New Mixes begun, new contributor coming soon!!!

Matt and I are at the halfway point of our second mix. I'll admit that this mix was a lot harder than the first. The last mix seemed to flow quickly, if I felt stuck I'd just shuffle my iPod. This mix isn't as ecclectic, it's a bit more focused and instead of new artists, most of these guys are familiar, or at least the sounds seem to recall the pop charts of a generation past. It's funny, but I never thought about this mix thing ever being difficult. But I've been agonizing over the first few picks, especially finding the right reply to Waits' "Downtown Train"

There is a new contributor, Grand Alto, The Big C. himself, coming on board soon... here are some words....

This month Gered asked if I would be interested in making a “correspondence mix”. I was intrigued to make a mix with Gered based off of the many conversations about new bands and concerts we have had in the past. Also since I was a young kid (dubbing mixes to skateboard to) I have been a fan of the art, but a collaboration mix is different. Comparable to a chess game, one reacts to their opponent’s move by evaluating all possible outcomes of their own potential move. What elements of your opponent’s song will cause your brain to react and what will be an appropriate countermove?

I delayed a while before picking the first song of the mix. Most of it was procrastination, but some of it was actually thinking about my first move. I chose the song “I and Love and You” by the Avett Brothers, which leads off their new album of the same title. The elements that make up this song are very calming to me; the soft piano, restrained drums, and vocal melody. “Oh Brooklyn, Brooklyn, take me in”, he sings. The song feels to me like a warm blanket on a cold, cold night. Like a soothing glass of hot green tea or that first glass of red wine with dinner. I believe that starting off calmly is a good idea, giving the listener time to settle in, then building up and slowing down energy as the mix goes on. Now that I have finally kicked off this mix, I believe it is your move, sir.

You can take the italics out of you want.

Regards,

Big C

Look out for his posts, and links to hear his music and see his artwork...

Judge Not...

Listening to NPR on the plane from Detroit to LA. Bob Boilen's Fall Music Preview, probably a few days/weeks old. They start talking about Dead Man's Bones. This has all of the proper elements, I'm going to HATE this crap. As the panel talked about them, I literally got excited to trash them. Children's choir singing on every track? Oh, how dramatic and pretentious. Successful actor (Ryan Gosling) as lead singer? Yawn. Halloween music? Christ, you've got to be kidding me. It's AMAZING. Just bought it two nights ago. Unbelievable atmosphere and space, really tight quirky sound. The children's choir is integral, I can't imagine the songs without the choir. So once again, I love being proven wrong... At least when it isn't my girlfriend or family.

Listen here. "In The Room Where You Sleep" Dead Man's Bones

Second Time Around

One of the initial goals of creating these mixes was to expose each other to new music, but as I decided which track I wanted to begin the second "conversation" with, I landed on Tom Waits' Downtown Train. I knew it would be familiar to Gered, but I liked the tone it set for the mix; first songs need to have a tight combination of different sounds. Downtown Train has the comfortable down-on-his-luck Tom Waits hero looking for that one girl that will change his life. It brings together slow pop lyrics and a gentle but raw guitar line (played masterfully by Marc Ribot). It has that old-fashioned feel that shows up in a lot of his work. A feeling that makes the song seem relevant in any era. Rod Stewart, whose covered a number of Waits' songs, recorded a version of Downtown Train in the 90s. Stewart sings with a lot of emotion, and captures the essence, but I've always preferred the original.

The REAL Pink Martini Story

Yes it was around 1997. I believe the album I was buying was Oscar Peterson and Lionel Hampton. If not John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman, on Impulse! This was 1997. Buying stuff on the internet wasn't normal. I had to give cash to my Mom, who used her credit card on Amazon. When Sympathetique showed up, I didn't really think about it. Mom called Amazon, and the CD I wanted showed up a few days later. A few weeks later I see the Pink Martini CD sitting in the office. I read the back of the CD, and with Cellos, Violins, Trumpets, etc. it piqued my interest.

"Ma, I'm opening this CD"

"No, Amazon said they are sending an envelope for return"

"Ma, that was weeks ago."

"Are you prepared to pay for it?"

"No"

"Ok, then"

Two more weeks go by

"Ma, I'm prepared to pay for it, I'm pretty sure Amazon is too busy counting their stacks of cash"

"Fine"

From the Harp glissando opening, and China Forbes belting "Amado Mio" in her bigger than life voice, I was immediately hooked. Find me a band that has songs in Croatian, Japanese, Arabic and Modern Greek, among others.

