Thursday, December 31, 2009

Lab Mixtapes: Episode 25

It occurs to me that recent episodes of this podcast have been slightly soft. Fear not. Prepare yourself, for it is time to be rocked and/or rolled. I'm talking about putting a brick through the other guy's windshield. I'm talking about taking it out and chopping it up. In the land of the Northern Lights and the Canadian Tuxedo we do things loudly. With licks hot enough to burn your fingers and hooks sharp enough to hang meat, I give you The Besnard Lakes, The Constantines, and Black Mountain. These bands can't hold a grudge because they're too busy grinding their axes.

Episode 25: You Will Be Rocked and/or Rolled
plays 12:25 mins

Links Open the iTunes Music Store
1. Devastation - The Besnard Lakes
2. Hotline Operator - The Constantines
3. Evil Ways - Black Mountain

It has not gone unnoticed that this is not just the last podcast of the year, but also the 25th LAB Mixtape showcasing over 80 songs. Please join with us as we plan an international celebration of this very special podcast (which may happen to coincide with some other year end event). So pop a cork and indulge in the whimsy of trying to somehow commemorate a year or a decade. Remember what Abe Lincoln said, "It's not the years in the life that counts. It's the life in the years that count."

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Monday, December 28, 2009

Lab Mixtapes: Episode 24 

The holiday season brings with it an unbearable amount of seasonal music, which we promptly forget on December 26th. It's fair to say that winter does not receive the same kind of musical treatment that the other three seasons enjoy. With that in mind, these are three songs that bring winter and the end of the year to mind without the sentiment nor the nostalgia usually brought to forefront in December. They speak of remembrances, isolation and loneliness or the stillness of a snow-covered field.

Episode 24: Winter Solstice
plays 11:35 mins

links open the iTunes Music Store
1. Little Girl Blue - Nina Simone
2. White Winter Hymnal - Fleet Foxes
3. The Last Laughter of the Laughter - Travis

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Friday, November 06, 2009

Lab Mixtapes: Episode 23 

The lineage of Black American music is simply too deep and broad to discuss here, yet recently I was struck by similarities heretofore unseen, that now seem obvious. I suppose they were always obvious but humor me. These are the small epiphanies one receives after three hours on a bicycle, while listening to music served randomly and serendipitously by an unbiased iPod. I present to you, Prince, Michael Jackson and the masterful Curtis Mayfield. No explanations required.

Episode 23: The Undeniable Blackness of American Music
plays 18:47 mins — officially the longest running Mixtape thanks to the over 9 minute Mayfield track (which still leaves you wanting more).

links open the iTunes Music Store
1. Black Sweat - Prince
2. Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' - Michael Jackson
3. Move On Up - Curtis Mayfield

PS. Apologies for the extremely poor down sampling on the Prince track.

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Friday, October 16, 2009

Lab Mixtapes: Episode 22 

Sometimes you hear a particular instrument and it strikes you as so odd and wonderful you wonder why you don't hear it more often. The banjo comes to mind, and, yes, the harp. I know what you're thinking. "Aren't harps played by fat people dressed as angels in cheese commercials?" Yes - also by that strange woman seen playing with classical quartets who knows too much about Wiccan Rice Krispie recipes. But they also create a window to some far off magical place. Be it in your mind, your heart, or as in the cheese commercials, your gut. All I'm saying is give the harp a chance.

Episode 22: The Harp Will Rock You
plays 11:16 mins

Links open the iTunes Music Store:
1. Like Someone in Love - Bjork
2. Exploration - Bruno Coulais, Mathilde Pellegrini, Hélène Breschand
3. The Sprout and the Bean - Joanna Newsom

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Friday, October 02, 2009

LAB Mixtapes: Episode 21 

A stretch of rainy weather and cloudy skies reminded me of Seattle, home to many pop/rock phenomenon, and the spiritual starting point for this mixtape. I came to know these three bands at around the same time thanks to sources like CBC Radio 3, NPR's All Songs Considered, KEXP from Seattle and surprisingly, Believer Magazine which publishes an annual collection of loosely curated musical selections.

Intelligent lyrics (they use some big words), simple, personal stories performed to ruckus folk-rock melodies and a sort of anti-glamour touch of bittersweetness are hallmarks of Death Cab for Cutie, The Decemberists and The Shins. Is that what the kids-too-old-to-be-kids call "Emo" or are we in "Twee' territory here? Hmm, no, me thinks we'll preserve "Twee" for the Belle & Sebastian Mixtape. From that description, these guys are a set of bright t-shirts away from being the Wiggles. Yet there's a propensity for wearing geeky eyewear and getting the "indie" chick from the record store (or Zoe Deschanel in the case of Death Cab for Cutie's front man). Each of these bands have found a healthy audience while maintaining that unknowable metric known in this bureau as "indie cred". Enjoy and remember, grey skies are going to clear up. Eventually.

