Tag: Music

These last two playlists aren’t going to get the attention they deserve.  While they both hold special places in my heart, I’m ready to be done.  On the Chill Mix, several of the songs could have easily been on the “one” disc.  So this is a B-sides of sorts.  But to call them B’s doesn’t really do them justice.  I think you understand what I’m getting at.

Chill Mix

1)     Motel Motel / Cowboy
2)     Pepper Rabbit / Older Brother
3)     The National / Afraid of Everyone
4)     The Middle East / Western
5)     The Romany Rye / All the Boys
6)     Freelance Whales / Location
7)     R.E.M. / It Happened Today
8)     Siskiyou / Never Ever Ever Ever Again
9)     Delta Spirit / Bushwick Blues (EP Version)
10) Frightened Rabbit / Swim Until You Can’t See Land
11) The War On Drugs / Comin’ Through
12) Sufjan Stevens / Enchanting Ghost
13) Woodpigeon / Spirehouse
14) Girls / Heartbreaker
15) Junip / Rope and Summit
16) Kyte / Like She Said
17) Mumford & Sons / Lover of the Light (live)
18) First Aid Kit / I Met the King

Click it to ZIP it.

Remixes, Covers, Mashups, and Other Questionable Material
No explanation necessary.  Listen at your own risk.

This is the second installment of “2010’s Best Music.”

Want a playlist that is going to take that get-together from hype to chill in the space of an hour?  This is it.

1)      Blue Scholars / Big Hank Tank – Seattle based independent hip hop.  My friend Gar keeps me informed on the goings on with these guys.
2)      Far East Movement / Like a G6 – I didn’t need Gar to keep me in the loop on this one.  Hard to believe the meteoric rise to popularity that this song enjoyed.
3)      Sleigh Bells / Crown on the Ground – Another musical phenomenon.  So right for programming at camp.  It never got old.
4)      Matt & Kim / Block After Block – No party mix would be complete this year without a little Matt & Kim.
5)      M.I.A. / 20 Dollar – She’s back with her trademark sound.  Keep it coming.
6)      Tokyo Police Club / Breakneck Speed – Starting to venture away from hip-hop/dance party material, but well worth it.
7)      Robyn / Time Machine – It was a short lived departure.
8)      Can’t Stop Won’t Stop / Cool Summer – This was used this fall at camps as well, and it was a crowd pleaser.
9)      Kanye West / Lost In the World (feat. Bon Iver) – I can honestly say that I couldn’t have conceived a collaboration between these artists.  And that’s why they are the artists, and I’m not.
10)  Blue Scholars / Lumiere – More goods from the socially conscious rappers from the PacNW.
11)  Broken Bells / The Ghost Inside – Ok, we’re about done with the hip hop and such.  This song is for when the mood takes a turn towards the chill.
12)  Cold War Kids / Royal Blue – “Why would I?”
13)  Iron & Wine / Biting Your Tail – A far cry from the likes of Our Endless Numbered Days, but still good.
14)  The Roots / Right On (feat. Joanna Newsom & STS) – We really should “shine a light on.”
15)  Sleigh Bells / Ring Ring – Can’t get enough of the goodness that is Sleigh Bells.
16)  Pomplamoose / Another Day – Thank you Bobby and Bryan for introducing me to this great song (and better video).
17)  Nelly Furtado and Chris Martin / All Good Things – “must come to an end”

Download it all RIGHT HERE.

You people have no idea the labor of love that this music project is.  The culling down of the very best of the best for you.

And yet, it wasn’t to be.  The task proved to be more than my formidable skill in this area was able to handle.  I simply wasn’t able to get it to one cd-length playlist.  I have failed you, faithful listener, and for that I’m sorry.  That said, what you see before you is what I would term my “safe bets.”

This is my sweet spot.

Just like me, not a lot of variety.  Just good solid music to be listened to and experienced.  I promise to provide you with three (that’s right… THREE) other playlists that are sure to be the razzle dazzle that you are looking for.