I think the lesson learned here is you never know where you're going to hear your next favorite band. I'm paraphrasing Chris Bro, host of NEXT, a new music show on 107.1 The Peak in NY. I mean, I'm a horrible music snob. I sometimes ignore bands that people tell me I'd like, only to find they were right.

Case in point: The final song on Mix No. 1. I maintain that whenever a musician starts to do the American Songbook, their career is over. (See: Rod Stewart) But obviously I'm way off base. Johnny Cash's American series is not your old Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Gershwin songbook. Its Trent Reznor, Depeche Mode, and Will Oldham. This is not your parents' American Songbook. I like being proven wrong... Here's to eating crow.

On the Merits of Genius...

One of the main reasons I started thinking about making better mixes is Apple's Genius feature in iTunes. After ignoring it for a few updates or so, I activated the Genius. After a long wait, with me sending Apple my info, Apple sending me info, etc., Genius was rolling smoothly. You select a song, and iTunes makes a mix based on the track. The first few times I tried it, the results were so-so. After another update, I tried it again and was pleasantly surprised. Apple seems to have developed an easy formula for making good Genius Mixes.

One of my favorite avenues for hearing new music has been Pandora. When I first visited the site I was really impressed with the whole idea of The Music Genome Project. I like the way you could start a station based on a song or an artist, and also the thumbs up/thumbs down way of training and focusing your station. I used Pandora long before I ever used Genius, and I will admit that Genius stole a bit of Pandora's thunder for me. It seemed Apple was able to achieve the same end result without all of the complicated, fussy, "Genome" business. Is it possible that a simple" if you buy this, you should buy that" system built on shopping history can be as good as a well thought out, complicated system like Pandora's?

Either way, both of these innovations made me a lazier music lover. I set out to prove the human element is always richer. There is no conversation with Genius or Pandora. There is just a click, and then a mix. We're better than our gadgets...

Mix No. 1 Track List

The Final Track List-

"Cybele's Reverie" Stereolab Emperor Tomato Ketchup 1996

"A Century Of Fakers" Belle & Sebastian 3..6..9 Seconds Of Light 1997

"Jacksonville" Sufjan Stevens Illinoise 2005

"Way You Walk" Papas Fritas Buildings & Grounds 2000

"The Bidding" Tally Hall Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum 2008

"Season of the Shark" Yo La Tengo Summer Sun 2003

"Come To My Senses" Doug Burr On Promenade 2007

"Fade Into You" Mazzy Star So Tonight That I Might See 1993

"Charlie Darwin" The Low Anthem Oh My God Charlie Darwin 2009

"Hey Eugene" Pink Martini Hey Eugene 2007

"Bedlam" Elvis Costello & The Imposters The Delivery Man 2004

"Use It" The New Pornographers Twin Cinema 2005

"Kick Drum Heart" The Avett Brothers I and Love and You 2009

"I See A Darkness" Johnny Cash American III: Solitary Man 2000

You can buy the mix on iTunes here

Closing Time

Is there anything more artistically risky than a man singing and playing acoustic guitar? There's nowhere to hide. Everything you are as a musician is revealed and thrown into the spotlight. Well let the light shine down on Gered's pick, Doug Burr's Come to My Senses. Simply put, just a beautiful song. I'll admit I'm biased. I'm a complete sucker for tracks with strong clean melodies and lullaby-like southern vocals. Come to My Senses hits you with both within the first 30 seconds, and it just gets better when Burr starts singing harmony with his band mates.

I answered with Mazzy Star's Fade Into You, which has a similar mood, but completely different style of delivery. I've always liked the production on this song. The atmospheric feel of the acoustic guitar strum, the understated electric guitar, and simple piano riff fit perfectly with Hope Sandoval's voice. Did anyone else want to fall in love with her when this song came out?Think back to the video, or better yet, just listen to the song.

Gered's next pick, The Low Anthem's Charlie Darwin matched the feel of Fade Into You perfectly, and brought with it themes of longing and innocence lost. I love the falsetto, and ivy league lyrics (they teamed up when they were students at Brown), that would sound pretentious if they weren't sung with such honesty. I mean really, how many bands do you know that can use Charles Darwin (they know him well enough to call him Charlie) in a song and make it sound gorgeous and genuine.

