mixtape songs /

This isn’t promoting a new release or track, simply a artist. I looked up Andrew Bird on YouTube while poking around on my lunch break and was reminded how amazing of a live show he has. You don’t get to fully appreciate his albums unless you know how they are made. Andrew, like other artists (Final Fantasy and Minus the Bear to name a couple) takes advantage of looping pedals. By looping riffs over top of themselves he is able to build full songs himself. I was lucky enough to see Andrew with Martin Dosh in Vancouver a few months back. Definitely one of my top shows of 2006.

Andrew Bird - “Skin, Is My” - Live at Bonnaroo
Andrew Bird & Martin Dosh - “Simple X” - Live at Bonnaroo

After Zach Condon’s tour for Gulag Orkestar hospitalized him (instant fame + 20 year old + touring with a 12 person band = bad news), Zach has narrowed his team down to 8 and released a new EP, Lon Gisland. This album brings to us more of the great indie rock / Balkan brass with Zach’s surprisingly aged voice dancing between horn hits and ukulele plucks. If you haven’t heard this New York based 20 year old I suggest you take a listen below and keep your eye out for the upcoming EP.

Beirut - Elephant Gun

Stones Throw, the label which Madvillian and MF Doom call home, has released another limited-time free album, Chrome Children Vol. 2. The second installment under the Chrome Children title features artists such as Madlib, Four Tet, Percee P, Oh No, J.Rocc and many more. A strong follow up to last months free album, Liberation by Talib Kweli & Madlib this album is something you can’t pass up.

M.E.D. (Produced by Dabrye) - Rhymes With An L
Guilty Simpson (Produced by Four Tet) - Money Motivated Movements

Download the whole album at Stones Throw.

Want to get a sweet handmade mixtape? We are taking part in the first mixtape swap on February 23, at 2:00pm at the public library downtown Kelowna. International? No problem, just mail us your mixtape and we will mail you a random one back. Drop us a email for our address info. No restrictions just make a CD or tape of whatever you want, music you listen to, music you don’t listen to. Themed or not themed. Put some heart and time into, you know nice cases and the like, and leave it anonymous. We’ll get together and everyone will trade!

Join our Mixtape swap on Upcoming.org

Mixtape Songs is now podcasting! This is the first release of our new weekly podcast. You can subscribe to our podcast by following this link: Mixtape Songs Podcast. Don’t know what a podcast is? Check out Yahoo’s podcasting FAQ. If you just want to listen to the podcast click here:

Podcast #1 - Don’t make a sound

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Conversions in Metric’s gentle analog chirps and chimes make me think of watching 8mm nature films while riding a bicycle. Without overpowering instruments or producing, French Paddleboat’s warm songs build upon themselves naturally. Using only analog samples it carries a lively, moving feeling with spontaneous, yet well placed accents. Acoustic drums intelligently threaded through calm harmonies is what gives French Paddleboat it’s active, catchy melody.

Recorded and mixed at Triple Crown Studios in 1997, Scott August’s Conversions in Metric was later released in 1999 by Vancouver’s Scratch Records. If you have interest in bright, minimalistic music or respect for anything analog, this is a album you can’t miss.

French Paddleboat - My Robots love to dance
French Paddleboat - Goods sett & type

Serkus by Sam Skarstad, a 20 year old New York native, arrived in our mailbox earlier this week. Sam’s layered vocals and hidden harmonies complement the varied instruments and sounds presented on the album.

From lively acoustic finger plucks to hand claps and mangled flutes, the album changes itself from a friend on a summer road trip to a umbrella on a rainy day. The strength of this album lies in Sam’s ability to paint imagery through textures. The songs don’t present themselves entirely on first listen, however Sam has created a sound that speaks directly to you with no distraction. Serkus takes you on a trip with a scenic soundtrack; I suggest you take a listen.

“The only lights that I can see are stars, and the shapes that slide beneath my feet are sharks.”

Sam Skarstad - Boats
Sam Skarstad - Ice Cave