o mixto maravilhoso

hey friends,

sorry for the delay on this month's mix. it's been a ridiculously busy month all-around, with work, djing and living life in general. but i've found myself feeling very grounded in revisiting older vinyl in my collection (well, full disclosure, my parents' collection) and decided it was time to make a kickass brazilian vinyl mix.



so, i've been toying with the idea of a hiatus lately. not because i want to stop making mixes, but because i really miss making mixes for my friends individually, and i often give up some of the tracks i would put on a mix for someone in particular in favor of putting them up on here. suffice to say, it would be nice to make mixes for individual people again.

so, if you're interested and you want me to make you a mix, just ask! i'm more than happy to do it. click... here.

ok, here is the tracklist:

1. fafá de belém - filho da bahia
2. amaro de souza e haraldo de oliveira - agua de poço
3. moraes moreira - vida vida
4. trio mocotó - swinga sambaby
5. elza soares - não me diga adeus
6. maria bethânia - a tua presença
7. clara nunes - o mar serenou
8. gal costa - o divino maravilhoso
9. wilson simonal - maquillaje
10. martinho da vila - tribo dos carajas
11. caetano veloso - two-naira fifty kobo
12. elis regina - jardins de infância
13. maria bethânia - mel
14. joão do vale - a voz do povo
15. vinicius e toquinho - separação
16. jorge ben - oba, lá vem ela
17. dorival caymmi - temporal

download? yes please. right here.

i would love to do a track by track run down of my inspiration, but honestly i'm just too tired. i will say that caetano is the whole reason i went down to brazil in the first place, and it opened up a whole universe of other music for me to check out. i hope you guys enjoy it, and seriously, if you want another mix or if you'd like me to make you a mix, let me know.

-a

friendlymixtape hits the physical world!

exciting news! friendlymixtape and academagician are hitting the real world friday nights at ROCKET BAR in boston. a sweet ass venue that holds 180, we're going to bring the friendlymixtape modus operandi to the people of BOSTON, every friday night.

to get things started on the right foot, i give you (with no further ado), the august mix.

download

july! barely...

was i late this month? yes. did i make up for it by uploading three mixes for your listening pleasure? you're damn right i did. the first mix is a vinyl mix i put together this evening, full of 'nuff rare grooves stuff as ali g would say. mix #2 is the original friendlymixtape mix i had going this month, full of new stuff i've been checking out. mix #3 is a chronological mix i made as a program for going to the pitchfork music festival a couple of weeks ago. enjoy!


cat power and her trademark growl...

vinyl.

1. ilhan mimarogslu feat. tuly sand - tract
2. richie havens - aviation man
3. the style council - a woman's song
4. bola sete - vira mundo penba
5. unknown - trem batucada
6. nomo - nu tones (matthew dear remix)
7. the isley brothers - ohio
8. lolita cuevas - haiti
9. john coltrane - spiritual
10. the cinematic orchestra - child song
11. charlotte gainsbourg - 5.55 (black ghosts remix)
12. isotope 217 - >>
13. simian mobile disco - hustler
14. tv on the radio - king eternal
15. juana molina - salvese quien puede (four tet pretty remix)

download: july vinyl mix


-----

solid state.

1. the national - secret meeting
2. menomena - wet & rusty
3. el michaels affair - glaciers of ice
4. georgia anne muldrow - larva
5. malajube - etienne d'aout
6. the mountain goats - cotton
7. hooverphonic - battersea
8. os mutantes - le premier bonheur du jour
9. bill frisell & petra haden - floaty
10. keren ann - lay your head down
11. benni hemm hemm - abbastufur
12. juana molina - rio seco
13. friends of dean martinez - all in the golden afternoon
14. nick cave & the bad seeds - where the wild roses grow

download: july standard mix

-----


we're in there somewhere.

the fourth dimension. (a chronological mix of acts at the pitchfork music festival)

1. gza - shadowboxin'
2. sonic youth - candle
3. the twilight sad - and she would darken the memory
4. califone - the eye you lost in the crusades
5. grizzly bear - knife (girl talk remix)
6. battles - race:in
7. calexico/iron & wine - wild horses
8. cat power - lives in paris
9. the ponys - let's kill ourselves
10. menomena - wet & rusty
11. nomo - divisions
12. the sea and cake - tea and cake (stereolab remix)
13. stephen malkmus - trojan curfew
14. of montreal - suffer for fashion
15. the new pornographers - myriad harbour
16. de la soul - itsoweezee (hot)

download: chronological pitchfork music festival mix

learning curve.

1. prince - when doves cry
2. matthew dear - deserter (four tet remix)
3. gui boratto - beautiful life
4. spank rock - rick rubin
5. jt - sexyback (?!)
6. ugk feat. outkast - int'l playa's anthem
7. deerhoof - believe e.s.p.
8. lou reed - walk on the wildside
9. caetano veloso & gilberto gil - cada macaco no seu galho
10. nomo - nu tones #9
11. css - let's make love to death from above
12. feist - my moon my man
13. new order - blue monday
14. sam prekop - c + f
15. the cure - close to me

download: june '07

The Misty Mountains of Home

This is a mix of some of my favorite tracks from the 60s/70s British / Irish / Scottish folk revival. (There is one recording from 1980, but hopefully that can be overlooked...)

Ryan's Mix

The mix is not the typical fare of Ari's blog. (Only a few songs even have drums.) But I'm grateful he let me share it.

1) Incredible String Band - Nightfall (1968) This track will put you in the mood for a journey back in time...

2) Anne Briggs - Willie O'Winsbury (1971) Many of these old folk songs tell wonderful stories in their lyrics. I recommend listening to this closely. Anne Briggs was a young woman with a plain yet unforgettable who was active during the British folk renaissance of the 60s. After recording a few albums and inspiring a generation of musicians, she gave up singing completely and moved to a secluded farm on the Isle of Skye.

3) Mountain Ash Band - Who Knows (1975) From a concept album called "The Hermit" about the life of an 18th century Yorkshire...hermit.

4) Maddy Prior & Time Hart - False Knight On The Road (1972) There are so many wonderful songs by this duo. This one leans toward a more modern sound but the melody seems timeless.

5) Planxty - Johnny Cope (1974) Having heard too much cheesy new-age "celtic" music, I was skeptical when Ari introduced me to Planxty. But these guys are absolutely the real deal. This song slowly builds up to an amazing Uilleann pipe solo.

