Monday Mixtape, Vol. 216

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An eclectic and awesome mix of tracks this week. Every artist is completely different than the other, every style a separate satellite streaming sound beams.

I love first tracks on album. Such a tone setter. Are we coming in hard? Smooth? Short? Long? Loud? Soft? What statement are you making with the first song? What I love from this track from Sure Sure, “Lonely One,” was I heard this song randomly with no idea whether it was a single or on an album. I just looked: it’s the first track on their new album.

OF COURSE IT IS. It swaggers and shimmies, such a vibe. I’m so interested where this album goes. Time will tell.

The Beths new album was named Best New Album by Pitchfork, and “Knees Deep” and “Your Side” should give you a feel why.

I’ve never heard of Sports Team, but apparently they won the coveted Mercury Prize (UK’s Album of the Year) in 2020. This track, “The Game,” is a head banger of a track. Super punk and gives me some Rancid vibes. I will be checking out both their new album just released as well as 2020’s jam.

Courting is another band that’s a mess of music like spaghetti splattering the soundboard. Who knows if you’ll like it.

Monday Mixtape, Vol., 215

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Some great tunes, some great artists, and a relatively relaxed mixtape vibe to start your week.

I say relatively because Silversun Pickups start the tape with their opening track from their dark and haunting new album.

Windser, Ark Patrol, and Tim Atlas cover up the darkness with more chill. And lastly, Djo, or for those who have done their research, “It’s that guy!!??” DYOR. Hehe.

Have a good week.

Monday Mixtape, Vol. 214

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Remi Wolf bursts out into this week’s mixtape with panache, rhythm, and some choice words for the ladies,

All these little bitches telling me what to do
They really gettin’ me hot
I got a bone to pick
Ain’t got a bone to lick

Her flow is phenomenal. She rides the rhythm in every direction and controls the whole song vocally. This was recorded live and is a testament to her talent. I wrote about her many months ago on her track “Disco Man,” another track to check out.

My recent obsession goes by the name of The Backseat Lovers. The vocals remind me of a mix between Bombay Bicycle Club and The Kooks. Other sonic influences I hear include Bloc Party, lots of Kings of Leon (mainly the guitars, that little riff that starts “Kilby Girl” as well as the reverb in the background), Two Door Cinema Club (the quick transition made to clean guitars at 3:03 and the soaring riff that follows is exactly like TDCC’s “What You Know”) .

Speaking of TDCC, they released a new album! I’ll note again that the last live show I saw of them a year ago was really, really good, like knocked-my-socks-off good. The kids are professionals now. I gotta listen to the album more, it kinda feels like it’ll grow on me over time like their last album.

I love their smidges of silence, and the use of quiet to contrast their loudness, and they do this well on their more introspective tracks (check their 2019 major label debut for more).

Julia Jacklin just released her highly anticipated new album, and I think this is the best track.

Extra points if you recognize the voice on the Amtrac song :)

Beabadoobee is awesome. Really awesome. Her album this year is so damn good. Gotta be Top 10 this year.

Monday Mixtape, Vol. 213

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Quarters of Change, my favorite new band this year, released a contender for my favorite album of 2022, their debut studio LP, Into the Rift.

This album sweeps up sounds spanning decades. My youth is repped with remembrances of 311 and Thursday, harmonies and riffs akin to The Killers, modern influences like The 1975 with vocals like Luke Pritchard of The Kooks, and even odes to The Cure. Throw all that into the rift, and you’ve got quite the mix.

These young rabble rousers even have the audacity to start their album with two five minute songs! One of which has a…wait is that…a guitar solo! Let’s not sleep on the bass lines either. These guys are old school. I dig it.

So dig into my favorites:

Monday Mixtape, Vol. 211

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I can’t say I’ve fully digested Arcade Fire’s new album, but the first two tracks resonate. These first two tracks, which are the first two tracks on this week’s mixtape, are in two parts, flow like one track, sound like four acts. Their transitions (listen at 3:15 and 1:21 of “Age of Anxiety I” and “II,” respectively, and Win Butler’s topical lyrics, have always been reasons I’ve followed Arcade Fire for so many years.

