June 3rd, 2009
TITLE:
“Poolside Bounce”
COMPILED BY:
John M. Cunningham and Kevin J. Elliott
LINK:
http://www.sendspace.com/file/i15mb4
Grape Blunt. Smoked Animal Flesh. Mango Habanero Vodka. Huey Lewis Karaoke. Those party favors may be twenty years removed from the scorched days of running on wet pavement at the Troy Municipal Pool, but the songs remain the same. Seems like during these summer months it’s difficult to put much thought into what I’m listening to and instead indulge in anything and everything synthetic, pleasurable, and ingrained with a bounce. Call it lazy, guilty, but those grooves have stuck. We are, after all, of a generation who considers the electric boogaloo of the Jets, as aged gracefully.
–Kevin J. Elliott
This mix is about sudden thunderstorms and the sun-slick streets left in the wake of dark skies. It’s about long-limbed, tanned girls on beach chairs concentrating on soft-serve cones and sweat-soaked ponytailed girls shrieking with laughter while skipping rope. It’s about the splash of cannonballs and the smack of wet concrete and someone’s new boombox flirting with static. And it’s about the insouciant head-bobbing bounce that soundtracks all these scenes, from the nostalgic beat of babysitters’ favorite cassettes to the crisp digital rhythms echoing from our modern headphones as we surrender to the season. Enjoy.
–John M. Cunningham
Tracklisting Below the Jump
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June 2nd, 2009
Alfred Soto & Tal Rosenberg: Risottoberg
http://sharebee.com/b9122ab4
When J-Brad announced that he was organizing this year’s go-round of the “Summer Jamz” series, I specifically asked Alfred if he wanted to collaborate. The reason is obvious: Alfred descends from the ancient and much hallowed Sotosyn Tribe, an off branch of the Satahsing Tribe in the northwest vector of the Cromtibular Galaxy. I, as many readers likely know, descend from the Rosenbergs, a wide swath of members of the Jewish religion with my specific lineage dating as far back as the village of Lodz, Poland. When the Rosenberg family of this particular Lodz branch merges with the Sotosyn tribe, it forms Risottoberg, a newfound mind-meld that has the creamy, mealy texture of risotto and the cool, glacial pace of an iceberg. Also, we have a predilection for R&B and Shep Pettibone 12” mixes, and using tabletops as percussion.
-Tal Rosenberg
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June 1st, 2009
Photo via The Stranger
Todd Burns was the former editor of Stylus Magazine. He is currently the editor of dance music’s best online magazine, Resident Advisor.
When I make a mix, I’m most concerned with throughlines: I want to make something that sounds like one (very) long song. This makes for some pretty one-note mixes, but I’m slightly obsessive compulsive anyway. So, here’s to OCD. And delicate, floaty, nebulous summer jams that sound awful at a Sunday afternoon BBQ. (Sorry about that.)
http://www.zshare.net/audio/607426407df0cdf1/
Tracklist After the Jump.
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May 29th, 2009
My favorite High Fidelity moment is Rob Fleming’s (patron saint of music nerds) soliloquy describing the art of the mixtape. The rules: Stick to a theme, no mixing black music and white music, no two songs by the same artist on the same side (unless you’re doing doubles) etc. While the advice is rote (and ultimately ignorable) the spiel is one of the great elegies to the mix as a conveyor of emotion.
For a generation that fetishizes cassette tapes while barely remembering the discman, Rob’s passion for self-expression through song selection is a reminder of a simple pleasure that’s increasingly obsolete in the era of filesharing. After all, how awkward is it to give a girl that mp3 CD when her Macbook Air can’t even read the damn thing? A Z-Share just ain’t the same.
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May 28th, 2009
Kool & The Gang’s, “Summer Madness,” is one of the most gratifying seasonally themed records of all time and the inspiration for a plethora of songs that could lay claim to the same title. Recorded in 1973 (incidentally, the year credited as hip hop’s official birth date) and released on the group’s seventh studio album, Light Of Worlds, “Summer Madness” endures as a song perfectly suited to hazy, sun-drenched evenings with the buzz of the season hanging in the air.
Each of the selected songs incorporate “Summer Madness” in some way, although it’s worth noting Khalis Bayyan’s distinctive mellotron and synthesiser parts–the most heavily utilised element of the sample source. This compilation provides a relatively comprehensive, chronological overview of the Kool & The Gang original and its journey through the course of hip hop history, with tracks dating from 1988 through to 2009. Crack open a cold one and enjoy: this really is a new definition of “Summer Madness.”