6) Fairport Convention - Matty Groves (1969) No folk-rock mix would be complete without a track from these guys. The themes of love and sex are nothing new to British folk music.

7) John Renbourn - Caroline's Tune (1976) Here's one for the guitar nerds. Renbourn is probably my favorite guitarist ever. The high trills are as precise as a surgeon's scalpel.

8) Bert Jansch & John Renbourn - Time Has Come (1966) Written by Anne Briggs (who was Bert Jansch's girlfriend in Edinburgh), a wonderful version of this song shows up as the title track of her album in 1971. This version has a nice bluesy feel.

9) Robin & Barry Dransfield - Tapestry (1970) A nice medieval detour. Imagine sitting a banquet hall drinking mead and gnawing on one of those big turkey legs.

10) Pentangle - Cruel Sister (1970) More medieval moods. Pentangle is one of my favorite bands of this era, combining Bert Jansch & John Renbourn's matchless guitar playing with with Jackie McShee's lilting, crystal-clear voice. Oh yeah, and a sitar.

11) Steeleye Span - The Blacksmith (1970) If the voices sound familiar, it's because Maddy Prior and Tim Hart are in the band. Brilliant production with a tight 70s drum sound and crisp banjo playing. A very sexy song, once you crack the metaphor.

12) Bridget St. John - Many Happy Returns (1969) Her voice reminds me of Nico.

13) Robin & Barry Dransfield - The Rout Of The Blues (1970) This is a very traditional rendering, and it might not sound very exciting if you're accustomed to modern [over]production. But listen closely to the vocal harmonies and I'm sure you'll agree that this song is heartbreaking.

14) Planxty - Baneasa's Green Glade (1974) Another Planxty gem with a killer instrumental break at the end. It almost sounds middle-eastern. From what I can tell, this song seems to be about a band of minstrels who live in the forest.

15) Steeleye Span - Gamble Gold Robin Hood (1975) Speaking of bands who live in the forest, I couldn't resist adding this extremely catchy song, which could easily be mistaken for Raffi.

16) Nic Jones - Canadee-I-O (1980) This arrangement shows the virtuosic guitar style that Nic Jones became well known for. At the crossroads of Canadian, Irish, and maritime folk music, the song itself is a real tear-jerker.

17) Vashti Bunyan - Diamond Day (1970) The opening track to her brilliant debut album. She disappeared for 35 years and then released another album on an indie label in 2005.

18) Anne Briggs - Standing On The Shore (1971) If there is a lesson I hope to have learned from this music, it is contained in this song. The most familiar instruments, guitar and voice, properly wielded, can transport us to distant shores.

may is for lovers.

i didn't know what accompanying images i should include with this mix, so i thought i'd post some pics of two of my obsessions lately:



banksy



slavoj zizek

if you're looking for some wikipedia action on this fabulous friday, i would highly recommend looking either one up unless of course you already know about them.

without any further ago, the may mix:

1. the cinematic orchestra - to build a home
2. gui boratto - beautiful life
3. beth orton - thinking about tomorrow
4. binary star - glen close
5. emmylou harris - ashes by now
6. rocky votolato - white daisy passing
7. nick cave and the bad seeds - right out of your hand
8. wilco - i am not willin'
9. feist - i feel it all
10. the jayhawks - tailspin
11. beirut - scenic world
12. ferraby lionheart - a crack in time
13. immaculate machine - no way out
14. mates of state - like u crazy
15. the sea and cake - middlenight
16. matthew dear - deserter (four tet remix)
17. groove armada - from the rooftops
18. serena maneesh - candlelighted

download: may'07

any of you who knew me or any other members of audio ergo sum in college may remember us doing a cover of the cinematic orchestra's flite, one of my absolute favorite tracks of all time. the new album, ma fleur is markedly different, but i for one have really enjoyed their foray into songwriting territory. i could understand why fans of their previous stuff wouldn't like it, but i don't really care. suck it up. next is some more gui boratto. admittedly, there are a lot of repeat artists on this mix, but i feel like with several of these albums i've just started to make it deeper into their albums, so i apologize. beth orton's fantastic album daybreaker was introduced to me via a four tet remix album, as i have previously mentioned. binary star came to school for a show a couple of years ago, and it was some of the best, most poignant hip hop i've ever heard. catchy sample. i know a lot of people don't like her voice, but i am a big emmylou harris fan. i think her voice is beautiful, and i am completely smitten with her and her silver locks. i know this is thoroughly unexciting, but i found out about rocky votolato from one of the itunes suggested tracks. reminds me a lot of elliott smith circa xo, and you can't go wrong with that. nick cave is a curious character to me, and i won't be the first to say that he reminds me of tom waits somewhat, mostly because there are songs of his that i absolutely love and absolutely can't stand. wilco has a new album out, but i just heard this b-side on the last episode of the wilco podcast and thought it had a nice summer evening feel to it. feist also has a new album out, although i kind of think that tracks 1-2 are very similar to the last album (which is not a problem since one of those tracks was mushaboom). i love i feel it all. i'm ok with thinking that the jayhawks are kind of poppy in a ryan adams kind of way, but i'll chalk it up to a guilty pleasure. i have to say, i'm completely undecided about beirut. i've had friends argue the case for and against beirut and his band of gypsy-amelie-followers, but i have to say that the album has yet to really grow on me. that being said, i love scenic world. ever since i heard ferraby lionheart a month and a half ago when the first incarnation of this mix was finished (sorry!) i've been reading about him all over the place. definitely pretty similar to elvis perkins, but meh. i've really been digging the rest of the immaculate machine's killer album, ones and zeros. it definitely has a great classic rock feel to it, with the tight, diatonic vocal harmonies. it's especially apropos since i think they sound a lot like the next band on this mix. yes, adriane, you finally got me into mates of state. susanna can also take a lion's share of the credit for telling me about them like a year ago, and adriane beat it over my head in a couple of mixes so there it is. i am unbelievably excited about seeing the sea and cake at the pitchfork festival in chicago this summer. i've seen sam prekop live twice (dev we need to hang out!) and i think they're super. it's funny, sometimes i think matthew dear sounds like tunde adebimpe from tv on the radio, but other times not so much. i (of course, of course) really love the four tet remix. groove armada has a new album out, and it's so club-heavy that it's almost alienating to someone like me, but i would still love to see them live again. this mellow track is on their new album, soundboy rock. and i really hope you make it all the way through the mix because this serena maneesh track is absolutely fucking amazing. be patient. the last half makes it totally worth it.