His lyrics to start “Age of Anxiety I”:

It's the age of doubt
And I doubt we’ll figure it out
Is it you or is it me?
The age of anxiety
(Are you talking to me?)

Fight the fever with TV
In the age where nobody sleeps
And the pills do nothing for me
In the age of anxiety

Speaking of good lyricists, Julien Baker has made quite a name for herself on the indie scene for her songwriting. “Guthrie” is one of her most recent tracks, another sad beauty, the songs she may be best at. Here are the verses she starts and then ends the song on:

I only say
What I really mean
When I start talking
To you in my sleep
Oh, I can be honest
When I think it's a dream
I can make promises
Sober I'll never keep


Oh, I miss when I was certain
About every little thing
So scared of forgetting that I put it down in ink
Used to call upon the Spirit, now I think Heaven lets it ring
Wanted so bad to be good
But there's no such thing

Ethel Cain, at her worst, sounds like a wannabe Lana Del Rey, and at her best, sounds like she does on “American Teenager.”

Flipturn and Julia Jacklin grace this week’s mixtape along with Orville Peck.

Have a good week!

Monday Mixtape, Vol. 210

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I’m back for a second week in a row! It’s like Joe Dimaggio’s hit streak.

King Gizzard’s “Magenta Mountain” is the song-child of MGMT’s “Electric Feel” and “Kids.” These are two of the greatest (and even more influential) songs of the past 25 years, so I welcome all copycats.

Oracular Spectacular is now 15 years old…so that makes me…really old.

Sharon Van Etten’s new track is very outside her lane, which is great. Gives me Arcade Fire vibes.

The hell if I know who Lo Moon and Ceramic Animal are.

I’m a Wilco fan boy, always will be. At this point, they’re properly rated, maybe they have been since Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Why do I love Wilco? Because they do things like this! Sadly, I missed out on Wilc-O’s, the cereal. No longer available :(

Jeff Tweedy is properly underrated, always will be. He’s my Dylan. Yeah, I said it. I didn’t say he was Dylan, so cool out, but listen to “Ambulance” and soooo many songs before that. Listen to his solo albums. Listen to the album he made with his 16 year old kid! It’s all great, and Tweedy’s a poet every step of the way. That dude and a guitar is all I need.

Let’s end with Lupe, another wordsmith. His new album is good. It’s simply produced. It allows Lupe room to breathe. He exhibits his masterful wordplay while not trying too hard (there’s a bad line or two and couldn’t believe Lupe was cool with it, but that’s me being petty.). And his voice sounds like old Lupe.

Turns out Lupe recorded his album with a $100 microphone and GarageBand! Which is less than I spent on my album! And my album was SO MUCH better than Lupe’s. Ok ok, it was so much worse, which goes to show that money can’t buy talent. But then there’s the entire pop music industry which would say otherwise. So I guess that goes to show that money can buy you talent, but you have to have enough money to buy you talent, and I didn’t have enough money to buy me talent even though I had more than $100 but not as much as Iggy Azalea.

Enjoy the week.

Monday Mixtape, Vol. 209

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Well, I was supposed to be reporting to you every week, and I’ve blown it! A number of new albums released have catapulted up my list of favorite albums this year. The nominees are Harry Styles, Bartees Strange, Soccer Mommy, and Martin Courtney (singer/songwriter of one of my faves, Real Estate).

What I love about each of these artists is they sound nothing like each other:

  • Harry Styles is the heir-apparent to Justin Timberlake, but I think he’s a better songwriter and a much more palatable voice (sometimes JT’s falsetto gets a bit much)

  • Bartees Strange is unique. He’s a mashup. I hear TV on the Radio in his vocals, Jeff Buckley in his intimacy, Minus the Bear with some go his guitar riffs, and on and on. This guy’s got a lot of talent.

  • Soccer Mommy is 90s grunge redux.

  • Martin Courtney’s second solo album shows again why he’s the heart and soul of the uber-chill Real Estate.

Enjoy!