Secret Mixtape Review: Mix #16 (10-31) is up!

[Brett]

Yeah, this mix isn't me, though I don't think Stip was actually fielding a guess at that point. I'm listening to the mix right now, so I'm not ready to put up a review, yet. It's stylistically consistent, that's for sure. Definitely not really something that I find enjoyable, though, unfortunately.

[stip]

Oh I just meant that only Brett and Lament deserve to have their mixes reviewed.

[Brett]

Continuing my trend of reviewing most of these on a second or third listen through, here's my thoughts on Mix #7.

The artwork and title give away early on what this mix is going to be like, and the dancey synth lines that open track one don't disappoint. More chilly piano and synths get layered in with drum machine beats as the song progresses, while a female singer taking the lead. I don't mind this one, overall. The aesthetic is nice and cool, with just the right amount of arrangements to sound filled out during the chorus, but not overwhelming.

The second song has a far more lively atmosphere, with a grainy bassline opening that leads into some sort of 80s-esque soundtrack world with keyboards, guitars and drums of both the acoustic and electric persuasion making an appearance. It actually makes me think of something that might be present in a late 90s-early 00s video game, in a way. I like that this is instrumental, because I can only imagine that any vocal contribution would probably be awful. It's good for what it appears to be.

I can tell from the get-go, I'm not going to particularly like song 3. The opening beats grate, and then the vocalist enters and I kinda want to reach for the skip button. I just googled a bit of the lyrics, 'cause I was thinking this was Bloc Party or something similar, but I was wrong. Instead, it's

Spoiler: show

The Wombats

, who actually have a few tunes I enjoy in a somewhat humorous fashion, but this one's not one of them.

Track four is another big "meh." It does a lot of stuff that I don't particularly like, but it's that one drum-machine fill that first enters in the first chorus that sound like a vocal line that really pulls me out of the song. I also have no affection for the vocal stylings present here, either.

Song five is a bit of an improvement over the previous two songs. The underlying beats and rhythms are somewhat compelling, and I think they could make a more interesting song than what actually comes out. There's a staccato guitar bit that keeps popping up that's a little odd in context, and, again, I can't abide the vocals, as there's far too much "distance" for my taste. I do, however like the arrpegiated synth lines that open the song, and continue to occasionally put an appearance in throughout, as well as the new beat that joins near the end.

Okay, maybe it was track six that I thought was Bloc Party on the first listen through? Anyway, Google to the rescue again, and it tells me this is

Spoiler: show

Saul Williams.

I find his schtick intriguing, but I can't get into the music. This one's very minimalist, with a driving rhythm overtopped with vocals, and an interlude that's mostly spoken-word.

Oy, another annoyingly British, or faux-British vocalist. I think he's doing some form of rapping, though I can't be sure, because it kinda sounds like an attempt at singing as well. The supporting music is okay, but nothing particularly interesting. I do like some of the guitars that are used for texture and color, and the dubby breakdown is very welcome after the grating first section.

Number 8: Please, can we turn down the high-pitched backing vocals on this one? The blown-out beats don't interest me, and if you mention an iPhone in your song, that warrants an almost immediate dismissal in my eyes. Something else I just don't see the appeal behind, but hey, it's all subjective, so what can I say? Thankfully, it's pretty short.

Song nine seems slightly out of place after the relentless pace of the previous eight tunes. It begins as a solo piano song with a female singer who goes from the usual vapid lead, to a deeper, more "soulful" sound for various bits of the song. The arrangement fills out a bit more as the song continues with drum machine beats, synth lines, lots of backing vocals. Surprisingly missing is a string section, which probably would have been requisite if this was an older song. Is this one Adele?

Another piano intro, but you can tell right away that this one's going for more of the club crowd due to the quick tempo. And sure enough, here comes that vaguely dubstep beat to prove me right. This singer doesn't have the power of the previous, and because of that she sounds even more generic. Why is it that so many vocalists doing this type of contemporary pop music have voices that are so lacking in character? Doesn't that defeat the purpose?

Track eleven gives another change of pace that's somewhat unexpected. I think this is the first song to feature almost entirely a full "band" performance, which contrasts with the aesthetic presented so far. I can't work out how this song fits in, or if it even does. The verses are bright, and kind of chipper, while the choruses hint towards a slightly darker sound, but never really go far with it. The breakdown is kinda neat, but not very noteworthy overall. There's a bit of this that reminds me of a lighter variation on some of The Flaming Lips' music.

What's this, more rock music? There's a more danceable rhythm to this one, though. The intro sounds like a more updated version of some of REM's more pop-oriented tunes, but that's pretty quickly subverted when the singer comes in. I don't know that her vocal style quite gels with the rest of the band, in truth. She's a little too ethereal where more grit would be appropriate.

