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

[William Bloke]

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

OK. Firstly, my humblest apologies to my man Lament - you of all people deserve a review of your mix. I played through your mix a few times whilst working and started reviewing it but didn't get it done. Now I will finish what I started. Just so you know I haven't yet looked at your posted tracklist, so I still don't know what the songs are.

And I'm pissed off because this mix I would have actually picked as yours, breaking my 3 mix losing streak, but that's just the price I guess that I have to pay for my tardiness.

So, Obsessions, Compulsions, and Dance. Firstly, same as for stip's mix, not a fan of the mixed formats. A small gripe, but still.

Track 1 is a lovely start, breezy and light. I'm generally a fan of this type of tune (my wife certainly is) and this hits the spot just nicely.

Track 2 is a clanger for me. Stip described being able to visualise 2 'heroes' in an 80's movie high-fiving as it played on the soundtrack, and I can certainly appreciate that visual. This tune is all a bit too 'epic' for me, and I suspect that this band would be an influence on Muse, who are also not a favourite of mine. Having said that though, the intro piece has a quite cool bass line that initially reminded me of a Strangler's tune, and that's always a good thing, but sadly that didn't last.

Track 3 is back to the disco and we would appear to be 'Dancing With the Beast'. This is a happy and fun enough slice of pop.

Track 4 has a bit of an 80's vibe going, with the electronic beats and bits and pieces. I like the singer's voice. Another enjoyable enough listen.

Track 5 is another female lead and has those electronic drums going again. For a second I got lost in the beats and pictured Ali G doing his thing:



But that was just for a second. Back into the song now and this is actually pretty damn cool. I like the Ali G beats and the vocal marries in well. I wonder who this is?

Track 6 starts in Deep House territory, until the vocal starts up and the beats kick in. I'm enjoying this one. I don't know much about The Roots but for some reason I just assume this is how they'd sound. Actually, now that I listen a bit more that sounds a bit like that NY group who did Wolf Like Me - TV on the Radio. Whatevs, this is a great tune. Nice, right in my wheelhouse.

Track 7 has me back on the dancefloor popping and locking. I feel like I might be back in Ali G's car again actually (and please, I don't say that as a bad thing). This is kinda fun in a 'let's sing with a ska voice' kind of way. And that's alright, y'know? I like the bass breakdown. And the other breakdowns actually. This song has gotten better as its gone on.

Track 8 has another female lead, which is nice around these parts. The song is kinda groovy and dancey and cool enough.

Track 9 has an interesting vocal and now I have at least 1/3 of the mix title figured out. The tune bops along and has a bit of a whimsical quality to it at times. I suspect this might be an artist that I should be able to pick, but I can't. Again, a pleasant listen.

Track 10 starts with the keys tinkling and then another female lead singing about...Adelaide! What is it about that city that generates so much musical dialogue? I suspect Adelaide in this instance is a sheila rather than spenno's hometown, but my point remains. This track continues the pattern of beats-driven tunes in this mix. Not necessarily big beats, but beats all the same.

Track 11 brings the male vox for a change. Not much to grab me here, although nothing to particularly gripe about either.

Track 12 has an older-school vibe to start, back to the guitar rock. I'm actually quite enjoying this tune, but then again I'm pretty 'meat and potatoes' when it comes to my music.

Track 13 has a cool spacey synth start into some 90s styled rawk. Again I dig the drums here. Enjoyable listen.

Track 14 is a cool, quick run through of a tune. And no, I don't think that I'm in control either. I appreciate the lyrics here.

Track 15 is LCD Soundsystem, that staccato piano chord intro is classic. Great song to finish with.

Thanks for the mix Lament, I enjoyed it all the way through. Certainly some stuff there I'll be checking into further once I go over the track list.

Now to catch up onto mix #8.

[Lament]

Glad you found some stuff to enjoy on there, Varis.

[Kaius]

I've definitely been keeping track of this thread, but the tournaments have really eaten up my music listening time. I hope to get caught up when we are done with the 00's

[PryTo]

7-19 review from ya boy PryTo

Track 1 – Maybe this is a “creeper” opening or something, sort of like PJ often does live. This is not the type of song I like. First and foremost, there are no drums, so no rhythm, which gives no grounding or groove to it. This leaves us with a fairly meandering melody, akin to the sort of thing that Stephen Malkmus does, but does much better. Whoever this is, they’ve clearly listened to a lot of Pavement/Malkmus. This also leaves us with some lyrics that don’t really do much for me, although I admit that I stopped paying attention to what was being said after the first few lines. I might like this band once I hear something by the entire band, including the presumed rhythm section. Not my cup of tea.

