mixtape songs /

There was a short lived band Diamonds that was born in Kelowna last fall and called it quits in January of this year. I missed all of Diamonds’ existence because I had left to Berlin in September before they started and I’m still not back and now they don’t play anymore.
It was all Kelowna kids with the front-man being Jay Douillard who fled to Vancouver for work (no guilt Jay, sincere congratulations on your opportunity).
Jay has made music before with the now defunkt label Deer and Bird (who also released some Jon-Rae Fletcher stuff and, I think, some stuff from Duffy Driediger (Ladyhawk) too) and Jay’s solo work is now more or less lost forever. I was worried that Diamonds would go the way of his Deer and Bird releases but then I read this article from the UBC-O campus newspaper The Phoenix which teased of a Creative Commons album to be released.
Then I read a post at popsheep.com (a great mp3 blog (which Jay (among others) writes for)) and they’ve got a link to the whole she-bang.

2007! This year I couldn’t, well I didn’t want to, limit myself to a top 10 or 15 list of my favorite albums. Those lists are great, and don’t get me wrong, I love lists. But there’s always an album you want on that list that doesn’t make it. I was worried, especially in the case of 2007, to have to exclude a lot more than just one valid album from a “top10 list”.
So, this is a tape I made of songs from albums made in 2007. It’s not a countdown of my favorite albums though; they’re just in chronological order of release. It’s just a tape collecting songs from albums that were released in 2007.
I can remember dancing to Of Montreal in January on the cold gray campus of UBCO, trying to get anyone who came into HMV to buy Arcade Fire in the spring, listening to Miracle Fortress when the sun was coming up after a long night of partying, dancing to Justice with a strobe light topless in 446’s living room, and waiting and waiting and waiting for Beirut to come out in the fall.
It’s sorta like reliving the year through music. ooooh!

That being said, my favorite album was probably The Flying Club Cup or Neon Bible (how the latter didn’t win this year’s Polaris Prize is beyond me)

I named the tape after my favorite song of this year.

Side A Up on Your Leopard

01. Menomena – “The Pelican” from Friend and Foe – 3:39
[barsuk – jan 23 2007]
“take it when I’m enjoying/ take it from my mouth while I’m still chewing”
02. Julie Doiron – “Me and My Friend” from Woke Myself Up - 2:46
[jagjaguwar – january 23 2007]
03. Of Montreal – “Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse” from Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? – 3:18
[polyvinyl – january 23 2007]
“… she gets me straight/cause my own inner cosmology has become too dense to navigate”
04. Arcade Fire – “Intervention” from Neon Bible – 4:19
[merge records – march 5 2007]
“Who’s gonna throw the very first stone?/oh, who’s gonna reset the bone?/walking with your head in a sling/ wanna hear the soldiers sing”
05. Andrew Bird – “Heretics” from Armchair Apocrypha – 3:33
[fat possum – march 20 2007]
“and then I hear you say ‘thank God its fatal thank God its fatal’”
06. Panda Bear – “Bros” from Person Pitch – 12:30
[paw tracks – march 20 2007]
“I mean no offense to you but grow up/can’t you just grow up ?/When are you going to
give it your own go?/give it your own go/I know I’m being way too hard/but I know that I’m trying”
07. Feist – “1234” from The Reminder – 3:06
[cherry tree/interscope – may 1 2007]
“sweetheart, bitter heart now I can’t tell you apart/cozy and cold put the horse before the cart
08. Wilco – “What Light” from Sky Blue Sky – 3:35
[nonesuch – may 15 2007]
“and if the whole worlds singing your songs/ and all of your paintings have been hung/ just remember what was yours is everyone’s from now on”
09. Miracle Fortress – “Next Train” from Five Roses – 4:17
[rough trade - may 22 2007]
“I’ve been had by the girls of Wisconsin/telling their boyfriends about me”
10. Ladyhawk - “War” from the Fight For Anarchy EP – 2:55
[jagjaguwar – may 22 2007]
“Men of the world see the city walls crumble/ run for the cover of bunkers in basements”
11. The Choir Practice – “I See Things” from The Choir Practice – 3:02
[mint – june 12 2007]
“There is a place/ a place to go/ where snow and sand/ go hand in hand”

