Yeah, so I accidentally downloaded some dude's playlist and all the corresponding files. So, I listened to it today and did this little review for fun. Some of the artists I knew, others I didn't.

1) Pantera - Cowboys from Hell
The moshy metal groove to this one has always been hard to deny. Not something I would have ever have purchased or gotten any further into - but I can appreciate this tune for it's sheer throat-tearin' rockiness. Still, I feel I would be remiss in my duties as a fan of thoughtful lyricism if I did not include the following phrase: "bonehead lyrics".

2) Scott Walker - Farmer in The City
Operatic, affected male tenor vocals over gentle swells of strings and horns. I am alternately reminded of the soundtrack of the animated short "The Snowman" and picturing a cartoonish ghost singing his spooky lament. I am sure this guy is considered to be very talented, but it's not my thing at all. Now, if Morrissey were singing this....

3) Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds - Foi Na Cruz
I keep hoping i'm going to come across a Nick Cave track that is going to grab me. This isn't it. It's very pretty though. It reminds me of a Marty Robbins ballad or some shit, what with the spanish undertones, strings and keys. For now, the closest Cave has come to getting my attention is that really sexy, breathy song he did with Anita Lane.

4) Matt Pond PA - Halloween
This is good, albeit pedestrian and generic. Warm, earnest indie rock vocals over a midtempo tune with violins and nice keyboards. Pretty much what you would expect from Matt Pond PA. He's not breaking any moulds here, but it's good music. Jello Biafra would call it "music for bedwetters".

5) Cat Stevens - Lady D'Arbanville
Ugh. Lame, cheesy and pretentious lyrics over equally lame and stale spanish guitars. Remember that scene in South Park where Stan's grandpa locked him in a room with Enya playing to illustrate how excrutiatingly horrible his life had become? Grandpa could have just as easily used this song.

6) Love As Laughter - Old Gold
This is ok. Pretty rockin tune. Nice raw, sloppy, biting guitars. Probably one of the better Love As Laughter tunes I have heard. Chorus reminds me of a slower Explosion. Verses sound like Sonic Youth using The Hives' gear. Well done, but no real hook, either.

7) Freakwater - Right Brothers
Authentic sounding Country and Western. Soulful and hurtin', and convincingly so. She's no Loretta Lynn or Patsy Cline (or even Neko Case, for that matter) but she's capable.

8) Robert Pollard - Gold
Not his best, not his worst. Falls right into that middle ground that Bob seems to hit 80% of the time nowadays. Kind of melancholy, some tremolo guitar, some harmonica. No real hook. Bob's one of those artists I NEED a hook from.

9) Tom Waits - Top Of The Hill
This must be from his latest, because it has some dude doing percussion with his voice. Tom grunts and gasps on about bone throttles and being made of bread, sounding more like Billy Bob Thornton's character from Slingblade than ever before. I keep expecting him to say "umm hmmmm, get me some biscuits and taters.". I like Tom Waits, but this song is one I would skip through if I had this CD.

10) George Harrison - Microbes
Starts out with a solo honkin' Middle Eastern horn. One minute in: still honkin', no accompaniment. Two minutes in: still honkin'. Two minutes and 12 seconds in: I skip to the next song.

11) Bardo Pond - 01JD
over 7 minutes long. Wispy androgenous vocals. Slow. I'd fall asleep if it weren't for the droning backwards-sounding guitar. Next.

12) Ryan Adams - 29
See # 8. replace both "melancholy" and "tremolo" with "honky tonkin'".

13) Shearwater - A Hush
Starts with a banjo pluck and some nice Coldplay-esque guitar picking. Guy comes in and sounds like he's the poor man's Jeff Buckley. As in, "That poor man! He's trying to sound like Jeff Buckley.". This song isn't bad. Once it gets going it has a nice roomy production and a nice violin. Sounds like the new wave of Coldplay and Keane style Britpop. Jello Biafra would call it "music for bedwetters".

14) Slumber Party - Air
Jangly, garagy pop that reminds me of The Primitives. Nice. THERE's the hook. Once the song picks up, it starts to sound more like The Raveonettes.

15) Norfolk & Western - All The Towns Near Boston
Another one that has that Coldplay / Death Cab vibe going on. This one has the advantage of a pedal steel. I like this one so far. Sort of sounds like Atom (without His Package) trying his hand at sweet, soft vocals. Here come the strings. They are not all in tune with the song. I'm sure it's done for effect. Jello Biafra would call this "music for bedwetters".