I'm stealing the story about how we started listening to Pink Martini. In high school, Gered ordered a CD from Amazon (he's going to have to remind me what it was, but I think it may have been a Leon Russel album). Amazon mistakenly sent Pink Martini's 1997 release Sympathique. Based on the band's name and the intrigue of the album cover, Gered decided to keep it, and we've been fans ever since. This band can do it all, and do it all ridiculously well, but I'm partial to their more pop-inspired offerings. Hey Eugene is about a girl who meets a guy at a party in New York, they hit it off, make out, and he promises to call her, but never does. The musical genius of Pink Martini is that they turn this simple everywoman New York story into one of the most original and fun pop songs I've heard in years.

Bedlam gives this mix a much needed kick in the ass, and is a nice choice by Gered. Rambunctious guitars and pounding drums step up what could have turned into an emo/indie rock cardigan party if he wasn't careful. I've remained a fan of Elvis Costello through the years, although he's put out a lot of crap since All This Useless Beauty (think North). But when you hear Bedlam it remind you why you connected with him in the first place. Putting this mix together is going to cost me a lot in iTunes charges.

I followed Bedlam with the New Pornographer's Use It. Some of their material is a little to noise driven for my tastes, but this song is full of energy, creatively put together, and works well in the mix.

Just a week ago, Gered sent me an email: "go buy the Avett Brother's I And Love and You." He's been singing their praises from the get go, and I like their low country folk feel, but Kick Drum Heart shoots the band in a whole new direction, taking cues from ragtime rhythms and a catchy melody.

With a little bit of country flowing through my bones, I now had to find the perfect closer for this mix. I had narrowed it down to 3 songs: Rhett Miller's Our Love, Bruce Springsteen's Maria's Bed (this was my second choice-check it out on Devils and Dust), and the winner, Johnny Cash's cover of Will Oldham's I See a Darkness. Oldham is a master at delivering forceful, but sparse folk songs, and Johnny Cash's version showcases his song-writing genius. This is Johnny Cash at his best, and Oldham's unsteady voice adds a whole new layer to the song's message. I've always thought of this song as the ultimate buddy song; getting at the heart of why we hangout in bars with our friends, share the stories of our lives, and have a conversation.

Wrapping it up

Let me catch up the last few songs of the mix... While Matt and I began this journey, I was in a listening rut. All Bon Iver and Ike Turner & The Kings of Rhythm. After the Mazzy Star's "Fade Into You", I felt Bon Iver would be perfect. But while listening to All Songs Considered's wrap up of the Newport Folk Festival, I heard a track by The Low Anthem, "Charlie Darwin." This satisfied my need to put Bon Iver in the mix, without actually using a Bon Iver track, and also I felt I had a good chance of surprising Matt with thus track. Hushed and amply bathed in reverb, this track sent chills up my spine the first time I heard it.

Matt countered with a song from one of my favorite groups, Pink Martini. "Hey Eugene" is the title track from their latest album. These guys (and girl) are incredible musicians, most of them are members of the Portland Symphony. They sing in countless languages mixing classical, latin, big band, and pop. I will post again sometime about how I was first exposed to this band, it's a pretty funny story. I wanted to steer the mix away from the horns and R&B stuff, since I am easily pulled into anything with horns, and I figured "Bedlam", from Elvis Costello and The Imposters 2004 release The Delivery Man. This was a Lost Highway release and I loved the entire album. There are slow ballads and duets with Emmy Lou Harris, and then there are raucous, loud and obnoxious tunes like "Bedlam". I felt like the mix needed a shot of something raw and fierce. Red Meat for the Soul, if I may.

Matt chose "Use It", by The New Pornographers, and it seems like the band picked up perfectly where "Bedlam" left off. The call and response nature of this mix is really starting to ring true for me. My next selection was from an album that came out early last week, the much awaited new disc from The Avett Brothers and Rick Rubin, I and Love and You. I picked "Kick Drum Heart" since the song has a piano line similar to the one in "Use It", and the end of the song feels like a good finisher. Matt and I agreed these last two songs would wrap up the mix. Lots of folks thought working with Rubin would ruin this band. These trolls who want a band to never grow or change drive me crazy. Matt wrapped up the mix with a beautiful song from Johnny Cash, a cover of Will Oldham's "I See a Darkness", with Oldham on backup vocals. I have to admit to never really giving Oldham a shot, and I had never heard this track. I really need another job to support all of the new music I need to buy. This mix really turned out way better than either of us dreamed, and I really can't wait to start another.

Our Playlist.com player at the bottom is inaccurate, so we will Publish this as an iMix thru iTunes.

