Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Year-end mix

Here are some songs from my favorite albums of this past year...as usually, I've screwed it up, at least slightly. I forgot to put any Man Man on, and also Roy Harper, both highlights...oh well.


It's in two parts, here's the first

The second is somewhat weirder and less homogenous, if that's even possible.


Tracks
Big Dipper "Faith Healer"
Alejandro Escovedo "Golden Bear"
Ian Matthews "Desert Inn"
Thalia Zedek Band "Green and Blue"
Wovenhand "Not One Stone"
Gutter Twins, "Idle Hands"
The Dirtbombs, "Leopardman at C&A"
Human Bell "Ephaphatha (Be Opened)
Mount Eerie with Julie Doiron "You Swan Go On"
Karen Dalton "Katie Cruel"
Experimental Aircraft "With a Gun"
Jay Reatard "Flourescent Grey"
Giant Sand "The Desperate Kingdom of Love"
Bon Iver "Skinny Love"
Lights "At Midnight"
Kelley Stoltz "I Nearly Lost My Mind"
Steve Wynn "Wait Until You Get To Know Me"
Calexico "El Gatillo"
Boston Spaceships "Still in Rome"

Part 2
King Khan and the Shrines "No Regrets"
The Starlite Desperation "I Lost My Bees"
Fabulous Diamonds "Untitled" (They're all untitled, this one is track 4)
Mahjonggh "Tell the Police the Truth"
The War on Drugs "Taking the Farm"
Pontiak "Dome Under the Sky"
Retribution Gospel Choir "Destroyer"
Stars Like Fleas "I Was Only Dancing"
The Accidentals "I Can Hear Your Voice"
Michael Chapman, "A Stranger's Map of Texas/The Twisted Road"

They'll be up for seven days...I might re-up the whole thing when my year-end essay runs. But first I have to write it.

9 comments:

robp said...

Ah, some Kelly Stoltz - I was worried about you, not seeing that name all over yr best of posts.

You know, I first heard 'Leopardman' on one of your mixes, then I put it on one of mine, recently I got the album - alright! Now I'll have it on 4 different discs! Can't get too much of that song.

And I really look forward to the Part 2 weirdness, although it does seem like that's right where Man Man would fit in. I also notice a lack of Mogwai, but I have faith in your skills of compensation.

jenniferpkelly said...

oh FUCK, I forgot Mogwai, too!

But in any case, it's a fun car disc, at least disc one is. I haven't road tested disc two yet.

Thanks for caring...I feel a little ridiculous doing these "best-of" mixes...like anybody could ever capture the best of any year, especially me.

Ian said...

My god, someone else likes Stars Like Fleas. That record is probably in my top ten this year.

Ian said...

Also, I'm a pretty significant Mogwai fan, but I do feel their new one is easily their worst album. Maybe if I see them live again...

Ian said...

Also also, I love that Karen Dalton track, but I've had it for a few years. Reissue?

jenniferpkelly said...

Yeah, it's from Green Rocky Road, which is a collection of live recordings from about 1963. It's on Delmore Records, very rough, compared to her later stuff, but nice.

There must be something wrong with me. I really like that Mogwai, and I liked Mr. Beast a lot, too.

Did you review Stars Like Fleas, Ian? I did it for Dusted.

Ian said...

Yeah, I reviewed it for PopMatters. Shannon used to write for Stylus and Todd Burns (our indefatigable editor) had been saying wonderful if cryptic things for years, so I jumped on the opportunity. I also got to see them live (Sam Amidon, actually, let me know they were coming to Ontario and told me that Shannon liked the PM review which was nice), and if you haven't... Todd used to say that on any given night they were either the best or worst live band in NYC, and I guess they've either gotten more consistent or I just got lucky, because the show was mind-blowing.

I don't think there's anything wrong with you... I really like Mr. Beast, for example. The new one sounds fine (I've heard it at the store a bunch) it just doesn't really grab me, except for that oddly Eno-flavoured single.

Ian said...

I'm listening to that first mix now, and with a few exceptions I'm quite liking this... too late to investigate further, though, at least for PM (Mount Eerie/Julie Doiron made my top 20, but not my top 10).

jenniferpkelly said...

Oh, good, glad you're enjoying it.

I always find a few records that should have been top 20 after the fact...though not usually top 10. (Ten is such a small number.)