::REVIEWS:: 2013 Secret Mixtape project

[Birds in Hell]

what bill callahan record should i get?

the one where Eddie Vedder sings all the songs

Okay, I'll admit, I'd probably buy that album.

[PHATJ]

PHATJ, if you wanna hear how your mix turned out, you can stream it here
or download it here: http://jorgefarah.files.wordpress.com/2 ... ft-mix.mp3

Thanks Platy, and thanks again for for putting my tracks list to format.

[PHATJ]

PHATJ – Rift Mix

Song 1 (Ween - The Rift) - I’m pretty sure this is Ween – The Rift. I haven’t heard much Ween since the Country album or Mollusc, that era. This is good although the vocals go somewhere annoying. Nice atmospheric start.

Song 2 (Soulcoughing - Lazy Bones) – Lazy Bones - ??. I didn’t like this guys voice at first. It’s an okay track but not one I’d put on. After a few listens I’ve warmed to it.

Song 3 (Ok Go - WTF?) - ??. Some Patton-esque falsetto type vocals and 90’s sounding alt funk. Not my cup of tea at all. Good pattern to first 3 tracks.

Song 4 (The National - Abel) - ?? Some indie pop which I think is The National. I liked their first 2 albums but not immensely. Like it.

Song 5 (Mike Doughty - I hear The Bells) - ?? This singer takes a nice enough track and throws in an annoying cascading down melody that just annoys the hell outta me.

This mix feels like I’ve flipped onto a 35-45yr old male aimed radio station. There’s nothing that is grating enough to turn off but so far it’s only track 4 that I would probably revisit.

Song 6 (Muse - Madness) -Muse (Newborn?). I used to like Muse but their bombastic-ness wore thin after awhile. I last listened to an album maybe 8yrs ago. This is a really good track with unusual restraint. Some nice backing vocals too.

Song 7 (Lana Del Rey - Young and Beautiful) - ?? Female vocals and a nice atmosphere. Sounds like an 80’s ballad (Cars – Drive etc) that I fear will turn into a 90’s dance track, but it doesn’t. This is a good track but again not one I’d choose to put on. The woman has a great voice. I wonder if this is indicative of her music or a side step.

Song 8 (Against Me! ft. Tegan Quin (of Tegan & Sara) - Borne On The FM Waves Of The Heart) - ?? Maybe Gaslight Anthem with some woman. If it is them I liked a couple of tracks of their first few albums. If not, then the guy sounds just like him. This would be good live. Has a slight Stereophonics feel but it is an American band for sure. Grohl type build to end this one.

Song 9 (Crash Test Dummies - The Unforgiven Ones) - ??. Nice acoustic but over wrought vocals. I would usually like this style but that voice is not for me. Is it the Mmmm band of the 90s? I like this style when done by 16 Horsepower or John Murry. Pity.

Nice segue way into the next track. PHATJ has done a great job of crafting this mix.

Song 10 (Cloud Cult - 1x1x1) - ?? Promising. 90’s alt metal sounding with some interesting textures. There’s a high quality (over)production quality to a lot of these tracks that isn’t my taste but the general music is pretty good.

Song 11 (Mute Math - After We Have Left Our Homes)

Song 12 (The Flaming Lips - The W.A.N.D.) – Flaming Lips THE WAND. I hated this when it came out and little has changed. I loved Soft Bulletin and Yoshimi and bits of their early stuff but this album turned me off them actually. BUT it works with this mix.

Song 13 (Beck - Jackass) – Beck (think this is off Odelay). I haven’t heard this album recently and that should be addressed. I’ve always preferred his mellower stuff. Might have to dig out Sea Change again too.

Song 14 (Thrice - Yellow Belly) - ??? Sounds like a cross of Foo Fighters and ATDI. The vocals have an interesting tone but tend towards a commercial melody. I like the rhythm section on this.

Song 15 (Mark Lanegan - Phantasmagloria Blues) - Mark Lanegan – Phantasmagoria Blues. I like Lanegan a lot. Great.

Song 16 (Jimmy Eat World - Mix Tape) - ??? Really like the music but then the vocals kill this. Arrggghh. And it doesn’t get better. I want to skip this one.