Episode 21
Runs 10:10 mins

Links below open the iTunes Music Store:
1. I WIll Follow You Into The Dark – Death Cab For Cutie
2. We Will Become Silhouettes – The Shins
3. The Rake's Song - The Decemberists

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Friday, September 04, 2009

LAB Mixtapes: Episode 20 

This week I've become nostalgic for the coming end of summer, so I thought I'd lay these summer tracks at your feet as a sacrifice to please the Gods of Autumn. What makes a song a summer song? I have no idea. Breezy melodies that carry through the warm evening air or that are heard coming from car stereos or out on the street. Maybe? Who Knows? Enjoy with an SPF of no less than 30.

These three songs have been playing over and over in my head so much that they've become my de facto summer soundtrack. Oddly, these tracks represent a cavalcade of the animal kingdom, featuring Sparklehorse and Danger Mouse, Caribou and Grizzly Bear. I guess summer is more about the fauna than the flora?

Episode 20
Runs 12:10 mins

1. Just War – Sparklehorse & Danger Mouse
Links below open the iTunes Music Store:
2. She's The One – Caribou
3. Two Weeks - Grizzly Bear

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Saturday, August 22, 2009

LAB Mixtapes: Episode 19

For once, this opening music from Champion out of Montreal isn't just an intro, it's the first track in this mix. The Canadian music scene is a strangely fertile place for electronic artists who plug in, tune in and drop the needle in the most inventive ways. Even if you've never listened to DJ driven tracks before, such as those by The Chemical Brothers or Daft Punk, I hope you'll find something to like in this trio. I will say that the last track by Holy F**k powered me through an eighty kilometer bike ride and continues to be my "motivation" soundtrack.

Episode 19
Runs 11:38mins

Links below open the iTunes Music Store:
1. Sergio's Trio - Champion
2. Melody Day - Caribou
3. Lovely Allen - Holy F**k

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Friday, July 31, 2009

LAB Mixtapes: Episode 18

Covering Radiohead songs is nothing new but the song, "Creep" is special and has been covered by so many other artists, it's hard to keep track (people such as Beck, Moby, and Korn, have all performed it live). Even Radiohead has recorded a pared-down sparse acoustic version. It's a remarkably versatile number and lends itself to instrumental arrangements. While the song remains the same it's curious how it seems to speak to so many different song writers. Listen for yourself and see if it speaks to you.

Note: This song drops the F-bomb at least once so you're likely to hear it three or four times in this podcast. If you're offended by such language I recommend firing a shot gun near your ears so as to cause deafness, because that's really the only way you'll be able to avoid hearing this particular word in the 21st century, media-drenched world.

Episode 18
Runs 15:16 mins

Links below open the iTunes Music Store:
1. Creep - Edmund Welles
2. Creep - Pretenders
3. Creep - Anni Rossi
4. Creep (acoustic) - Radiohead

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Friday, July 17, 2009

LAB Mixtapes: Episode 17


I dreamt a dream of walking along a thunderstorm soaked1 New York City street. I found a CBGB's way bill. Tonight's show would highlight only ass-kicking New York City Rocker Chicks. including the Yeah Yeah Yeahs with Karen O, Blondie with Debbie Harry and the inimitable Patti Smith headlining. Alas, CBGB's is no more, though the music remains and as always, – dreaming is free.

Episode 17
Runs 11:27 mins

Links below open the iTunes Music Store:
1. Maps - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
2. Dreaming - Blondie
3. Gimme Shelter - Patti Smith

FN1. As I write this Toronto is being sparked by shocks of lightning brighter than any paparazzi's flare so I can say this mix fits well with a rainy night.