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May 27th, 2009
Summer’s a mess, this year more than ever. Not only do we have to cope with the usual mix of baking heat, overexcited crowds and a seemingly never-ending run of bad television, the warm months of 2009 come packaged with a recession swamping the globe, a Swine flu pandemic and Dick Cheney hanging around like he’s Fonzie and we’re Mr. C. Happy days indeed.
Thank god for Summer Jamz. Fresh off a Memorial Day honored by frequenting sketchy nightclubs, imbibing copious quantities of alcohol (etc.) and getting excited about being able to wear white again, we at the Passion of the Weiss have knuckled down to work and set about making sure your summer is accompanied by a steady stream of great music, even if it should also be accompanied by unemployment and your neighbors catching their death from a slight cold. We’ll be delivering a summer-themed mixtape right here, every week day, for the next few weeks or so.
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July 16th, 2008
Summer Jamz ‘08 #15: Sach O
http://www.sendspace.com/file/jugatb
Sach O blogs for Ohword.com where his angry rants make the natives restless. He can currently be found somewhere in Thailand but will be returning to North-America in August to record a pop album. We’re not sure if he’s joking.
- The Beastie Boys – Mark on the Bus
- Marlena Shaw – California Soul
- The Stone Roses – Elephant Stone
- Gal Costa – Lost in Paradise
- Doris – Waiting at the Station
- Happy Mondays – Hallelujah (MacColl mix)
- Bucktown (Interlude)
- Juvenile – Ghetto Children
- Society of Soul ft. TLC – Changes
- Main Ingredient – Summer Breeze
- The Decemberists – Summersong
- Fleet Foxes – Blue Ridge Mountains
- The Pharcyde – She Said (Jay Dee Remix)
- Friday Foster (Interlude)
- The Mary Jane Girls – All Night Long
- Tricky – You Don’t
- De La Soul ft. Maceo Parker – I be Blowin’
- The Notorious B.I.G – Juicy
- Akhenaton ft. Fonky Family – Bad Boys de Marseilles
- The Kinks – Sunny Afternoon
- Of Montreal – An Eluardian Instance (Live)
- Sach – Who’s the Deejay? (Madlib vs. Cheech n Chong)
Summer doesn’t mean much in the tropics, at least for visiting white people. Sure it rains more (less tourists, cheaper rooms) but the shift from “hotter than a 92 Dre beat” to “almost unbearable” isn’t quite the same as going from frosty to scorching. Back home (Montreal, that French place with the indie bands) summer is the single most important part of life, the 3 to 4 month window where it’s warm enough to go outside and the town suddenly explodes with festivals, street parties and every other imaginable excuse to get out and enjoy life before the icy hand of winter creeps back in. Summer out there makes people do crazy things, I’ve quit jobs over good weather and more than one demented drug binge has been undertaken solely because “it’s nice out”. Summer also results in radio hits that skirt the line between good and awful so subtly that it’s years before you realize in horror that Incubus and Noreaga are permanently associated with cherished memories. But if there’s one thing I’ve missed about summer back home on this trip (6 months and counting in Asia), it’s the cycle. The slow build from the minute the leaves are out to the last bacchanalian blowout come early September. With all of this in mind, here’s a mix dedicated to my favorite summer moments.
1. “The fuck-going-to-work song” The Beastie Boys – Mark on the Bus
A proper mixtape needs a proper intro just like a good summer needs that moment of clarity when you suddenly realize that you only live once and that welfare checks can pay the rent this go around. Keyboard Money Mark may be singing about heading to work for the man, but it sounds like he’s 3 miles high and building a b-ball court for a guy called MCA.
2. “The Opening credit song” Marlena Shaw – California Soul
Someone once said that mixtapes are how we score the films of our lives. Actually, lots of people have said that, usually after listening to entirely too much Phish. But if ever I need to match the title sequence of some long lost black 60’s coming of age story to a song, it’ll be Marlena Shaw’s California Soul. DJ Premier knows what’s up.
3. “The crazy night out song” The Stone Roses – Elephant Stone
I’ve met more than my fair share of British people while traveling through Asia and more or less every single one above the age of 25 has an undying love for this band. I knew they were big out there but I had no idea that the entire United Kingdom lost its virginity to their music while we were stuck with Milli Vanilli. Anyways, summer’s all about partying and while I don’t approve of Nu Rave, M.I.A or most UK dance music in general, this is a surefire classic.
