I've got Mix Fever!

I've been playing with this idea for a while.  A better way to showcase the music I am listening to at the moment combined with a quicker way to talk about it, without using youtube. I'm probably a few steps behind, but here is my solution for the time being. YAY!!!!



I've used Groove Shark in the past, but while looking into ways to embed music into posts I discovered you could also use it to do just that. With that in mind I can launch an idea I've been working on for a while. From time to time, I will throw a mix of songs (new and old) together that have been played repeatedly, mainly by me in the present. Followed by a small rundown of the tracks I chose and why.  My hope is someone will enjoy it, and perhaps start up a conversation about any of the music contained in said list or music recommendations.  Enough blather from me.  Enjoy my July 2012 mix.



A few things in music that I am a sucker for. Jangly guitars, hand claps, fuzzed out guitars, women vocalists, and sad lyrics disguised in upbeat melodies.  The first track has three of those, how could I ever resist.  I stumbled across Big Troubles by mistake last year and have been in bliss ever since. "Gee Up" is just brilliant. Everyday I fall more in love with Kindness. He's just an incredibly talented, goofy guy.  Check out the video for "Gee Up", fantastic. Blood Orange I found out about through the  previously posted remix by Class Actress, and subsequently fell in love with.  Very impressive record. The Father John Misty song on here is jaw droppingly awesome.  I'm kind of glad he left Fleet Foxes, and I'll say it, his album is better than the last Fleet Foxes album. Deal with it. Someone at my job turned me onto Wipers, and while I may not be that guys biggest fan, I have to thank him for this one. Great track from a tragically under heard band.  What's to say about the Talking Heads, other than I've come to this track rather late. Quickly vying for my favorite song of theirs, and that really is saying something. By all rights Rye Rye should be the super star in bad Pepsi commercials, and Nicki Minaj should be the one mostly unknown. I say this only because everyone seems to want to compare the two.  And that is the only comparison I draw between the two. Rye Rye is queen. I have no qualms about the rise of neo-soul. I'm just curious when it will die out. With Nick Waterhouse in mind I guess I'll just enjoy it while it lasts. My profession of love of jangly guitars aside, it took me a long while to like the Smiths.  I thought that they were a too self serious message band with a blow hard for a front man. An incorrect assumption, for the most part.  Then a good friend introduced me to songs that showcased the odd humor of Morrissey, and a new love was born.  So imagine my surprise when I discovered The House of Love.  A Smiths like band that had the unfortunate timing to come up at the same time with a similar sound.  I say unfortunate because while they were somewhat stars at home in the UK, they are relatively unknown here.  Colonialists have a bad attention span, and limited hearing range.  If the Smiths couldn't break it big over here, how could House of Love ever hope to? Which is too bad, because they are fairly impressive.  Their first album stacks up against any Smiths album.  Don't believe me? Listen to it and than deny it.

I love music duos and in the past decade or so there has been a real resurgence in the setup. From White Stripes, Mates of State, to The Raveonettes, Cults, Sleigh Bells and Slow Club, there have been a lot of good ones to come and go.  Summer Camp is a British duo and I really like their sound, and the fact that their first album is a concept album/ homage to John Hughes movies.  TV Girl are an interesting little indie band that blurs lines between hip hop and indie pop. Great song from the the same titled EP. What's not to like about Ida Maria.  She is a Norwegian bad ass that doesn't drop her punches. She is the true heir to the Joan Jett throne. I don't know if you've heard, but Santigold came roaring back this year, doing what she does best. Which of course is being the best. The darling of the Canadian D.I.Y. scene (that's a scene right?) Grimes does an awful lot with her minimalist approach to music. It helps that she's a great song writer. Eugene McGuinness is about to blow up. Hopefully. I'm wrong about these things a lot.  Either way I am highly anticipating his new album out in August. Finally we close with Django Django and their song "Default". This song is going for the record of "most listened to song in a six month span by this guy". I can not stop listening to it.  The rest of the album as well.  I am going to call this one now, best song of the year.  I am not fucking around here. Until next time.