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Friday, July 03, 2009

LAB Mixtapes: Episode 16


I'll always associate Elvis Costello with a group of artists, many from the UK, that broke through the grip of top forty play lists in the 80s. Perhaps mis-labelled "New Wave", bands like Elvis Costello & the Attractions, The Jam, The Squeeze, Talking Heads, Blondie and Joe Jackson crackled and spat through mainstream radio and made college stations worth listening to. What powered these acts wasn't just a newfound intensity but great songwriting. The Jam's Paul Weller and Elvis Costello have few successors today but one band that reminds me of those earlier acts is the New Pornographers and their main songsmith A.C. Newman. Newman might be one of Canada's best songwriters at the moment and no other band can match the New Pornographers output of consistent quality pop songs. Viewers of CBC's The Hour may be too familiar with this Newman tune, "Use It" but it reminds me so much of the Costello Classic "What's so funny" it was hard not to include in this mix.1

Episode 16
Runs 11:27 mins

Links below open the iTunes Music Store
1. That's Entertainment - The Jam
2. What's So Funny 'bout Peace, Love and Understanding - Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3. Use It - The New Pornographers

FN 1. I had originally planned A.C. Newman's newest single "Ten or Twelve Things" in this mix but there was no denying the drum break being so similar to the "What's So Funny 'Bout Peace, Love and Understanding" so I gave in. Plus Twin Cinema is an album that, if it were an ultimate fighter were slay any and all comers.

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Friday, June 19, 2009

LAB Mixtapes: Episode 15


After my first listen of the Strokes debut album, I had the feeling I had heard this lo-fi sound before. To my mind it seemed very much like the Velvet Underground but to other ears the music sounded more like the Buzzcocks. The influences in this mix run pretty deep. Artists like Bowie and Iggy Pop followed the Velvet Underground, who in turn collaborated with the likes of Brian Eno. Whether the Strokes were paying homage or borrowing it's clear they are (to borrow a phrase myself) standing on the shoulders of giants. Enjoy. Sunglasses and leather jackets may be required.

Episode 15
Runs 11:23 mins

Links below open the iTunes Music Store
1. Take It Or Leave It - The Strokes
2. Everybody's Happy Nowadays - Buzzcocks
3. I'm Waiting For The Man - The Velvet Underground

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Friday, June 05, 2009

LAB Mixtapes: Episode 14



Guy Maddin made a film called The Saddest Music in the World. Did he have this music in mind? Christine Fellows sings about loss and memory, while Cat Power, sings of regret, pain and forgiveness. The Weakerthans quietly ruminate on a simple prayer in a hospital room. Sarah Harmer may be the odd one out in this mix but this particular song, Lodestar, is to me, beautifully sad but finishes on more of an up note. I just couldn't bring myself to swallow that many downers in a row1.

Episode 14
Runs 14:49 mins

Links below open the iTunes Music Store
1. I Don't Blame You - Cat Power
2. Verterbrae - Christine Fellows
3. (hospital vespers) - The Weakerthans
4. Lodestar - Sarah Harmer

FN 1. That was actually an unintentional pun on suicide. Only one of these artists have attempted suicide that I know of. I've been reading a lot of David Foster Wallace lately and of course have read about his suicide and struggle with depression. Then I found myself reading about Ludwig Wittgenstein's brilliant family. Two of his brothers committed suicide as did another relative. Ludwig thought of it often and as early as the age of ten. It occurred to me that maybe "genius" as we know it, really is a type of damaged brain. A mind swirling with too many things at once, going into dark places where it may not return. We revere the brilliant, the genius, yet is there a kind of intelligence so severe it casts the mind into constantly thinking of ending itself? At any rate, it makes being average seem a little more salable.

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Friday, May 29, 2009

LAB Mixtapes: Episode 12


There's a pretty clear bloodline between Sonic Youth, the Pixies and The Breeders, so I won't really elaborate. Recently, iTunes made this Julie Doiron song the free download of the week and I was struck by how much it reminded me of The Breeders album Last Splash. I see other iTunes Listeners bought Cat Power, but maybe that's because they already have Last Splash and Dirty in old fashioned CD format. Enjoy the distortion, it's there for a reason.

PS. I realize having "Gigantic" from The Pixies may be redundant but that song kicks ass, so if I want it in there - it goes in there.

Episode 12
Runs 12:14 mins

Links open the iTunes Music Store
1. Gigantic - The Pixies
2. JC - Sonic Youth
3. Saints - The Breeders
4. Consolation Prize - Julie Doiron

PS. I'm actually writing this two days before Good Friday and I can't help but wonder if there's not a hidden Christian theme of redemption, revelation and forgiveness in this mixtape. Probably not. Right? Nah? JC doesn't mean Jesus Christ and Saints well that's just, um, about a summer carnival thing. Right.