4. “The morning after song” Gal Costa – Lost in Paradise
Everyone remembers the hangover, but no one ever gives props to those perfect mornings where the right combination of time, liquor and junk food leaves your digestive system perfectly unscathed. Gal Costa’s “Lost in Paradise” captures that feeling effortlessly, from the hazy horns of the intro to the slowly building verses to the explosive finale. The perfect song for when you’re feeling good enough to get up but don’t really need to.
5. “The Road Trip Song” Doris – Waiting at the Station
I’m cheating a bit with this one since it’s definitely inspired by my summer/winter abroad this year rather than my time in Montreal, but anyone who’s taken a road trip without a proper car can relate. Train stations aren’t nearly as romantic as their depictions in novels or films, but they’re not half bad places to people watch either. The Swedish soul singer Doris’ take on waiting around for one’s ride out of town after a winter slaving for the man is liberation music at it’s finest.
6. “The Drug Song” – Happy Mondays – Hallelujah (MacColl Mix)
Simply put, Sean Ryder’s drug intake puts anyone short of Keith Richards to shame. While this means that his attempted comeback at Coachella last year was a predictable disaster, it also made for some interesting music during his band’s early 90’s peak. Riding a mechanical rhythm, Hallelujah’s sacrilegious melding of drugs, dance and religion would be the perfect song for an Candy flip fueled freak-out if only the rest of the party remembered it.
7. “The interlude” – Bucktown
Interludes are what separate mixtapes from…better mixtapes with interludes. Plus summer’s all about seeing flicks with the crew. Hopefully your viewing is half as bad ass as Bucktown.
8. “The Bounce Song” – Juvenile – Ghetto Children
Ok, I know what you’re thinking: “did this East Coast elitist motherfucker just put a Juvenile song on his tape?!” (Alternately, “that’s technically not a bounce song”). To this I answer, “yes I did” (and alternately, “I don’t care”). Like it or not, for the past 10 years every summer’s had its southern anthem and as far as I’m concerned, they were never better than Cash Money’s initial onslaught on the mainstream consciousness. I mean, just compare this album cut to Lollipop or anything by Yung Berg.
9. “The house-party slow jam” – Society of Soul ft. TLC - Changes
Try as I might, my house parties never managed to be quite as cool as Biggie’s “One More Chance” video. Maybe it’s because I don’t know any video hoes. Still, I always throw this on around 2AM in the blind hope that chicks will spontaneously make out with each other and that my pimp game will suddenly improve.
10. “The clean-up song” – The Main Ingredient – Summer Breeze
Cleaning up after house parties is a bitch. If you’re like me, you’re either coming down or entirely too hype for such a routine activity. But friends don’t let friends deal with random puke on their own. I promise that if you throw this bad boy on, the job won’t be half as bad and you’ll be done in time for sunrise and McDonalds breakfast.
11. “The white girl song” – The Decemberists – Summersong
Ok, so I win no points for originality here, but if you’ve ever dealt with quasi-arty white chicks, you know that’s the point. Making out with Colin Meloy warbling in the background after a date is probably up there with putting on a Peter Frampton or Foreigner record in the 70’s but if it gets me in, I got no shame. Although I draw the line at Maroon 5.
12. “The living-out-in-the-woods song” Fleet Foxes – Blue Ridge Mountains
Indie darlings they are and I’m not totally sold on the album but even I can’t deny just how dope “Blue Ridge Mountains” is. While I can’t front on how awesome Montreal gets in the summer, I always try to spend at least one week out in the mountains to really get away from it all. This will be the soundtrack for that expedition when I touch down back home.
13. “The laying-around-in-bed-with-her song” The Pharcyde – She Said (Jay Dee remix)
This one’s really all about the beat and chorus. Who cares if the Pharcyde are going on about rejection for the thousandth time? Dilla’s dropping an early gem and the hook is so smooth that your one night stand is onto round two before you know it.
14. “The Interlude redux” – Friday Foster
Keeping with the theme…
15. “The well known retro funk song” – Mary Jane Girls – All Night Long
Everyone from Redman to LL Cool J has bitten off a chunk of this Rick James produced classic and with good reason. Sure your parents probably recognize it and it might make an appearance at your cousin Jon Jon’s wedding but its one of the tightest, sexiest grooves of the 80’s and it’s not nearly as synthesized as your typical Prince jam. I stand by this one.
