Songs from a Hovel

We interrupt your regularly scheduled science fiction serial starring John Darnielle, Tom Hanks & Wilson to bring you another episode of ConorMix-related tomfoolery. In other words, I'm going to write about my latest mix, "Songs from a Hovel", mostly just cuz I can. Not to spill any beans, but the title is (obviously?) a reference to Leonard Cohen's second album. Unfortunately, instead of composing amazing ditties like "Bird on the Wire", in my case I'm merely bringing you the songs of others, like some sort of deejay commoner, sans even a clever DJ name (Sir Mix-A-Lot was already taken, I found). In any case, on with the show.

01. Whipped Cream "Wait for a Minute" (Tune in the Century, 04)

I actually had this mix sequenced and ready to go for some months previous to its recent "release". Unfortunately, I did not have a CD version of this track, only a mp3 I had downloaded. Even more unfortunately, I couldn't find the CD anywhere, possibly because it was released in 1992 on a now defunct Swedish label. After searching high and low to no avail, I finally gave up and ordered it online from a seller in Britain.

Anyway, Whipped Cream was (is?) a Swedish alternative rock band with a psychedelic sound. I dug their other album "...And Other Delights", and really latched on to this particular track after happening across mp3s of "Tune in the Century". Nice backwards sounding guitar, etc. Plus, the mass/mess of sound at the end segues nicely into...

02. ABC "Tears Are Not Enough" (The Lexicon of Love, 04)

I copied a batch of mp3s from my friend KQ, who usually has pretty stellar taste, that included ABC's album "The Lexicon of Love". I was all like, WTF is this doing here?, just having vague memories of ABC having crappy synth toons on the radio in the 80's. But I decided to give it a listen anyway. Hmm, not that into it. Listened to it again later, and started getting slightly intrigued by the sound and structure. Kept gradually getting more into it with each listen. At some point, "Tears Are Not Enough" leapt out of the album, grabbed me by the throat, and would not let go. I would play it on repeat 20-30 times in a row, playing along on guitar for no apparent reason. I now acknowledge it as an all time classic. Resistance is futile.

03. Favourite Sons "No One Ever Dies Young" (Down Beside Your Beauty, 02)

I became familiar with this band cuz a friend is a bandmember's relation. The singer was in the band Rollerskate Skinny (most famous for the membership of Kevin Shields's brother), while the others were in psychedelphian band Aspera Ad Astra. The sound of the Favourite Sons is much more conventional than would be suggested by such a lineage, but they're good in a different way, and this in particular is a damn catchy tune.

04. Vashti Bunyan "Winter is Blue" (Just Another Diamond Day, 17)

Okay, so I was a little late hopping on the Vashti Bunyan train. Perhaps I was a little put off by seeing Devendra Banhart at the helm as the train left the station. But whenever I tried listening to "Just Another Diamond Day", inevitably I would go from: a) wow this sounds amazing!, to b) hmm, this sounds like nursery rhymes for children, to c) ack, must turn off now! I just couldn't make it through the whole album. That all changed when I saw her in a dimly lit church in Austin at SXSW last March. The delicate phrasing, every word coming from her mouth so unbelievably fragile; it all just clicked. There were a few songs that rose above the rest, but this one in particular just totally slayed me. "If my heart freezes, I won't feel the breaking", "Love will not find even one new morning".

05. Joni Mitchell "Ladies of the Canyon" (Ladies of the Canyon, 04)

This was another case where a friend (Dyn@Dave in this case) told me he was getting into something (Joni Mitchell's album "Blue"), and I was all like, you're kidding right? Well of course, I got the album too and very quickly went from "hmmm, I dunno" to "holy shit, this is amazing, this is music without precedent or successor!" Was going to put something from that album on a mix, but before I got a chance, I also got into her album "Ladies of the Canyon", and during a trip to Europe, I just couldn't get the title track out of my head.