Track 2 – Well, at least there’s a beat, right? This does build nicely upon the first track. I’m hoping we get going at some point soon. Let’s rock! : ) Yeah, so this is okay, but again not something I’m going to return to. Flutes. That’s what music needs more of today. More flutes. I’m going to venture a guess and say this is

Spoiler: show

Brian Jonestown Massacre

They do this kind of shit all the time. The vocalist doesn’t really sound like-what’s his-name, but the rest of it, with all the effects, floaty backing vocals, and 1960s ephemera, reminds me of their shtick.

Track 3 – Well, I certainly know this one. I don't think it’s a spoiler to say that this was one of my 1980s tournament picks. (It’s not my mix, folks!) Great song. Such an important song, really launched the whole Britpop movement. A+ song. Well done, mixer.

Spoiler: show

The Stone Roses – Waterfall

Track 4 – I dig this one a lot. I hope that’s not a fake British accent. I’ll be disappointed if it is. So far this is a very Brit-sounding mix, so that may narrow my ideas about who’s behind it. Love what the band is doing on this song. The singer is good and she totally fits what’s going on here, but nothing here screams “great” vocalist.

Track 5 – It’s carnival time! This sounds very Oasis to my ears. I realize it’s not them, but it sounds like a band that was heavily influenced by them. Maybe they were contemporaries, hard to tell. The music is really busy. I like where it starts to change around the 1:45 mark, where the band sort of lays back in the groove a bit. Not a bad song by any means, but I’ll just listen to Oasis when I want to hear something like this.

Track 6 – An interesting change of pace after that last tune. I like the production, I like the guy’s voice, but I’d like this song a lot more if it had better lyrics. “Television shuts off at two … Your girlfriend said you were 19. The Styrofoam bucket’s full of ice.” Lot at stake here. No television and a bucket full of ice. Wow. How does this cat manage to get through day with all of this going on? “Lots of soap and lots of towels.” Dude, I know what a hotel room looks like. Sing about some shit that matters. Thick description does not make you deep. It just means you have nothing to say.

Track 7 – Nice bass playing on this one. Otherwise, inoffensive but not something that makes me want to hear it again. The best music takes a stand. This one is content to just sit there because it doesn’t want to piss anyone off.

Track 8 – This pairs well with track seven, but doesn’t do much for me. Not bad, but I’m just not feeling it.

Track 9 – The opening is a bit precious for my taste. It gets better when it kicks in. Well, “kicks” is probably the last word one might use to describe what’s going on here. This is one of those songs where I can say things like I like the bassist, I like the guitar sound, the lyrics are okay. But the sum total just doesn’t do it for me. Maybe if I still smoked pot I’d get into this more. Too long by half.

Track 10 – This is a pretty cool song. Their voices work really well together. I wish there was more commitment to the whole thing. The lead singer and the ironically cheesy production touches (that organ!) make it sound like it’s all just a put on. Like wearing nerd glasses make you cool sort of thing. This song wants to be great, but the singer won’t stop smirking at me. The joke’s on me, the listener. But overall, this is interesting enough to make me wonder who it is and what else they have to offer.

Track 11 – I know this one. I like this band somewhat, but this isn’t my favorite song by them. It’s pretty good, though and works well as the second to last song.

Spoiler: show

The Zombies – This will be Our Year

Track 12 – Well, I think everyone knows this song. I know I’ll sound like the ultimate curmudgeon, but I really hate this song. The chorus just grates on me for some reason. Good band, though. And these cats could throw down, make no mistake about it. For example

Spoiler: show

Overall, I appreciate the brevity of this mix – 12 tracks clocking in at 50 minutes. Well done. There are some songs I’m interested to know more about. A lot of this is just not up my alley, although there was nothing on here that I thought outright sucked or anything. It’s very heavily Brit-centric, including some contemporary songs along with some sixties bands. I think mixing in the last two songs would shake things up a bit, rather than putting two somewhat similar acts as the back-to-back closers. Overall, this was a good listen and most of flowed together almost seamlessly. I have no clue who did the mix, but I’m going to take a total blind guess and say bart or Brett. I’m not going to “spoiler” these guesses because they’re shots in the dark and probably wrong.

[Fuzzcharger]

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

Yeah, that one's a winner.

This song is pretty cool.

[stip]

i listened to it like 5 times while having a shitty morning and felt a bit better.

[Lament]

I've been listening to this the past few days. I like the overall aesthetic and mood. I'm still waiting for one (or more) of the songs (not counting the ones I already know) to really jump out and assert itself to me. But the mix on the whole is a solid listen, and the songs I do know on it are ones I really like, which is always nice.