16. “The stoner song” – Tricky – You Don’t
Trip-Hop is supremely unpopular right now. I mean, even Portishead all but abandoned it for their newest album and they freaking invented the sound. It’s a shame, I’ll take heavy boom-bap drums, fat basslines and sexy vocals over 808’s, gurgling synths and annoying dance-floor call-and-response chants any day. Here’s a test: put this on when your pretentious music snob friends are around after everyone’s sufficiently high. Odds are, they’ll all ask what it is and recoil in horror when they realize that they actually *gasp* like an uncool record.
17. “The instrumental song” – De La Soul ft. Maceo Parker – I be Blowin’
Just in case you’re still high and don’t want to move after the last one. You know I take care of ya. Incidentally, with all the talk about Outkast and Lauryn Hill introducing genre bending pop elements to rap with their 98 releases, how come no one ever gives De La props for having the balls to let MACEO PARKER drop 5 minutes of funky jazz waaay back in 93? It’s a damn shame.
18. “The Feel-good classic rap song” – The Notorious B.I.G – Juicy
This Mp3 is actually ripped from my original “Ready to Die” cassette purchased in 95. No lie. Every summer tape needs at least one crazy known rap jam for everyone to sing along to. This is that jam. Interestingly enough, I notice that the “Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis” line gets people the most hyped these days. Videogame nostalgia stand up!
19. “The French rap song that Sach tries to push on us” – AKH ft. Fonky Family – Bad Boys de Marseilles.
Marseilles was to French Hip Hop as LA was to the States…if Wu-Tang was from L.A. and everyone was cynical and North-African. This track was a MONSTER summer hit out there spawning two remixes, a career for the Fonky Family and a full-time rap radio station. Now you’ve gotta listen to it because this is my mixtape dammit and I’m not curbing my eccentricities. Just pretend it’s what the cool kids are listening to.
20. “The summer’s over song” – The Kinks – Sunny Afternoon
And just like that, it’s over. It’s the end of August and you’ve wasted another season drinking, smoking, eating, partying and avoiding responsibilities. Ain’t it grand? But now you gotta face reality and the only one there to take your side is Mr. Ray Davies and his motley band of misfits.
21. “The nostalgic look back song” – Of Montreal – An Eluardian Instance (Live)
The nostalgic song…OF THE FUTURE! Seriously though, committed fan that I am, I had to throw something from Of Montreal’s upcoming “Skeletal Lamping” onto this mix even if the actual record hasn’t leaked yet. An uptempo pop track celebrating everything fun about summer time (with no mentions of transsexuals like most recent Kevin Barnes songs), this is the perfect way to look back at a season well spent.
22. “The Outro” – Sach (Madlib vs. Cheech N Chong) – Who’s the Deejay?
Just because it was lying around the iPod with those other two interludes.
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July 14th, 2008
Summer Jamz ‘08 #14: Douglas Reinhardt’s “Sugar Pies and Lullabies”
http://www.sendspace.com/file/josps9
Sometimes, Douglas Reinhardt blogs at Skeet on Mischa. Sometimes, he blogs at Defamer. At all times, he is well-caffeinated.
Each Summer Jam is proudly co-hosted with Screw Rock N’ Roll.
Track Listing:
1. “Fresh” by Daft Punk
2. “Bring It On” by Playgroup Featuring Kathleen Hannah
3. “Ring The Alarm” by Tenor Saw
4. “Say Wussup” by Small Breed
5. “Skeleton” by Abe Vigoda
6. “Dance Walhalla” by Times New Viking
7. “Skulls” by The Misfits
8. “The Search For Cherry Red” by Jonathan Fire Eater
9. “ Challenge The Throne” by Mika Miko
10. “Standing By The Sea” by Husker Du
11. “See You Again” by Miley Cyrus
12. “Sleeper Hold” by No Age
13. “Cohesion” by The Minutemen
14. “Postcards From Tiny Islands” by The Walkmen
15. “ I Can’t Get My Eyes Off” by Prefuse 73
16. “Cash Still Rules/Scary Hours” by Wu Tang Clan
17. “ Open The Gate” (Dub) by King Tubby & Lee Perry
18. “Redondo Beach” (Live) by Morrissey
19. “Your Hand In Mine” by Explosions In The Sky
20. “Le Soleil Est Pres De Moi” (Automator Remix) by Air
21. “Silent Morning” by The Rapture
22. “Dark Days” by DJ Shadow
23. “Goodnight Assholes” by David Cross
Any collection of summer jamz, mixtapes have to be an odd assortment of new and old. Stuff to sing along with, but without having to dig out that old Pennywise chestnut, “Bro Hymn” while on that late night drive. Stuff to get you excited while still on that late night drive and the stoplights are not in your favor. And with the new stuff hopefully over time will become the sing along classics or the songs that you air drum along with while stuck on the freeway. It’s a cliché, but there’s a good reason why it’s a cliché, summer jamz are the soundtrack to our lives and memories. Hearing that one song might remember that day at the beach where the MILF tried to pick you up or that night where you heard terrible second hand accounts of how the local scene kids got into a fight with a bunch of frat guys at the go to 24 hour fast food place; my memories and the second hand tales I heard involved a girl dumping an entire bowl of pico de gallo on somebody at four in the morning, which lead to the 24 hour place no longer being open for 24 hours a day.