Side B Upon the End of Your Feral Days

01. Justice – “D.A.N.C.E.” from cross – 4:02
[ed banger/vice – june 11 2007]
“stick to the b-e-a-t /get ready to ignite”
02. St. Vincent - “Marry Me” from Marry Me – 4:41
[beggars banquet - july 10 2007]
“Let’s do what Mary and Joseph did…without the kid”
03. Okkervil River – “Unless it’s Kicks” from The Stage Names – 4:39
[jagajaguwar – august 7 2007]
“what breaks this heart the most is the ghost of some rock and roll fan/ exploding up from the stands/ with her heart opened up/ I want to tell her your love isn’t lost/ say my heart is still crossed”
04. Animal Collective – “Fireworks” from Strawberry Jam – 4:32
[domino – september 11 2007]
“It the trees of this day/ that I do battle with for the light/then I start to feel tragic/ people greet me, I’m polite”
05. Les Savy Fav – “Patty Lee” from Let’s Stay Friends – 3:51
[frenchkiss – september 18 2007]
“back before Babylon shit was cool/not we’ve all got our cells on,we drive to school”
06. Prairie Cat – “Better Friends Than Lovers” from Attacks! – 2:34
[fuzzy logic – september 2007]
“The times I prayed you would’ve stayed again, again/ the times I’ve prayed outweighed the gain again”
07. Iron & Wine – “Innocent Bones” from The Shepherd’s Dog – 3:43
[subpop – september 25 2007]
“Cain bought a blade from some witch at the window/ Abel bought a bag of weed”
08. Sunset Rubdown - “Up on Your Leopard, Upon the End of Your Feral Days” from Random Spirit Lover - 4:47
[ jagajaguwar – october 9 2007]
“Well, shit, I know were all growing old/where there’s a will there’s a way, so way to go”
09. Jens Lekman – “Opposite of Hallelujah” from Nights Falls over Kortedala – 4:22
[ secretly canadian – october 9 2007]
“I picked up a seashell to illustrate my homelessness/But a crab crawled out of it making it useless”
10. Beirut – “Forks and Knives (La Fete)” from The Flying Club Cup – 2:22
[bada bing! – October 9 2007]
“your family may not wait, sir, keep on believing/our parents rue the day, they find us kneeling”

Sometimes it’s hard to get excited in Kelowna in the winter; No more sunshine. No more riding your bikes and no more barbecues. Social interaction seems to dissolve.
you may find yourself asking yourself,”where are my friends?”…
Maybe they’re studying out by the airport.
Maybe they’re stranded at big white drinking Jagermeister and hitting and/or shredding and/or carving(?).
Maybe they’re laser bowling to remixed Beatles and Glam rock.
Maybe they’re renting a movie and watching it with two friends and then going home at 1130.

I’ll tell you where your friends are…they’re at the O.K. Mission Hall.
And so are Small Fame, Ladyhawk, Sports, Jon-Rae Fletcher, Brides, Prairie Cat.

I won’t be there though, I’ll be in North Germany(the cost of international travel bums me out)
But, as a Christmas present to me, anyone with any recording equipment, please record the show for me. I think we could post the recording here (Dustin, can we do that?) and then I, and others missing the boxing day show, would be able to listen to the yearend extravaganza. It’s a huge line-up, which I usually hate, but with these bands it’s worth it.
Finish your leftovers, kiss grandma and/or mother-in-law and then speed down lakeshore and/or gordon to be on time. It’ll probably start pretty soon after 7 to fit in room for all the bands and still have time to party after. I missed Adventures last year because of post-prandial chit chat. Don’t make the same mistake.

