Archive for December, 2007
jamie on December 28th, 2007
Last Friday Mixtape of the year, and it’s NOT the “best of…” that I expected to put up. I’m still reviewing all the tracks posted this year in the Friday Mixtapes, and trying to find a way to narrow the list to something that won’t resemble a top-100 list. It’s a long weekend for me, so I’ll have pleanty of time to debate the best songs with myself, and hopefully, will publish the list next week.
Instead, I’ve put together a regular Friday Mixtape with that awesome Dan le Sac vs Scroobius Pip track I mentioned in a post earlier, a new song from my friends Novah, and a track from my new most favorite movie in the world, Once. I’ve been reading about the movie all year, but only finally got around to watching it last week, and it’s amazing. It’s definitely a must-see for music lovers. Also new music this week from Matt Costa and the Switches ( who will soon be touring with The Bravery).
Download, listen, enjoy. Have a happy new year!
Tracklisting:
Da Le Sac ft Scroobius Pip - Letter From God To Man
Dark Sparks - Red Skies
Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova - If You Want Me
Komakino - Say Something Else
Matt Costa - Mr. Pitiful
Novah - Way Back Home
Rhymefest ft. Talib Kweli - Never Can Say Goodbye
The Purrs - She’s Got Chemicals
The Switches - Lay Down the Law
Tulsa - Shaker
Download it here while you can!
This week’s photo by: Chris Metcalf.
jamie on December 27th, 2007
This popped up on my radar over the weekend: a new track, available for download on their myspace page, from Dan Le Sac VS Scroobius Pip (Thou Shalt Always Kill). This one titled Letter From God To Man. It’s equally as good, and the lyrics as smart. I’ve included them below for reference.
Dan Le Sac VS Scroobius Pip (myspace)
This is a letter from god to man. It says: Hey there. How’s it going? Long Time No See. I know I haven’t been around much lately, but it didn’t seem like you wanted me to be. The last time I sent down a message, you nailed it to a cross. So I figured I’d just leave you to it, let you be your own boss. But I’ve been keeping an eye on you, I have. And it’s amazing how you’ve grown. All your technological advances and the problems you’ve overthrown. All the beautiful art you’ve created with such grace and such finesse. But I must admit there are a few things that, I’m afraid, Have impressed me less. So I’m writing to apologise for all the horrors committed in my name. Although it was never what I intended I feel I should take my share of the blame. A lot of the good I tried to do was corrupted when organised religion got into full swing. What I thought were quite clear messages were taken to unusual extremes. My teachings were taken out of context to meet the agenda of others. Interpretations were taken in many different ways and hidden meanings ‘discovered.’ Religion became a tool for the weak to control the strong. With all these new morals and ethics survival of the fittest was gone. No longer could the biggest man simply take what ever he needed, Because damnation was the price if certain rules were not heeded. Some of the deeds committed in my name make me wonder where I went wrong. Back at the start when I ‘created’ all of this, the foundations seemed so strong. See all the elements were already here long before I began. I just kind of put them all together. I didn’t really think out a long term plan. I made the sun an appropriate distance and laid the stars across the sky, So you could navigate this globe or watch a sunrise. I covered the earth with plants and fruits, some for sustenance and some for beauty. And made the sun shine and clouds rain so that maintenance wasn’t your duty. I tried to give each creature its own attributes. But without making them enveloped. I gave you all space to grow and, in your own way, space to develop. I didn’t know that such development would cause rifts and jealousy. Cause you to war against each other and leave marks on this planet indelibly. You see, I wasn’t the creator, more the curator of nature. And I want to set things straight with homosexuals right now: I don’t hate ya. I was a simple being that happened to be the first to yield such powers. But I just laid the ground. It was you that built the towers. It was you that invented bombs and fear that comes with them. It was you that invented money, and corrupt economic systems. You invented terms like ‘just wars’ and terms like ‘friendly fire,’ And it was you that didn’t know when to stop digging deeper and when to stop building higher. It was you that exhausted the resources I carefully laid out on this earth, And it was you that even saw these problems coming but accredited them little worth. It was you that used my teachings for your own personal gain And it was you that committed such tragedies, even if they were in my name. So I apologise for any mistakes I made and for when my words were misconstrued, But this apology is to Mother Nature because I created you.
jamie on December 21st, 2007
Lacking time or ability to really focus on mixtapiness this week, I’ve asked a good friend, fellow music aficionado and blogger to take the reins this week. She’s come through in stunning fashion. Thanks to Mel from New Leaves In March for keeping the Friday Mixtape tradition here going.
At the end of each year, I put together a mix cd that acts as a sort of musical yearbook for me. I try to capture new artists I discovered as well as the songs that really stood out on the ipod during the year. In doing this, there are always the hard cuts to make. Songs that don’t fit the overall mix, that are several years old, or even prominently featured in ads or tv shows are some of the reasoning behind the choices. When Jamie asked if I was interested in contributing a mix this week I knew exactly where to pull songs from. The following are tracks that didn’t make the mix this year and also weren’t already featured on Squirrelfood either.