Jack Sou Brasileiro

*a guest mix from an avid friendlymixtape follower who we'll call "jack".

I've got a whole creative process I go through when I put a mixdisc together, but the most important rule is that it's got to make sense, there's got to be something holding it all together. In this case, there's a theme here: this is about the end of a relationship. I tried to take it from the good times (All I Want) to the break-up (Swans) to that time where there's a lot of confusion and feelings going on (You Still Believe in Me) to depression (The Medication is Wearing Off) to anger (A Little Bit More) to denial (What a Fool Believes) to acceptance (Keep Me in Your Heart).

1. Joni Mitchell – All I Want – This is one of my favorite love songs. Joni has such a talent for exaggerating the tone of the song… she makes happy songs ecstatic and sad songs heart-wrenchingly depressing. This is one of the former. And it fits me pretty well, very self-depreciating.

2. Nada Surf – Do It Again – Okay, a handful of these songs don't fit perfectly in my little theme, but I put them in anyway. Although I think "It" is sex. More than anything, it's about how difficult things are.

3. Rufus Wainwright – Instant Pleasure – A cover of Seth Swirsky, off the Big Daddy soundtrack. Pretty simple really, lets us know where his priorities are.

4. Nouvelle Vague – Teenage Kicks – The (of course) bossa nova cover of the Undertone's rather unknown single. It's incredibly infectious piece of pop, and I love it. And you will too.

5. Marisa Monte – Pale Blue Eyes – Wow, third cover in a row. Here, the original is by The Velvet Underground, and I don't have to tell you that this version by probably one of the best vocalists ever to come out of Brazil is 307 times better than Lou Reed.

6. Griffin House – The Guy That Says Goodbye to You Is Out of His Mind – The title pretty much says it all here.

7. Betty Johnson – It's Been a Long, Long Time – A short and sweet little ditty. Thematically, this song is end of the good times.







8. The Pretenders – Human – One of my favorite bands. Here we begin with the hurt feelings and broken promises, with a catchy beat.

9. Unkle Bob – Swans – Yeah yeah, I heard this on Grey's Anatomy with everyone else. It's got one of the saddest lines I've ever heard: "You tell me that you love me, but you never want to see me again."

10. Psapp – Calm Down – I don't even remember how I got into Psapp, but I now hear them on every other commercial. This one's been on ads for VW and the New York Times. And I love it.

11. Feist – 1234 – New single from Feist. It's got my two favorite instruments here: the banjo, which has a naturally happy sound, and the trumpets, which I feel can make just about any song better. I love it when anyone makes happy songs out of sad subjects, but Feist is really good at it.

12. Paul Simon – Everything About It Is a Love Song – I think this song is about getting old. But maybe everything about that is about love… or something like that.

13. M. Ward – You Still Believe in Me – Since this is an instrumental version of the Beach Boy's song, I'm using it to represent that nebulous area during the breakup where, yeah, the relationship is over, but maybe you'll get back together, nobody knows… that's a fun area. But, as always, a great performance from M. Ward.

14. Steely Dan – Black Cow – This is another song that doesn't really fit, but for the mood. And let's us know it's over now. I'm a huge Dan fan, and this song is great. The bass line really drives the song, and it's got a great hook.

15. Eels – The Medication Is Wearing Off – Really, really depressing (but that's how I roll). The depression in this guy's life is probably from a few sources, but I love how this constant reminder of him is right there on his wrist.

16. Shout Out Louds – Please Please Please – Another great pop song… this is in the denial/begging stage. The lead singer, who looks like Jason Schwartzman, is a total asshole.







17. Jamie Lidell – A Little Bit More – Yes, from the Target commercial. Here one of two is really just telling the other off. Just try not to dance to it (bouncing in your chair counts as dancing).

18. The Doobie Brothers – What a Fool Believes – This one kinda echoes the last one, in that one of them wasn't taking the relationship as serious as the other. In this one, the guy is obviously blind to her signals that it's over over. He can't help it. What a great song.

19. Neil Young – Long May You Run – Sometimes, even though it ends, we just want the best for the other person (sometimes we become a bitter, empty shallow of a person, but that's neither here nor there). The liner notes say he wrote this for "a girl and a car."

20. Johnny Cash – I'll Take You Home Again Kathleen – A real classic. I got the whole story on this from a woman at Breuger's: written by a Canadian for his homesick Irish wife. I've always wanted to sing this as a bar is closing.

21. Norah Jones – Wurlitzer Prize (I Don't Want to Get Over You) – A cover of Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson. The imagery here is great: going back to that place you used to go and play the old songs. So sad, but really, who hasn't been there?

22. Jorge Calderón & Jennifer Warnes – Keep Me in Your Heart – This is the last song Warren Zevon wrote after learning he had lung cancer. From that perspective, it's about remember the best about someone after they've died, but it works for anyone who's gone away that you care about. This version is from the tribute album "Enjoy Every Sandwich," and it's just heartbreaking.

Download: Here

this waking american life

This American Life Completes Documentation Of Liberal, Upper-Middle-Class Existence

1. dick annegarn – coutances
2. bill callahan – sycamore
3. my latest novel – the hope edition
4. a small good thing – saloon dream
5. calexico – half a smidge
6. the national – fake empire
7. the cure – close to me
8. silversun pickups – lazy eye (curtis vodka edit)
9. peter, bjorn and john – young folks
10. kings of convenience – i’d rather dance with you
11. groove armada – a private interlude (kinobe remix)
12. immaculate machine – broken ship
13. the isles – eve of the battle
14. mark ronson – oh my god (feat. lily allen)
15. this american life – (excerpted from ep. 311) what would blank do