Song 17 (College & Electric Youth - A Real Hero) - ??-Real Human Being. Synth intro with soft female vocals. This sounds like a piece that will be used a lot in tv shows.

Song 18 (Mute Math - Reset) – Instrumental track with great rhythm and nice repetitive guitar line. The drums have that swingy loose feel that worked so well on Yoshimi. Some dub ish drum treatment. I like this one.

Hidden track (Moistboyz - Paperboy) - ?? Garage guitar pop. Lo-fi. I prefer this production to most of what came before. Okay song.

There’s a sheen to a lot of these tracks, a production style that I don’t particularly like. It goes hand in hand with the commercial vocal melodies and over pronunciation of most of these singers. The songs are mostly pretty strong but spoiled by the frame. This is a good mix that could easily be on digital radio. The seque-ing was well done too. Good job PHATJ and Jorge.

Thanks for the review LetMeSleep. I hope you enjoyed it. In retrospect there are one or two songs I would have probably replaced, but I feel pretty good about the overall flow of the mix. I hope there was enough here that it kept you interested.

[retortion]

sorry for the lateness, that new Mogwai album got in the way

Ok, as a prelude, I only know one track and I know the artist of one other song so in terms of fresh-ness this hits the spot. It's listed as 19 tracks however "track 6" is missing, I'm going to take this as intentional. At first I wasn't getting this mix, but it certainly is a grower, thankfully I had a long train ride over Xmas across miserable rainy England to give it a good listen.

Track 1 - an excellent build, really enjoyed it, female vox. Great choice as an opener.

Track 2 - Louder, female vox again, nice singer very smooth, a lot poppier sounding, reverby guitar leads the line, kind of floats on by.

Track 3 - This reminded me of Sonic Youth, a bit looser than the previous track, could see the vocals (female) grating some people but overall I enjoyed it!

Track 4 - A bit heavier, less kind on the ears, punchier/punky. Yet again female vocals, I must admit at this stage I was fearing an all female vocals mix.

Track 5 - This track what is it please?? instrumental, such an enjoyable journey I especially like the strumming part towards the end. so good. Starts my favourite sequence.

Track 7 - Like the transition. "Movies like zoo's. try another me and ill try another you" great spot.

Track 8 - Piano driven instrumental, gorgeous, slows the whole thing right down.

Track 9 - Is this Ween or something, then i think its My Morning Jacket, its ok i guess.

Track 10 - The Decemberists, never been into them, nice enough song.

Track 11 - Banjo! Like this tune, country-ish, happy little track.

Track 12 - Great segue , heavier track, love it, love the guitars and the vox.

Track 13 - Its so strange, this is probably my least favourite track but it gets stuck in my head, MESSAGE??.

Track 14 - haha yes, love that intro and the song rocks, sounds daft punk, is it Justice maybe?

Track 15 - nice enough song on its own, but doesn't hold a candle to the previous song and falls over zzzz

Track 16 - I immediately noticed this as the longest track, clocking in at 9mins, terrific journey, heavier, is that maynard on vocals? nice one

Track 17 - it's always hard to follow an epic track, but i like the simplicity of this one, great follow up, instrumental, i like the acoustic breakdown.

Track 18 - Band of Horses - Cigarettes, Wedding Bands. Fucking yes! great track

(should have ended here!)

Track 19 - I didn't have the time of day for the last song on this mix, it's probably personal preference but the epicness of the BOH track slays.

Thanks for this, excited to find out the track listing.

[PHATJ]

You did a good job Jorge.

It's all PHATJ. All I did was slap the songs together for him.

Did you like the mix?

