ooooohthhhiiiississsaagooodone!

ok, i'm proud of this one. from chaka khan to asobi seksu in 14 moves... with sarah vaughn en route. i tell ya, the music, it never stops.



truly a compendium of what i've been obsessed with lately, these tracks are a smattering of the tracks that get me through this frigid cold.

some tracks embrace the cold, grab a blanket and sit by the fire with a hot chocolate, lightly spiced with some kahlua and vodka. others reject the cabin fever that can pull us in sometimes, and bring the party to the beach as a temporary respite from our pale skin. of course, february is also a month of love, and for those romantics who only like to show it once a year, we have a little something for you too.

and now, we cue the music.

1. rufus & chaka khan - sweet thing
2. jens lekman - pretty shoes
3. os mutantes - fuga no II
4. johnny cash - big iron
5. cat power - good woman
6. the rolling stones - rocks off
7. friends of dean martinez - dusk
8. bjork - hyperballad (brodsky quartet version)
9. devotchka - you love me
10. count basie and sarah vaughn - until i met you
11. nomo - new song
12. jim noir - key of c
13. sketches for albinos - daniel likes birds
14. air france - beach party
15. asobi seksu - thursday

download: http://www.bazoomercom.com/ari/February%20'07.zip

after prince performed at the super bowl, i went back and searched for a video of an acoustic show he did for vh1 where he performed rufus & chaka khan's sweet thing (also done by mary j. blige, which you may remember from your time growing up in the mid-90's). it's true... it really is one of those songs that is impossible to sing. somehow, i've owned jens lekman's oh you're so silent, jens for about a year now, and yet i didn't really give it the attention it deserved. then i went back and started listening to it, and completely fell in love with the sardonic lyrics and peppy arrangements. here's hoping you do, too. sure, os mutantes only recorded like 4 songs in their entire career (they just recorded them over and over and over again), but those four songs are damn good, and fuga no ii is one of them. a nice johnny cash track that has me thinking lately... cat power. chan, if you're reading this, i think we could work. i mean, i play all the instruments you don't, and i have crazy hair. also, i love you. you know, i heard this rolling stones song like three years ago and had the horn part stuck in my head, but had NO idea what it was. i thought it was from a van morrison tune, or a band tune, or dylan, and it boggled my mind. then, a few weekends ago up in vermont, on my friend kevin's ipod, it mysteriously showed itself to me. god it's good.... friends of dean martinez was my way of throwing on another calexico track without you knowing. did it work? it's not them, but it is. jeannie always liked this arrangement of hyperballad, and it's growing on me too. devotchka came up when i was thinking of making this a valentine's day mix, but i'm glad i didn't. it still works though. that being said, the count basie/sarah vaughn track is for lovers, old, new, past, present and future. cole, from boston afrobeat society and coincidentally, high school, tipped me onto nomo, from detroit. some of the sickest afrobeat out there right now. there are few things i love more than music about music (wilco's shot in the arm for instance: we fell in love / in the key of c / we walked along, down by the sea / you followed me down / the neck to d / we fell again / into the sea) so this jim noir tune seemed perfect. it comes from my favorite pitchfork feature ever, the "on repeat" section of the forkcast. stay tuned for another choice from that same site. ropeadope records, a great label out of philly, just opened a digital label and tipped me onto this icelandic group (well, one guy really) who goes by the moniker sketches for albinos. i figured for those that like sigur ros, this would be a nice addition. it's a great track. air france's beach party also comes by way of the forkcast, and it's what i mean by warming up the winter nights. finally, my itunes has been playing asobi seksu's thursday non-stop now for the past two weeks or so. epic without the guilt, ya know? ok, ta ta.

Melissa's Mix!

Ode to Carnaval: Feb. 07

This is my first time as a contributor to the friendly mixtape and I gotta say I’m excited. Ari and I met when we were studying abroad together in Brazil in 2004. We probably became friends because we each love Brazilian music and when studying abroad, its easier to make fun of cultural idiosyncrasies with two people instead of one (self). Since its Carnaval time right now in Brazil, I decided that February’s friendly mixtape must be exclusively Brazilian music. Some of these tracks are songs Ari and I discovered together in Brazil. Others are songs I’ve picked up since then. My goal was to put at least one song on this compilation that Ari hasn’t heard (fat chance) [ed. note: i hadn't heard the dj dolores track and i LOVE it]. Don’t be intimidated by 20 tracks-some are fairly short and it’s well worth it. Enjoy.