download: http://www.bazoomercom.com/ari/April '07.zip

maybe you liked the science of sleep, maybe you didn’t, but i fell in love with this song by dick annegarn. those french really know how to nail the string arrangements. i’m thinking that many of you were introduced to (smog) or bill callahan the same way i was, which is to say from high fidelity. this track is from his new album which is recorded under the moniker “bill callahan,” which is actually just his real name. i came across my latest novel through a pitchfork review of their new album, and i really dug the belle & sebastien+arcade fire vibe they have going. i don’t remember how i originally heard about a small good thing, but they fit nicely into my spaghetti western love for calexico, and well, these days i dream of owning a saloon so that worked out. i know, more calexico, but i have been discovering their extensive catalog of tour-only cds, which are generally pared down and a bit more experimental than their albums, again showing why they are my favorite band now. dave and i often trade recommendations and then put them on the backburner, but i was immediately hooked on the national’s fake empire off of their new album boxer. i have a weakness for brass fanfare, what can i say. yes, i heard this cure song for the first time on a diplo mix. yes, liking the cure is kind of cliche for indie fans. no, i don’t care. after jess introduced me to silversun pickups last summer, i picked up their lp and ep, and have been rocking out to them ever since. so this remix is a welcome rejiggering of an awesome song. thanks to sarah for finally getting me into peter, bjorn, john, the kings of convenience, and any other scandinavians that feel like picking up an instrument. soooo catchy (and so in a commercial, i found out this week). this groove armada track is an oldie but a goodie, which is always funny to think about when talking about sampled music. the immaculate machine played at sxsw last year, and thus i found out about them from the sxsw megamix i mentioned last month. what a goldmine for amazing new music... the isles also came from the same mix, and now i am hooked on their album from last year. mark ronson’s album is finally out, and it is coinciding nicely with my newfound lily allen appreciation. here is a girl who cancelled her tour because she didn’t think her shows would be up to snuff. and finally, my reborn obsession with this american life continues with this essay on creating your own religion, one focus group at a time.

marching on.

you know, it's funny, i've had this mix done for about a month now but i've been twiddling my thumbs and forgot to upload it… it's a doozy though, so make sure you're sitting down for it.

1. the sea and cake – left on
2. brighton, ma – bet you never thought
3. cortney tidwell – eyes are at the billions
4. akron/family – shoes
5. blonde redhead – 23
6. studio – west side
7. +/- - leap year
8. the pogues – bottle of smoke
9. broken social scene – her disappearing act
10. tim hagans – animation imagination
11. cinematic orchestra – channel 1 suite
12. bjork – hyperballad (dj ayres remix)
13. sidecar – man from manchester
14. gui boratto – acrostico
15. the frames – people get ready
16. ambulance ltd. – heavy lifting
17. charlie louvin – knoXVIlle girl (featuring will oldham)
18. elvis perkins – ash wednesday

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

the sea and cake have reunited, and all is right with the world. their album everybody is out soon, and with tracks like this, i won't be disappointed. as for you, well, i don't know. if you have the patience for it, the just-concluded SXSW (south by southwest festival) has a torrent full of amazing music available here: http://2005.sxsw.com/geekout/fest4pod/ that's where i found out about brighton, ma, a great band with a shitty name. i have been utterly obsessed with cortney tidwell's don't let stars keep us tangled up for the last month or so, to the point where my friends would like me to shutup about it. it's worthy of some hyperbolic metaphor, but i'm tired so screw it. the next two bands, akron/family and blonde redhead were introduced to me by my bandmate ryan, who knows a bevy of bands that i've heard of but never actually listened to. studio is one of those bands that is trying to fly under the google radar (try it, i dare ya), but they do make nice music that reminds me of the clash. thanks to jess again for introducing me to +/-'s new album and this fantastic track, leap year. well, as you might be able to derive from this track, this mix was supposed to be finished BEFORE st patty's day, but i screwed up, so here is bottle of smoke by the pogues. my buddy from high school dblaque (www.myspace.com/dblaque) turned me onto tim hagans when i was looking for some cool drums'n'bass jazz. i've loved the cinematic orchestra ever since audio ergo sum covered one of their tracks a week before their album came out... another month, another version of the same bjork song, this time by dj ayres. if you're ever in brooklyn on the first saturday of every month, be sure to check out the rub (www.itstherub.com). great party. sidecar was suggested to me upon hearing that i liked cortney tidwell. it's got a nice relaxed and subtle electronic vibe to it as well. to continue the chill electronic vibe, i'm including brazilian dj gui boratto, because i think you will enjoy it, so there. man, sorry, i'm very inarticulate this month. the frames and ambulance ltd. seemed to have a mellow opening into epic resolution thing going for it that i'm always a sucker for. charlie louvin's duet album is really beautiful, and i wish i knew more of his older stuff. somehow i resisted the urge to put the duet he did with jeff tweedy on the mix. finally, elvis perkins has been a comforting force through these cold winter months. and here he is to carry us on through the end of the bitter cold. BRING ON SPRING!

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

resolving to play more music.

may this be a year of taking risks for everyone.

first off, i'd like to apologize for having only one december mix, but it was a busy month of traveling and not traveling and dancing and everything else that one hopes for during the holiday season. that being said, i've been listening to a lot of music that i've been wanting to share for a while, so hopefully this makes up for it. here we go:

1. tom & dito - 20 meninas
2. tv on the radio - poppy
3. susanna and the magical orchestra - love will tear us apart
4. caetano veloso - porquê?
5. lars horntveth - news on the march
6. joy zipper - check out my new jesus
7. jens lekman - black cab
8. nick cave and the bad seeds - he wants you
9. the gourds - our patriarch
10. loose fur - elegant transaction
11. rothko - roads become rivers (rivers become oceans - four tet remix)
12. charlotte gainsbourg - night-time intermission
13. silvio cesar - a festa
14. four tet - a joy (battles remix)
15. estrella morente - volver
16. jenny lewis with the watson twins - the big guns

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

one reason that hip-hop has been embraced internationally is that many cultures have a legitimate predecessor to hip-hop, laying the foundation for its adoption. in brazil, that predecessor is the repentistas, who improvise lyrics over what might be called "phat beats" in modern lingo. tom & dito rock the repentista culture with 20 meninas, an impressive display of the women folk they know. a new year, an old tv on the radio track and one of my recent faves, poppy. since i like to have some thematic similarities from month to month (just kidding), i decided to post yet another cover of joy division's love will tear us apart (calexico was the last one) by norwegians susanna and the magical orchestra (who, coincidentally are only two people). caetano veloso's new album has been called the "indie rock album of 2007" by david byrne, even though he made the remark in late-2006. judge for yourself. i bought the fantastic four tet remixes album recently, consisting of one disc of remixes he did for other artists, and another disc of takes on four tet originals. thanks to the album, i've discovered a whole slew of pretty great artists, some which i'll share this month and some next month. the first on this mix is lars honrtveth, with some lush orchestral electronica that seems to follow the caetano album almost perfectly. i think i meant to put joy zipper's check out my new jesus on the christmas mix, but alas i forgot, so here it is this month. black cab is probably my favorite jens lekman track ever, and it's dedicated to all of us who have ever blown a party for friends. it's funny, i hate the beginning of loose fur's elegant transaction, but the jam from the middle to the end of the song is so great that i'm willing to overlook it every time. another artist i discovered on the four tet remix album is rothko, even though i prefer the four tet remix to the original track. they are notable because all of the recorded parts on the album are electric basses, which is pretty cool if a bit monotonous at times. yes, i loved the science of sleep. yes, i loved my wife is an actress, and yes i love charlotte gainsbourg. so, naturally, it would follow that any mention of her collaborating with air and nigel godrich would get my enthusiastic support. silvio cesar's blatent rip-off of stevie wonder's how high can be forgiven because this track is funky as all hell. ok, even if you skip every other track i've ever put on a mix, PLEASE JUST LISTEN TO THE BATTLES REMIX OF A JOY FROM 2:46 ON. it's SO WORTH IT. sorry for that, i just had to tell you about it. hopefully you've seen volver by now, but even if you haven't, this song is the beautiful title-track from the film, poorly lip-synched by penelope cruz. but does it matter? there are two very *ehem* "apparent" reasons why it doesn't. thanks to rrrroche and melissa for turning me onto jenny lewis with the watson twins. i was never all that into rilo kiley so maybe i should go back and check that out too.

