Great Expectations

I had grand expectations of offering my world the final say on the nature of web discourse and its effect on the world of record making and, in the end, record sales. Unfortunately, I don’t know how to research and plan ahead, not to mention I don’t have the resources to complete such a piece. No go -- maybe later if I get smarter.

But the good news is that I do still have grand aspirations of becoming a part of the great white pantheon of writers by writing boring shit about record stores in Philadelphia. I even got a new computer for that exact purpose!

For now: my September Mix…

1. Circulatory System – “Yesterday’s Gone”: What a cute song to start with. You get the children’s chorus pump pump pumpin’ it up and then we let loose into green psychedelia. I’m fond of this one, it reminds me of three years ago, when I first started off with my sweetheart. It’s super dreamy, cloudy and uncertain.
2. Dungen – “Festival”: I think that Festival means festival in Swedish. This is a nice tune to follow with, along the same lines of repurposed ‘60s psych for the ‘00s. Of course, this isn’t paint-by-numbers – mid-stream Gustav and co. go off on a tangent.
3. Bob Dylan – “I Want You”: I loved this song going into my post-senior summer from Wake Forest University. Then I heard it on my trip in a London Starbucks, buzzed to shit off a large coffee. Still gets me pumped.
4. Yo La Tengo – “Nowhere Near”: Another dreamy one of bass and slight shading from the rest of the company, until feedback squalls overcome. Only we make it out alive, the dream comes back to earth, we land safely.
5. The Secret Machines – “What Used to Be French”: Off of one of my favorite records of all time. This song is packed with good shit: great production, great drums, great soft keys, and great guitar licks. It begins with a soft bass bloop, some high organ/guitar, until the drums get spaced in by a flatbed truck. Druggy vocals shine this diamond, but the instrumentation take the cake, especially the twinkling guitar at the end.
6. Animal Collective – “April and the Phantom”: Not too sure if I like this one anymore, but it makes me cool. Look! I have this band’s first record!! Sounds like a less-good-natured and more-fried Ween.
7. Akron/Family -- “Before and Again”: I guess this fits in with the new folk sound, but there’s something much more interesting. They use technology like Grandaddy. They are a rock band, but that doesn’t mean electronics makes them any less earthy.
8. Enon – “Pleasure and Priveledge”: Kick this shit up! Good rock and roll tune from spazz-rock’s first. Edgy, angular and hott.
9. Fugazi – “Bed for the Scraping”: I once read that Ian MacKaye’s voice was like a wrecking ball. This song is Exhibit A. Mostly bass to begin, but then those Eastern and noodling guitars make a swoop and break for “riff of the century”. Only to be outdone by
10. Dismemberment Plan – “The City”: Best song ever. I can’t possibly write another word on this song. Just know it still gets me choked sometimes and I’ve been listening to it for 6 years.
11. Ted Leo & the Pharmacists – “Timorous Me”: I missed this for a while. Great Thin Lizzy shit on this one with the guitars at the end and Leo’s trademark wordy wail.
12. Built to Spill – “Carry the Zero”: See “The City”.
13. My Morning Jacket – “The Bear”: Can’t wait until this record comes out later this year! I heard a song “Wordless Chorus” and it was fine. Sounded more spacious and interesting, but still had Jim James’ honey sweet voice all over it. This one is like most the rest. Wonderful.
14. M. Ward – “Vincent O’Brien”: Still keeping things moving with this one. A great stomp for a smoky cave of a bar. This record always reminded me of what I thought New Orleans was – yellow-brown, accepting of every genre and boisterous. God Bless you New Orleans – get well soon!
15. Sufjan Stevens – “Jacksonville”: I seriously picked this one because its only a one-word name. Sufjan gets silly with too many titles. Again, a great song, with glorious woodwinds, strings and hushed voices singing in chorus. A grand arrangement, like the Hall of Presidents.
16. Can – “Oh Yeah”: Starts off slow only to blow the effing top off. This song creeps like a hunchback, until it stands up straight to reveal the most unwieldy rock animal – a beast that only moves forward, get the fuck out of the way or I’ll stomp you bitch!