Yeah, I know that the categories widget in the right side-bar says that there have already been 187 or 188 Sunday Mix Tapes, but this is number 185. I’m sure of it. Maybe the others weren’t official SMTs, because maybe I didn’t post them on a Sunday! Did you ever think about that, asshole? Well, think about it, then. I’m perfectly fine just sitting here and waiting for you to finish thinking. I don’t have anywhere to be until tomorrow morning. Then I have to work. Ugh. I hate my life.
RULES for uninitiated noobs: With roughly 100MB of web space, I give birth to a weekly Mix Tape to be deposited on your iPods or Zunes or Kingklangs or whatever the industry is currently pushing on you. Sometimes there will be themes that link all the songs together, other times I’ll just throw songs at a wall (not literally) and see what sticks. No theme this week, just a lot of bands that haven’t been featured in a while if at all. Good times. Download ‘em all while you still can. You could die today. The goal of this endeavor, as always, is to pique your interest in these artists so you’ll support the artists and buy their albums.
Sunday Mix Tape – Number 185
Now With 10% More Bullshit!
Tracklist:
01. Lizzy Mercier Desclous – Wawa – Steve introduced me to Lizzy (that is to say her music, STUPID!) about three years ago. It’s so dance-y and fun, but she sounds so dark and mysterious. I can see all the hips at the hipster dance clubs grooving to this tonight just as easily as I can see Lizzy sharing a bill with James White and the Contortions 25 years ago. Somewhere I might have a 12″ of hers, I should bring it out with me the next time I get invited to a party with turntables and dancing involved. (buy from Amazon.com)
02. Henry Flynt – The Snake – If someone wants to be a really good friend, they’ll find and buy for me all the Back Porch Hillbilly Blues LPs. I think there might be three or four of them? Have you read any of Flynt’s papers? They’re just fantastic. He’s my new musical hero. (buy from Amazon.com)
03. Air Conditioning – Where To Litter / Trash Burning – Before there was the whole west coast noise/experimental/drone movement, there was an east coast movement. And Air Conditioning was the shit. The best thing to come out of Allentown, PA since…me, when I graduated college. I think they eventually signed to Load Records, but I haven’t heard anything about Air Conditioning in a while. I hope they’re doing well. Holy shit, you can buy this CD for seventy cents on Amazon? Are you kidding!? (buy from Amazon.com)
04. Robbie Basho – The Dharma Prince – No, I don’t think Basho wrote this while thinking about LOST. After all, The Grail And The Lotus came out about 30 years before LOST was conceived. After a few minutes of acoustic guitar wankery, this folk tune transforms into something beautiful and hypnotic. Basho doesn’t get the love he deserves from the types of fans who have listened to James Blackshaw, Jack Rose and others in this modern era. (Takoma Records, 1966)
05. Grattons Labeur – La blanche biche – Anybody speak French? Does that translate to “The white bitch?” That’s my rudimentary translation. Asking me to translate French is like asking Google Voice Transcription to transcribe your voice mail. It’s not pretty. This is nice female-fronted folk music from — you guessed it! — France! It’s got only a hint of that annoying Renaissance Fair folk shit. It’s like 95% awesome. (ABA, 1977)
06. Hochenkeit – To Be Born Drunk And Die Dreaming – Guys, I think I found the title of my memoirs. Hochenkeit do the Krautrock/experimental thing about as well as any other band to form in the last twenty years. This one came out in 2000 and I still listen to it regularly. It’s called Omu4h 4aholab/400 Boys. A fantastic album filled with great cosmic funk grooves. New for one cent on Amazon! (buy from Amazon.com)
07. The Fall – Tempo House – This was taken from a compilation called Speed Trials which was put out by Homestead Records, but the track originally appeared on Perverted By Language. Do I really have to tell you guys about The Fall? Surely you should know this by now…I’m pretty sure Speed Trials was cassette and vinyl-only. (buy from Amazon.com)
08. The Conformists – Cleft Palate – The first track on the stunning Two Hundred album. I haven’t spoken to Christopher Dee in a while, but the last time I did he was promising to send me a whole lot of Conformists singles so I could enjoy more than just the band’s two studio albums. I’m still waiting for a west coast tour, too. I can’t even begin to imagine how amazing these guys are live. Why there aren’t more kids running around mimicking that “I am a molester” lyric is beyond me. (Collective Records, 2004)
09. Sergey Kuryokhin – A Combination Of Power And Passion – Time out! Let’s listen to some crazy Russian (probably?) pianist playing music that sounds like it came out of a Charlie Brown cartoon. (buy from Amazon.com)
10. Michael Fitzgerald – Olde Belle – I don’t know much about this obscure private press album, but it’s definitely worth a listen. I saw it referred to on a website as “Jersey shore private press divorce psych.” Listen to that soaring lead guitar! It’s like Skynyrd or something! But more “loner”… and since when is b-e-l-l-e pronounced “bella.” (Unknown Label, 1975)
11. Caroliner – Dusk – This album came into the store last week. I’m Armed WIth Quarts Of Blood. It appears to be one of the dirtiest, filthiest conceptualized packages since the advent of the LP. Beneath the shrink wrap is all sorts of dust balls, human hair, finger nails, an old jagged rusty nail, and God knows what other kinds of DNA. The guy who sold it to the store wondered if maybe someone had pissed on it. Listening to this album kind of makes me understand the packaging, but I’m such a germophobe I don’t think I could ever own it. (Subterranean Records, 1986)
12. Inca Ore – Hoop Dream – Eva Saelens played here on Friday night but I couldn’t go to the show due to prior commitments. Oh well, hopefully she’ll come around again sometime soon. I don’t like Silver Sea Surfer School as much as I do Brute Nature Versus Wild Magic, but some Inca Ore is so much better than none Inca Ore! (buy from Amazon.com)
13. Komintern – Pongistes De Tous Les Pays – If I had to translate this song title, I would guess that it means “Tour of Ping Pong.” Like I said, I don’t speak French. Komintern were referenced on the infamous Nurse With Wound list. There’s such an amazing horn part on this song. It’s quite happy. (Harvest, 1971)
14. Sonic Youth – Dig This! – Also culled from the Speed Trials compilation, this track was also recorded at White Columns in New York during May of 1983. Back when Sonic Youth didn’t suck. (buy from Amazon.com)
15. Guapo – Topan – Why haven’t I heard anything new about Guapo in ages? I remember Neurot released that album Elixirs a couple years ago but I haven’t heard anything since then. What the hell is going on here? Where have all the good bands gone? Why aren’t they putting out good music anymore — or any music, for that matter? My senses demand satisfaction, and I look to bands like Guapo to satiate my need for such goodness. Oh well, at least we’ll always have Five Suns. (buy from Amazon.com)
