October ’03 Mix

October 27, 2003

1) Angry Inch – Wig in A Box - Sleater-Kinney & Fred Schneider

Easily the greatest song about a botched sex change EVER DONE. Corin Tucker’s voice is clocked up a notch and I exploded in laughter the first time I heard Fred Schneider do his chorus response parts. He yells “TITS OUT OF CLAY” for chrissake.

2) All Medicated Geniuses – This Is Our Emergency EP - Pretty Girls Make Graves

Pretty Girls Make Graves is good, Pretty Girls Make Graves Live is better. The EP has three live tracks, including this one and a raging version of “Speakers Push The Air.”

3) Past Lives – Automatic Midnight - Hot Snakes

The three roaring chords and the rumbling bassline sound like classic Who, before going into some more aggro punk. Fantastic combination.

4) Heaven and Hell – Live at Leeds – The Who

As good as that is, this is the real deal. I know Moon couldn’t keep time, but damn if he wasn’t the best drummer ever in spite of that.

5) We Don’t Want Your Fucking War – The Song Is Love – The Quails

The Quails snuck this cover of the Dicks on to their new album as a hidden track. Not the greatest track ever, but it’s a song worth hearing, and a sentence worth repeating.

6) Reptilia – Room On Fire – The Strokes

One of the few Strokes songs with a real pulse and a real release of energy at all. I like the Strokes a lot, but I really wish they would cut it loose a little more often. I know some people prefer their slightly subdued, just on the cusp of something sound, but sometimes I gotta rock.

7) Combat Baby – Old World Underground, Where Are You – Metric

There seems to be a little hype building for LA band Metric, but I’m not sure I see the awesomeness of it. They’re good, but I’m not sure I see anything but new Cardigans here. That said, this one’s catchy.

8) My Side of The City – Yoko – Beulah

When I saw Beulah play, they brought some kid on stage and rocked it up. She was a horrible singer, but the song stuck in my head anyway. One of Beulah’s rare rockers.

9) She Tried – Deliverance – Bubba Sparxxx

I swear I’ve had the “I like Speakerboxxx/I like Love Below/Yeah but everyone’s sleepin’ on the new Bubba Sparxxx record” like… *20* times this month. Everyone’s sleepin on this record though. Some of Timbaland’s wackiest, greatest work yet.

10) Billy Liar – Her Majesty - Decemberists

Jaunty, bouncy fun. Bonus points for using the words: knickers, sinews, boyo and the phrases “whalebone corset frame” and “geisha with a garland of pearls.” I don’t think anyone writes lyrics as humorously literary as Colin Meloy. It’s a strange, strange talent, but God bless him.

11) The Town Crusher – Set You Free – Chisel

Most of the Chisel records sound like they were recorded by cavemen, but this solo thing sounds OK. This was the only Chisel song that Leo played when I saw him play solo.

12) Let’s Rave On - Chain Gang of Love - The Raveonettes

When everyone wasn’t looking, the Raveonettes added a full band and ditched the garagey two piece formula to make a record that sounds like Phil Spector producing songs from those Annette Funicello beach movies. The cynic in me says it’s a calculated ploy, but it’s not like there’s a huge market for music like this either. Who knows?

13) Black Eyed Susan - 14 Songs – Paul Westerberg

Here’s a song that sounds like it was recorded in a bathroom with one of those lecture tape recorders. It works perfectly though.

14) Dancing in the Dark – Live at Brownie’s – Ted Leo

Does it get better than Ted Leo playing Bruce Springsteen? Ted Leo lives with his parents in DEEP, DEEP JERSEY. I’d imagine he listens to all these Springsteen songs about escaping small town life and just cries. Shed a tear for Teddy Leo.

15) The Poisoned Well – Featuring Birds – Quasi

I listened to a lot of Quasi this month, getting ready for their show and coming down from it. This isn’t their best song, but after the death of Elliott Smith, it’s the one I listened to the most. It’s written for Smith, and it’s not particularly nice. That said, Sam Coomes needed to say it, and I think it speaks for a lot of people. “If I kept things inside, at least I never lied / I’m not trying to document my suicide / You won’t live long, but you may write the perfect song / Please excuse those who choose to not play along.”

16) Needle In The Hay – Royal Tenenbaums – Elliott Smith

After Smith’s suicide, watching Luke Wilson attempt suicide to this song is hard, hard, hard. Hearing Smith sing “You should be proud that I’m getting good marks” makes me physically grimace. It’s probably the harshest play on words I’ve heard, including all of Elvis Costello’s work. I hope Smith found a better place, but I don’t that’s going to make me any happier about the situation.

Category Posted in Mixtape