The Look Back

Goodbye summer, hello fall. Enjoy the last long weekend of the summer.

David Byrne and Brian Eno – Home

They collaborated on this and nine other tracks for a full length that came out a couple weeks back.  This is a stand out for me musically as Brian Eno did a great job here.  Byrnes voice is still not my favorite but it works well in this context.  Definitely a nice surprise for the end of summer. 

Jimmy Eat World – Blister

Another old college track that a friend recently requested as his Kickball warm-up music.  (Yes, it is kickball season again.  Sadly, Costa Messy is currently 1-2 and mired in a 2 game slump.  We are going to take the Labor Day weekend off and try to rest up and get healthy though for our game on the 8^th.  More updates to come later in the season.) This is an older song from Jimmy Eat World and one I had somewhat forgotten about.  All JEW songs bring back memories of being in studio until 3am cranking out horrible design projects that I look back on now and cringe.  Seriously, they were bad.  Luckily I have Jimmy Eat World to look back on with fond memories. 

The Airborne Toxic Event – Sometime Around Midnight

This seems to be pretty high on my list for 2008 albums of the year.  Having listened to this album more than any other this year I was a little surprised when the band made their network television debut a few weeks back on Conan and decided to play this song.  This is one of the only “slow” songs on the album and I didn’t pay close attention to the content of the song until that Conan visit.  It’s a great song musically and lyrically.  I still wouldn’t say that this track is the best to introduce people to their music though as it does seemingly stick out on the album.  I predict that these guys are going to get as big as other local favorites the Silversun Pickups within the next year.  This album is too poppy not to get to that level since I’ve heard this track is actually on the radio out here. 

The Broken West – Auctioneer

Their new album, Now or Heaven is out September 9^th on Merge.  I’ve been eagerly awaiting this album after stumbling upon their last record last year at some point.  It is also of note that a good friend of mine went to school with the bass player and considers him his “arch nemesis.”  This is said in fun as they were apparently in band together and … I don’t know the rest of the story but I find it funny that someone would actually use the phrase “arch nemesis”.  This is a nice hook filled track which gives me hope for the full length. 

Alabama – Born Country

Having gone home to visit my family last weekend I inevitably was subjected to modern country radio while on a short car ride.  I do not listen to music on the radio as 75% of the time I’m tuned in to news or sports talk.  I say this not to boast about my musical standing in an arbitrary scene but to try and give context to the following critique.  Why is modern country radio still playing a song that was released in 1992?  They didn’t preface it with “a blast from the past” or any other radio jargon, they just said what it was and went on with their playlist.  I am sure modern rock radio does this too so maybe I should leave out the genre in general in this critique but that would require me to go back and re-write this paragraph and I really don’t feel like doing that.  Oh yeah, why did I still pick this song?  Nostalgia.  The reason I put half the country songs I do on here.  It’s still a very solid country hit and something that I relate to a small bit. 

Outlook ate my last post so you get what I felt like recreating of this post.  I trust that you can all handle that.  I also again apologize for missing another week of August last week.  It’s been a rather crap ass month (yes, I hold a degree from a major university and I still use the term “crap ass”) so I haven’t felt like devoting as much time to the mixes.  This is a worth one if for no other reason than the Bon Jovi song at the end.  Enjoy the fleeting weeks of Summer 08.

Okkervil River – Lost Coastlines

A seafarer analogy to the split of the band’s bass player, Jonathan Meiburg, from the group earlier this summer.  My favorite track from the album and the reason I decided to post another Okkervil River track so soon after the last.  The recent YouTube clip of A.C. Newman singing the lead and Will Sheff singing Meiburg’s part has been floating around the digital airwaves and is definitely worth a viewing if you get a chance. 

The Format – On Your Porch (acoustic)

The Format was a band that caught my attention on an old scout.net mix tape. (Remember those emo kids?) I recently wondered “what ever happened to The Format” so I went to their myspace to get some new music.  WRONG! They broke up in February of this year.  Thus I’m left with this track to keep me company as I cry over my Format zippo lighter and matches that I got at the first show I ever went to back in SLO for this band. 

Fun – Benson Hedges (demo)

I thought the Format fun was over (Happy PunDay!) until I saw a link off of their Myspace page to “FUN”, a band Nate has formed since the split of the Format.  Similar in regards to the vocals and themes, duh, but somewhat more rich in terms of the music.  I always liked Sam from the acoustic Format days but I think his range was limiting to some degree so it will be interesting to see how this band does minus that band member. 

Bon Jovi – Billy Get Your Guns 

Taken from my favorite album growing up, the Young Guns II soundtrack.  I still remember the day I went into my local indie music store (Kmart) when I was about 11 and purchasing this cassette tape.  I listened to it over and over again and if I had last.fm back then keeping track of my play habits this song would have had to be the most played single ever.  I used to play and rewind the opening just to hear Emilio say, “YooHoo!  I’ll make you famous.”  Other kids were rewinding VHS tapes trying to see the occasional boob clip on an R rated movie stolen from their parents collection and I was rewinding to hear one of the cheesiest movie quotes ever written. Go 11 year old me! 

Sorry, I took a brief summer break last weekend from the Friday Mix.  Back with some good stuff that will remind you that Fall is just around the corner.  (Please, I’m tired of this humidity. And yes, I know I live in California and this is nothing but I’m still going to complain.)

Simian Mobile Disco – Sleep Deprivation (Simon Baker Remix)

I needed a little bit of upbeat bloghouse music this week to get me through some deadlines and projects.  This seemed to fit the bill quite well off of the Fabriclive 41 mix by Simian Mobile Disco.

Annie – Songs Remind Me of You

See note above.  I really can’t wait for this album to come out to get my bubble gum pop album of the year award ready to go. 

M83 – Kim & Jessie

This is M83’s latest single from Saturday = Youth.  80’s nostalgia is what you are required to mention if you post anything off of this album but I just get more of a M83 feel for it.  Very distinct sound from everything he has done that I have heard minus the ambient album he put out last year which accomplished what it was supposed to do with me, putting me to sleep. 

Glen Campbell – Walls

There is one thing about growing up listening to Country music that I regret today.  I rarely know the cover songs bands play in concert if they are anything other than songs of the last 15-20 years.  70’s rock, no clue. 80’s rock, maybe but likely, no.  60’s rock, umm…no! When I heard Glen Campbell was coming out with an all cover album I assumed it was a way to try and cash in (pardon the pun) on a certain other iconic Country musician.  When I then saw the track listing and saw “Walls” I was very excited.  This was originally a Tom Petty song from the soundtrack to “She’s the One” (yeah, no one saw this movie.) but the soundtrack was very good.  I remember watching MTV during the summer of 96’ while waiting for football practice to start.  They made a reference to this album coming out in August and I was immediately on the phone with Wherehouse Music (remember those?) in Atascadero to see if they were getting it in and when.  So it was a pleasant surprise last year when I read reports and saw youtube clips of Bright Eyes covering this song in concert last year.  A song I can finally cheer about when they play a cover as an encore.

Buck Owens – Act Naturally

I attended a friend’s wedding last weekend at the Paramount Ranch in Agora Hills.  Little did I know this was actually a movie set for various Western’s that have been released in the last 50 years.  One such filming was the music video to this song featuring Ringo Star.  This is one of Buck’s bigger cover songs (Per Aging Child’s comment this WAS an original song performed by Buck) and was even covered by Dwight on his “Dwight Sings Buck” album from last year.  Or would it be Dwight Sings Buck Sings Ringo Sings The Beetles?  (edit: Again, this is an original Buck Owens song. Thanks for the tips, AC!)