[AndySlash]

ok, thanks for being patient, mixmaker.

overall i am quite pleased with this mix- it flows well, there wasn't anything i strongly disliked, and, as it relates to me personally, it was a nice mix of familiar, kind-of familiar, and unknown- a couple songs i knew well, several songs by artists i recognized but didn't know, and a few i'd never heard before. for me, mixes are much easier to digest if there's one or two familiar "anchors" i can latch on to as i process the unknown around it, so this one did that well.

this is a songwriter's mix. it was obvious to me after the first couple of listens that these songs told a story on their own - part of the reason for taking so long for my review was that i needed to understand if they fit together on the whole. i'm a music-first listener, where i can often go years before knowing the lyrics to songs i listen to a lot, so i had to put some extra effort into listening to this.

the first clue to me that there might be a story here was the pairing of 'the highwayman' and 'i can see clearly now' at the end, where the tragic story told in the former belies the outward optimism voiced in the latter. it does seem there is a story/theme here, as the songs cover the ups and downs of relationships, trying to understand ones place in them, coping with their loss, breaking out from abusive ones, etc. if there is a single protagonist of this mix, they have a roller-coaster ride over the course of these songs.


1. this is a leonard cohen song that uses the phrase "come healing of the..." several times. the mix starts out solemnly, as it seems there has been a significant loss experienced by the singer. also, this line is just fantastic: "oh troubled dust concealing an undivided love / the heart beneath is teaching to the broken heart above".

2. this is a nick cave song calling 'upon the author to explain'. musically, it's driving and a bit angry, and lyrically i suspect the singer here is questioning god,'the author', as to why they are suffering.

3. i wasn't familiar with this track. it seems to be politcially motivated, as it references historical political figures and activism. a couple lyrics reference the choice of being idle or participating, and not waiting for change to happen TO you, so perhaps in the scope of this mix the singer is telling themself they need to make the effort to move forward.

4. i wasn't familiar with this track. the opening line is, "i fell in love again", and the singer travels to chicago and new york. the music is more upbeat and positive than the previous tracks. perhaps the singer has moved for a new love. but by the end he repeats "i've made a lot of mistakes", and i don't think they were all old mistakes.

5. this is an unknown cover of pearl jam's parting ways. musically, it is even more sparse and downbeat than the pearl jam original. i wish i could make out the tv/radio/movie snippet playing softly at the beginning of the song. initially i wasn't fond of a pearl jam song, cover or not, appearing on here, but i've really grown to like this take. i think it's quite good. mixwise, we know the lyrics reference the slow deterioration of a relationship both foresee ending soon.

6. i wasn't familiar with this track. it has a chorus that repeats "i'm alive", and other lyrics suggesting that that a new relationship has blossomed. the music is again uplifting and positive, building more and more as the song goes.

7. bonnie 'prince' billy - gulf shores. a lazy, hazy track, musically it suggests some contentment. lyrically, though, there is some discontent in the place he is at, and by the end the singer is suggesting he "dissapear from sight", this time moving away with his partner.

8. this is a cloud cult song. i have all but one of their records, so i assume this is from that missing album or one of their odds n' sods collections because i'd not heard this track before. much like the earlier track where the singer was moving to chicago then new york, this one is has a bit of a "feel good" sound to it, musically. lyrically it supports the idea of moving (constant repetition of "they're calling your name, travel safely"), and that when they get there the future is wide open.

9. i wasn't familiar with this track. of all the songs on here, it's the one i like least- i'm not sure i'd seek out other songs by this artist unless i heard something else that changed my mind. it opens with, "i lost my wallet and i'm lost dear / i swear i had it on me when we got here', suggesting that while they made it to where they were going, things didn't turn out as great. i sense a recurring theme with this character... also, the song has a lengthy repeating chorus, which has the singer noting that those that have been lost never go away, they continue to influence who you are.

10. feist - i feel it all. it might be notable that this is the first song on this mix sung by a female, so perhaps the girl in the relationship of the last few songs has decided to up and leave. she's given several chances and let herself be hurt, but now realizes she has some control and has enacted that control.

11. the mountain goats - no children. perhaps the most hate filled love song of all time. the events in this song may be occurring simultaneous to the previous, as he is quite unhappy in the relationship as well, but hadn't quite done anything about it. if so, this track might have been better positioned in front of the feist track.

12. i wasn't familiar with this track. very dylan-esque. at 10+ minutes, it has a lot to say, and repeatedly references getting to the "thanksgiving day parade". musically, it builds on itself, eventually becoming a parade of its own. lyrically there is so much to digest that i admit to not completely putting together how this might fit in with the mix narration. it does seem to indirectly relate some of scenarios raised earlier in the mix, but is always looking ahead to the future (the thanksgiving day parade).

