Erni's 2008 Q1 Mix
One of my 2008 goals was to get out to 1 show a week—why live in Seattle if I don't take advantage of its rich musical offerings? Many of the performers I saw are on this mix. The rest of the stuff comes from friendly recommendations and hypem. I think this mix has an overall darker sound than some of my previous. I hope you enjoy!
01 - Black Lips – Step Right Up
I knew nothing about Black Lips when they came to play Neumos other than what I learned from a really interesting blog entry and some streaming tracks on the interwebs. I decided to go see them play. Unfortunately there was no stage pissing (I had strategically positioned myself on the balcony to avoid any spray), but on the bright side they played a great set. They've been around awhile and put out lots of music. This is one of the songs that stood out to me on their 2007 release Good Bad Not Evil.
02 – Pierced Arrows – Caroline
This band opened for the Black Lips. As they were setting up their equipment a girl near me asked who they were and what I knew, which was next to nothing. But judging by their weathered, aged faces, I told her I bet they are gonna fuckin rip. And they did. Also saw them play Funhouse and they rocked nonstop with no break between something like 20 songs, then came back out, played the place some more until after 2am. They're gooood live.
03 – The Republic Tigers – Made Concrete
This is just a track I found on hypem and flagged for future listening. It stood the test of time. The lead singer offers some advice: "Don't believe the scientists that tell you what to think." That really resonates with me. Anyway the track has a nice catchy arrangement of staccato guitar and what might be syncopation but I'm not a musician so not sure about that. This'll be on their first LP releasing May 2008: Keep Color.
04 – Atlas Sound – Recent Bedroom
I went to see Atlas Sound play the High Dive, mostly because metacritic rated their 2008 release very highly. The guy who fronts the band is kind of odd, and that oddness shone through in his banter with the crowd. They played a great set that pleasantly transported me into my own dreamy head, and the show went by far too fast.
05 – Super Furry Animals – Baby Ate My Eightball
"Frothing at the mouth, send him to heaven, see you on the other side, sorry to cut your life so short." I can't quite put my finger on what draws me to this one. Perhaps what hooks me is the sheer lack of emotion in the delivery of these lyrics. Maybe he's numb from all the eightball. Either way, babies will be babies—they love to put stuff in their mouths. So let this song be a lesson to us all, even though I know none of you eightball for realz.
06 – Air France – Beach Party
Yet another Swedish act makes one of my mixes—there must be something in the water over there. Other than that I know shit about Air France. But every once in awhile when it's drizzling and gray outside, and I wish I could be partying on the beach, this is the song I play for 3 minutes of fun in the sun daydreaming.
07 – Kutiman – Music is Ruling My World
This track is just tight. The jazzy drumbeat keeps everything moving right along, and the quick blast of trumpets, masterful trombone solo, sweet vocal improv, and a great buildup at the end all work really well together. And the theme of this one certainly fit my frame of mind over the past few months.
08 – Black Lips – Veni Vidi Vici
So I was a little bit disappointed these guys didn't piss on the stage. But it wasn't a total loss. They spit all over the place instead! This is another good song off last year's release.
09 – Sleater-Kinney – Pompeii
Oddly enough, I was instantly attracted to their chant that the person they're singing to is gonna find out, get low, grow old, and it'll darken their soul. Maybe like a tarnished penny after it has been in circulation for 50 years. The nervous energy in her voice when she wails "baby don't you dare give up on me now" just proves to me her belief that bluster can overcome all, and makes me want to believe it too.
10 – Glenn Hansard & Marketa Irglov – When Your Mind's Made Up
I haven't seen the movie, but I did see the trailer, and it featured this song. Yeah, it's a sad song about heartbreak, but that determined insistence of the futility of changing another's mind once they've made it up rings true to me. And not only for failed romances.
11 – O'death – Only Daughter
When Paul came to visit, we spent hours trading music. He kept asking me to play this band's stuff, but I never got around to it till after he left. I really enjoy O'death's twangy sound. This song has a great initial build and the subject matter extends that theme of loss and drowning which unexpectedly reared its ugly head in many of the songs on this mix.
12 – Lesbian – Black Forest Hamm
This song has a sort of epic quality for me. I saw Lesbian when they played after Bloodhag at Funhouse. I had heard Bloodhag was great live, so I went to see them but wasn't all that impressed to be honest. Lesbian on the other hand played an awesome set—this band understands the power of dynamics. The music in this ~9-minute song brings to my mind the war for middleearth in the lord of the rings, where the forces of good and evil are in a furious exchange for every advantage, and blows are dealt back and forth to both sides until the war's abrupt conclusion.
13 – The Illuminoids – Heart Shaped Titties
This struck me as a really well done mashup. And I wonder whether the sassy singer would be willing to critique my style and let me know if I need any lessons.
14 – Jose Gonzales – Abram
Simple, short, casual, and satisfying. "Either wake up or go to bed." My recent bout with a 104 fever and delirium reminded me how easy it is to end up in that state between sleep and consciousness. "Oh, go to sleep."
15 – Super Furry Animals – Carbon Dating
I don't know what instrument opens this song, but it sets the stage for the keyboard and chords that remind me of a 50s-esque pop song. But the vocal effects are sure to show the listener that this music is in fact very new. The lyric, "Who's the fool who suffers fools? Is it me or you?" makes me think that at a certain level, we're all fools.
16 – Atlas Sound – River Card
The lead singer told a long-winded story about how he used to play with yarn all the time when he was a kid. And he dedicated this song to people that played with yarn as children. I never played much with yarn, so at the time I was nonplussed by his intro. Regardless, I was impressed by his music and particularly this song, which touches upon that repeating theme of river drowning.
17 – Blonde Redhead – Heroine
Chris told me that Blonde Redhead was on the top 10 of most of the employees at a local music store. I also liked their track on Arends' mix, decided to give their recent album a listen, and really enjoyed it. This song just stood out as a little bit different from the rest, and her voice just seeps with heartbreak.
18 – Valet – Kehaar
Honey Owens is Valet, and she plays bass for Atlas Sound. Valet opened for Atlas Sound, and I even talked to her for a little while at the bar. I asked what she thought of the night's first performer (it was a guy who stood with his back to the crowd and sounded like he was doing soundcheck for 30 minutes). She said she thought he was great—his music put her to sleep for 20 minutes. Hopefully that gives you an idea of her musical pedigree.
19 – Sleater-Kinney – The Swimmer
Arends once told me that Sleater-Kinney's guitarist is, in his humble opinion, the best ever. Not knowing much Sleater-Kinney, but having seen the exit sign driving to and from Portland many times, I decided it was time to give them some listening time. The first time I listened to "All Hands on the Bad One" was on the way to and from the Pierced Arrows concert. The walk home from Funhouse was pretty long and chilly, but the driving rhythm and energy of that album kept me going strong. I kept replaying the last two songs not wanting to stop listening, so for it made sense to place this one at the end of the mix, in the hopes that other listeners might have the same reaction.