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Friday, May 15, 2009

LAB Mixtapes: Episode 13


I never really imagined having a Coldplay song in one of these sets. Yet, here it is - with a twist of lime. Each song in the mixtape this week is culturally displaced and remixed. British power pop performed as Cuban Big Band. Irish Art Rock fashioned as a Reggae tune and finally a reggae classic sounding like a piece of rootsy Americana. Nothing is as it seems through the looking glass.

It's proof of the strength of these songs that they are so successfully re-imagined. "Radiodread" wins for best pun and is probably the best example. Radiohead songs all performed as reggae? It works brilliantly. Radiohead are just one of those bands whose influence is seen merely by the number of artists covering their songs working in completely different genres: reggae, jazz, classical. Another great collaboration is Johnny Cash and Joe Strummer singing Bob Marley's Redemption Song. These two older artists interpreting Marley is sublime and inspired.

Episode 13
Runs 11:56 mins

Links below open the iTunes Music Store
1. Clocks - Rhythms Del Mundo
2. No Surprises - Easy Star All-Stars
3. Redemption Song - Johnny Cash and Joe Strummer

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Friday, May 01, 2009

LAB Mixtapes: Episode 11


Pianissimo may mean to play softly but there's nothing too soft about this week's tracks. From the romantic swooning of Royal Wood, to the Prog-rock inspired sounds of Plants and Animals, to the airy and atmospheric Patrick Watson, each of these songs are anchored by the piano and by a kind of bigness. At times they verge on an almost "twee" sound but in the end, the strength of the songwriting comes through and leaves you wanting more.

Perhaps you think this music sounds kitschy and pretentious to your troll-like ears. That's okay. To get through this life you must learn to accept when you are wrong and that you are just being a bit of a jerk. This set starts like a Merlot but finishes like a boiler-maker. If you wind up in AA don't call me unless, as one of your 12 steps, you're calling to apologize about being wrong about this music.

Episode 11
Runs 11 mins

Links open the iTunes music store
1. Mirror Without - Royal Wood
2. Luscious Life- Patrick Watson
3. Bye Bye Bye - Plants and Animals

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Friday, April 17, 2009

LAB Mixtapes: Episode 10



What do a Gypsy, a Spaniard and two Brazilian pop stars have in common? No, it's not a joke, it's an instrument. Namely, the guitar. Recently I was watching Woody Allen's "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" and Spanish guitar plays a small but important role in the plot which is what brought this music to mind. I mean, my God, even the names of these artists have flair — Django, Paco, Gilberto. Fair warning, if you are walking right now, you may begin to skip, if you're sitting you may begin to stand and if you're standing you may begin to dance. Don't blame me, blame the guitar.

Episode 10
Runs 12:20 mins

Links below open the iTunes Store
Introduction music - Iguazu - Gustavo Santaolalla
1. Honeysuckle Rose - Django Reinhardt
2. La Nina De Puerta Oscura - Paco De Lucía
3. Morre O Burro Fica O Homem - Gilberto Gil & Jorge Ben

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Friday, April 03, 2009

LAB Mixtapes: Episode 9



Growing up in Canada, the music of Gordon Lightfoot was as ubiquitous as the Hockey Night in Canada Theme or the Hinterland's Who's Who intro. Along with Leonard Cohen, Neil Young, Ian and Sylvia Tyson, and Joni Mitchel his songs form a canon of Canadiana. Some 30 years after the release of "Sundown" you can still hear his influence in bands like Elliot Brood and The Great Lake Swimmers.

Enjoy with a glass of Canadian Rye and a piece of maple-flavored fudge.

Episode 9.
Runs 10:17 mins

Links below will launch the iTunes Music Store.
1. Sundown - Gordon Lightfoot
2. Oh Alberta - Elliot Brood
3. When it Flows - The Great Lake Swimmers

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Friday, March 27, 2009

LAB Mixtapes: Episode 8



I'm being a little lazy this week1. Each of these tracks make regular appearances on several CBC Radio3 Podcasts so really I'm just passing along what I've heard.

I honestly don't have much interest in the sort of macho and misogynistic offerings of Busta Rhymes, Snoop Dog or Fifty Cent. Yet, in the cold climes of Canada we've developed a different, smarter and more upbeat urban sound. Artists like Cadence Weapon, Shad, K'Naan, and Buck65 have developed and cultivated a kind of indie Hip Hop you don't hear often enough from terrestrial radio. Their arrangements and samples are inventive and their lyrics are witty and smart. Please enjoy this gun and ho-free Hip Hop.