13. loreena mckennitt - the highwayman. the song i am most familiar with on this mix- i listened to this album a ton back in my college days (my roommate even bought it he liked it so much). it's based on a poem (as several loreena mckennitt songs are) that tells the ultimately tragic story of a man who comes upon a maiden fair, but has a deed to do before they can be together again. while away, the british march in looking for the man and, aware of the man and maiden's love, leave her tied up with a rifle to her chest, her plight visible through the window the man will see her in when he returns. the british hide in the room, waiting to ambush the highwayman when he comes to her rescue. instead, she wriggles free enough to reach the rifle and when the highwayman appears, she shoots herself to warn him of the attack. he ends up fighting the british men in a rage, but ultimately perishes as well.

14. johnny nash - i can see clearly now. musically and lyrically a stark contrast to the songs that preceded it. if our hero has indeed died, either literally or metaphorically, he is finally free, and this song represents that. as i mentioned, the inclusion of this track really piqued my curiosity about the intent of this mix. without it, i might not have made the effort i did to understand what i was listening to.


so, yeah, i kind of have a hard time thinking this mix wasn't put together with a story in mind. if this was a mix i felt had been put together just because the songs sounded good together (my own usually are!), i most likely wouldn't have gone to the effort i did here. i probably have some details wrong, but hopefully i "got" it well enough. even if i did end up overanalyzing this to an extreme, there is an apparent thematic relationship between the songs on here. i'm definitely interested in the mixmaker's take on, and reasoning for, these songs.

i would definitely recommend this mix to anyone curious enough to listen.

[Fuzzcharger]

So I've had a few listens to this. Half of it was new to me which was nice.

Simon & Garfunkel - Bookends: I don't think I've heard this before. Sounded like it could have come out last year it is such a solid track.
Wilco - Ashes of American Flags: While not a hardcore Wilco fan am definitely familiar with this tune, it's a good one.
Beck - Leopard Skin Pillbox Hat: I really dug this interpretation. I thought it might have been QOTSA with the fuzz bass to begin with. Rad song.
Neutral Milk Hotel - Holland 1945: Strangely enough I've never listened to this band to the best of my knowledge. This song was interesting and I can hear how they influenced a lot of bands. A little but pretentious for my tastes though.
???? - maybe Swell Season: I liked the vibe on this. Also a tad pretentious with the strings though.
Gillian Welch - I Want to Sing That Rock'n'roll: This was pretty solid. Hadn't heard it before either.
Sleater Kinney - Modern Girl: An oldie but a goodie. I love SK so no problems here.
Hail Hail - Shovels and Rope: Not so much into this. Indie rock two pieces and standard lyrics have been done a lot and nothing really new here. Am sure I'd find it pleasant enough to watch live at a festival though.
Pearl Jam - Smile: This made me laugh.
Letras de Flashes and Cables - Centro-Matic: This was okay but more standard 'indie' fare which I don't get real excited about.
Songs Ohia - Farewell Transmission: My favourite song discovered in 2013. Not sure if coincidence or well researched!

Over all I dig this mix. A rock solid start with the first 3 tracks. A bit so-so in the middle but some interesting tunes and a solid closer. Thanks!

[stip]

ok, thanks for being patient, mixmaker.

overall i am quite pleased with this mix- it flows well, there wasn't anything i strongly disliked, and, as it relates to me personally, it was a nice mix of familiar, kind-of familiar, and unknown- a couple songs i knew well, several songs by artists i recognized but didn't know, and a few i'd never heard before. for me, mixes are much easier to digest if there's one or two familiar "anchors" i can latch on to as i process the unknown around it, so this one did that well.

this is a songwriter's mix. it was obvious to me after the first couple of listens that these songs told a story on their own - part of the reason for taking so long for my review was that i needed to understand if they fit together on the whole. i'm a music-first listener, where i can often go years before knowing the lyrics to songs i listen to a lot, so i had to put some extra effort into listening to this.

the first clue to me that there might be a story here was the pairing of 'the highwayman' and 'i can see clearly now' at the end, where the tragic story told in the former belies the outward optimism voiced in the latter. it does seem there is a story/theme here, as the songs cover the ups and downs of relationships, trying to understand ones place in them, coping with their loss, breaking out from abusive ones, etc. if there is a single protagonist of this mix, they have a roller-coaster ride over the course of these songs.