[Brett]

Damn, I almost broke my streak of reviewing these things, but I've finally got a bit of time free to write down some thoughts. Sorry PryTo, this mix is not mine.

I like the mellotron arrangements in track one, and the general light and floaty atmosphere it gives off. The lyrics are kinda odd, though, and I don't know if the singer's voice quite gels with me, but it's appropriately ethereal for the song. Not a bad song, even if it is somewhat redundant and an odd choice for opening.

Track two feels like an extension of track one with the similar sounding mellotron and psychedelic tones. This kinda sounds a bit like Super Furry Animals, but is too chilled out for them. The song doesn't really have much of a progression, sort of staying on the same even keel throughout it's duration. The long instrumental middle section is interesting with lots of little details like the fluttering flutes and the sort of staticky guitar. So far, the mood of this mix is set to chill.

I don't know why, but a lot of times I have a tough time listening to singers with obviously British accents. Song three continues this trend with a more upbeat number. PryTo reveals who the artist is in his review, which is nice, because I'm not familiar with the band at all. I'm not sure that I get the Britpop connection either, because this is far less trite and annoying than Oasis or Blur. There's still a bit of the psychedelic vibe from the first two songs carried over here, but it's intermingled with some more straightforward rock rhythms and some country twang.

Song four keeps up with the mix progression, ticking things up another notch in terms of pace, but still having the slight detachment of space-rock influence. We also get our first female singer for this mix. This one has the least interesting arrangement of the songs played so far, which is a bit of a disappointment, because the extra details would help the otherwise weaker melody and vocalist. Still, nothing that offends the senses, yet, so good on the mixer so far.

And now we're diving fully into the '60s-influenced British pop that PryTo was talking about. I can certainly see a bit of a similarity to Oasis in this one, although to me, this feels like a more authentic take on the older stylings. The organ that opens the song feels very retro, as do the horns that adorn the instrumental break in the middle of the song. Not quite my cup of tea, because these guys definitely want to be something that they're not.

Track six breaks the mold set by the first half of the mix by being a stipped-down acoustic song. I don't like the singer; his accent and vocal tics are grating, as is the prominent sibilance that is in full view due to the song's sparse arrangement. The low point of the mix at this point, for sure. Fortunately it's pretty brief, coming in under three minutes.

Song seven opens with another acoustic guitar, but is a more fleshed out song with bass and drums forming a rhythm section, along with some keys and stings for texture. It's another classic-rock-style song that is by no means awful, but isn't much good, either. The vocalist has some similar qualities to Neil Young, but with a touch of a British accent, which is well in-line with rest of the mix. The odd appearance of a mandolin around the middle of the song is even stranger when it doesn't reappear anywhere else. Clearly there was a purpose to it, but I'm not sure what.

Number eight is another mid-tempo rocker that is set up around some tremolo-picked guitars, some piano chords for accent and a very prominent bassline. I do like the song's structure quite a bit, with the ebbing and flowing, and the drums are rather nice. Again, I have a hard time abiding the singer here; he's not bad, he just seems out of place with rest of the song. It feels like it needs someone with a deeper, fuller, more resonant sound to sell the song better. Still, this is a good bit better than the three before it, so no real complaints, here.

In a lot of ways, this mix has been reminding me of the first, with a pretty heavy classic rock infleunce, and track nine is no different. Things open up with a gossamer-thin intro that tries to darken as the song progresses, but it never feels like it achieves what it's going for. There's definitely a more twisted, darker psychedelic route that this could have gone done, but it chooses to stay in a more ethereal realm. I do like the little jam in the middle, though; very "prog" with watery guitar that almost sounds like a steel drum and the touches of marimba.

Track ten changes things up again with a more straight-ahead beat, that sits together with the lead vocalist in such a way that evokes Johnny Cash a little bit. However, there's still those little flourishes of English prog and '60s sunshine pop that firmly roots this in with rest of the mix. It's pretty light, overall, not really making much impression beyond the singing and finishing up in two-and-three-quarter minutes.

Track eleven sets the stage for the mix's final comedown with some true AM pop. Not really my thing, but it is nice to have the authentic real thing to finish off the mix after ten songs that have various stages of homage to this era. Another one that's pretty lightweight compared to many of the other songs in the mix. Still it transitions well to to the finale.