Ben Lee - Gamble Everything For Love - I recently saw Ben Lee live for the first time and he performed this track from “Awake is the New Sleep.” I opted for a cut off his new album “Ripe” but still love that I rediscovered this song.
Black Lab - Gone - I remember listening to Black Lab in college, more specifically while nearly getting stuck on some back road in the mountains with my college roommate. Earlier this year, their song “This Night” was the song podcasters chose to “Bumrush the Charts” with. I subsequently bought their new album “Passion Leaves a Trace” which this song comes from.
Dr. Dog - Alaska - A friend suggested catching Dr. Dog at ACL Festival this year and so I did. That’s one of the great things about festivals, that you can wander around and discover new music so easily.
Ghostland Observatory - Sad Sad City - This is not the type of music I listen to at all, but damn if this song isn’t catchy. This is also a band I probably would never have listened to had I not moved to Houston.
Green River Ordinance - Here We Are (Big Stars) - I do a little work for Aware Music as a rep from time to time in the way of promoting bands, selling merch and whatnot. This track from GRO was one we were asked to listen to and later I was able to catch their show at Fitzgerald’s.
Melvern Taylor - Sad And Blue - Every few months Matt the Electrician and Southpaw Jones come through town and this is a song that Matt covered after playing a few shows with Melvern in the Boston area.
The Light Wires - Never Heard the Pin Drop - Came across a couple songs by The Light Wires from their 2003 release while browsing some other music blogs and instantly was hooked by the rawness in Jeremy Pinnell’s vocals.
Thom Stone - She Knows - Another artist that I discovered thanks to another music blog Come Pick Me Up (http://cpmu.blogspot.com). Being a British artist, I was a bit surprised that Jamie didn’t beat me to this one.
Vyvienne Long - Never Leave You - Vyvienne is the cello player that accompanies Damien Rice. She performed a mini-solo set during his concert here and I picked up her album after the show.
Ward Williams - Maybe Someday - As a long time fan of Jump, Little Children I probably should have checked out the solo works of the members, but it wasn’t until a few months ago with Jay Clifford putting out new material that I hopped over to Ward’s Myspace page where this song caught my ear.
Will Hoge - The Highway’s Home - I don’t listen to the radio. I won’t say that all radio sucks, because there are a few beacons of hope out there, but unfortunately I’ve not found one in Houston. I recently purchased a new vehicle and with it came a 3 month trial of XM radio. While skipping through channels I heard the familiar sound of Hoge’s voice coming through the speakers. Nice to see such a hard working rock and roll band getting some well deserved airplay.
Download it here while you can!
This week’s photo by: M J Ecker.
jamie on December 20th, 2007
I’m just not in the mood at all, in fact, I’m downright scroogalicious this year. So, I’ll let all the other music bloggers out there handle the holiday mixes. Just follow the links below to mixtape goodness for all your holiday needs.
I Am Fuel, You Are Friends
Music For Kids Who Can’t Read Good
*Sixeyes
The Late Greats
jamie on December 20th, 2007
Yep, Lily’s preggers. Congrats to Lily and the father, Ed Simons or Chemical Brothers.
jamie on December 14th, 2007
Ah, it seems winter is finally about to settle in on Atlanta, I’ve got Friday afternoon off, and I’ll be visiting The Pub tonight for some frosty livations, and again Sunday morning for the big matches. Then, it’s off to find a cheesy xmas sweater for a party Saturday night. So, instead of comments this week, post a pic of your favorite xmas jumper, yeah? Okay, I know nobody leaves comments here, but I thought it’d be funny.
Anyhow, enjoy the music, your weekend, and the cold weather (*if you’ve missed it like I have).
Tracklisting:
Air Traffic - I Cant Understand
Ben’s Brother - Stuttering
Christine Fellows - Nevertheless
Kilians - When Will I Ever Get Home
Monkey Swallows The Universe - Statutory Rights
New Faces - She’s Like the Snow
Patrick Cleandenim - Days Without Rain
Steel Train - Alone On The Sea
The ACB’s - Sometime
The Go - You Go Bangin’ On
Download it here while you can!
This week’s photo by: W. Robert Howell.
jamie on December 13th, 2007
Rock pioneer Ike Turner died at his home in San diego, CA yesterday.
Read more at cnn.com.
jamie on December 11th, 2007
Foxoboro Hot Tubs are rumored to be the alter-egos of radio-friendly-punk rockers Green Day. The band’s website has a 6-song EP streaming and available to download for free (no signups, even). The overall sound fo the EP is infused with 60’s era rock sounds, but still sounds an awful lot like Green Day. It’s all free, so go download the whole thing at www.foxborohottubs.com, or listen at the Myspace site.
Foxboro Hot Tubs - Highway 1
jamie on December 8th, 2007
The Lodger, featured on SFFMv149 this week, re Ben Siddall (vocals, guitars, songs), Joe Margetts (bass guitar), Bruce Renshaw (drums, percussion, vocals) with Timothy Corbridge (lap steel, 2nd guitar) joining the band live.
The Lodger - Getting Special HWD Remix
