Stoner Night Mix [January 2010]

I've recently decided to go back and start posting some old mixes that I've made over the years, both for specific people and otherwise, along with a short write-up reflecting my current thoughts on what past-James might have been thinking/digging when he made said mix.

Let's begin:

Earlier this year, my roommate Jesse asked me to make a mix for him and his new (and now former) boyfriend, Andy, to listen to while indulging in a little smoked cannabis (something Andy was largely unfamiliar with). As a vocal advocate of the ancient tradition of "getting high and listening to rock music", I happily accepted the challenge and went about crafting a suitable stoner night mix. From what I recall, Andy and Jesse enjoyed it immensely. Here's hoping that you will too, even if you don't play in the grass.

For the people who raise an eyebrow at the inclusion of certain songs on my list, please keep in mind that I am very much a lyrics-guy and, as such, I find a revelatory verse to be just as awe-inspiring as any extended jam-band guitar theatrics or murky, oscillating atmospherics. Not that I excluded those, of course, but my mentality here was both to cover all the bases and to make a mix that I personally would love to listen to while high. And, at least in the latter regard, I can claim some measure of success.

Also interesting to note is how the mix is informally separated into two sections: the first half (tracks 1-9) being much darker in key and character then the last half (tracks 10-18), which is much warmer and of a brighter tonality. I'm not certain why I did this, and it certainly isn't totally consistent (no one will argue that "End Of Radio" is a warm song) but there was some deliberate effort on my part to begin in a dark place and move towards the light.

In my own work I strive to mix feelings of dread and tension with those of beauty and hope, and perhaps this mix is something of a reflection of that ideal. Or maybe it was just an accident, a pattern I noticed and expanded on. Who knows.

Either way, I hope that a few of you get some enjoyment out of it (preferably gathered around a bong). Please share it freely.

Here's the track-list:

01. Smog - "Permanent Smile"
02. Talking Heads - "Memories Can't Wait"
03. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan - "Lament"
04. Liars - "Broken Witch"
05. Jonny Greenwood - "Eat Him By His Own Light"
06. The Velvet Underground - "The Murder Mystery"
07. The Mountain Goats - "Ezekiel 7 And The Permanent Efficacy Of Grace"
08. Joy Division - "The Eternal"
09. Sonic Youth - "Trilogy"
10. Rock Plaza Central - "The Things That Bind You"
11. Fever Ray - "Keep The Streets Empty For Me"
12. Neil Young - "Powderfinger"
13. Shellac - "End Of Radio"
14. Silver Jews - "The Wild Kindness"
15. Radiohead - "Last Flowers"
16. Pavement - "Fin"
17. Bob Dylan - "Not Dark Yet"
18. Pink Floyd - "Dogs"

And here's the download link:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=DWO2I3DW

Enjoy.

P.S. If you are lacking in a reliable green energy source, please do not hesitate to contact me.

James' Best Songs Of 2010

So, yeah, I know I haven't updated my blog in a year. For a guy who spends much of his time chatting about music over the internet, you'd think I'd have invested more in this kind of thing.

But here we are.

Moving on. I'm back! Well, at least long enough to post my yearly best songs list.

It's been a hectic year for me. I'm playing in three active bands now which, don't get me wrong, is great, but consider also that I am the sole songwriter in two of them. Yeah . . . that's a lot of work. What this means is that I've listened to way less new music this past year. Which is a shame, but it's a small price to pay for being able to do what I love with the people I like for the people I am ambivalent toward but would like to have pay me. Did that make sense? Regardless, expect to be facebook concert-spammed very, very soon.

As some of you will surely notice, this year's list is shorter than last year's. In fact, it's the shortest list I've done since I first started making them in 2005 (though I didn't start giving them away to people until 2007). Now, despite what I said earlier, I did listen to a ton of great records this year and not all of them were included on this list. Unlike last year's two-part behemoth, I opted to start the new decade with a short, concise list of the songs I loved the very most in 2010. While I enjoyed doing it the other way, part of me felt I had to work too hard to fit in songs by bands that, while great, make better albums than they do singles. Also: this was way less work.

Anyway. Feel free to download it and share it with friends. And please let me know what great songs/records I missed out on. Being a music fan means constantly playing catchup and I'm sure there were a ton of record released this year just waiting for me to love. Hopefully I can find the time before the onslaught of great new music begins again in 2011.

As much as I hate to say it, this might be my last year doing this list. Though I'll never stop listening to new music and giving it to/forcing it upon friends, I'm usually too busy writing my own songs these days to listen to songs by anyone else. Total gift/curse, believe me.

Oh, and if this does happen to be my last year I'd like to take this opportunity to congratulate Spencer Krug on being the only artist to have a song on every year-end list I've ever done. It really baffles me how prolifically brilliant this guy is. Seriously, dude releases like two albums a year and he is only getting better (some might argue that point, but no one could argue that he's getting worse). My guess is that he is actually some kind of wizard (which would explain all the dragon references).

Here is the list:

01. LCD Soundsystem - "I Can Change" [from This Is Happening]
02. Gil Scott-Heron - "New York Is Killing Me" [from I'm New Here]
03. The Hold Steady - "The Weekenders" [from Heaven Is Whenever]
04. Joanna Newsom - "Good Intentions Paving Company" [from Have One On Me]
05. Liars - "The Overachievers" [from Sisterworld]
06. The Tallest Man On Earth - "Troubles Will Be Gone" [from The Wild Hunt]
07. Wolf Parade - "What Did My Lover Say? (It Always Had To Go This Way) [from Expo 86]
08. The National - "Anyone's Ghost" [from High Violet]
09. Woods - "Death Rattles" [from At Echo Lake]
10. Grinderman - "Heathen Child" [from Grinderman 2]
11. Spoon - "Out Go The Lights" [from Transference]
12. Arcade Fire - "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)" [from The Suburbs]

And here is the download link:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=GWDIZE6J

Enjoy.