – This is Hell (Stop the World 7”, 1984)
    They're from New Jersey and were apparently some very friendly dudes. Great lyrics. Great Attitude. "This Is Hell" is better than most songs Flipper ever recorded, I say while sitting here typing in a Flipper t-shirt. -TS

  20. Pissed Jeans – Sam Kinison Woman (Sam Kinison Woman 7”, 2010)
    The first time I heard this song it was live. I thought it was a cover, but I couldn’t place of what. Turns out I was wrong. Listening to the recorded version, it really doesn’t sound like anything else, so who the hell knows what I was on that night. The B-side to this 7” is an instant classic as well. -FiS

  21. The Jesus Lizard – Gladiator (Liar, 1992)
    My favorite band. Also the only band that makes me want to hurl myself in front of a train or steer into oncoming traffic1 (I mean in a good way). I'm talking about "Monkey Trick" at 1:06. I'm talking about "Killer McHann" at 1:29. But most of all I'm talking about the last 30 seconds of "Gladiator". How are you going to follow this??2 For the sake of this mix, I think this track needs to come last. -TS
    1There are actually probably other bands that do this too but you get the point.
    2With anything besides "The Art Of Self Defense."


See you in April.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

you guys are cute

-SC