16) Fruit Bats - Death of The Clayton Peacock
I am familiar with these guys from that insanely catchy "I am the cub that was washed out with the flood" song. It's almost criminal that a band can get away with having such a James Taylor vibe going on and still be that catchy. This song is mostly instrumental with some ooozin' ahhs. Snare rolls, banjo... it's over pretty quickly. Meh.

17) The Church - Destination
Hello 1984! You can't miss that production. Chorus Pedals on everything, reverby drums you can almost hear the glitter flying off of in slow motion, and that soft, inoffensive mastering that graced almost every album back then. I guess they wanted music to accentuate your cocaine haze, not jar you out of it. This may be a decent song, but it's crap with this production. Lame.

18) Kiss - Deuce (Live)
YOU WANTED THE BEST AND YOU GOT IT! THE HOTTEST BAND IN THE LAND...... KISS!!!! This is horrible. The drummer sucks.

19) Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Do You Love Me
This isn't it, either. I enjoy the whole atmosphere and asthetic of Cave, but his music doesn't grab me. It's very cinematic, dramatic... maybe i'm not in the right mood. This is not every day music.

20) Tori Amos - Horses
Never could get into Tori Amos. No exception here.

21) Badfinger - Just A Chance
Despite the bassline that at times borders on disco, this isn't a bad slab of what sounds like 70s guitar rock in the form of a pop song. Reminds me of Big Star in a way. If this was on the radio, I wouldn't change the dial. Good thing it's only 2:58, though.

22) Okkervil River - Kathy Keller
Haven't heard this particular OR tune. Pretty stripped down compared to Black Sheep Boy. Not bad. Sticks to a generic train rhythm. Kinds of comes off sounding like a more saccharine Violent Femmes.

23) The Faces & Rod Stewart - Miss Judy's Farm
Yep. boogyin' along with some cheesy 70s organ. This tune is a meaty little Stones wanna-be. Pretty Raw, which is good. If it weren't for that damn organ.... I'm sure this is considered a a classic in certain circles, but it's not my thing. I appreciate the tempo changes. And the fact that Rod's gonna burn down her farm.

24) Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Pape Won't Leave You, Henry
This isn't it, either.

25) Emmylou Harris - Sister's Coming Home (With Tanya Tucker)
This watered down, sterile, lameass production is ruining any decent country music that may still come out of Nashville.

26) Graham Coxon - Standing On My Own Again
Brash pop guitars and brash cockney vocals make this a winner. Graham is making great rock music, even if Blur isn't.

27) Kiss - Watchin' You (Live)
I can't take it. Next.

28) Damien Jurado - Wedding Cake
Dude sounds like Travis from the Dismemberment Plan. I can tell already that the vocal phrasing is going to be stuck in my head. Good mid-tempo indie rock.

29) The Beach Boys - You Need A Mess of Help to Stand Alone
This is great. Bawdy, rocking, fun, catchy. This must be the Beach Boys stuff that I hear people raving about. I'm not schooled in the Beach Boys at all (except for singles like "Barbara Ann", etc). To my unschooled ear, I would have to say this reminds me of The Band (just a certain part) and some of the stuff on Weezer's Pinkerton.

30) Bob Dylan - Main Title Theme (Billy)
pleasant little instrumental.

That sounds like fun.

Church and Kiss on the same comp? Bizarre. Tell me, how does it flow (the overall comp)?

It flows alright. I don't know if this person put much thought into the order.

Wow, Modem you ripping up some pretty good tunes there.

"Lady D'Arbanville" is awful? Not last time I heard it.

"Microbes" honkin'? Heh. Heh.

Fruit Bats and Bardo Pond are meh?

"Destination" lame? Wee-howdy, my man, no.

Badfinger is 70's, by the way. Lead dude's been dead for ages and ages.

But my favorite has to be comparing Beach Boys to Weezer.


Thanks for the entertainment.

hey, I said it was an unschooled opinion. To rephrase, I should say, now I know where Weezer got the inspiration for some of the vocals on Pinkerton.

Ripping up good tunes? That's what I do, dawg.

Anyway, good thread.

who puts 3 Nick Cave songs on a mix?

Edit: (aside from this dude)

I have a couple of friends who would make really Cave - heavy mixes.



P.S.



"Let 'em all go to hell/ Except Cave 76!"

i love that song! there's not very many artists that could start using beatboxing and turntables and not have it come off as a lame attempt to sound current. that overdriven sax riff gets me every time. but yeah, the percussion does sound like he's repeatedly trying to cough something up.