Hot Town, Summer in the City

Beck - "Black Tambourine": How damn good is this song. (Not a question.) "Whoa, oah, oah, oah. Black Tambourine."

Start it with a junky, dark bass and those floppy ass, lazy drums. The whole time it feels like they're a half-step outta place, trying to catch up, but too busy looking around as this car drives on.

Beck doesn't do the white-boy rap here. Naw, boy, this shit some R&B crossover jawhn. He kinda sings this one rather than doing that outta tune one he tends to do for us frat guys chuggin' Beast and hi-fiving. And its a simple, funky-ass line too -- my man ain't bothered by none of it. That melody eases down like a sunny day about to end, but badass like, dressed in leather and tight ass jeans and smokin butts and MOVIN', brah.

Then slide in that funky trem geetar and let outta James Brown "Heh!" Boogeying with the rubbery leggs, we keep this shit sweaty.

"My tambourine is still shaking." Always was.

Repeat.

Garden of Earthly Delights

Keith Fullerton Whitman’s Playthroughs truly established a man near invisible before (to mine own eyes) as a true sound artist and master sonic manipulator. That record full of heavenly drones (as opposed to those hellish, satanic Sunn 0))) ones) sent the shoegaze market into a deep, deep recession, its peddlers twiddling their flange and phaser knobs for years on end. Our hero was thrust into the light as a savior and genius.

Thinking that he may return to that form again, I looked into Schoner FluBengel. For someone who so expertly achieved reaching the outer limits of the earth’s atmosphere, we have a complete and astounding departure. Rather than further explore the heights on Playthroughs, Whitman has taken a look inside, indoors into a much darker, sometimes closed off area.

The dark areas of earth (and below?) are plenty full of grave interests: Ghostly winds inhabit a cavernoous realm (possibly depicted on the cover) with walking acoustic guitars and ritualistic drones sounding like monks with meek voices, desperately trying to chase the demonic tones away. But to no avail -- the tape is manipulated, chopped skewed and spit out, but also drenched in a glowing reverb so as to make it sound strangely natural and horrifying, all a weird natural progression. Suddenly, the nightmarish side one ends with no closure, abruptly as if to say this will go on forever if we don’t open our eyes quickly.

We are brought back to eerie, distant echoes, unfit for physical life, but undoubtedly lurking in the gothic church. That timeless aura rises over everything as mechanical repetitions pepper the foreground until a demonic presence is unleashed. The guitar briefly returns as if to calm the demon again taking center stage. Settle the listener in, ready us for the horrors that may or may not unfold. Chaos does surround us, but an expert tension is kept so as to not destroy our involvement in the repeating and chanting guitar eventually devolving into a processed baroque harpsichord/piano figure that plays heavily into the timeless feel of religious music and practice. That figure somehow uplifts a hope that built this gothic church inhabited by ghostly demons.

Regardless of Mr. Whitman’s overall goal (political, religious, etc.), he has done something remarkable. Whitman takes the seemingly evil and dangerous, bathes it in rituals surrounded by chaos that eventually find salvation. The ultimate theme emerges redeemed and positive -- and this is all done seamlessly. His final statement? Embrace the chaos, ride it out, for there is a clearing ahead. Truly epic.

International Mixtape

As I mentioned before, I am joining this International Mixtape Project. You make a tape/CD, send it to the designated person, recieve a mixtape from someone and mabye make two new pen pals/cyber-friends a month. Great idea if you ask me.

I have made my April mix and I am sending it to England. I hope that she likes it.

The tracks:

1. Enon - "Sold" - High Society: One of my favorite Enon songs and a great way to start the mix. I like how the guitar sets everything up, simple just with vocals overtop. Then the song explodes into neon indie rock.
2. Yo La Tengo - "From a Motel 6" - Painful: While I'm not the biggest Yo La Tengo fan in the world, this song is an excellent choice, if I do say so myself. The guitar again the centerpiece here, the "solo" is the best, exploding into rays of white lite.
3. Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - "Gulf Shores" - Greatest Palace Music: I'd be interested to hear the original version of this song sans orchestration. This is an obvious track 3, slowing everything down, but setting everything up nicely. Plus it's a great sad anthem which fits well on any mix.
4. Cat Power - "He War" - You Are Free: Bring things back up a bit here with this track, another great song and my favorite off of this record. Her songs are so simple and easy, but can be so devestating, probably because of her uncanny voice.
   