Episode 8
Runs 11:20 mins

Links below will launch the iTunes Music Store.
1. In Search of the Youth Crew - Cadence Weapon
2. The Old Prince Still Lives at Home - Shad
3. Rocketship - Mood Ruff

1. This, of course assumes that I am otherwise typically industrious which would be inaccurate. I will also take this opportunity to apologize for the poor quality of this podcast as some rather over zealous compression led to excessive fuzz and distortion.
*Re-recording would probably have corrected this. See FN1.

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Friday, March 20, 2009

LAB Mixtapes: Episode 7



The 80's weren't so bad and here's the proof. Bands like Interpol, Bloc Party and Kasabian seem to channel an 80's indie sound - in a good way. Their influences appear to be Joy Division, The Smiths, and The Cure and prove that despite the dreck of mainstream radio (which happens in every era) there was, in fact, a lot of fine music in the Decade of Me. Please enjoy and feel free to don mascara and your Chuck Taylor high-tops.

Episode 7.
Runs 12:06 mins

Links below will launch the iTunes Music Store.
1. Obstacle 1 - Interpol
2. The Reason is Treason - Kasabian
3. Banquet - Bloc Party

For no particular reason, some other bands that appeared on my Radar at the same time as these would The Artic Monkeys, Snow Patrol (snow theme here?), British Sea Power and maybe Franz Ferdinand. Which reminds me that a Manchester Mix with the likes of Stone Roses, Happy Mondays and The Buzzcocks might also be on deck.

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Friday, March 13, 2009

LAB Mixtapes: Episode 6



This week I'm shifting gears a little. Philip Glass, popularly mocked in programs like the Simpsons and South Park, is the American grand daddy of a minimalist orchestral sound. Sometimes it seems like he is the sole patent holder on experimental, complex and modern classical music but he is really a descendent of a long line of artists who appear to have heard beauty in mathematics and found popularity through film scores. Lesser known to North Americans is Michael Nyman who has provided evocative music for half a dozen Peter Greenaway films. What reminded me of Nyman and Glass were the string arrangements of Owen Pallett aka Final Fantasy (2006 winner of the Polaris Music Prize). Though their approaches and compositions differ, the stirring strings and keyboards feel like cousins. As challenging as this music may seem to some, you really should hang in there for the whole thing. It's good for you. Suddenly I feel like Clyde Gilmour of Gilmour's Albums. I can almost smell the Sunday roast coming out of the oven*.

Episode 6
Runs 12:54 mins

Links below open in the iTunes Music Store
Track 1. Koyaanisqatsi: Resource - Philip Glass
Track 2. Fish beach (Drowning By Numbers) - Michael Nyman
Track 3. He Poos Clouds - Final Fantasy

*Coincidentally, Owen Pallett was for a time, the music director of Vinyl Café, CBC's anodyne Sunday afternoon program which now fills the spot long held by Clyde Gilmour — consider all dots connected.

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Friday, March 06, 2009

LAB Mixtapes: Episode 5



Continuing with a Canadian indie theme, these three acts have so many great tracks amongst them that it's hard to choose just one from each. Again proving the ascendancy of Canadian indie music, not just in the quality but also the sheer breadth of talent, these acts have probably found more success outside of the country than within it. The Dears, with their Smiths inspired sound found an audience in the UK, Metric found fans in New York City night clubs while The New Pornographers played throughout the US and had regular air play on stations like KEXP in Seattle and KCRW in Santa Monica.

These bands also demonstrate that "high-quality Pop" is not an oxy-moron.

Episode 5
Runs 14:18 mins

Note: Links will launch iTunes.
Track 1. Lost in the Plot - The Dears
Track 2. Hardwired - Metric
Track 3. The Bleeding Heart Show - The New Pornographers

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Friday, February 27, 2009

LAB Mixtapes: Episode 4


Sometime around the turn of the century, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation launched it's eponymous Web channel CBC Radio3. Simultaneously, Canadian Indie Music became incendiary and explosive. The Radio 3 podcast which began shortly after in 2002 delivered high-powered indie-pop/rock/folk/hip-hop on a weekly basis and has since been the source of much of the new music I listen to. Bands like Arcade Fire, Wolf Parade, The New Pornographers, Metric, The Dears, The Weakerthans, The Constantines, Sam Roberts and Hot Hot Heat were typical of this almost impossibly high quality hit parade of Canadian artists that hailed from Halifax, Montreal, Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver and everywhere in-between.