done and DONE.

ONE YEAR OF MIXES. christmas '06.

oh friends, it has been a long and strange adventure. some months, i feel like taking a hiatus and skipping a mix, but luckily i get flattered by e-mails from friends with much swearing and cursing asking me for a new mix. and so, i continue. besides, apparently this monthly mix thing is a good idea:

rule #5:
Be prolific: Instead of a four-disc year-end box set, hand out mixtapes several times a year. "If you don't, people lose interest," Kid says, and they'll move on to the next up-and-comer, like, say, your Uncle Steve.

here we go, the christmas '06 mix:

1. sufjan stevens - once in david's royal city
2. john prine - jesus, the missing years
3. john fahey - carol of the bells
4. aimee mann - god rest ye merry gentlemen
5. zoot sims - blinuet
6. harry connick, jr. - winter wonderland
7. snl's tv funhouse & darlene love - christmastime for the jews
8. the choir of westminster cathedral - the holly and the ivy
9. nat king cole - i saw three ships
10. ivy - christmas time is here
11. ella fitzgerald - jingle bells
12. ray brown trio with diana krall - santa clause is coming
13. mark mothersbaugh - snowflake music
14. john fahey - god rest ye merry gentlemen
15. the tipitina foundation (from studio 60) - o holy night
16. calexico - gift x-change

download: http://www.bazoomercom.com/ari/Christmas%20'06.zip

sufjan. do i really need an explanation at this point? plus i love obscure christmas music. john prine is one of those songwriters whose songwriting may not be the most subtle, but i always appreciate his sense of humor. does a nice job illustrating the confusing period between birth and oh, say, age 31. for those of you that have been enjoying/sharing my obsession with m. ward and sufjan should check out more of john fahey's stuff. he was a huge influence for both of them, and is rapidly becoming a huge influence of mine as well. a lot of friendlymixtape alums here, as aimee mann makes another appearance. then you ask yourself, "why blinuet by zoot sims?" well, first, because it's on the rushmore soundtrack, and the rushmore soundtrack always makes me think of winter. second, it provides a nice segue into harry connick jr.'s cover of santa clause is coming to town. the above image of jesus was provided by robert smigel and snl's the best of tv funhouse (by far my top recommended dvd right now), who also provided this fantastic christmas classic, christmastime for the jews. gotta love the line about the daily show. now for those of you that have been playing close attention to the mixes, you'll notice i've repeated two songs from last year's mix. one is the choir of westminster cathedral's version of the holly and the ivy. the other is coming up soon. why, you ask? well, because holiday music tends to be steeped in nostalgia, and i think it's a beautiful piece of music, so bite me. of course, keeping with the nostalgia theme, no christmas mix is complete without nat king cole. the second tune i repeated from last year is ivy's cover of guaraldi's christmastime is here. for those of you with alert eyes and ears...next, ella's version of jingle bells has to be the best version ever recorded. diana krall... well, i needed the token smoky seductress carol on their somewhere, right? more rushmore soundtrack stuff with devo's mark mothersbaugh and some pop-baroque goodness. i threw on a second john fahey track for good measure. if you caught studio 60 a couple of weeks ago, you were probably weeping during the final scene of the show during a musical tribute to the city of new orleans performed by the tipitina foundation. good for nbc for letting people download it for free. and finally, a brilliant, if unorthodox holiday-oriented song from friendlymixtape favorites, calexico.

a happy chanukkah, a festive kwanzaa, a merry christmas, and best of luck for the new year. i'm your biggest fan.

also, 1-2 more mixes coming this month. and don't forget to check out jeff's post too!

jeffroi gives her a go.

(Ed. note: personally, I'm looking forward to the Peggy Lee...)

