got it today... will be reviewing shortly.

updated:

bgl3 – Walking Through Confusion with a Smile on my Face

First of all, Barton, thanks for the slip you included with your cd… it means a lot to me, as I’m going through a rough (but different) time myself right now, so I feel like I’m in the right mindset to listen to this. I actually did something different with yours… I looked up the lyrics online and read along as I listened to the tunes.

1. Unsatisfied – the Replacements – Beautiful intro. I hadn’t heard this song before, but the sentiment hits home with me. I’m a sucker for lyrics, esp. when I feel like they’re applicable to real life, current situations, and this one fits right now. 4/5
2. Rebound – Sebadoh – “No one lives their life, doing all the things they say they should.” Hear, hear. 4/5
3. Gold Soundz – Pavement – Another good tune… I swear to god, Bart, you’re going to make me cry, and I’m not even halfway through this yet. 3/5
4. Made of Stone – Stone Roses- You know, I think you do what a lot of us obners do, in that you really tune in to what you’re listening to, and what it means to you at the moment. As snobbish as this sounds, most people don’t do this, so for that, I applaud you and appreciate it. I can see how this might have affected you due to what happened to your dad. 3/5
5. Flowers – Galaxie 500 – for whatever reason, I was never a big G500 fan, so this song isn’t doing much for me. 2/5
6. Stymied – Buffalo Tom – Buffalo Tom is another one I’m not extremely fond of, unfortunately, so this one didn’t touch me. 2/5
7. Beauty Lies in the Eye – Sonic Youth – you know, I stopped listening to Sonic Youth after 100% came out… probably a mistake, but oh well. This is a good one. 4/5
8. The Slim – Sugar – ok, now we’re getting into anger territory… another emotion I can relate to right now. I wasn’t familiar with this, so it’s nice. 3/5
9. Debonair – Afghan Whigs – I’m late to the game on the Dulli love, but am truly a convert now. Don’t know what the hell I was thinking before, but after graduation from college, I consider it a “dark period” in d’s musical exploration. Definitely fits in with your theme. 4/5
10. I Wanna Touch You – Catherine Wheel – Um, I can’t say anything else besides: yes. 5/5
11. Double Dare – Yo La Tengo – this one isn’t resonating with me right now… maybe after a few listens it would make a difference. 2/5
12. Ride with Me – the Lemonheads – I’m doing that right now, btw… not trusting myself, but trusting someone else. Let’s hope it works. 3/5
13. Tractor Rape Chain – Guided by Voices – Christ, are you reading my mind this season? I’m not really a GBV fan, but the lyrics worked. 3/5
14. Vapour Trail – Ride – Beautiful. 5/5
15. Sweetness Follows – R.E.M. – this is about the time I truly stopped listening to R.E.M. I didn’t even realize I had this album, until I looked it up online. Nice song, but I still prefer the incoherent Michael to this one. 3/5
16. Blown a Wish – My Bloody Valentine – I usually love MBV, but this song isn’t sitting well with me. 2/5
17. Another Souvenir – the Connells – my college roommate was in love with these guys… I never really shared the feeling. 2/5
18. Up in the Air – Husker Du – it’s weird, I’ve really tried giving Husker Du a fair shake over the years, but ultimately? I don’t like them. 2/5
19. About You – Jesus and Mary Chain – I’m not familiar with this song at all, but I love me some JAMC. This is lovely. 4/5
20. Road – Nick Drake – What a lovely sentiment… something I need to keep in mind right now. 4/5
21. Drive That Fast – Kitchens of Distinctions – heh, a friend of mine recently sent me this track, and I hadn’t heard it in ages. Great stuff, man, and a wonderful way to end your mix. 4/5

Bart, thanks for taking me on this journey… it was a very meaningful and personal one. I think I remember really liking your last mix as well, so it’s no surprise that this one was favorable as well.

3.1 out of 5

1. Unsatisfied – the Replacements
Many obners may find this sad....but my Replacements/Westerberg cherry has just now been officially popped. As far as I know, I've never heard a song by this band (but then again, I did see the movie Singles and I know there was some Westerberg on the soundtrack).
7.5

2. Rebound – Sebadoh
I was always a bigger fan of Folk Implosion than I was Sebadoh. This is short and catchy enough for my liking.
7.2

3. Gold Soundz – Pavement
The only Pavement album I ever owned was S&E, and I never got into it much. I do like Stephen's solo material though. I don't know what album this song is from but it's a lot more melodic than what I'm used to for them.
6.5

4. Made of Stone – Stone Roses
I just got this album recently and grew to really like this track. I am always reminded of The Rolling Stones' "Paint it Black" when it starts out.
7.6

5. Flowers – Galaxie 500
Has a cool spacey feel...if only it weren't so repetitive. Vox go occasionally off-key, but not annoyingly so.
5.8

6. Stymied – Buffalo Tom
It's not something that I'd consider "bad," but nothing's really clicked after multiple spins.
5.5