Knowing me, the problem in making this could’ve been going overboard with the current crop of LA punk stuff. Instead, I kept it to a minimum, thankfully, but it could’ve easily been a very premature ‘Best Of No Age’ mix. Instead, there’s one No Age song and a couple other Smell related bands. These songs also hint at my current quarter life musical crisis; hence the Morrissey, the Misfits, and Miley Cyrus. Then again, every summer needs a great pop song and oddly, “See You Again” is a great pop song with a catchy chorus and easy to dance beat. I think for the most part, the mix plays out like a child/Artie Lange crashing after a sugar overload. Very fast, very anxious in the beginning and then it just falls into a deep slumber at the end. I highly suggest listening the last couple of tunes during a sunset with a nice, ice cold tall can of Tecate wrapped in a brown paper bag in your hand. Also, apparently, there’s a skeleton motif, so that goes out to all of the psych majors.
As my mixtape tradition dictates, thank you to: The Usual Suspects, all the girls at the American Apparel stores that won’t give me the time of the day, Greg Ginn, Diablo Cody, Old Town Pasadena, Jiffy Lube, Albertacos, Swingers, The Donut Place Next To The Detroit Bar, David Lynch, Baba Boey, Leighton Meester “Wizards Of Waverly Place,” Hip Hop, Miller High Life, Gingers, Sun Dresses, Frank Bascombe, Don Drapper, and Barack Obama.
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July 11th, 2008
Douglas Martin is a singer/songwriter living in Seattle. He records and blogs under the name Fresh Cherries From Yakima.. He may be the best musician with “Cherry” in his name since Neneh Cherry. Screw you Cherry Poppin’ Daddies.
Summer Jamz ‘08 #13: Douglas Martin’s Days and Nights
http://www.sendspace.com/file/vudu8d
Most years, I go back and forth about whether I enjoy hot or cold weather more. Would I rather bundle up and crank the heat up as far as I can without setting my blinds on fire, or would I rather withstand not having an air-conditioner in my apartment for the sake of a few extra hours of daylight and the ability to rock Super V-Neck Tees that veer dangerously close to making me look like a bald-headed girl? (Note: I’m actually using music and blogging as a front to jump-start my American Apparel modeling career.) It could be because of the tunes, it could be because of the innumerable pints of White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle ice cream, or it could be because in Seattle, we had our hottest day of the year in April. Whatever the reason, in 2008, summer wins.
So, in a method to reinforce to everyone how pretentious I am, my tape is somewhat conceptual; an aural journey of a beautiful summer day, from the moment your head leaves the pillow it’s still damp from drool, to the moment where your eyelids are heavy and you’re nodding off like you’re on dope (no Pusha T). And, as a favor to the world, I’ve opted not to include any actual Fresh Cherries from Yakima songs. You’re welcome.
ALTERNATE THESIS: What’s summer if you can’t throw a chick on the track like Just Blaze? You’ll understand where I’m getting at in a minute.
SIDE A: DAY.
1. Bill Callahan- Day:
Like nearly every young black man that was brought in the South (North Carolina, stand up), I was raised in the church. And when I say raised in the church, I mean raised: Bible Study on Wednesday nights, Children’s Choir Practice on Saturday afternoons, Sunday School on Sunday morning, Regular Service directly after, and I had to BEG my grandmother to let me stay home from Sunday Evening Service, or I’d just pretend that I didn’t finish my homework. “Day” is Bill Callahan in his Johnny-Cash-Gone-Gospel phase, with bouncing drums, pianos, tambourines and soulful background vocals. It sounds like something my grandma would have played while fixing me some hash browns on Sunday morning, clapping along in her kitchen. Sometimes, I can picture her calling me up and asking why I don’t go to church anymore. I’d probably tell her it’s because my homework’s not done.