Okay, by this point the shift into more rock stylings was clearly intentional, though I'm not quite sure to what end, yet. This one's a straight-ahead pop-punk song with a girl taking the mic instead of a boy. There's also some swirly space rock effects going on in the background that gives it more of a "glittery" feel than the usual dirty aesthetic that's commonplace in this style. Not a terrible song, but not remarkable, either.

And now we continue to trend further from the initial feel of this mix into a sort of jangly indie-pop style. I can almost say with certainty that I've heard this artist before, but I don't know who it is. Honestly, it's just more music that doesn't appeal to me, but at least with this one I can see what people might enjoy about some of it.

The mix closes with song fifteen, the longest song, clocking in at just over seven-and-a-half minutes long. A looped piano line that almost sounds like something Steve Reich would compose opens the proceedings, and gives the song that kind of "epic" feeling that works pretty well for a closing song on a mixtape. The slow build lends further support to that purpose. Somehow I could guess that this was

Spoiler: show

LCD Soundsystem

without actually being familiar with their music in any way at all. Anyway, this is pretty "generic" in my opinion, and seven minutes is far too long for a song of this type that doesn't really appear to do anything to warrant that length. It doesn't really develop, nor does it try to numb the senses.

So, that's Mix #7. I can definitely chart a sort of progression over the tracklisting; there's a definite arc going on. With the closing song, I suppose it's supposed to be chronicling a night of debauchery and dancing, with everybody passing out at the end. I see it slightly different, though; track one is already late at night, and everybody passes out around the middle point, and then wakes up, hungover, which is evidenced by the "brighter" stylistic trappings of the more rock-oriented second half of the mix. This one might be Lament, what with the prevalence of female singers, but I think it's more aimed at him, since it seems to have less "soul" than something he would put together.

[William Bloke]

I've been listening to this and will review shortly. I'd say this will be a job for tomorrow.

[Fuzzcharger]

I've had a few passing listens but haven't been able to fully focus my attention on it however there's a song which jumped out at me that sounds like the Sunny Boys which makes me think it might be an Aussie mix.

[Lament]

Alright, since this seems to have ground to a halt, I'll claim this mix as my own and post a new one. Thanks for taking the time to review it, Brett. Here's the tracklisting...

Little Boots - Motorway
Dreaming a City (Hughskova) - Manic Street Preachers
Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves) - The Wombats
Nuclear Seasons - Charli XCX
Disparate Youth - Santigold
List of Demands (Reparations) - Saul Williams
Naxalite - Asian Dub Foundation
XXXO - M.I.A.
Obsessions - Marina & the Diamonds
Adelaide - Meg Myers
Stab Yr Heart - Nicky Wire
Waking Up - Elastica
Classy - Kenickie
Oh My God - Ida Maria
All My Friends - LCD Soundsystem


Fuzzcharger, I'd never heard of the Sunnyboys before, but after you mentioned them I checked out a few tunes. Alone With You & Show Me Some Discipline are cool songs. I'm gonna have to listen to some more of their stuff.

[Lament]

Here's Secret Mix #8...

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6VItz ... sp=sharing

Let me know if there are any issues with the download.

[Jorge]

I liked the mix, Lament, sorry I didn't review it. I did listen to it and enjoy it.

[Lament]

Thanks Jorge. I appreciate that. Glad you enjoyed it.

[stip]

I still plan to get to it when I return

[PryTo]

Disclaimer – I reviewed this without reading anything about it, so perhaps the “author” has been revealed already. I’m pretty sure I know who it is, so let’s see if my suspicions were correct.

Apologies for the last-minute review. I was out of town at my brother’s wedding and things were crazy busy.

Track 1 – Nice opener. I f**ks with it.

Track 2 – I’m generally not in favor of “modern” (rock/pop/rap/electronic/whatever) bands that do instrumentals. Unless its jazz or classical music, I’m usually not interested in instrumental prowess. (And this isn’t really a flashy instrumental that shows off the players.) There are exceptions, of course, but this song is not one of them. Just my thing.

Track 3 – Sounds vaguely Killers-ish, although the singer’s accent is a bit too strong for that. Doesn’t do much for me, but pretty good overall.

Track 4 – Really like this one. My favorite track so far for sure.

Track 5 – 3 of the 5 tracks so far feature female vocalists. A welcome change of pace for the RM. This song doesn’t do all that much for me, however. Not bad, but probably not something I’d return to.