5. Guided By Voices - "Closer You Are" - Alien Lanes: Holding firm to the indie rock stance here -- an obvious choice. One of so many sugar sweet choices from this band.
6. Deerhoof - "The Eyebright Bulger" - Reveille: My favorite track from Deerhoof. I love the innocent, foreign vocals and the fact that this band can be so sweet yet loud at the same time. I wish this was longer than 42 seconds.
7. Manitoba - "Bijoux" - Up In Flames: Really good song that stops the guitar format from overloading the mix. This is a strong choice for a sunny slice of pop.
8. The Unicorns - "Les Os" - Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone?: And then you bring back the guitars, make 'em real messy and take away their ritalin. This is another great anthem for a mixtape.
9. The Dismemberment Plan - "Manipulate Me" - ...Is Terrified: Had to put a song on the mix to someone I don't know by my favorite ex-band. This is one of my favorite tracks from them and indicative of how poppy they can be, loud and noisy and fun to dance to. Plus, the part where Travis Morrison yells, "JUST BECAUSE YOU FUCKED IT UP DOESN'T MEAN WE KNEW ITTTTTT -- YEAH!" is the best part of any song ever.
10. Devendra Banhart - "At the Hop" - Nino Rojo: I used the 7 second silence after "Manipulate Me" to go into this one. I love this song and even more than that I like the video that came on this record. Hippies acting all psychedelic and free love, dancing in the woods and living in a fake utopia. Hippies are hilarious.
11. Panda Bear - "Track Three" - Young Prayer: Quick track, no real reason, just soft and floaty and nice.
12. 90 Day Men - "When Your Luck Runs Out" - Panda Park: I love the synths that color this track -- so perfect. A very interesting, dark track that, again shifts the mood of the mix.
13. Dead Meadow - "Heaven" - Feathers: One of the lighter tracks from these heavies -- don't wanna overburden the listener with something too sludgy. This is a great psych track that winds its way all over without getting bogged down.
14. Circulatory System - "Yesterday's World" - Circulatory System: This band, and Olivia Tremor Control, shouldn't be put on a mix because their songs fit more appropriately in the context of an album. But I couldn't resist with this one, its too bouyant.
15. The Secret Machines - "Breathe" - September 000: Love this short record, can choose anything off of here and its solid.
16. Smog - "Held" - Knock Knock: Best lumbering drum beat ever. I love his voice too.
17. Built to Spill - "Carry the Zero" - Keep It Like a Secret: See last week. Still feeling this one.
18. The Magnetic Fields - "I Don't Want to Get Over You" - 69 Love Songs: Another great pop slice from Stephen Merritt. This one is probably my favorite track of the 69.
19. My Morning Jacket - "Bermuda Highway" - At Dawn: I think this is one of my favorite mixtape songs for some reason. Gotta love Jim James' voice.
20. M. Ward - "Undertaker" - Transfiguration of Vincent: Tour mates put back to back here (James and Ward). I love Ward's voice, one of the most original in all of rock so optimistic but still so ghostly and foreign. Plus his guitar playing is fantasic -- well versed in all old styles so important.
21. Iron & Wine - "Waitin' For a Superman": A lot of people don't know that this track exists. It take the Lips version into a whole new context and makes it sound like Coyne and co. ripped off some weirdo folkie in the backwoods of Georgia. I think I may like this version of the song better.
22. Fennesz - "Codiene" - Field Recordings 1995:2002: I think this is a great finishing tune, even though it didn't turn out that way. The track is melancholy and optimistic, acoustic guitar buried under layers of feedback and organ swells. It perfectly segues into
23. The Microphones - "II. Solar System" - Mt. Eerie: The best Microphones song. There's a loud buzz at the beginning that kind of works out of Fennesz's song. Also, this makes sense to send to a person who you don't know: "I know you're out there..."