2. PWRFL Power- It’s Okay:
This is as close as “indie” gets to a children’s song, and I mean that in the best possible way. With it’s bright chords and prodigious fingerpicking, “It’s Okay” is the perfect audio companion for a beautiful Pacific-Northwest summer day. Sometimes, I play the song for my four-year-old niece, and she dances around gleefully. I’m just glad that I haven’t yet had to explain to her what it means when Kaz Nomura sings, “It’s okay to release your powerful power.” When the time comes, that’ll be her mother’s job.
3. The Mountain Goats- Itzcuintli-Totzli Days:
In my opinion, John Darnielle is the Mike Jordan of the mic recordings, my favorite lyricist of all-time. “Itzcuintli-Totzli Days,” couples Aztec mythology with vivid images of summer (naked shoulders, a bunny stomping all over the garden) to make a spectacular sing-along, perfect for summer afternoons. Plus, if I can out myself as a Goats geek for a minute, there aren’t many female background singers with harmonies as beautiful as the Bright Mountain Choir; the only thing that even comes close are those girls from the Dirty Projectors. Another Mountain Goats tune appropriate for the Summer of 2008 is “Cubs in Five,” due to the spectacular season the Cubbies are having, and because baseball is the only great American sport going on right now. I mean, what are you going to watch, Wimbledon?
4. Abe Vigoda- Animal Ghosts:
Have you ever been drunk in the mid-afternoon, like really fucking shitfaced? You know, when the combination of booze and sun makes you all bleary-eyed and squinting, struggling to see your friend two feet ahead of you? Well, whenever I listen to “Animal Ghosts,” it reminds me of the feeling, all the way down to the lyrics, which I can only pick out every third or fourth word. I can hardly understand what people are saying when I’m drunk, too.
5. TV on the Radio- Staring at the Sun:
In spite of being terribly literal, “Staring at the Sun” is a perfect summer song, because the guitars (or synths, or whatever the fuck they are) sound like they’ve been frying on the sidewalk along with the eggs on the hottest day of the year. The heavy pulsating of the whatever-the-fuck-they-are before the drums kick in reminds me of the feeling you get when it’s super hot, and your pulse is throbbing, searching for an ice cold bottle or glass of water to dump on yourself (No Busta Rhymes).
6. Vivian Girls- Wild Eyes:
Another song with guitars (they really are guitars this time) that sound like they’ve been cooking in the sun for way too long, only this time with corroded, proto-punk production, beautifully thrashing drums, and– at this point, a must for the Douglas Martin Summer– beautiful female vocals. “Wild Eyes” sounds like the cute girls you wanted to date (preferably all, but at least one), beating the shit out of their instruments in your neighbor’s garage, all artsy cool and charming amateurishness. Why didn’t the whole “Shoegaze Girl-Group” thing get thought of sooner?
7. Modest Mouse- Perfect Disguise:
Issac Brock is a lyricist’s lyricist. Adam Brody (probably the only-and-last time an O.C. cast member gets name-dropped sans sarcasm on a music blog) once famously said that Brock’s lyrics “held the secret to the universe,” which is hard for me to disagree with. But, beyond the talk of the creation of the world (”3rd Planet”), characteristic moody centerpieces (”Lives”), and an Aesopian fable about his sister getting eaten by animals (”Wild Packs of Family Dogs”), The Moon and Antarctica also showed Brock’s singular talent as a brilliant kiss-off artist: “Need me to fall down/So you can climb up/Some fool-ass ladder/Well, good luck/I hope, I hope there’s something better up there.”
8. Radiohead- Let Down:
In Spin Magazine’s 20 Years of Alternative Music book, Will Hermes writes about listening to Ok Computer in an ice cream parlor, specifically referencing “Let Down” as the perfect song to listen to while getting your two (or three, you fucking glutton) scoops. The heart-wrenchingly gorgeous guitar line from Jonny Greenwood sort of sends your mind into a vertigo of vivid colors as Thom Yorke beautifully harmonizes with himself about being squashed in the ground. Now, I get the sort of gooseflesh you get from eating too much ice cream not only when I hear the song, but every time I eat ice cream, because the song plays in my head every time I have a waffle cone in my hand.