Get excited and come find your friends,
O.K. Mission Hall @ 7 10$: Small Fame, Ladyhawk, Sports, Jon-Rae Fletcher, Brides, Prairie Cat.

It all has to start somewhere. Curtis brings us back to his roots with a mixtape podcast featuring songs from his very first mixtape.

You can subscribe in itunes or view the Mixtape Songs Podcast Feed

Podcast #5 - The very modern dance and the very bad arts

Curtis being a man of themes, and the creator of this podcast, chose to create a set where each song’s title starts with the word “this”. How he managed to get the songs flowing together like a river into the ocean is beyond the scope of “this” writeup. Enjoy.

Direct link to the Mixtape Songs Podcast Feed

Podcast #2 - This tapes for you

(Continued)

Covers can come across as clichéd but I think it’s really interesting to see what happens when one artist doesn’t try to live up to the original but pay tribute or in some cases change the original recording.

Probably the most drastic changes from cover to original come from Iron & Wine and Bonne ‘Prince” Billy. I think standout performances come from Jack black’s and Elliot Smith’s covers.

I thought of the idea for the title of this tape from the Arcade Fire song called Rebellion (Lies)

Side A Come On Hide Your Lovers

01. Magnet with Gemma Hayes – “Lay, Lady, Lay” from On Your Side – 4:37
[ultimate dilemma -2003]
“why wait any longer for the one you love/when he’s standing in front of you”

Gemma Hayes inclusion on Lay,Lady, Lay creates a playful dialog that wasn’t seen with Bob Dylan’s original.

02. Gold Spot – “Float On” from - 2:39
“if it gets too heavy we’ll all float on”

03. Iron & wine - It’s the Same Old Song - 3:02
[unreleased]
“Sentimental fool—am I”

04. Jon Rae & the River – “Just What I Needed” – 3:45
[unreleased]
“I don’t mind you hanging out and wastin’ all my time/cause when your near well I kinda lose my mind”

The highlight for me on this track is the approach Jon-Rae & the River bring to Just What I Needed. However, I did stop recording the end of their version because it doesn’t sit well on the tape.

05. Ted Leo – “Since U Been gone” - 3:38
[unreleased]
“wait they don’t love you like I you/wait they don’t love you like I love you”

By including Ted Leo I have to unfortunately include Kelly Clarkson. Ted’s performance is so intriguing (referring to the inclusion of the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s lyrics) that it by far makes up for Kelly Clarkson.

06. The Mountain Goats - The Sign from Bitter Melon Farm – 2:28
[2002]
“under the pale moon for so many years I wondered who you are/how could a person like you bring me joy/under the pale moon where I see a lot of stars”

In 1996 The Mountain Goats performed The Sign live in London, England. John Darnielle’s banter and stage presence as well as incorporating the audience is worth hearing.

07. Badly Drawn Boy with Jools Holland – “Come on Eileen” from NME & Warchild presents 1 Love - 3:59
[warner music UK Ltd - 2002]
“You in that dress/My thoughts I confess/verge on dirty”

08. Jack Black – “Lets Get It On” from High Fidelity (OST) - 4:27
[hollywood records - 2000]
“And there’s/nothing wrong with me lovin’ you/”

09. Bright Eyes – “Out On the Weekend” from There is No Beginning to the Story EP- 4:10
[saddle creek - 2002]
“think I’ll pack it in/and buy a pick-up”

10. Belle & Sebastian – “Here Comes the Sun” – 3:16
[live]
“little darling I can feel the ice is slowly melting/little darling it feels like years since its been here”

11. M. Ward, Conor Oberst, Jim James – “Girl From the North Country” from Mojo:Dylan Covered
[Mojo Magazine]
“if you’re travellin’ to the North Country fair/where the winds hit heavy on the border lines/please remember me to one who lives there/ she once was a true love of mine”