So, here’s the line-up (with requisite comments):

1)       jj / And Now – I think this selection speaks for itself.  As fine an opener/introduction as one could hope to find.
2)       Josh Ritter / Change of Time – Here’s a singer/songwriter doing what he does best…  writing a song and singing it.
3)       Mumford & Sons and Laura Marling / to darkness (dharohar project) – Ok, let’s go ahead and get this out of the way.  There seems to be some confusion about when Sigh No More was released.  It was 2009.  That being the case, it still is the best album of 2010, hands down.  No question about it.  Any song off the album could have found it’s way on the list.  And yet, because of the confusion, none were included.  So this song comes from some time they spent in India… obviously.
4)       The Morning Benders / Pleasure Sighs – Big Echo was one of my favorites from the year.  I think this track matches my personality pretty well…  reserved.
5)       Peter Wolf Crier / Hard As Nails – I had the privilege of seeing this duo from Minneapolis, MN play in Little Rock.  Hard to believe just two people were making so much music.  The track (while good) doesn’t do justice to how incredible they were live.
6)       Local Natives / Sun Hands – Nothing but good solid interesting music here.
7)       The National / Runaway – I had a very difficult time picking which track to put on the list.  This was as good as any.  If Mumford hadn’t knocked it out of the park, High Violet would have been a contender.
8)       The Romany Rye / Untitled (Love Song) – Not so sure I’ve got the title right here.  I saw these guys play a whopping THREE times this year.  Unheard of.  They make some great music, and most of the band is comprised of some really great guys from none other than Little Rock.
9)       Lissie / Record Collector – I’m not sure I’ve ever allowed a member from my family to select a song for the end of year list, but my sweet daughter has taken a liking to Lissie (as have I), and I let her pick a song off of Catching a Tiger.  This is what she chose.  She is exhibiting discriminating taste in music, and I look forward to the day when she’ll be making quality mixes of her own.
10)   The Temper Trap / Sweet Disposition – So stinking good.  Stop whatever other useless waste of time you are engaged in right now and listen to this song.
11)   Freelance Whales / Generator ^ Second Floor – I can’t begin to tell you how annoying it is for them to have a funny symbol in the name of their song.  If the song weren’t so good, I probably would have simply left it off the list.
12)   Delta Spirit / Bushwick Blues – More fantastic music to feast your ears on.
13)   Kanye West / Homecoming (ft. Chris Martin) – Ok, this is embarrassing.  This song is old.  I mean really old.  2007.  And yet, for some strange reason I didn’t hear it until this year.  So it is legal.  I think.
14)   The Kissaway Trail / Beat Your Heartbeat – This may be my very favorite song of the year.  And I’m not even really sure why.  Probably because it is awesome.
15)   Ray LaMontagne & The Pariah Dogs / For The Summer – Similar to Freelance Whales, Ray is annoying me by making me do more work to type his track name.
16)   Sufjan Stevens / Heirloom – This man is a complete enigma.  Period.
17)   Mt. Desolation / State of Our Affairs – Good enough to be one of the three songs that I took the liberty of putting on the Man CD collaboration.
18)   The Civil Wars / Poison & Wine – Where have these guys been all my life?
19)   Ugly Casanova / Lay Me Down – This one is off the 180º South soundtrack.  Lots of the movie was really dumb, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.  This soundtrack is part of the reason.  I think Ugly Casanova is a side project of some of Modest Mouse’s members.

Alright, like I said, all business here.  Enjoy!  More to come.

Click HERE to get the zip file.

Yes, I still have a blog.  And I only post when I feel like it.  And I haven’t felt like it in a while.

As the end of the year approaches, the one thing that is on everyone’s mind is…

“What will he have on his Best of 2010 Playlist?”

Never fear.  Things are pretty much falling into place, and it will be coming soon enough.

Next Monday to be exact.

Anyway, this isn’t how I was hoping to get the old blogging thing underway again, but it will have to do.  If you have any input on the definitive word on music deemed worthy of the list, speak now or forever hold your peace.