Track 6 – I feel like I know who this is, but I can’t think of it off the top of my head. This song certainly fits in with the overall theme here – it’s obsessive-compulsive and you can dance to it. I’m not going to dance to it, but you can.

Track 7 – Again, works well with the overall theme of this mix. Works well with track six, although neither of these tracks really grab me. Can’t place the accent on this vocalist at all.

Track 8 – Nice beat. Sounds like a remix or something. Another female vocalist. Good tune.

Track 9 – And another female vocalist. Sounds like she’s listened to a lot of Tori Amos. I find the vocal tics a little annoying. But she is singing about obsessions, so it fits in with the rest of the mix nicely.

Track 10 – Another female vocalist. Again, a nice change of pace. This one is okay, but not something I’d come back to again. I’m old school. Is there a better female vocalist than Joni Mitchell? Well, maybe, but not this one. I think what it comes down to is that not many of the vocalists on this mix are particularly great singers. Or if they are, showcasing their vocal ability is not the point of these songs. The songs seem to be mostly about groove and attitude. As a listener, I tend to be more interested in vocal technique, emotion, and lyrics.

Track 11 – I actually know who this is, which makes me think that this mix was put together by Lament. This has been my suspicion all along due to the abundance of female vocalists, and the dance vibe. Add the bassist for Manic Street Preachers to the mix and who else could this be?

Track 12 – One of my favorite songs of all time, and definitely my favorite Elastica song. Knew it from the get-go. A+ tune!

Track 13 – Is this Hole? I doubt it, but it has that vibe for sure. I likes.

Track 14 – I like the music on this one. This mix has definitely taken a turn away from the more danceable first half. Almost all female vocalists, which I really enjoy. Overall, I like the second half a lot more. Most of these are songs I’d return to and so far I’ve only recognized two of them. Always a good thing in my book.

Track 15 – I know this song, too. A good way to end this mix.

Overall, I enjoyed this one a lot, especially as it moved away from the more dance/beat oriented tracks into the rawk. The emphasis on female vocalists was refreshing, especially with music that covered a lot of territory. And only three songs I knew, which is means I learned something. And this has GOT to be Lament.

[PryTo]

Ah, sorry again for the lateness. But I KNEW it was you, Lament!

[Lament]

But I KNEW it was you, Lament!

This is why I you.

[stip]

Okay, a review of Lament's mix, as promised.

Track 1: More open to this kind of stuff---a nice late night driving trance track, although I feel like it works best when you’re half listening and letting the song flitter in and out of your attention

Track 2: Sound like an 80s action montage. I can see the two leads jumping up in the air to high five as the credits freeze. If I think of it like that I can enjoy this

Track 3: Reminds me of Duran Duran but not as good. So far this has been a downward trajectory, though it’s not like any of these songs are terrible. They’re just not my thing. I guess I only like my 80s in the 80s

Track 4: Well this flows well. I like the cracked pleading of the singer’s voice, but the music does nothing for me.

As an aside, filling songs with random background oh ah oh ah ohs, especially when they’re processed, is one of my pet peeves of this style of music.

Track 5: I like the staccato guitar burst that follows each of the verse lines, and the singer sounds good. The best song since track 1, and one that I wouldn’t turn off it came on, but I don’t know that I’d seek this out. I didn’t really care for the ending.
Track 6: Not something that’s normally in my wheelhouse, but by 30 seconds in I was digging this. Probably my favorite track so far. (although I could have done without the wah wah wah part)
Track 7: Okay, we’ve definitely entered into phase 2 of this mix. I liked track 6 more. It had more playful attitude. Part of my issue with rap is that it so often sounds like posturing, and that’s where I’m at here. I’m not sure that’s the best description of what it is about this song that leaves me a bit cold, but it’s the best I can do for now. It’s a political song, but I feel no particular need to follow where he leads or credits his grievances. I do like the last 15 seconds or so of the song, though.

Track 8: Feels like a fairly generic dance track. I’d like to hear what made Lament decide this song warrented conclusion.

As an aside, and this is probably showing my age, references to tweeting, iphones, texting,e-mail, whatever in music always seems out of place. Letters and phone calls feels more important.

Track 9: I like Fiona Apple influence in this one, although there are places it is a bit too affected (and not necessarily a charming affectation like hers usually are). A top 3 track thus far (with 1 and 6). I’d like it more without the dance influences, methinks

Track 10: Another song that wouldn’t normally be my thing, but I kinda like this one. The verses are good and the ‘I don’t want to fight about it…’ part of the chorus is a nice ear worm moment. Still, it ended up being a song that didn’t deliver what I hoped it would deliver

Man, this was such a lament mix. That means one of these upcoming songs is bound to be manic street preachers. I need to choose my words carefully.