Unfortunately, Canadians getting air play on mainstream terrestrial radio remain the likes of Nickelback, Avril Lavigne and Sum41. Safe. Insipid. Dull. Predictable. Podcasts such as Radio 3, NPR's All Songs Considered and John Sakamoto's Anti-hit List continue to be the primary source and champions of exciting, intelligent and energetic new Canadian music. In turn, music fans who write their own blogs and hear how little these acts are played on Canadian radio have taken it upon themselves to popularize their favourite artists. While record labels and radio stations might rightly blame the Internet for destroying the core of their businesses they have only themselves to blame for becoming irrelevant by continuing to offer only the dregs of offerings rather than the cream of the talent pool.

Episode 4

Runs 9:51 mins.

Note: Links will launch iTunes.
Track 1. Shine a Light - Wolf Parade
Track 2. Blind Luck - The Constantines
Track 3. Nature of the Experiment - Tokyo Police Club

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Saturday, February 21, 2009

LAB Mixtapes: Episode 3 


It's only episode 3 and I'm already breaking the rules. This podcast has 4 tracks instead of 3. It's not just that this is an all female, full-on estrogen rock-out, but all of these artists re-define a kind of post-folk-rock-indie labeling that is too small to contain their emotional power and beautiful voices. Somehow I doubt these ladies would all show up on some kind of Lilith Fair tour but when I think of one, I think of the other. And there is something about a strong female voice that knocks me on my ass. Freudian? Jungian? Neither of those guys could sing like this.

Episode 3
Runs 15:08 mins

Links below open in the iTunes Store:
1. Train From Kansas City - Neko Case
2. Light Enough to Travel - The Be Good Tanyas
3. I Feel It All - Feist
4. Call It Off - Tegan and Sara

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Sunday, February 08, 2009

LAB Mixtapes - Episode 2



This recording includes The Talking Heads, Arcade Fire and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah which I've grouped together mainly for being "like The Talking Heads" (especially The Talking Heads). These bands also share similar musical and lyrical traits. Do I have to explain everything? Perhaps I'm wrong or maybe these songs are proof of such cosmic connectedness it makes String Theory look like a Simple Theory of Nothing and just a big scribble of numbers.


Episode 2
Runs 13:47 mins.

N.B. links open in the iTunes Store
Track 1. This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody) - Talking Heads
Track 2. Une Annee Sans Lumiere - The Arcade Fire
Track 3. Underwater (You and Me) - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

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Saturday, January 24, 2009

LAB Mixtapes: Episode 1




Since I traced my route to the Bon Iver album "For Emma, Forever Ago" (Letterman appearance > New Yorker review > NPR's All Songs Considered) I've been thinking more and more about this kind of personal connections. Not really a "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon" but more like a cognitive associative network map. It's just the associative jump your mind makes that is different from everyone else's but in an odd way, may be very similar to the associations your friends make. Or at the very least there's enough of an overlap suggesting similar tastes and sensibilities.

Sometimes this holds true, but sometimes not. Let me try to lead you through one of these rabbit warrens:

I read the New Yorker regularly and enjoyed a David Sedaris piece. Liking that, I listened to David Sedaris read a story on NPR's This American Life with Ira Glass. After listening to This American Life you see an animated episode designed by the artist Chris Ware from the televised version of the program. I've read several Chris Ware comic books and attended a round table discussion with Chris Ware, Charles Burns, Seth and Chip Kidd. All of whom have contributed to The New Yorker magazine, where I read the David Sedaris piece originally and which was included in his new book which has a cover designed by Chip Kidd. Coincidentally, Charles Burns is the artist in residence and designer of every cover of the Believer Magazine, which contains a regular column called "Sedaritives" by Amy Sedaris, the sister of David Sedaris. Oh and Charles Burns did the cover illustration for Chip Kidd's new novel, "The Learners".

I could go on but you see what I mean.

In this spirit I'm going to put together a series of mix tapes of "Connectedness". On the Indigo Web site they call their recommendations - CWBAB - or Customers Who Bought (this) Also Bought but I think I prefer the iTunes version "Listeners Also Bought" (mostly because the acronym is LAB).

Let me now introduce the LAB mixtapes:

Episode One: 10:00 minutes
Episode 1

I won't say too much about these mixes other than the artist and track names because the whole idea is for the listener to form the association/synaptic connection.

N.B. links below will open the iTunes Store.
1. Neil Young: My My Hey Hey
2. Bon Iver: Flume
3. Chad VanGaalen: Mini T.V.'s

Other Neil Young related links:

Embarrassingly bad Neil Young

Thom Yorke talks about Neil Young

Flea on Neil Young

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