1. this is a leonard cohen song that uses the phrase "come healing of the..." several times. the mix starts out solemnly, as it seems there has been a significant loss experienced by the singer. also, this line is just fantastic: "oh troubled dust concealing an undivided love / the heart beneath is teaching to the broken heart above".

2. this is a nick cave song calling 'upon the author to explain'. musically, it's driving and a bit angry, and lyrically i suspect the singer here is questioning god,'the author', as to why they are suffering.

3. i wasn't familiar with this track. it seems to be politcially motivated, as it references historical political figures and activism. a couple lyrics reference the choice of being idle or participating, and not waiting for change to happen TO you, so perhaps in the scope of this mix the singer is telling themself they need to make the effort to move forward.

4. i wasn't familiar with this track. the opening line is, "i fell in love again", and the singer travels to chicago and new york. the music is more upbeat and positive than the previous tracks. perhaps the singer has moved for a new love. but by the end he repeats "i've made a lot of mistakes", and i don't think they were all old mistakes.

5. this is an unknown cover of pearl jam's parting ways. musically, it is even more sparse and downbeat than the pearl jam original. i wish i could make out the tv/radio/movie snippet playing softly at the beginning of the song. initially i wasn't fond of a pearl jam song, cover or not, appearing on here, but i've really grown to like this take. i think it's quite good. mixwise, we know the lyrics reference the slow deterioration of a relationship both foresee ending soon.

6. i wasn't familiar with this track. it has a chorus that repeats "i'm alive", and other lyrics suggesting that that a new relationship has blossomed. the music is again uplifting and positive, building more and more as the song goes.

7. bonnie 'prince' billy - gulf shores. a lazy, hazy track, musically it suggests some contentment. lyrically, though, there is some discontent in the place he is at, and by the end the singer is suggesting he "dissapear from sight", this time moving away with his partner.

8. this is a cloud cult song. i have all but one of their records, so i assume this is from that missing album or one of their odds n' sods collections because i'd not heard this track before. much like the earlier track where the singer was moving to chicago then new york, this one is has a bit of a "feel good" sound to it, musically. lyrically it supports the idea of moving (constant repetition of "they're calling your name, travel safely"), and that when they get there the future is wide open.

9. i wasn't familiar with this track. of all the songs on here, it's the one i like least- i'm not sure i'd seek out other songs by this artist unless i heard something else that changed my mind. it opens with, "i lost my wallet and i'm lost dear / i swear i had it on me when we got here', suggesting that while they made it to where they were going, things didn't turn out as great. i sense a recurring theme with this character... also, the song has a lengthy repeating chorus, which has the singer noting that those that have been lost never go away, they continue to influence who you are.

10. feist - i feel it all. it might be notable that this is the first song on this mix sung by a female, so perhaps the girl in the relationship of the last few songs has decided to up and leave. she's given several chances and let herself be hurt, but now realizes she has some control and has enacted that control.

11. the mountain goats - no children. perhaps the most hate filled love song of all time. the events in this song may be occurring simultaneous to the previous, as he is quite unhappy in the relationship as well, but hadn't quite done anything about it. if so, this track might have been better positioned in front of the feist track.

12. i wasn't familiar with this track. very dylan-esque. at 10+ minutes, it has a lot to say, and repeatedly references getting to the "thanksgiving day parade". musically, it builds on itself, eventually becoming a parade of its own. lyrically there is so much to digest that i admit to not completely putting together how this might fit in with the mix narration. it does seem to indirectly relate some of scenarios raised earlier in the mix, but is always looking ahead to the future (the thanksgiving day parade).

13. loreena mckennitt - the highwayman. the song i am most familiar with on this mix- i listened to this album a ton back in my college days (my roommate even bought it he liked it so much). it's based on a poem (as several loreena mckennitt songs are) that tells the ultimately tragic story of a man who comes upon a maiden fair, but has a deed to do before they can be together again. while away, the british march in looking for the man and, aware of the man and maiden's love, leave her tied up with a rifle to her chest, her plight visible through the window the man will see her in when he returns. the british hide in the room, waiting to ambush the highwayman when he comes to her rescue. instead, she wriggles free enough to reach the rifle and when the highwayman appears, she shoots herself to warn him of the attack. he ends up fighting the british men in a rage, but ultimately perishes as well.

