The Look Back

Hello, my name is Justin and I addicted to buying charity indie Christmas/Holiday compilations.  I’ve purchased three in the last week and a half, Fake Plastic Snow and Peace on Earth: Vol I and II.  Stellar albums from my completely and utterly biased perspective.  I also got a copy of Dustin Kensrue (lead singer from Thrice. Yes, I am allowed to listen to this and a little tiny bit of Thrice since I live in OC and it is required by law. Just like how everyone here is required to own a Social Distortion album.) Acoustic Christmas album, This Good Night is Still Everywhere.  I’m trying to cut back and will do my best in the coming weeks.  That feels good to get out there. Hopefully I can get treatment if this persists.  Not that I will be able to afford it.  On that note, I’m out the door. Up to SF this weekend and then Yosemite the beginning of next week and down to Paso Robles for the holiday.  Christmas will be in full swing by next weekend though I don’t think a mix will be in order being away.  Happy Thanksgiving to all. 

Laura Gibson – It Came Upon A Midnight Clear

Taken from one of the above mentioned albums, Peace on Earth: A Charity Holiday Album Vol. II.  Very traditional take from this Oregon singer songwriter on her contribution to the album for the Midnight Mission in LA.  From listening to some of her other, non-Christmas, releases they all sound like winter albums.  Maybe that is due to the fact that both albums have art work reminiscent to this season, who knows.

My Brightest Diamond – Tainted Love

Single cover of the classic.

Sigur Ros – Inní mér syngur vitleysingur

I really haven’t listened to their newest album much.  This is a shame as it is very, very good.  It is not the typical Sigur Ros that I was used to as this song demonstrates.  While still staying true to their original sound yet not being something that makes me want to fall asleep.  This has been the go to album at work this week. 

Kathleen Edwards – The Cheapest Key

Taken from her album, Asking for Flowers, this is a more upbeat song than others.  This album will make my Top ____ (haven’t decided how many, maybe 50?) of the year but I assume not many other peoples as it doesn’t seem to be widely known in either the indie or country world.  She’s also Canadian which doesn’t seem to help as she is likely too busy this time of year shoveling herself out of her igloo. 

Gene Autry – Little Johnny Pilgrim

I had to post a Thanksgiving song as well.  There aren’t a lot out there so I’ll just leave you with this Gene Autry take on things.  Taken from the same album, Songs for Year Round Cowboys, as the Easter songs I posted back in March.  I’m still curious if this was actually intended as an album for adults or not.  I would assume it wasn’t but you never know what those crazy cats you now call “grandma and grandpa” were listening to back in the 50’s.  Maybe Donald Draper had this on Thanksgiving morning?

I think this is the first full day Friday Mix I’ve put up since September.  These days inevitably get busy and I forget/don’t post.  I rectified that with a good number of songs including the first Christmas song of the season.  Enjoy over the coming Greenbuild week. 

Pinetop Seven – Drying Out

A group in line with Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy who have been around for a number of years.  I’ve only recently discovered their back catalog and have been going through it quite a bit as of late.  The beginning of this song reminds me of the feeling of early to mid autumn.  While we are now officially in the mid to late autumn season I’ll let it slide even if it is 95 degrees right now in Southern California. 

Vampire Weekend – Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa (The Teenagers Remix)
Remember in February when I refused to post a Vampire Weekend track even though everyone else has?  (Of course you don’t but I’ll pretend you do.) I’ve now gone and posted two songs in the last month.  This is a great mix by another fine band, The Teenagers, who I have posted here before.  The music stays true to Vampire Weekend but there is a distinct Teenagers feel which I can’t say I get with a lot of remixes these days.  Partially because I don’t know the names of those remixers out there but also because so many remixers are just that and do not play their own stuff.  Give it a listen and tell me you don’t want to go to France and try to pick up American girls. Ok, so that isn’t this song, sorry. 

Django Reinhardt – Daphne

A Belgian Gypsy jazz guitarist who has been dead for over 50 years is the third song on this week’s mix.  A rather interesting “old” sound that I download a while back for unknown reasons.  The girlfriend and everyone who I’ve subjected to this really enjoy it so I can’t imagine anyone else wouldn’t since I’m very conceded. 