9. Jay-Z- Never Change:
It wouldn’t be a Summer Jamz mix without the once-reigning-and-undisputed and the current owner-and-proprietor of Summer. “Never Change,” may not remind of you summer at first, but with its Kanye-helmed beat and open-hearted nostalgia, it’s perfect for driving around the city on a hot summer night with all the windows down and the streetlights and buildings buzzing past you. The Original Mr. Carter not only drops serious words of wisdom (”We all fish, better teach your folk,” “Chains is cool to cop, but more important is lawyer fees”), but also creates a hustler’s anthem. Even the closest you’ve ever come to hustling is fucking off your Summer Reading to mow lawns, Hov’s got you. Fuck y’all; we needed money for Atari.
10. Raekwon- Heaven and Hell:
Outside of Outkast, Rae and Ghost are rap’s perfect dynamic duo. They’re don’t have the the Felix and Oscar (please tell me you guys got the Odd Couple reference; peace to Nick at Nite) push-and-pull that Big and Dre 3000 proudly display; they’re at times too similar. However, their styles compliment each other perfectly, especially over this all-time-great RZA soul beat, with Rae waking up at ten, “about to make moves that slide like grease,” and Ghost being Ghost, seeing some cat “up in Bojangles, strangling a 40-Oz./With 10-G’s worth of gold bangles.” The melancholy backdrop is so wonderful, it doesn’t really matter that Rae and Ghost do two-minutes worth of shout-outs at the end; you just wanna play it until it’s over.
11. Cave Singers- Elephant Clouds:
With it’s shimmering guitars and galloping drums, “Elephant Clouds” is perfect for driving into the sunset.
12. The Walkmen- Thinking of a Dream I Had:
Starting off with an 80’s Hardcore-Punk riff and a tribal thump, when the organ comes in on the chorus, it sounds like The Walkmen are ushering summer in themselves. Hamilton Leithauser drunkenly singing, “We’re gonna have a good time tonight,” works very well with what’s going on musically, and works as a great accompaniment to the sun going on. Then, suddenly, there’s an apeshit crescendo, with Leithauser screaming, “NOONE SPEAKS TO ME THAT WAY,” and you’re left hoping that his night goes as good as he originally thought.
SIDE B: NIGHT.
13. Panda Bear- I’m Not:
When I famously stated that my mom loves Person Pitch(!), I was talking to her about what she liked about the album. She pointed out that there are some songs on the album are great for falling asleep to, and cited “I’m Not” specifically (as “the one where it sounds like the only thing he’s saying is ‘I’m not’ the whole time”). The repetitive, high-pitched vocal sample, coupled with the soft drums and Noah Lennox’s eternally boyish, ethereal vocals amazingly prove that you don’t need expensive synths to do ambient music.
14. 50 Cent- Heat:
Remember when people actually liked 50 Cent? When those G-Unit Mixtapes came and spread like napalm throughout the rap consciousness, making Get Rich or Die Tryin’ one of the fastest-selling rap records of all-time (A million in a week is impressive, especially these days, Weezy, but 50 sold 800,000+ in four days)? That’s because Get Rich signified the arrival of a bulletproof asshole, an overabundantly charismatic anti-hero who smiled (albeit with as much nihilism in his heart as Manson, but still) more than he scowled, giggling with childlike glee everytime gunshots were fired. In “Heat,” among providing probably the best song of 50’s career, Curtis brilliantly sums up summer in TWO BARS: “In the ‘hood, summertime is the killin’ season/It’s hot out this bitch, that’s a good ’nuff reason!” Maybe this is the reason Dom Imus had his right to intelligently speak on race relations in America revoked for a second-straight time.
Furthermore, It’s a crying shame we (who aren’t haters) ended up being wrong about 50.
15. The Microphones- Solar System:
Starting out with a flurry of unlistenable white noise (you might want to turn the volume down for the first thirty seconds or so), Phil Elvrum, with gorgeous backing harmonies, singing about being haunted by the memories of a girl (I think), repeating at the end, “I know you’re out there.” The wistful sadness of the track (spoiler alert: MORE FEMALE BACKING HARMONIES) makes it a lock for a summer night.