-Melissa Nepomiachi

1. Uniao Black: Everyone’s a Winner. Don’t be confused by the English title, its purely Brazilian funk. Have you ever wondered what parliament-funkadelic would sound like if they were born and bred in Brazil? Here is your answer.

2. Curumin: Guerreiro. A descendent of Jorge Ben’s legacy. Who knew they played Ukulele’s in Brazil. It’s hot.

3. DJ Dolores and Orchestra Santa Massa: A Danca Moda. Its all about that fiddle, or the instrument I think is a fiddle. As well as the call and response.

4. Caetano Veloso: Gua. Its no surprise that Caetano is in the first 5 tracks on this list, after all he is the most well known Brazilian musician as well as probably the best musician. Period. .It took me 20 minutes to figure out how to spell xylophone. But well worth it.

5. Marisa Monte: Eu Nao Sou do Sua Rua. Every song she writes is beautiful, especially this one. It’s short, sweet, and to the point.

6. Paulo Diniz: Pirim Pim Pim. This song is from the infamous 30+ track compilation entitled Baile Funk 2. It’s an amazing album filled with rare and most importantly, funky songs.

7. Jorge Ben: O Vendedor de Bananas. Jorge Ben also known as Jorge Ben Jor is the godfather of Brazilian funk and he probably didn’t even know it. This song is from a live MTV acoustic show, it’s got a showy, cabaret sound to it. Go bananas!

8. Doces Barbaros: Esoterico. This is one of my top 10 favorite songs sung by Gal Costa and Maria Bethania, a superstar combination. I cry when I hear it. Really, I do. If anyone ever gets the chance, rent the documentary called “outros (doces) barbaros". You will learn a lot about the relationship between the four most well known Brazilian musicians. Also, you will cry.

9. Elza Soares: Concordia. Elza Soares is one of the most popular samba superstars of Brazil. She has been around for like 50 years. Then in 2003, she made an album that was very electric, almost indie-rockish. This is a song off of that album.

10. Gilberto Gil: Juazeiro. This is from a soundtrack that Gilberto Gil made to, what I’m told, is a bad movie about the folksy northeastern part of Brazil. On the soundtrack Gilberto goes back to his forro (Brazilian country music) roots.

11. Pedro Luis a Parede: Faz o Que. Its samba-rock and its awesome.

12. Lenine: Lavadeira do rio. Like Pedro Luis, Lenine is one of the newer (in the last 10 years) pop/rock superstars of Brazil. It’s an explosive sound.

13. Celso Fonseca and Ronaldo Bastos: Sorte. In the style of singer-songwriters these guys work it.

14. Gal Costa: A preta do arcaje. This song was recorded in 1979 and sounds like Gal knew (or her producers) knew what was coming in the 1980s. The track starts slow but work through it and about a minute and a ½ into it, it gets going real good.

15. Osmar Milito: Morre O borro, fico O homem. One of my favorite Jorge Ben songs. Remixed. Please put this song on at your upcoming party.

16. Vanusa: Hey Joe! Another track from baile Funk 2. I think Hendrix would have been proud.

17. Marcelo D2: Vai vendo. The best Brazilian hip-hop song ever. He is so tight. You could stick a lump of coal up Marcelo’s ass and in two weeks you’d have a diamond.

18. Tribalistas: Carnavalia. The collaboration that took Marisa Monte’s fame over the top. At first, I admit, I shrugged off the Tribalistas because they were too mainstream for my tastes. I was wrong.

19. Maria Bethania: Sao Joao Xango Menino. Bethania, the sister of Caetano Veloso needs no further introduction. I think she is a control freak though. This is the Ultimate jam.

20. Novos Bianos: Preta Prentinha. This is my new favorite song. I have to listen to it 6 times a day to feel normal.

download: http://www.bazoomercom.com/ari/Melissa's%20Mix.zip