01 – Jarabe de Palo – Bonito

02 – Iron & Wine – Naked as We Came

03 – Peggy Lee – Them There Eyes

04 – Jesusland – Ben Folds

05 – Little Things – Lilly Allen

06 – Seu Jorge – Tive Razão

07 – Josh Rouse – Streetlights

08 – Amélie Soundtrack – Comptine d'un autre été – l'après-midi

09 – Damien Rice – Delicate

10 – Gemma Hayes – Back of My Hand

11 – Ingrid Lucia and the Flying Neutrinos – Violent Love

12 – Andrew Bird and the Mysterious Production of Eggs – Sovay

13 – Missy Higgins – The River

14 – Margot and the Nuclear So & So's – Talking in Code

15 – The Ditty Bops – Wishful Thinking

16 – Ben Folds – Emaline

17 – Lou Reed & The Velvet Underground – Perfect Day

Download: http://www.bazoomercom.com/ari/mix%20for%20friendlymixtape.zip

Hi all: I figured it was my turn to give back all that I've taken from this site. So this is an eclectic mix of sounds, but one that will hopefully sate the variegated palate that this crowd doubtless already possesses. Some of these songs I've been listening to for years; others I've just discovered. We begin with a little bit of Jarabe de Palo for no other reason other than this is a song that just makes you feel good – everything seems beautiful to Jarabe, which is good enough for me. I'm tossing Iron & Wine on there so folks can get a flavor for what he sounds like independently; I know Ari has offered some I&W teaming up with Calexico before. Them There Eyes is a good song to foxtrot or swing too, plus it's just a fun song. Being a pianist, I'm simply inclined to like Ben Folds. Jesusland is from his Songs for Silverman set which I highly recommend. Little Things by Lilly Allen was introduced to me by a co-worker; the rest of her stuff, as Ed will probably tell you, is pretty solid as well. Her sound has spunk, kind of muted in this track, but others definitely portray it quite well. Anyone who's seen Life Aquatic should check out Seu Jorge not playing David Bowie – here's a start. The album from which this track is taken, Cru, offers truly diverse sounds, some of which are easier to digest than others. Josh Rouse is pretty solid; "Streetlights" is taken from his album Nashville, which has several good tracks on it. Track 08 is on there because the soundtrack from Amélie kicks tail as a whole and, again, I'm a piano guy. Damien Rice combines guitar, cello, percussion and vocals on this track for some great sounds; he's best known for his song "Blower's Daughter" found on the CD "O" which is also host to the track I'm including here. I'm not a fan of all of Gemma Hayes's stuff, but "Back of My Hand" is one of her earlier songs that I think is pretty solid. Ingrid Lucia's "Violent Love" is on here because I enjoy it when mid-20^th century sounds combine with 21^st century lyrics. Andrew Bird – 'nuff said. Missy Higgins is one of those singers who isn't afraid of the sound of her own voice, which is fortunate, because it's a good one. I discovered Margot and the Nuclear So & So's a bit late, but now, despite the fact that they're borderline emo, I dig them a lot. The Ditty Bops are on here because they are truly bizarre – check out their music videos (starting with the one for Wishful Thinking). Emaline's on here because it's one example of a song sounding ten times better when done solo than when done with a band. Check it. And finally, we end with a Perfect Day, because why wouldn't we.

i've got a passion for rhyme in my ration of time

first of all, thanks to adri for pointing this out to me:
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/55260

see? i do it all for you...




















the days are getting shorter and winter is slowly coming upon us... i just wish it were a bit nippier, to be honest. i love when the air gets colder and the snow starts to set in. i'm gearing up for a solid holiday season. next month, when we celebrate one year on the air, there will be a new holiday mix waiting for ya and rearin' to go.

here is november:

1. calexico - redwood
2. broken social scene - stars & sons
3. metric - the police and private
4. the roots - long time
5. bonobo - flutter
6. herman dune - not on top
7. erasto vasconcelos + fabio trummer - o baile betinha
8. calexico - crooked road and the briar
9. the incredible moses leroy - 1983
10. yume bitsu - sharp, twisted
11. califone - our kitten sees ghosts
12. calexico - 6 white horses
13. hooverphonic - renaissance affair
14. my brightest diamond - golden star
15. the decemberists - yankee bayonet
16. nat king cole - walkin' my baby home
17. m. ward - paul's song
18. sufjan stevens - pittsfield

download: http://bazoomercom.com/ari/November%20'06.zip

well, i just bought a lap steel guitar so i've been pretty excited about all things slide guitar lately. thus, there's a couple of short pedal steel tracks from calexico's joey burns off of the absolutely amazing tour-only cd aerocalexico. you can get it on their website too... highly recommended. more broken social scene. stars & sons was on the soundtrack to one of my favorite movies of the year, half nelson. i think it's one of the best american movies in a long time. also on the same record label, arts + crafts, is metric, another great band from toronto. the police and private brings out some of emily haines' political songwriting. man, game theory by the roots has quickly moved up the ranks for me. what an amazing album! this is one of the highlights, long time. tyler took me up to montreal to see bonobo last year, and i had been meaning to get one of his discs for a while. just picked up dial 'm' for monkey and am quite happy with it. i don't get herman dune's deal, and i don't care. you HAVE to watch the video of this track to get the full effect, but the lyrics say it all. after all, i don't know if i'll ever get my shirt together. this brazilian track, o baile betinha came off of a great compilation of contemporary brazilian music called transformer. crooked road and the briar is another great calexico track off of aerocalexico. truth be told, i like the name the incredible moses leroy more than most of his tracks, but 1983 is a pretty catchy tune. more noisy goodness from yume bitsu. i got the califone recommendation from jess and pitchfork, and am slowly getting warmed up to it. more calexico pedal-steel goodness. you might remember hooverphonic's renaissance affair from a VW ad back in the day (one of my favorite ads of all time, around the same time as the nick drake, pink moon ad) but this tune has stuck around as one of my favorites. my brightest diamond recently performed with sufjan stevens at austin city limits, and is on sufjan's label asthmatic kitty. she reminds me of a female jeff buckley. thanks to adriane for introducing me to the decemberists. they had plenty of promotional help though, with all the posters around boston. well, the nat king cole track is prepping us for the holidays, but this tune is a nice late fall/early winter intro to the cold. i'm not likely to get sick of m. ward any time soon, but who'd want to with songs like paul's song. and this is a track i've been meaning to put on for months, but i kept forgetting: pittsfield by sufjan. i first heard it while my ipod was on shuffle driving back from new york in an epic rainstorm last summer, and it was the best drive. what a beautiful track.

before there were snakes on a plane...

there was tv on the radio.




















what a month of live music! october kicked off with anais playing a show for a bunch of somervillioanairs (thanks, bostonist!) at toad. as the month progressed, i managed to catch great big sea (shout out to ahmek), tv on the radio, and broken social scene.
now that the obsession has been somewhat satiated by a live performance, i'm staying away from posting any more tvotr tracks. but seriously, don't waste any time: see them live now. they're the future of music 'n shit.

october... october's mix is fumbly and disjointed, much like i'm feeling these days. i wish i could tell you that there is some sort of cohesion to this latest collection, but "i'm not gonna stand up here and lie to you," as m. ward would say. at one point, i thought this mix should be all jazz. then i was thinking all brazilian music. in the end, i think it works track to track if not in the aggregate.


i'm thinking of getting serious about music again. right now, names floating around include academagician (should i go for some kind of four tet-ish kind of thing) , parade turned traffic (as some sort of troubador project), and... well, that's all i have for now. stay tuned on that front. here's the mix:

