What a weekend. Friday night I got to see Emeralds and drink some good beers, last night I saw Enter The Void, and tonight I am watching Best Worst Movie as I pen this entry. It’s kind of amazing to think that I saw Troll 2 for the first time on HBO almost twenty years ago, and now there’s a documentary about its “cult classic” status. What’s next, an Cinefamily-approved Airborne screening at the Silent Movie Theater? Hmm…that gives me an idea…
Nah, not now. I’ve got a mix tape to share with you.
RULES for uninitiated noobs: 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.This week’s theme is guilty pleasures. That doesn’t mean that everything I’ve compiled here is a guilty pleasure. Those nuggets are kind of strewn about, although they shouldn’t be too hard to spot considering they stray pretty far from my usual tastes. 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 199
Power Pop, White Power Pop, And Other Delights
01. Jellyfish – Hush – I don’t even know if you can call Jellyfish a guilty of pleasure of mine because I’ve been listening to this band far longer than plenty of other groups I freely admit to liking. Still, that doesn’t stop people from constantly being shocked when they hear that I’m a Jellyfish fan. “Hush” sounds a lot like Queen, but if you want the real deal check out tracks like “I Wanna Stay Home” off Bellybutton and you’ll hear the unmistakable greatness. Finding this record for fifty cents outside of Bleeker Bob’s one day back in ’02 or ’03 with Sam and Lindsey was probably one of my best vinyl cheap-bin finds ever. The last copy on eBay sold for $110. (buy from Amazon.com)
02. Teenage Fanclub – From the album of same name. “Everything Flows” from the same album is a much better song, but I’ve already used that one in a previous mix tape. Instead you get this track, which also isn’t a guilty pleasure. Although I don’t listen to a lot of Teenage Fanclub to begin with, so maybe it is. I don’t know. We’ll call it a guilty pleasure because I really only like this album and Grand Prix, and because I rarely if ever publicize the fact that I like the band. – Catholic Education – (buy from Amazon.com)
03. Big Star – Holocaust – More pop/power pop goodness. Maybe the big guilty pleasure that’s casting a shadow over this entire mix tape is that I like pop music. You wouldn’t think so, what with all the avant-experimental shit I’m hawking on you at every opportunity, but sometimes a killer vocal harmony or jangly guitar line can really get me hooked. Surprise! – (buy from Amazon.com)
04. Stiff Little Fingers – Alternative Ulster – It’s more than a little embarrassing to think that I owned this record for years and never listened to it. I bought it simply due to the High Fidelity reference, but I never gave it the time of day. When I finally sat down with it and listened intently for the first time a few years ago, I felt like an asshole for neglecting it for so long. I’m sorry, guys. (buy from Amazon.com)
05. Elvis Costello – Less Than Zero – Elvis Costello. Not a guilty pleasure. – (buy from Amazon.com)
06. Mazzy Star – She Hangs Brightly – Definite guilty pleasure alert! – (buy from Amazon.com)
07. Mark Lanegan – Ugly Sunday -I’m pretty sure I’ve written about Mark Lanegan before on one of these mix tapes, so I’m going to take a pass here instead of repeating myself. I love The Winding Sheet, but I might actually like Whiskey For The Holy Ghost more. What say you, reader? You cast the deicing vote! -Â (buy from Amazon.com)
08. The Saints – WIld About You – I don’t really like (I’m) Stranded, but enough people told me it was good for me to buy it a couple years ago and I listen to it every now and again. I like the first track but couldn’t really latch onto any of the other songs on the album. This one’s pretty good. -Â (buy from Amazon.com)
09. The Feelies – Let’s Go – Jersey boys done good. – (buy from Amazon.com)
10. Paul Weller – The Weaver – Again, I’m not a huge fan of The Jam, I only own In The City and Sound Affects but I hear the rest are good, and Paul Weller’s solo stuff doesn’t always do it for me. But I like this song. I don’t know if that qualifies as a guilty pleasure or not. I don’t listen to the guy regularly but I usually enjoy it when I do. – (buy from Amazon.com)
11. Xasthur – Funerals Drenched In Apathy – I can’t appreciate most Metal. Yet, at the same time, I can’t put my finger on why I like Xasthur so much. I don’t get the screeching or guttural utterances, I just know there’s something about the overall sound that reaches me on an emotional level and helps me connect. I guess this is a guilty pleasure because I’m not one to espouse the finer qualities of this music but I still dig it. – (buy from Amazon.com)
12. The Modern Lovers – She Cracked – Not a guilty pleasure. – (buy from Amazon.com)
13. Gin Blossoms – Until I Fall Away – Guilty Pleasure alert! – (buy from Amazon.com)
14. Motion Sickness Of Time Travel – Absolute Pigment – I just heard this one for the first time recently and it’s pretty drone-tastic. Definitely recommended for any of you ambient-experimental fans. Not a guilty pleasure. Maybe I screwed up the overall theme this week. It seems like there are only four or five guilty pleasures out of 14. I probably should have spent more time finding more guilty pleasures, but as I was scouring my hard drive I’d find a band and I’d have a brief debate with myself where I’d argue whether or not the band was one I’d cop to liking if friends were making fun of them in front of me. Maybe my criteria for guilty pleasures needs some tweaking Oh well. Next week I’ll do better, I swear. (Hooker Vision, 2010)