06. Peter Bjorn and John "Young Folks" (Writer's Block, 03)

Was watching Late Night with Conehead O'Bunion one night, as I am wont to do, and saw the previously unknown (to me least) PB&J performing this song. As I first watched, I had my usual reaction to a lot of these young bands, like okay they've got cool gear, but why do they always wear suits or some shit, and I'm sure they're just gonna sound like the Strokes or some other bullshit. But after the first bit of whistling, I was intrigued. When guest vocalist Victoria Bergsman started singing, slightly nervous and off key, and looking beautiful but painfully shy, I was thinking geez louise, you don't see this on TV every day. And then came the bongos. I don't remember if I instantly wrote down their name and sought out more info, or if I forgot about it until seeing a youtube link from someone or what. I saw them twice at SXSW and it was perfect timing for them, seemed like they were just blowing up. I was impressed by their live shows too; they're quite talented. Was a bit apprehensive about putting a tune this instantly catchy on a mix, but somehow I have yet to get sick of it.

07. Beck "Soldier Jane" (The Information, 05)

Had meant to put the catchy "Nausea", another track off this album, on a previous mix but totally forgot about it somehow, and by the time this mix came around, "Soldier Jane" had wormed its way into my subconscious. Some people seem to have been disappointed by Beck's latest work, but I dunno, I find this album really interesting. This track in particular benefits from a melange of bass, percussion, and dreamy effects done slightly differently than anything I've heard before. The DVD of videos that accompany the CD is pretty cool too. They initially seemed somewhat haphazard and pointless, but their odd coloring eventually proved hypnotic and affecting. Anyway, there's a perfect segue from one of the fade-in effects of this track into...

08. Oranger "Siamese Fingers" (From the Ashes of Electric Blues, 23)

Oranger is a local power-pop group that I never really gave any attention, but I instantly fell in love with this song after obtaining the CD for $1 at one of those record store closing sales that have become all too frequent lately. Man, this song is great. Although it's sounding a bit different to me as I'm listening right now, probably because normally I can't listen to this without picking up my guitar and playing along. Key line: "She's got a rental, cuz the Beatle is in the shop".

09. Redd Kross "Get Out of Myself" (Show World, 12)

I also go this CD for $1 at the same sale. Was close to selling it before I gave in to its '90s alt-guitar rock slash power-pop charms. Definitely a dated production style, and I suppose it's supposed to be a guilty pleasure, but I don't feel the guilt, only pleasure. "Got to get out, gotta get out of myself".

10. KC and The Sunshine Band "Get Down Tonight [original single version]" (25th Anniversary Collection, 01)

Saw this anthology for download and figured I should at least check out a couple tracks, having taken part in a ruse at one of Heidi's parties that Justin was a member of said band. A band like this is the punchline of a jokes. I mean, how can you possibly take it seriously? Except for the fact that this track is actually really awesome. It's funky & rockin', and a lot of fun to play along to besides. Anyway, I was just as surprised as you may be.

11. Camera Obscura "If Looks Could Kill" (Let's Get Out Of This Country, 08)

So I was pretty late to this party too. For some reason, I had assumed Camera Obscura were some sort of limp-wristed sub-Belle & Sebastian band, rather than a great '60s influenced indie band ala the Aislers Set. A girl-group beat, with vocals and guitars slathered in reverb, mmm, tasty.

12. Weezer "Say It Ain't So" (The Blue Album, 07)

At some point I became the owner of a copy of Weezer's debut album. I think maybe my sister wanted to get rid of it? Always had a soft spot for "The Sweater Song" and "Buddy Holly", but I don't think I really took Weezer seriously at all until I downloaded (on Napster, if I recall) a live mp3 of Juliana Hatfield covering this song on acoustic guitar. The song has an interesting structure, building from ridiculously restrained to all out emoting, with a very effective doubled guitar solo thrown in for good measure. "Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah."