1. mark turner - zurich
2. boston afrobeat society - ebami eda
3. amadou et mariam - la fete au vilage
4. broken social scene - stars & sons
5. calexico - love will tear us apart
6. silver jews - let's not and say we did
7. demetri martin - personal information waltz
8. m. ward - let my love open the door
9. emily haines & the soft skeleton - our hell
10. fred hersch trio + 2 - a riddle song
11. linda draper - parasite
12. howie gelb - my grandfather's clock
13. martha wainwright - bloody mother fucking asshole (sic)
14. gilberto gil & jorge ben - nega
15. telefon tel aviv - ttv
16. broken social scene - lover's spit
17. yume bitsu - song seven

download: http://www.bazoomercom.com/ari/October%20'06.zip

i never would've thought that a jazz tune would provide my favorite all-time groove, but this is it. mark turner's zurich has influenced a lot of my electronic stuff; i think of the drum production as the gold standard of groove-based music. absolutely perfect. on that note, it's not often (if ever) that i get to hype a friend's band, but you have to hear the boston afrobeat society live to fully experience their greatness. you'll be hearing from these guys soon enough. ed reminded me that i had been meaning to put a track by senegalese duo amadou et mariam for quite some time. it's tracks like this that make you realize how completely absurd the label "world music" is (google david byrne's essay on the subject). i absolutely loved the movie half nelson, for which broken social scene provided a soundtrack. stars & sons, from my favorite of their albums you forgot it in people, will make you want to rock out walking down the street. calexico covering joy division sounds like a disaster waiting to happen, but instead it comes across as how wilco's spiders (kidsmoke) was supposed to sound. there is something satisfying about indie rock bands that don't take themselves too seriously, and i would put silver jews in this category. mindless fun! if you haven't caught demetri martin's segment trendspotting on the daily show, i highly recommend a quick trip over to youtube right now. then come back and listen to him and will forte discuss what happened two weeks ago. speaking of wilco-influenced covers, m. ward borrows a bit of the YHF-era production values on this pete townshend cover, a second inclusion from a fabulous cover album entitled sweethearts 2005. emily haines... how can she sound so happy in broken social scene and so heartbreaking in her own stuff? i still love her. fred hersch's piano playing: understated style, unmatched execution. i put linda draper on a couple of mixes for friends not really knowing too much about her, but she is great at the atmospheric production. howie gelb provides a nice segue track on the m. ward-produced tribute album i am the resurrection. rufus' sister martha wainwright manages to nail the pitfalls of love almost literally on... well, you'll know the chorus soon enough. gil & jorge rock the hell out on nega, reminding us that sometimes the best grooves are just two guys with guitars, voices and a shitload of rhythm. and telefon tel aviv is here to remind us that sometimes a computer can help too. i love the epic one-two punch of broken social scene's lover's spit and yume bitsu's song seven as an end to this month's mix. strong and powerful, but layered with complexity. some food for thought... see you next month.

just in the nick of time.

so, if i had to dedicate this month's (ed. note: delinquent) mix of other people's fabulous mixes to anyone, it would have to be the wonderful and forever creative ryan adams. jess, whose epic two-disc summer mix is partially represented on here, introduced me to whiskeytown's back-catalog, which mostly consists of adams-penned tunes.

however, as a lot of fans of ryan adams know already, there are two pretty strange and distinct sides to his persona. first is the mountain man/troubador, represented in photograph #1. second is the bumbling drunkard clown represented in #2. most of the mix, ryan adams sticks to persona #1. but yesterday, he made my day by launching the new version of his website, which included this wonderful gem of a tune that has had me smiling all of the last two days:

ryan adams: aw shit, look who's got a website!

maybe i should've gone with the whiskeytown first... anyways, first, some acknowledgements: thanks to susanna, jess and ronit for the tunes on this mix. the ironic thing about making monthly mixes of what you're listening to is that occasionally other people make you mixes that you end up listening to non-stop. therefore, here is a sample of the mixes that i have been obsessed with for the last few months. as for next month, don't fret, as i already have october mostly finished... sorta.

1. the spinto band - oh mandy
2. the flaming lips - this here giraffe
3. whiskeytown - crazy about you
4. stephen malkmus - face the truth
5. hayden - the hazards of sitting beneath palm trees
6. the boy least likely to - be gentle with me
7. silversun pickups - kissing families
8. hard-fi - hard to beat
9. scout niblett - lullaby for a scout in 10 years
10. pinback - shag
11. serena maneesh - don't come down here
12. vetiver - no one word
13. idaho - hearts of palm
14. whiskeytown - easy hearts
15. red house painters - michigan
16. richard buckner - ariel ramirez

download: http://www.bazoomercom.com/ari/September%20'06.zip

i don't understand any single part of this song, except for the rerun on the WB part, but the spinto band kick off the smile fest with their ode to mandy, oh mandy. keeping with the theme of songs i don't understand, this here giraffe showcases the flaming lips constant ability to come up with some of the more original grooves in indie rock. and the guitar riff puts modest mouse to shame. whiskeytown keeps it poppy and sentimental in the best way with crazy about you. ryan adams #1. malkmus rocks the hell out with face the truth. warning us of the hazards of sitting beneath palm trees, hayden reminds me of old-school cake but with a little bit more pizazz. great summer driving song. i kind of think of spinto and the boy least likely to in the same breath: kind of perky, and finding light in the darkness or something like that. keeping with the theme of bands that sound like bands from the mid-90's, i hear a lot of smashing pumpkins in silversun pickups, especially in this catchy track kissing families. hard-fi is for the brit-pop quotient, contingent in any mix i make every few months. something tells me that scout niblett's lullaby for a 10 year-old scout would be awesome live. something about the dramatic use of dynamics. i love the production of pinback's shag. the song has the potential to sound a bit hollow, but the production is what makes it great. i love getting lost in serena maneesh's expansive sound. this song kind of lulls me into a strange mood every time. vetiver is really something else. folksy in a way i haven't heard in a while. i have to say that this idaho song has been one of my favorites the last few months. short and sweet. ryan adams nails it again with easy heart. tune out and tune in, as they say. i've kept jess' transition from easy heart into red house painter's michigan, because the two songs have become one in my mind now. and richard buckner's ariel ramirez is a great way to end a mix, a night, or pretty much anything.

ok, apologies for the tardiness. see you next month.

i'm working. sue me.

as difficult as it has been to get my proverbial shit together, i do appreciate people hounding me for not having my mix up. apparently, when you work, your free time goes out the window. i did manage to catch little miss sunshine yesterday, and i highly recommend it, as well as the soundtrack which is sampled below. and as buck pointed out, i did laugh about 10 times as hard any time steve carrell was involved.














without further ado, i present august '06, a fine mix in my estimation. keep a look out next month for the best of other people's mixes that i have received in the last few months... keep 'em coming!