"

Putting the Pieces Together

Gered and I never talked about this mix having any type of overarching theme. Instead, we wanted each song to be an "answer" to the song that came before it. This gives the mix a lot more freedom to pull from different genres and artists.

Stereolab's Cybele's Reverie took me by surprise. I was expecting Gered to start with something acoustic and aggressively melodic (like Come to my Senses). I have to be honest, it's not my favorite tune on the mix, but as a first song it's perfect. It's the cornerstone; it's electronic sensibility doesn't limit the mix to singer/songwriter type music, and the tempo gave me the freedom to go up or down with the next pick. I went down with A Century of Fakers. I started listening to B & S right after they released The Boy with the Arab Strap. I bought the album in Boston. I remember waiting on a friend and popping it into my Discman. There was a soft snow that night. I can still remember hearing them for the first time. I've been a fan ever since. A Century of Fakers is actually a B-side. I love how it captures the young angst of a band on the rise.

Jacksonville is my favorite track on the mix. A friend of mine described Sufjian Stevens music as "slit your wrists tunes." I haven't checked him out before, but this song just makes me want to sing along.

Way You Walk is another discovery I made in Newbury Comics in Boston. The guy behind the counter was playing it, I loved the sound, and picked up the album on the spot. I haven't kept up with Papas Fritas (according to the band, the name's real meaning is "pop has freed us"), but they always pop up on my iPod.

I couldn't think of a better answer to Papas Fritas than Tally Hall's The Bidding. The chant-like intro and hip-hop grooves gives the mix more sonic depth than it had before. I took down the tempo a bit with my favorite Yo La Tengo song, Season of the Shark. Don't get me wrong, I love the YTL hard stuff, but the gentle melodies and atmospheric vocals of their last few albums just hit home for me.

More to come...

Editor's Note

For our five or six fans, if you haven't figured it out on your own yet, the playlist under construction is available for your listening pleasure at the bottom of the page. Tracks 7 and 11 are substitutions due to the original tracks' absence from playlist.com. Track 7 by Doug Burr, is actually "Come To My Senses" but the substitution, "Slow Southern Home" is from the same album, Promenade, and equally awesome. Track 10 from Elvis Costello and The Imposter is actually "Bedlam", the substitution is "Monkey To Man" from the same album, Delivery Man.

Enjoy!

Back and Forth

I hit Matt with a track by Stereolab. "Cybele's Reverie" off the Emperor Tomato Ketchup album. I never expected to have that countered by a Belle and Sebastian song, but that's what Matt sent. They go together surprisingly well. I was never the biggest B&S fan, but now I think I'll have to revisit their sounds. I wanted to match the orchestra sounds from Stereolab, so I hit him with "Jacksonville" by Sufjan Stevens. Here's another guy that I ignored for years. Every time I'd buy a new Tom Waits album, Stevens showed up in the "Listeners Also Purchased" section. Maybe iTunes miffed on the song snippets... But I came around eventually.

Matt's next selection is a dancy, bouncy number by Papas Fritas, "The Way You Walk". I've never heard them, but two or three measures into the song, I was already a fan. Four tracks in and this mix has bounced around many genres, I was excited to see where it would go next. I was tempted by the beat and groove of Papas Fritas, and almost went down the R&B/Soul road. But I wanted to stay Indie. I wanted to select something Matt hadn't heard yet, and Tally Hall fit the bill. Tally Hall are a genre busting band based in Ann Arbor, MI, self described as "wonky rock." "The Bidding" is definitely wonky, and stays within the theme of the unexpected.

Matt hit me back with a delicious cut from indie kings Yo La Tengo, "Season of the Shark." More hushed, gentle Valium laced indie rock from Matt. But it fits. I think this first mix is going way better than either of us expected. I was struck by the amount of light and breezy things on the mix, and staying in that vein, I selected a track from Doug Burr. "Come To My Senses" has it all, down home finger-picked guitar, steel guitar accenting, and a big reverb filled space. And Doug Burr is incredible. It reminds me of Ryan Adams and Lyle Lovett writing songs in a hotel room, playing quietly as to not wake their neighbors. Beautiful harmonies, I can't say enough about this guy.

Matt's next selection came with an apology, or an explanation. He sent me an email that said something along the lines of "I hope you see what I'm going for with the Mazzy Star, you know, before Indie was Indie??" I'd like to say that after years of hearing "Fade Into You" it's played out, but that would be a flat out lie. I strum this tune on my ukulele sometimes.

I'm at work so I will post again after I attempt to look busy for a few hours....