13. The Moore Brothers "The Face" (Murdered by the Moore Brothers, 03)

The Moore Brothers are the Bay Area underground's version of Simon & Garfunkel. Saw them in somebody's basement in West Oakland and couldn't deny the beauty of their harmonies. "I don't care when summer ends..."

14. Human League "Love Action (I Believe In Love)" (Dare!, 09)

After my episode with ABC, I started giving in more to the synth-pop sounds of the '80s. I think I initially checked out Human League's greatest hits CD just to rip "Keep On Feeling Fascination", but soon kept feeling more fascinated by "Love Action". There's a cringe-inducing bridge/breakdown section in there, but the rest of the tune is great, and somehow I get a feeling a purity from those clean staccato synth lines.

15. Pacific Drift "Water Woman" (The Great British Psychedelic Trip Vol. 2: 1965-1970, 06)

This is something else I copied from my friend KQ. I have no idea who Pacific Drift were, other than a British group of requisite obscurity for one of these compilations. This track isn't particularly psychedelic in any way that I can figure, but I mainly just dig the see-saw violin refrain.

16. Patti Smith "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (Twelve, 10)

There I was, sandwiched in the night air between way too many Catalans, finally getting the chance to see the Godmother of Punk herself, Patti Smith. I had not heard anything off her covers album, "Twelve", but it seemed like sort of a silly idea. But whatever IT is, she has still got it, and after a few mediocre covers were followed by a few better ones, I was starting to feel it, when the bass notes slowly rang out to begin this song. I was like, what IS that? What is this song whose bass notes played in this way can by themselves seem of such overwhelming import and emotion? Several lines went by before I finally realized that I was listening to Patti Smith perform "Smells Like Teen Spirit". She had cast a spell on us all, I was totally mesmerized. The way she snarled the word "yeah" at the end of each line was a beautiful thing. Unfortunately she doesn't do this snarl on the recorded version, but it does have banjo, so there ya go.

17. Paula Frazer & Tarnation "August's Song" (Now It's Time, 01)

A friend of mine was playing in her band for a while, so I went to see them at a local dive. I asked about this tune afterward, assuming it was an old classic, but turns out it was about to come out on her new album. Amazing vocals, gives me the chills.

18. Rogue Wave "Publish My Love" (Descended Like Vultures, 02)

I have been meaning to put this on a mix for some time now, but it didn't really fit on any of them until now. I feel like this was mastered a bit too loud, but it's a real cool tune. Some of you Houston folk may remember bandmember Gram from his old band Schrasj.

19. Tortoise & Bonnie 'Prince' Billy "It's Expected I'm Gone" (The Brave and the Bold, 03)

Opinions on this collaborative album of covers seem to have been quite mixed. I'm not sure why that is though, cuz the album is really great. This song proceeds at a measure pace, yet in a totally intense way. Some of the distortion on this thing is off the hook. It has a really weird opening sound which made it practically impossible to segue into, but I cut off some of the fade-out from the previous track to make an abrupt segue that actually almost works. I was surprised to realize that this is a Minutemen song.

19. Sebadoh "Not Too Amused" (Bakesale, 05)

Not sure why, but the last Sebadoh album I really gave my full attention to was probably "Bubble & Scrape", so there's much to learn when I go back and listen to some of the other stuff. There's a certain beautiful fragile guitar distortion sound you only hear on four-track cassette recordings. "Everyone's so lonely, I dig it".

20. The New Pornographers "The Bleeding Heart Show" (Twin Cinema, 04)

The first half of this song is a bit of a throw-away, but man oh man, that's all just a prelude apparently, because once the gear is kicked in, you get the closest thing to gospel truth you're gonna find in indie-rock. I saw them do this at Pitchfork in July, and it was another of those instant-mix moments.

In other news:

I was going to dub this mess to cassette earlier today, for auto audio car consumption, but both wells of my dual cassette deck mysteriously seized up amid sounds of tortured motors, trapping the tapes inside. What the heck? Anyway, for now, I bid you adieu.