It’s interesting that M. Ward et al chose to cover the Girl From the North Country from Nashville Skyline and not the original release from The Free Wheelin’ Bob Dylan— Maybe because its easier to perform with multiple singers than the original…

12. Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy – “I Am a Cinematographer” from Sings Greatest Palace Music – 2:44
[Drag City- 2004]
“I was a big ol’ bear once/yes I was a big ol’ bear once”

Will Oldham covering himself and changing the music and overall sound of the his own song reminds me of Bob Dylan and how he introduced a drastically different approach to Girl From the North Country with Johhny Cash on Nashville Skyline—Which is why I included the Girl From the North Country cover.

13. Elliot Smith – “Trouble” from From A Basement on a Hill II – 2:49
“and I haven’t got a lot of time”

I think that lines from Trouble take on a whole new meaning because Smith recorded it so close to his suicide.

(Continued)

Check out the mixtape that features all of these bands.

1. Beirut - Gulag Orkestar
Zack Condon is the brains behind Beirut and from New Mexico. Allmusic.com called him a “one man cross of Jeff Magnum, Conor Oberst and Sufjan Stevens.” It is remarkable and justified for a kid (he is younger than me and I just turned 21) from to debut with this album and to be put in the same sentence as those names. The European sounding music with ukuleles and rhythm and accordions and trumpets and tambourines is so thick on this album and so is Condon’s crooner voice. I’ve used “de-beauty” in print before but, this is a de-beauty!

Beirut -Mount Wroclai (Idle Days) Live Video

2. Ladyhawk - Ladyhawk
Ladyhawk has a reputation of their live show. I saw them at the Cake Shop in New York City back in the summer at an engagement party. It was the best live music performance I have ever seen. Try to forget that this band lives in Vancouver and are on Jagjaguwar with Black Mountain. Don’t get high and listen to this album. Don’t get drunk and listen to this album. This album has music, as jammy and stoner as it is, that is tight and precise with every sound feeling purposefully placed coupled with heart breaking lyricism. I was in a car accident in Ohio in the summer and I had to replace this album which wasn’t a problem, I re-bought it on CD and then I bought it on vinyl. I’m looking forward to getting the EP in 2007.

Someone once told me to walk, if I had to, to see Andrew Bird
Run, if you have to, to see Ladyhawk.

Ladyhawk - Dugout
Ladyhawk - My Old Jacknife Video

3. The Decemberists - The Crane Wife
This is the first major label release for The Decemberists. The album art really sticks out. It’s a farmer who finds an injured crane and marries it. I think it based on a Japanese folk tale. I like it when the percussion kicks in for the Crane Wife 1 chorus.

4. Grizzly Bear - Yellow House
I watched Grizzly Bear sing Knife A cappella while walking down a street in Paris thanks to youtube.This albums grows on you. I think in a video they sing in a shower.

Grizzly Bear - On a Neck, on a Spit
Grizzly Bear sings Knife A cappella

5. Sunset Rubdown - Shut Up I am Dreaming
I am not a fan of Wolf Parade or Swan Lake. I saw Frog eyes play with Pink Mountaintops two years ago and didnt really dig them either. This album will have you reading along with the lyrics. I wish all side projects sounded this good.I think Spencer Krug’s aunt lives in Peachland, she always buys his music from work. I wish Stadiums & Shrines II could have been track one on Rough/Gem. Thats where it belongs—its a side A track 1 song

Sunset Rubdown - Stadiums and Shrines II
Sunset Rubdown - Us Ones In Between Live Video

(Continued)

Happy New Year!

I genuinely feel that this tape speaks for itself, it’s made up of my favorite bands of 2006. In 2006 a lot of really great music was released and this is a collection of really great songs. The tape has two choice tracks from ten choice albums and you never have to feel bad about forgetting Joanna Newsom.

Islands – Rough Gem from Return to the Sea [equator records – 2006]
I would have liked to fit this track and liked so much that I thought about making a 120min tape just so I could fit it on. I didn’t though, obviously.

