January ‘09 Mix

January 31, 2009

1) 9-9 – Murmur – R.E.M.

The deluxe reissue of Murmur is a delight. The new mix highlights the rhythm section’s nimble propulsion while keeping Peter Buck’s Byrdsy jangle intact. Michael Stipe, of course, remains indecipherable.

2) People Got a Lotta Nerve – Middle Cyclone – Neko Case

I am so pumped for the new Neko Case record.  Her leadoff single is essentially the musical version of the Scorpion and the Frog, an all-singing essay on destiny and human nature, and it’s pretty as all get out. She’s a man-man-man-man-eaterrrr…

3) So Far Around The Bend – Dark Was The Night – The National

The guys from the National curated a compilation so good that I’ve forgiven them for using the lyric “get high with an apple.” Luckily, they balance it out with the pretty perfect “praying for Pavement to get back together” line.

4) Train Song – Dark Was The Night – Feist and Ben Gibbard

I’m totally cheating having two songs from the same CD on one mix, but it’s a compilation! It doesn’t count! Anyway. Feist sings beautifully… and MUCH LOUDER THAN BEN GIBBARD.

5) My Love – Ray Guns Are Not Just The Future – The Bird And The Bee

The Bird and The Bee’s shimmery pop usually has a slight electronic tinge to their backdrops, but here they go for some good old fashioned stomping and clapping, like they were doing a Tilly and the Wall cover.

6) Here Comes Everybody – Future Perfect – Autolux

I caught Autolux in concert again, which made me revisit Future Perfect for a couple of spins.  Like all the great Autolux songs, this track has great texture with the dull roar of guitars, the crisp thwack of a drum and the smooth cooing vocals.  It’s mostly the drums though.

7) Like a Hitman, Like a Dancer – Get Guilty – A.C. Newman

While we’re on the topic of drums, I love the little rim clicks that the drummer uses as the main lick.  It’s second only to cowbells and woodblocks for goofy percussive tricks.

8) South China Moon – Grrr… – Bishop Allen

Bishop Allen’s new album doesn’t pack quite the immediate punch of The Broken String, but it has its own melodic treasures.  The chorus is triumphant as it crashes through after the verse.  What’s with the overenunciated T’s though?

9) Don’t! – The Old Days Feeling – Mirah

There’s a lot of charm in the way Mirah pits a very traditional Spector-girl group song against her low-fi aesthetic.  The result isn’t really a Crystals song as much as it is a girl singing a Crystals song into the mirror, with a tape recorder in one hand and maybe a hair dryer in the other.

10) Our Own Pretty Ways – Drunken Trees – First Aid Kit

First Aid Kit breaks hearts with their ruminations on change and the inevitability of love lost.  Yeah, I think they’re 15.  I know I think every countryish song sounds like a Jimmy Webb tune, but this really does have a nice Jimmy Webb feel to it.

11) Dark End Of The Street – Dark End Of The Street – Cat Power

Chan Marshall specializes in the intimate cover, and she’s phenomenal here on this Aretha Franklin tune. The song just slowly draws you in, and by the time you hear her count off 1-2-3-4 in the final stanza it’s like she’s sitting right next to you.

Posted in Mixtape