14. johnny nash - i can see clearly now. musically and lyrically a stark contrast to the songs that preceded it. if our hero has indeed died, either literally or metaphorically, he is finally free, and this song represents that. as i mentioned, the inclusion of this track really piqued my curiosity about the intent of this mix. without it, i might not have made the effort i did to understand what i was listening to.


so, yeah, i kind of have a hard time thinking this mix wasn't put together with a story in mind. if this was a mix i felt had been put together just because the songs sounded good together (my own usually are!), i most likely wouldn't have gone to the effort i did here. i probably have some details wrong, but hopefully i "got" it well enough. even if i did end up overanalyzing this to an extreme, there is an apparent thematic relationship between the songs on here. i'm definitely interested in the mixmaker's take on, and reasoning for, these songs.

i would definitely recommend this mix to anyone curious enough to listen.

That was mine. I'm glad you liked it. There is no narrative here. I wasn't sure how many listens this would get, so the flow was more important. However, there are ideas that weave the songs together, and there are a few songs I was considering that I didn't end up including because they disrupted that. There is meant to be an up and down cycle between lives falling apart and coming back together (like a wave!), figuring out what is to blame for where things wrong and opening yourself up to the possibility that they can get better. So there is a theme, and songs were usually paired together because of how they spoke to each other. I liked seeing the outlines of a story in your post. There is material to build one. Had I known you'd put in the work I would have built the mix a bit more precisely around that idea

1. Leonard Cohen - Come Healing
2. Nick Cave - We Call Upon the Author
3. Billy Bragg - Great Leap Forwards
4. Sufjan Stevens - Chicago
5. Parting Ways - RMs very own Icegecoming
6. Bubbles - James
7. Bonny Prince Billy - Gulf Shores
8. Cloud Cult - The Invocation (you'll be bright)
9. Amanda Palmer - Lost
10. Feist - I See It All
11. The Mountain Goats - No Children
12. Dan Bern - Thanksgiving Day Parade
13. Lorena McKennit - The Highwayman
14. Johnny Nash - I Can See Clearly Now


if you liked that James song I would check out their album laid. It isn't on there, but that's their masterwork, current albums are hit or miss but they were fantastic in their prime.

Dan been is an all time favorite of mine. If you liked that one I can recommend a few other songs to check out. He is more of a singles artist than full albums. In fact, most of his best stuff is live and unreleased

The song you didn't like is by amanda Palmer (I laughed whe you said Feist was the first woman). She is a current favorite. Her louder clanging stuff is am acquired taste (and much of it I don't like) bit I really love the chorus in that song and I wanted something a bit louder to round out the softer stuff on the mix. I almost went with the following song, and changed my mind at the last minute. it might be my favorite song of hers.




If there is a female Tom Waits it's her. Her voice is uncontrolled and unhinged, but really beautiful when she wants it to be. And she's a great lyricist (the lyrics in the first post on youtube are almost entirely wrong)


I'm kind of disappointed that you knew the Lorenna McKennit song. I was hoping that one would be a surprise. It's such a great song.

[stip]

oh, and the link

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/2jeio2cgq24ipe3/wWccrdBh96

[Birds in Hell]

That's a killer Bad Seeds song.

[stip]

that was the one that inspired me to ask you for that larger collection. I tend to go in a bit more for his heavier stuff, I think. he is still an artist I need to devote more time to, but it's hard to find time to explore new music.

[super nintendo chalmers]

Which version of Gulf Shores?

[stip]

whichever one kd put on the mix he sent me

[AndySlash]

That was mine. I'm glad you liked it. There is no narrative here.

DOH!

well, i think i did pick up on a few of the song-to-song pairings that seemed to be relating to each other, so at least i got that right. i think.

regardless, well done, stip.

5. Parting Ways - RMs very own Icegecoming

dang, impressive. like i said, it grew on me. a very good cover.