7. Beauty Lies in the Eye – Sonic Youth
Was never big on Sonic Youth, but I do like some of Daydream Nation. This is kind of meandering.
6.3

8. The Slim – Sugar
This is really good, espceially the bridge at 2:47. This actually reminds me of another band on this comp, Catherine Wheel. I always used to see one of Sugar's albums in bargain bins everywhere. I'll be sure to not glance over it next time I see it. I also had no idea this was a Bob Mould-related band.
8.2

9. Debonair – Afghan Whigs
Like Dnorwood, I kinda missed the Afghan Whigs/Greg Dulli/Twilight Singers train. I always intended to pick up Gentlemen at the recommendation of others, but forgot. I suppose this brings me closer to doing so, but not that much closer.
6.8

10. I Wanna Touch You – Catherine Wheel
Ah...Ferment....The only Catherine Wheel record I like consistently all the way through.
9.1

11. Double Dare – Yo La Tengo
I didn't discover YLT until the year 2000 and I've grown to like a lot of their output, but I've never actually heard this song before until now. This has become a stand out track for me in regard to songs on this comp I've never heard before. It takes full advantage of the band's noisiness and unique sense of melody.
8.5

12. Ride with Me – the Lemonheads
I never expected these guys to be so morose, considering they had album titles like Come On Feel the Lemonheads. Cool lyrics...not completely engaged by the music.
6.0

13. Tractor Rape Chain – Guided by Voices
Bee Thousand wasn't a monumental album for me like it was for everyone else, but I do like this song. I'm not distracted by the lo-fi quality at all.
7.7

14. Vapour Trail – Ride
Yes yes yes! From my fav album by Ride.
8.4

15. Sweetness Follows – R.E.M.
Wasn't familiar with this one...and I'm just realizing it's from Automatic, a record I actually own. Guess I haven't listened to it much. I found it tedious at first but it got better after the 3rd or so listen. One of the more intimate tracks here, and I can see why it would have hit home with you at the time given the circumstances.
7.0

16. Blown a Wish – My Bloody Valentine
Classic song from a top 20 album for me.
9.5

17. Another Souvenir – the Connells
Now this one really snuck up on me....I wasn't expecting to end up liking this one as much as I did. Good chorus.
7.9

18. Up in the Air – Husker Du
Another highly influential band that I forgot to check out. This is fine. I always expected these guys to be a little more abrasive.
6.6

19. About You – Jesus and Mary Chain
I didn't really get into Darklands that much. Whenever I hear a J&MC song for the 1st time, I always tend to think it sounds cool, but predictable. Weird how after a couple of more listens, their music starts to reveal a level of vibrancy...or in this case, warmth. This is better than half of Psychocandy, I'll say that.
7.3

20. Road – Nick Drake
Short, simple, but still says a lot.
7.0

21. Drive That Fast – Kitchens of Distinctions
Never heard these guys before. There's not much in the way of melody that's really grabbing me, but it has that noisy/dreamy rock sound that has become a favorite of mine over the years. Might check them out again if the mood strikes me.
6.9

Unfortunately, I missed out on a lot of the "mid 80s through early 90s" indie rock. A lot of stuff here I can see myself returning to. Another solid mix from bg13. A cool sleeve as well. Thanks!

1. Unsatisfied – the Replacements
One of my favorite songs from my favorite band. Stone-cold classic. Westerberg at his most raw. 5/5.

2. Rebound – Sebadoh
I only have one Sebadoh album and have enjoyed what I've heard of them but haven't really explored 'em all that much. I should correct that. No gimmicks, just a good rock song. 3/5.

3. Gold Soundz – Pavement
Never got into Pavement all that much. They have good tunes, nice melodies, etc. but Malkmus' vocals just don't do it for me very much. This is a prime example. Still, all in all a nice song. 3/5.

4. Made of Stone – Stone Roses
I love the Stone Roses. Hard to really go wrong with any of their songs. That said, this isn't my absolute favorite song of theirs, but it still strong. Chorus is catchy as hell. 3/5.

5. Flowers – Galaxie 500
Never heard a Galaxie 500 song in my life. Sounds a bit like Slowdive, just not as good. Nice guitar solo at two minutes in. 2/5.

6. Stymied – Buffalo Tom
I've always been a huge Buffalo Tom fan. One of the first bands I really got into heavily - maybe around 93. Again, this isn't the Buffalo Tom song I would have chosen, however. Bill Janovitz is simply a great songwriter. 3/5.

7. Beauty Lies in the Eye – Sonic Youth
Never been into SY at all even though I respect what they have done. I'd rather listen to Velvet Underground. 2/5.

8. The Slim – Sugar
I just recently bought Sugar Blue and it really is a kick ass album. The production screams out mid-90s alterna rock but you can't deny the songs. This is one of the best songs on that album. Nice choice to awaken me from my SY slumber. 4/5.