Song twelve is, as PryTo points out, pretty ubiquitous. Growing up, I used to think this song was very dark and moody, and the verses can still give across that vibe at the right time. Contrast that with the chorus which I believe is supposed to be bright and shiny, but feels resigned and somehow false. Okay, so the song's still pretty dark, regardless; it just depends on how you read it. Anyway, a classic song that's pretty good, but I don't know that it really measures up to closing this mix. Regardless, I think it works in context with closing the influence loop.

Good job to the mix-maker; this was well put together with a good progression across the tracklisting, a consistent, but not too bland style and a pretty decent selection of songs with very few weak moments. I'd really like to venture a guess as the mixer's identity, but I can't think of anyone offhand that "fits."

[Lament]

Alright, I fell behind a bit this week, but I want to make sure I post a review before I post the next mix in the series. I figured since we're already this late in the game I'm gonna avoid spoilers. If this is gonna bug anyone, just don't read this review yet.

This was a pleasant mix. As someone else mentioned, the brevity is probably one of its strengths. It starts off a bit slow, but builds nicely. I didn't care for the first track, but the second was enough of an improvement for me to keep me interested. Waterfall is an all-time favorite of mine and brings back a lot of memories, so that coming third helped elevate the mix at the perfect spot for me. I know the fourth song as well. I'm probably not as enamored with it as some other reviewers, but as a lifelong asthmatic I have a big soft spot for a song about having an asthma attack.

I feel like I know track five, but can't place it. This makes me think that I probably don't know it and it just feels familiar. I enjoyed this song though. It raises the stakes a bit after Courtney Barnett song, which helped keep the mix from dragging. I found myself really getting into the second half of this song. Nice choice. Track six didn't do much for me, but it's short and fits in well. The first time track seven started I thought I'd dislike it, but by the second or third listen to the mix it started to work for me. Composition-wise it reminds me a lot of Neil Finn's first solo album a lot, but obviously it isn't in. I feel like this song is placed perfectly for me to get some enjoyment out of, so that's a credit to the mixmaker.

Track eight is a bit more dramatic, which is definitely a good thing. I probably wanted to like this song more than I do so far. There's some interesting stuff going on, but it doesn't really grab me and demand me to play it again. I like the strings though. Track nine didn't do it for me. I think my indifference to it was probably magnified by the length of it. Track ten was a nice follow up, though. I'd probably like it less if it didn't come after what it comes after, but it refocuses the mix for me. The last two tracks are songs I already know, but I enjoyed hearing them both here. I haven't heard that Zombies song in years. I had forgotten what a pretty song it is. And I'm a sucker for that Turtles song. I grew up hearing that on one of those Billboard Top Ten Hits Of... tapes over and over and over again in my parents' car. I still love it though, everything about it. Great way to close a short, but sweet mix. Very well suited for these quiet summer nights. Nice work.

[Lament]

I'm gonna go ahead and post the new mix now before I go to bed in case I don't get a chance to post it when I wake up.

Secret Mix #9...

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

Per our mixer,

it's pretty much the soundtrack to my daily commute.

As always, let me know if there are any issues with the download. I believe our previous mixer will be revealing himself soon.

Enjoy!

[stip]

Shit, I'm behind on this one. I've listened twice. I just need to write the review. I'll attempt it at work today if I have time. I've been sick or away and haven't had a chance to really review it at night. But something will come today or tomorrow.

[stip]

Okay, lets do this (mix 8)

1. I didn't really care for this opener. I think it was a case of a song trying a bit too hard. I think it wanted to hit really hard in a profound way, but the lyrics didn't quite work, and the melody and overall performance aren't doing it any favors. Powerful idea, not a good execution.

2. This one was a bit better. Like Brett, I have some issues listening to british sounding singers (males, anyway), and that's all over this mix. It's odd too, because it's maybe my favorite spoken accent. The song really lingers in one place, and it's not a super interesting place, but it's not a bad one. I wasn't a fan, but I didn't actively dislike it like I did with the first one. Interesting bridge with the random flute

3. I remember this one from Pryto's team. Here's a great example of a song I quite like from a genre I tend to shy away from. I've been putting together a master playlist of my favorite songs from each of the mixes, and this one is gonna get added to it. I like the way the song marches along, and the air of hope and expectation throughout it

4. I don't know who this is, but I adored this song. Definitely my favorite thing to come out of this tournament. I've probably listened to this at least 10 times this week. I loved the singer's deadpan voice, and the way the song embraces its self aware self pity. The music fits well--it's almost the blues, but blues without any real pain (and it knows it and mocks itself for it). The singer does a great job taking a number of unwieldy lyrics and making them flow beautifully. It's easy to take a song that is a literal narrative and get bogged down in the details, or just not include enough. But again she walks the line perfectly.