16. Bonnie “Prince” Billy- Raining in Darling:
The beginning of the track continues in the same wistful sadness that I talked about with the previous track, but the end of the song is the payoff, where the drums crash in a climax with Will Oldham wailing, “It don’t rain anymore.”
17. No Age- Semi-Sorted:
Whenever I listen to No Age (for all intents and purposes, probably my favorite new band of the last few years), it reminds me of their hometown of Los Angeles, a city in which I’ve never visited, but none of the good things. I’m talking dirty beaches, smoggy air, abandoned air, and heat, heat heat. Of course, being a Northwest kid, I’m sure I’m stereotyping, but I think the dirt and the grime of big cities are much more attractive than a gentrified metropolis. “Semi-Sorted” starts out with a couple minutes of dirty, dingy ambiance which threatens to run longer in length the actual “song” part of the song, then kicks in with guitar squall, a four-on-the-floor kick stomp, and Dean Spunt’s boyish vocals. Then, the song goes from introverted-stomp to visceral-stomp, and the next thing you know, it’s over, just like summer.
18. Weezer- Only in Dreams:
Before we get too far off the subject of artists that peaked early (see also: Cent, 50), Weezer’s eponymous debut (”Well, fuck, half their catalog is eponymous, Douglas Martin”) was probably rock music’s first grunge-pop record, with distortion and winks of feedback showing up as much as the incredibly studied pop songwriting. This, the album-ending opus, is much like driving at night during a road trip; peaks and valleys and quiet and loud and long crescendos. I dare you to listen to it and not get the opening bass riff stuck in your head.
19. Cat Power- Back of Your Head:
“Back of Your Head” is like the late-night, drunk-and-teary-eyed phone call from an ex really late at night, with Chan Marshall’s simple-but-catchy fingerpicking and her vocal rambling and bleak pessimism (”Can’t you see that we’re going to hell?”). This is the perfect soundtrack for the comedown, and proof that Marshall was way hotter back when she was batshit crazy.
20. Tiny Vipers- The Downward:
Hands Across the Void, Tiny Vipers’ sad-and-beautiful debut, is perfect for a sweltering-hot and deeply depressive summer night, a soundtrack for drowning in post-bar night caps, thinking about your past. The drones at the end of this song is probably the closest thing music comes to staring inside of an abyss.
21. Bill Callahan- Night:
With its twinkling glockenspiel and sparse piano line, “Night” is a beautiful piece to end your night, falling in-and-out of sleep right after your head hits the pillow. The lyrics themselves could even be about the summer sun: “We stand under it/But we don’t understand it.”
douglas martin
http://www.myspace.com/freshcherriesfromyakima
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July 10th, 2008
Summer Jamz ‘08 #12: Disco Vietnam Presents Soul Korea: The Ultimate Summer Blunt Sesh
http://sharebee.com/8b113323
http://discovietnam.muxtape.com/
Each Summer Jam is proudly co-hosted with Screw Rock N’ Roll
01. Aretha Franklin – I Get High
02. Spanky Wilson – You
03. Syl Johnson – Concrete Reservation
04. Smith – I Just Wanna Make Love to You
05. The Dynamics – Funky Key
06. J.R. Bailey – Everything I Want I See in You
07. Detroit Emeralds – Til You Decide to Come Home
08. Lynn Williams – Don’t Be Surprised
09. Barbara & the Browns – I’m Gonna Start a War
10. Undisputed Truth – Ma
11. Chicago Gangsters – Smoke
12. Curtis Mayfield – Back to the World
We aspire to the condition of sustained groove. Separate the English from the Dutch and discard its useless entrails on the sun-baked parking lot asphalt beside your front left tire. Gentlemen, we can rebuild it; we have the technology. Fingers of stone grind purple golden nuggets into dust. Paper folded over firmly, enveloped in its vanilla leaf, twisted into a cone-shaped cannon. Better. Stronger. Faster. A spark, a flame. Bye-bye. The Jedi, from NY, stalking city sidewalks cuttin’ headz before we rotate back to the world.
The tracks selected for Disco Vietnam Presents Soul Korea all share the crucial yet elusive element of groove, each song more dangerously absorbing than the last. Soul Korea is reserved for those gorgeous summer days spent trapped in windowless office dungeons connecting plots and collecting props. When the clock strikes 5:00pm you’re free to leave but that sure as hell doesn’t mean you’re free. Soul Korea is part reminder, part reprieve; if you’ve earned it you deserve it. An hour of true freedom a day and everyday is your birthday.
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