The song you didn't like is by amanda Palmer (I laughed whe you said Feist was the first woman).

if i listened to this mix a hundred times i'd have never guessed that that song had a female lead.

I'm kind of disappointed that you knew the Lorenna McKennit song. I was hoping that one would be a surprise. It's such a great song.

heh, sorry about that! during my first year at school my english teacher had us freewrite to music she selected and one of the songs she chose was mckennitt's 'the lady of shalott'. that was my introduction to her, and shortly after that the 'book of secrets' album came out and became a hit because of 'the mummer's dance'. my favorite track on that album is the last one, 'dante's prayer'- i've put that one on some mixes before.

Which version of Gulf Shores?

it is the sings palace music one.

That's a killer Bad Seeds song.

yes, i liked it quite a bit. it might be my favorite track on the mix. nick cave is one of those artists whose material i've heard i've liked but for whatever reason have never really delved into any deeper. the same can be said for oldham- i have a few things here and there, but there's much i haven't yet heard.

[E.H. Ruddock]

My brief review:

Track 1 - Nice instrumental. Love the piano into the build then the abrubt cut to the "spacey" sounds. Love that kind of stuff. Good lead off. I've heard this before but can't put a finger on it.

Track 2 - Another instrumental with some kind of audio track playing over it. Normally I skip over songs like this because of the "talking", but I liked this one. The music reminded me a little of Wellwater Conspiracy.

Track 3 - Another track I know I've heard. An instrumental that sounds like a Muse instrumental but I know it isn't. Straightforward riff that I like in an instrumental. I'm going to know it as soon as you tell me who it is.

Track 4 - Ha, I know this song and need to listen to more of them. Colour Television by ECSR. This song may have also made me think I know who made this mix.

Track 5 - Love this song. I've heard it before but never sought it out, it sounds like Shannon Yarbrough or Garland Jeffries (sp?)? I like this guy's voice, kind of a throwback 80's rock voice.

Track 6 - Another instrumental. This one sounds like it is from a cross between the Pink Panther and James Bond. Jazzy, mellow.

Track 7 - Mellow jam with lots of organ. I like songs like this that are instrumental heavy but do have some lyrics with them. Kind of sounds of Isaac Brock singing but I know it isn't.

Track 8 - Probably my favorite song of the mix. Great guitar work over a nice steady jam. This sounds familiar but I can't place the singer's voice. The description of this song says "Sit Back". Perfect song for doing that. Great jam.

Track 9 - I knew this song as well. Ohio - Kingswood. Good transistion from last song to this one.

Track 10 - Great fucking song. Love the music, especially the picking. I've heard a version of this song before I think, but maybe not? The lyrics sound familiar but not this version? Great song!

Track 11 - Well the song is Ooh Las Vegas but it's an Emmylou Harris cover, right? I can't place who this might be.

Track 12 - Nice slow building instrumental. Reminds me of an instrumental jam band I listen to called Pullman. I enjoy the buildup to the nice guitar work at the end, but it fades out too soon.

Track 13 - This song is placed well in the mix. Starting to fade to the end. It has that feel of the desolate "desert rock" that I enjoy so much. Kind of an electrci Mazzy Star if you will. The singer sounds very familiar, but I can't place it.

Track 14 - and.....STOP. Nice little closer, well done with this mix.

This mix flowed really well throughout. I don't post much in OB but whoever put this together hit it on the head with the instrumental heavy mix along with some slow, gritty "country" rock. I have a feeling this was either spenno or Malloy, but whoever it was, well done and it is now on my iPod.

[E.H. Ruddock]

Also, i used iceagecomings Parting Ways cover in my mix to Alex.

[Birds in Hell]

that was the one that inspired me to ask you for that larger collection. I tend to go in a bit more for his heavier stuff, I think. he is still an artist I need to devote more time to, but it's hard to find time to explore new music.

That most-recent Bad Seeds album is really good, you should check it out.

[E.H. Ruddock]

WHO DID MY MIX!?

[Jorge]

WHO DID MY MIX!?

Your mix was made by Varis.

[Birds in Hell]

Can you update the header post with the mix links, Jorge?

I don't want to dig through pages and pages to find them all.