Big fan of the 'the paramedic thinks I'm clever cuz I play guitar/I think she's clever cuz she stops people dying

It helps that i love her accent. I can't wait to find out who this is.

Track 5: More brit pop. I just can't help but feel like these guys are whining at me, and the music has a snarky/petulant feel to it that matches the vocals perfectly, but that's not a good thing. I liked the bridge, though. Probably a nice shot of energy given the song that preceded it and the much slower one that followed it, so it was a good strategic choice. I just didn't care for it.

Track 6: I like this kind of intimate storytelling, but you need to like the singer's voice for them to work, and I don't.

Track 7: I couldn't quite place why the singer sounded familiar, but I like Brett's description of a british neil young. This was one of the nicer songs on the mix, but it may have been a bit too nice. Pleasant, but trending towards blandness. Would be a good cool down song if it was following something a bit more ambitious. I wonder how this would have worked following the stone roses song.

Track 8: I liked the bass in this, which gives the story a slightly ominous cast (especially with the strings), although this is a case of a song being a bit overwritten. This one has too many details on occasion, but there are some nice provocative lines in here. The details of the hotel room aren't necessary when the singer follows it up with the far superior lyric 'the kind of place where seven days feels like seven weeks'. That was all you needed. I get what they're trying to do with the chorus, but it's the weak part of the song--trying a bit too hard to be a STATEMENT, when the best moments in this song are the conversational insights in the verses. still, this was a pretty good song.

Track 9: Brett, Lament, and Pryto have already echoed my thoughts on this song I have nothing to add. The length feels doubly long given how breezy (in a good way) the rest of this mix is.

Track 10: Lament or Pryto talked about how the singer is winking at you, which saves it. You can take the song more seriously because the singer isn't. A few nice moments here and there, but feels a bit disposable.

Track 11 and 12: Very nicely placed. Good throwbacks to the era that so hugely influenced the rest of the mix.


Overall this was one of the strongest mixes in terms of the overall unity of feel. It didn't listen like a mix. So everything here was well chosen. It helped cement my appreciation for that stone roses song, and I plan on diving into track 4 as soon as I learn who it is. Lament said Courtney Barnett--is that correct, and if so, what should I start with? But the problem is that this is a mix of singer/songwriter songs fronted for the most part by singers whose voices I didn't care for, plus a huge influence from 60s prog and sunshine pop, an era in music I don't particularly enjoy. So this wasn't really destined to strike a chord with me.

Still, all worth it for track 4


60s prog, sunshine pop, and british singers.

[William Bloke]

Okay, lets do this (mix 8)

...4. I don't know who this is, but I adored this song. Definitely my favorite thing to come out of this tournament. I've probably listened to this at least 10 times this week.

Big fan of the 'the paramedic thinks I'm clever cuz I play guitar/I think she's clever cuz she stops people dying

I'm yet to listen to this mix but that line tells me exactly what song this is, and yes it's a goodie. I was actually thinking about including it on my own mix, but went for other things instead.

Hmm - this gives me at least a bit of a line on potential mix-makers...

[stip]

what should I check out from this artist?

[Heathen]

what should I check out from this artist?

I think she only has one LP, which combines her two EPs

[William Bloke]

what should I check out from this artist?

Uploading now, will pm you a link in the morning.

[stip]

what should I check out from this artist?

I think she only has one LP, which combines her two EPs

well that's convenient.

[super nintendo chalmers]

I will marry her and move to Melbourne. Life will be complete.

[Fuzzcharger]

She comes from my neck of the woods originally. I've got her early 7" and EP releases all signed'n'shit.

[Fuzzcharger]

Okay so that 07/19 mix was mine. I wanted to go for something a bit more on the down low with a touch of psych and some more thoughtful melodies and moods. Super interesting feedback and interpretations! Thanks for taking the time to absorb and discuss. I thought "Part time dads eat over the sink" was a killer opening line! I'm surprised more people didn't know that Beach Boys track but I'm glad Stip found the joy with Courtney Barnett.

Part Time Dads – Tim Rogers
Feel Flows – Beach Boys
Waterfall – Stone Roses
Avant Gardner – Courtney Barnett
Going Out – Supergrass
Motel Blues – Louden Wainwright
Any Love (Cassandra Et Lune) - Ken Stringfellow
Postcard From Surfers – Toby Martin
Dear Friend – Jonathan Wilson
Pity Love – Adam Green & Binki Shapiro
This Will Be Our Year – The Zombies
Happy Together – The Turtles