Great Northern – This King

It has to start sometime and that time is now…MERRY CHRISTMAS! F’ you if you can’t handle Christmas music in mid-November.  I love Thanksgiving as much as the next guy but we have very little time between the two holidays this year so I am celebrating my favorite holiday a little early.  This track comes off of the charity CD “Plastic Snow” put out by the blog Confessions of a Would-be Hipster and all proceeds go to help the LA Midnight Mission.  It’s only $10 and well worth the money as it is going to support a very worthwhile cause.  This is one of the first stand out tracks to me.  There is nothing in it that will hit you over the head and scream “YULE TIDE SPIRIT” but it is there in verse.  Honestly, you probably wouldn’t know it was a Christmas themed song unless it came on a charity CD such as this.  Also be a sport and support this nice local band, Great Northern, at a show. 

Randy Travis – Too Gone Too Long

This guy really doesn’t need your support anymore as he has put out 4-5 billion records and has sold 15x that number of albums.  Still, you should own a least one of his records so do buy one just because your collection is lacking.  Thus if it is for selfish reasons it is perfectly acceptable.  My 13 year old self would have kicked my current ass if he knew I would one day recommend someone listen to this song. It was another modern country radio hit and one I would hear all the time on the way to church, Grandma’s or anywhere else we would go that local talk radio wasn’t on.

Halloween was a blast in West Hollywood.  While the walk turned out to be a little more than we expected I think a good time was had by almost everyone. (Sorry Brendo again, those guys are jerks.) Here’s to a weekend hopefully filled with studying. 

Jay Reatard – I’m Watching You

I got this release several weeks back and didn’t initially go for it.  I finally listened to it the middle of last week and became hooked on it.  This has currently replaced Airborne Toxic Event as my go to work album to listen to all the way through.  (BTW, the album is Matador singles 08)  While not being the most consisse record since it is just as the name implys, a collection of singles Reatard put out this year, all of the songs will grab you.  Another of my trends seems to be to pick a song that doesn’t exactly fit with the flow of the rest of the album, this is no exception.  While it is my current favorite I find myself never remembering exactly what the song title is.  Rather stupid when the title is the chorus but go figure. 

Saturday Looks Good to Me – Alcohol

They just completed a feature on ESPN that pitted high school football in various states against one another.  If they ever did such a fictitious tournament with indie band states I have a feeling that Michigan would be in the top 5.  Saturday Looks Good To Me is a band hailing from the Great Lakes state, starting in 2000. I don’t even remember what CD I ordered from Polyvinyl records in 2004 but whatever it was, I received a sampler of other artists on the label.  This was the stand out on a compilation featuring of Montreal, Volcano, I’m Still Excited!! And Mates of State.  I’d forgotten about the song and the group but I always come back to it as I seemingly put it on every single mix CD I made that year.  The lyrics are a little hard to follow but never the less the hide and go seek with your emotions aspects of the song do come through.  

Drive-By Truckers – Outfit

For whatever reason I’ve been listening to their entire catalog a lot over the last few weeks.  This comes off of Decoration Day and this is a Jason Isbell track, who I’ve previously written about for his solo work after he left/got kicked out of the Drive-By Truckers.  I honestly don’t know why this song hasn’t gotten more crossover success as it is really that good.  It also has that sentimentality that would make it a hit with the mainstream crowd and doesn’t get too heavy on the symbolism.  I’ve never had a lot of deep conversations with my dad but I can see this kind of thing being what we would discuss.  I know I wonder sometimes if there is that brief bit of disappointment over not having chosen the farm as a career path.  You never know though.  The way this economy is going I could be back on the farm at some point, or at least whatever is left of it come February. 

Ryan Adams & the Cardinals – Cobwebs

From Adams’ new album, Cardinology.  Again, nothing compared to Heartbreaker but it is getting to be unfair to say he needs to match or surpass that effort.  Sometimes you can’t surpass the innocence of youth.