Track 11: THIS SONG WAS GREAT!

Spoiler: show

This didn’t so anything for me. There must be a word for this subset of alterna-rock. It’s never really been my thing. I feel no connection to the singer, and the music is just kinda there, though I did like the ending

Track 12: A REVELATION!

Spoiler: show

I like the bass. Pretty uninterested in the singer at the start. The chorus was catchy, though, and this was another one that won me over by the end, once the song sidled up and eventually picked me up without my noticing. It reminded me of elastica.

Track 13: I WILL NOW DIVIDE MY LIFE INTO THE TIME BEFORE I HEARD THIS SONG AND THE TIME AFTE

Spoiler: show

A brash punky song that is not really my thing

Track 14: IF ALL THE SONGS OF MY POST TRACK 13 LIFE ARE THIS GOOD I AM TRULY BLESSED

Spoiler: show

See track 13

Track 15: WE STAND AT ARMAGEDON AND WE BATTLE FOR THE LORD

Spoiler: show

Actually, this one was quite good. Probably the best of the bunch. I tend to think that songs that run longer than 4 minutes need to justify their length. This one did. Super catchy and repetitive without ever getting boring.

[stip]

I don't know that I know any LCD sound system, but that was a pretty cool song. The pick of the litter.

[Lament]

There's something about All My Friends being stip's favorite song on the mix that oddly warms my heart.

[stip]

shit, I had some final comments that didn't get pasted in. And I didn't save that file.

I was bemused that the manic street preachers song was that 80s sounding instrumental. I don't know LCD soundsystem beyond the name but that was a strong first impression. I was curious why you chose these songs. Usually I pay pretty close attention to your recommendations and have been pretty happy with them, but most of this mix didn't do much for me.

[Lament]

Well, it started as two mixes, an all-female one and an all-random songs I like mix. I really don't know who actually listens to these besides the few regulars who post in the thread, so I figured I'd try to fill it up with stuff I wouldn't expect other mixers to put on their mixes. I blended the two and built the mix around the idea of wanting Motorway, Obsessions, and All My Friends on it. I didn't necessarily want to load it with songs by artists I talk about a lot, so that's why there's no Rilo Kiley or PJ Harvey or Prince or Sly or Stevie, etc. Originally there was no Manics on it, but when Futurology came out right before the mix was due, I knew I wanted to put something from it on there. I went with the instrumental because I didn't want something that wouldn't necessarily jump right out as them.

Once I decided I wanted Motorway to open it, All My Friends to close it, and Obsessions to be the emotional "shifting point" so to speak, it became about getting from A to B to C via about 40 songs I had chosen for potential inclusion. Originally there was no really foray into "traditional" sounding rock at the end, but I kinda wimped out and worried that I'd put too many people off, so I cut out a lot of stuff like Ellie Goulding, Purity Ring, Ladytron, etc. in favor of what ended up on there. Miike Snow and The Charlatans were also last minute exclusions. I guess I shouldn't be surprised by how many people dislike the M.I.A. song. I've always loved it though, and it's always popular when I play it at work. Disparate Youth, List of Demands (Reparations), and Naxalite make up the run of songs that scream out "Put me on mixes!" to me. I liked Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves) and Nuclear Seasons as bridges from Motorway to that little run. I knew I wanted Obsessions to serve as kind of a crashing down. I really wanted to put something from Meg Myers on here, and Adelaide seemed to work well in building things back up. Originally I had her song The Morning After closing the all-female mix.

Like I said, until the last minute Adelaide was followed by Ellie Goulding, Purity Ring, and Ladytron. When I decided to swing things down a more traditional route, I knew I wanted to put Stab Yr Heart on it just because it's one of my favorite songs of all-time. Classy by Kenickie holds a soft spot in my heart, so I figured that'd go in there too. Waking Up seemed to work well in between the two, so that ended up being the last song added (at one point Patiently by Rilo Kiley was in there, but that seemed like too many obviously me artists). Oh My God fit well into the kind of emotional unhinging down the stretch, so I felt like it made a good penultimate track.

I listened to it to and from work a few times. It ended up being timed pretty perfectly that I'd get downtown as XXXO was ending, and that Obsessions would be the first song when I got back in my car to drive home. That's where the title kinda came from (if that makes sense). I liked the idea of the two halves working as a before and after.

[stip]

Halfway through the new mix. Hit or miss but I lived track 4 and can't wait to see who it is. Probably a top 3 new song in this whole process for me

[dsb1218]

I loved track 4 and can't wait to see who it is.

Yeah, that one's a winner.