Side A - Rough

01. Beirut - “Mount Wroclai (Idle Days)” from Gulag Orchestar - 3:15
[Ba da bing! - 2006]
“what can I do?”

02. Ladyhawk - “Teenage Love Song” from Ladyhawk - 2:22
[Jagjaguwar - 2006]
“call me back later on if you can, we’ll sneak out and fuck in the family van”

03. The Decemberists - “The Crane Wife 1 & 2″ from The Crane Wife - 11:26
[Capitol Records - 2006]
“and all the stars were crashing round, as I laid eyes on what I’d found/ it was a white crane it was a helpless thing/ upon a red stain with an arrow in its wing/ and it called and cried”

04. Grizzly Bear - “Knife” from Yellow House - 5:14
[Warp Records - 2006]
“can’t you feel the knife?”

05. Sunset Rubdown - “Stadiums & Shrines II” from Shut up I am Dreaming - 3:57
[Absolutely Kosher - 2006]
“can I lift my dress up for you?/can I lift it in the night?/the white undersides of my thighs look much better in the dark light/ there’s a kid in there/ and he’s big and dumb and he’s kinda scared and he’s well he’s too old to be there/ he’s just looking for a ride”

(Continued)

Has anyone ever asked you, “So what kind of music are you into?” This tape is an attempt at answering that unfortunate and awkward question. I generally answer that question with, “ummm… low-fi indie folk rock?”. Which sucks as an answer and isn’t entirely true or honest. And the person (new co-worker, distant cousin, newest kid on the block, or a girl/boy you have just met who may be the next object of your affection) asking the question more often than not doesn’t even know the names of the artists I submit.
*One guy I met in Pennsylvania though, his first guess was The Mountain Goats (which I was claiming as my favorite band at that time!)

There is also the question often posed of “hey, um, what is your favorite era in music or time period or whatever?” The obvious answer is the sixties! Bob Dylan, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Beach Boys are enough to demonstrate why this period of time is so important in popular music. The albums by these artists released in the last half of the decade alone support this claim; Pet Sounds(66), Blonde On Blonde (66), St. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (67), Abbey Road (69), Magical Mystery Tour(67), Revolver (66) and Let It Bleed (69) Beggar’s Banquet (68) and Aftermath (66) — Even just 1966 on it’s own could constitute the sixties as a viable and accurate answer! Pet Sounds (66), Blonde On Blonde (66), Revolver (66) and Aftermath (66). But wait a second, hold off on the nostalgia and canonical music makers of the past. What about “now”
*I am obviously not referring to the songs that have ended up on those pop/top 40 “Now” compilation CDs.

…so don’t dismiss the present for the best time in music. But then again, Bob Dylan and The Rolling Stones are all still touring, Paul McCartney played at Superbowl XXXIX and Brian Wilson just released SMiLE like two years ago, so maybe those guys are still in the present — but I’m not including them on this tape.
*note that the songs on the tape range from 1998 to 2006 (nearly half of the songs included were released in 2005 and only two occur in the ‘1990s (smog-1999 and neutral milk hotel-1998)

Side A

01. Sunset Rubdown - “Stadiums and Shrines II” from Shut up I am Dreaming - 3:57
[Absolutely Kosher - 2006]
“can I lift my dress up for you?/can I lift it in the night?/the white undersides of my thighs look much better in the dark light/ there’s a kid in there/ and he’s big and dumb and he’s kinda scared and he’s well he’s too old to be there/ he’s just looking for a ride”

02. Final Fantasy - “This Is The Dream Of Win And Regine” from Has a Good Home - 3:26
[Tomlab - 2005]
“Montreal might eat it’s young but Montreal won’t break us down”

03. M. Ward - “I’ll Be Yr Bird” from Transistor Radio - 2:54
[Merge - 2005]
“I’m not your second I’m not your third but I’ll be your bird”

(Continued)