1. it's a surprise! no, it is not a snakes on a plane reference.
2. tv on the radio - wolf like me
3. the roots - game theory
4. tv on the radio - snakes & martyrs
5. ratatat - wildcat
6. css - let's make love and listen to death from above (spankrock remix)
7. tv on the radio - dreams
8. m. ward - to go home
9. devotchka - how it ends
10. soltero - the priest
11. common - be
12. herbert - moving like a train
13. youngblood brass band - waiver
14. emily haines & the soft skeleton - the lottery
15. patton oswalt - death bed
16. m. ward - chinese translation
17. matt pond pa - bring on the ending

download august '06 here: http://www.bazoomercom.com/ari/August%20'06.zip

track 1 isn't really a big deal; just a rare glimpse of power at work. every morning on the T on the way to work, i dance to tv on the radio's wolf like me, and am tempted to howl along with the end of the song. man, the roots sound as amazing as i've ever heard them on game theory, a song with an intro as long as the actual verses and well worth it. if you hadn't figured out yet that i'm trying to beat you over the head with how great tv on the radio is, then here is another track, featuring antibalas and a fela kuti-esque groove. i know a lot of you are supremely excited about ratatat's upcoming new album, classics. anyone who went to that show while at midd knows how fun they are (except for coons), and i've never seen a band that played at midd sell more copies on an album just by showing up. everyone say it with me now: reeeoeooaaarroor! you'll know what i mean when you listen to wildcat. css is just fun. that's it; no story. nothing like a spankrock remix to boot. continued beating of tvotr. m. ward covers daniel johnston on his new album, and it is fantastic. can't wait to finally see him live. this devotchka track is the one i mentioned in the intro, the one that accompanies most of the soundtrack to little miss sunshine. thanks to shara, jeff, tommy et al for constantly telling me how cool they are. it finally sunk in. i just found out about soltero in reading an interview with the magnetic fields' stephen merritt, who mentioned a different song of theirs, but the priest is pretty damn cool. not that common needs my help to sell more albums, especially since knef just informed me that his album be just went platinum, but this is a great track that i thought i had put an an earlier mix. herbert's moving like a train is prince for the new millenium. his organic dance tracks make me feel better about what music will sound like when the lights, ehem, go out. damnit, if you don't like youngblood brass band, i don't know what's wrong with you. emily haines from metric is coming out with a solo album, and it sounds incredible. ok, ok, ok, with snakes on a plane finally coming out, i had to throw in a tangential reference, so here is a joke from patton oswalt show about shitty movies. more new m. ward (i feel like my mixes are somewhat repetitive... i apologize), and the lyrics are phenomenal. when i first heard matt pond pa's bring on the ending, i was surprised to learn that it was the first track on its respective album, but it makes for a good last track too.

august mix coming soon!

one for summer, one for the desert

what a week it has been! a most excellent kick-off to the summer months. congratulations to the newlyweds; enjoy the honeymoon!

this month is a double whammy of mixes, one to kick off the summer and one to celebrate a fantastic week in the desert, kicked off by a calexico concert in williamsburg last tuesday. for those of you that gave such positive feedback on the all-vinyl mix, thank you! i will definitely do it again, but it's going to be a little while before i do. as some of you know, i'm heading up to beantown and i'm going to have to get settled in first.



*courtesy of buck

where to begin... well, in honor of a week in tucson and a calexico concert to kick it off, i have created an all-calexico mix originally created for ara and cicely that i now share with you all. it's a great introduction to their music:

1. sunken waltz
2. quattro (world drifts in)
3. alone again or
4. crystal frontier
5. corona
6. across the wire
7. dub latina
8. cruel
9. service and repair
10. roka
11. el picador
12. ballade of cable hogue
13. not even stevie nicks
14. woven birds (cinematic orchestra remixico)
15. cast your coat
16. all systems red
17. sonic wind
18. muleta

download: http://www.bazoomercom.com/ari/Calexico%20Mix.zip

the summer mix, complete with the usual description:

1. wilco - summer teeth
2. chris miller - ton bec est doux
3. tim seeley - funeral music
4. daniel lanois - the unbreakable chain
5. mos def - umi says (zero 7 remix)
6. brian eno and david byrne - help me somebody
7. jon brion - i believe she's lying
8. the beta band - broken up adingdong
9. chris potter - shadow (for joe henderson)
10. john legend - she don't have to know
11. the chemical brothers - surface to air
12. sufjan stevens - no man's land
13. neko case - that teenage feeling
14. phoenix - consolation prizes
15. regina spektor - carbon monoxide
16. sigur rós - glósóli

download: http://www.bazoomercom.com/ari/July%20'06.zip

wilco's summer teeth is my perennial kickoff to summer. no summer mix would be complete without it. chris miller's ton bec est doux is largely responsible for my current cajun obsession. nothing like a bunch of happy, french gibberish to put you in a good mood (see: la bottine souriante). thanks to šara for introducing me to tim seeley. funeral is surprisingly catchy, given its title, and especially given the line "it's that look in your eyes that pictures me dead when i am sleeping." can't help but chuckle. i love daniel lanois' ethereal solo stuff. inadvertently, this mix ended up being a mix of people that have worked with u2 i suppose, as both lanois and eno are on this mix. mos def gets remixed by zero 7 to great effect. it really brings out the classic soul feel in the original. man, listen to the groove on brian eno and david byrne's from help me somebody on the my life in the bush of ghosts re-release. hard to believe it's 20 years old. jon brion's i believe she's lying is for conor, who, after seeing brion, felt inspired enough to call me and tell me all about it. the beta band is immortalized by the line "i will now sell 10 copies of three ep's by the beta band," delivered by john cusack in high fidelity. but contrary to popular belief, there are other songs besides dry the rain, such as broken up adingdong. chris potter's tribute to joe henderson, shadow, is meant for those quiet summer nights of introspection. john legend's she don't have to know is the closest i'm going to come to a pop radio plug. this song came on my itunes randomly a couple of months ago, and i became obsessed with the beat and legend's amazing harmonies. plus the lyrics are hillarious. then, less then a week ago, i heard the song randomly played on the radio. go figure. i only have one description for the chemical brothers' surface to air: where the streets have no name for the new millenium. astonishingly enough, sufjan's most perfectly-orchestrated ode to illinois came on the outtakes album, with no man's land. that teenage feeling by neko case brings back that whole AM radio feel, a new summer regular for me. and because it's summer, sometimes we just need to be happy, so here is phoenix's consolation prizes. regina spektor's carbon monoxide is the happiest tune about suicide since anything that elliott smith wrote. take that for what it's worth. and i've always wanted to end a mix with sigur rós' glósóli. so there it is.

Tags:

• july summer