December 30, 2003
This isn’t really a mix (it runs longer than CD length), but it’s 20 songs from my Donewaiting Top 20 Albums of 2004, in reverse order. There are some repeats from my previous mixes.
20) House of Jealous Lovers – Echoes - The Rapture
I still don’t dance but I’ll occassionally yell along to this song since there’s only 5 words in it to memorize.
19) 12:51 – Room on Fire – The Strokes
Synthy guitar line and a video made like Tron… or as they call it in Mexico, El Tron.
18) The Great Love Sound – Chain Gang of Love – The Raveonettes
That! Great! Love! Sound!
17) The Ocean In Between – Kimi Ga Suki*Raifu – Matthew Sweet
I think everyone should write a love letter to the Japanese. Ignore Pearl Harbor and remember Hello Kitty.
16) Saint Simon – Chutes Too Narrow – The Shins
Goes normally for about 1 minute and a half and then takes some sweet little musical diversions.
15) Jimmy Mathis – Deliverance – Bubba Sparxxx
Bust out the jugs and washboards and get your little hillbilly dance on.
14) Retrieval of You – Down With Wilco – The Minus 5
“Now you’re a fabled record star, and I’m DJ Mini Mart cuz that’s where I work.” Doesn’t that line make you want to listen to this song?
13) Hey Ya! – Speakerboxxx/Love Below – Outkast
Single of the year, and when push comes to shove, it’s still the song I play most off this double-disc.
12) Sleeping Aides and Razorblades – Guitar Romantic – The Exploding Hearts
Only the young and the sincere can get away with using “retard” in a lyric and make it seem poignant.
11) Jason’s Basement – Movement – The Goxxip
Raw and anthemic, it’s easy to imagine Beth Ditto ripping this at a house party in sweaty Olympia basement.
10) Back to Gray – More Parts Per Million – The Thermals
I often pretend that I found a long lost tape that looks a million years old and I put it on and I hear the Thermals, dusty and fuzzy like my reindeer sweater.
9) Have Love Will Travel – Thickfreakness – The Black Keys
This blues cover of the Sonics’ song has got some deceptively simple guitar playing in it, and yet I can’t even come close to sounding right even when I’m hitting the right notes.
8) Y-Control – Fever to Tell – The Yeah Yeah Yeahs
The only song of the YYYs to marry their power with their grace, one can only hope this is a portend of things to come.
7) Girl, You Have No Faith in Medicine – Elephant – The White Stripes
For all of Jack White’s many gifts (including that mean right hook!), sometimes it’s most fun just to listen to a guy thrash around for two minutes and scream some stuff about pills.
6) Drunken Tears – Hot Shit – Quasi
The title pretty much says it all. Get drunk. Cry. Feel better in the morning.
5) He War – You Are Free – Cat Power
Chan Marshall with Dave Grohl on drums. Who thought this would ever work? Boy, does it.
4) Billy Liar – Her Majesty – The Decemberists
Beware: It doesn’t take long to get this lodged in your head in a real bad way. It also mentions peeking at girls’ knickers, which is a plus.
3) Something Bigger, Something Brighter – The New Romance – Pretty Girls Make Graves
Of all the acts I saw last year, I don’t think anyone had their shit together like PGMG. It’s drill team rock and roll with great dynamics and an almost epic feel.
2) July Jones – Electric Version – The New Pornographers
So sugary perfect, Electric Version was almost as addicting as actual pornography. (Watch out, I’m working blue tonight)
1) Tell Balgeary, Balgury is Dead – Hearts of Oak – Ted Leo / Pharmacists
The biggest compliment I can pay Ted Leo is that after every song, I’ll often say “MAN, I wish I’d written that.” I’m not sure how big of a compliment that is, considering I’ve never written a song, but whatever. Take what you can get, buddy.
Posted in Mixtape
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