9. Debonair – Afghan Whigs
Never listened to the Whigs much but I have heard this song and like it. Nice vocal, nice guitar, just a good song. 4/5.

10. I Wanna Touch You – Catherine Wheel
I've always wanted to explore this band more. I only have one album - not this one. This song isnt all that memorable, however. I am sensing a pattern so far - we like a lot of the same type of music in general but I would have picked different songs entirely. 2/5.

11. Double Dare – Yo La Tengo
I'm a big YLT song and there will be a YLT song on my mix. This is one of their great songs. Great guitars as always. Ira's voice is always the weak point of YLT but I can overlook it. 4/5.

12. Ride with Me – the Lemonheads
I like the Lemonheads but not sure I've heard this song. Dando has a great voice and it fits this type of song. Nice pick. 3/5.

13. Tractor Rape Chain – Guided by Voices
Im a pretty big GBV fan but don't have Bee Thousand, although I keep meaning to pick it up. Bob Pollard can write a hell of a song and this is definitely one. But what the fuck is a Tractor Rape Chain? 3/5.

14. Vapour Trail – Ride
Ride - great band. Great song. I'm a sucker for this type of thing. Such a great voice + jangle guitar = awesome. However, Its spelled vapor - damn brits. 5/5.

15. Sweetness Follows – R.E.M.
One of my 2 or 3 favorite REM album...maybe my number 1. This is one of the best songs off that album. Stipe's voice sounds gorgeous on this. 5/5.

16. Blown a Wish – My Bloody Valentine
I've never really listened to MBV all that much. I think I had this album at one time and sold it. This is one band that I really got suckered on by the Obner hype. Not that far from some of the shoegazer bands that I do like, but for some reason - meh. 2/5.

17. Another Souvenir – the Connells
I dont think I've ever heard this band. Vocalist is kind of weak. I guess its not horrible but doesn't hold my attention, at least on a couple listens. I may check out more from this band however. 2+/5.

18. Up in the Air – Husker Du
Although the Mats are my favorite band I've never gotten into Husker Du. This is a lot different from the other songs I've heard from them, however. A lot more poppy...shit even some backing vocals. I could get into this. 3/5.

19. About You – Jesus and Mary Chain
I like JAMC but have never heard this tune as all I have is their 21 Singles album. Decent tune if a little sleep inducing. 2/5.

20. Road – Nick Drake
Another artist that I really like but never listen to except when I need some sleep. This is one of his better songs - just tremendous guitar. My favorite Drake songs are usually the ones that are the most spare. 4/5.

21. Drive That Fast – Kitchens of Distinctions
Never heard of this band. Kind of reminds me of James - a band that I really like. Not sure if this is the greatest song to end the mix on but its not bad. Like The Connells, another band I might be interested in hearing more from. 2+/5.

Great mix, man. I imagine you would really like about half my mix as our tastes overlap quite a bit although mine tends to the country side of things from time to time. The only thing I would quibble with is that the entire order of the mix seems a little haphazard and kind of dies at the end.

01. Unsatisfied – The Replacements
“Enough already. I get it, you’re unsatisfied. I hate it when the title of a song is repeated over and over again. With that said, this song really grew on me. Decent start.”
RATING: 6.0 (…out of 10)

02. Rebound – Sebadoh
“Very nice. Something about this song makes me want to scream…in a good way. The mix sounds promising.”
RATING: 7.0

03. Gold Soundz – Pavement
“Something about Pavement just isn’t clicking with me. Malkmus’ vocals are awesome as usual but overall, I’m not quite feeling it.”
RATING: 5.5

04. Made of Stone – Stone Roses
“This isn’t bad. In fact, it’s really very good. I feel like stripping and having sex. This song is having a strange effect on me. I can’t explain it.”
RATING: 9.0

05. Flowers – Galaxie 500
“Easily, my favorite song of the mix. And my first perfect score of the mix exchange. That’s all I’ll say.”
RATING: 10

06. Stymied – Buffalo Tom
“Hmmm…I’m not feeling this. Something about this screams Soul Asylum to me. Just average.”
RATING: 5.0

07. Beauty Lies in the Eye – Sonic Youth
“OK, back on track with this one. I usually don’t like spoken word vocals, but the overall presentation here is top notch.”
RATING: 7.0

08. The Slim – Sugar
“Very nice. It sounds a bit dated but only adds to the nostalgia.”
RATING: 6.0

09. Debonair – Afghan Whigs
“Uhhh…no. I don’t like this at all. There’s something corny about the music, and the lyrics are awful.”
RATING: 4.5

10. I Wanna Touch You – Catherine Wheel
“Ahhh…britpop. Not my cup o’ tea. Two mediocre songs in a row. Come on mix, don’t fail me now.”
RATING: 5.0

11. Double Dare – Yo La Tengo
“OK, we’re back. This is the sleeper hit of the mix. There’s something so soothing about the vocals. Awesome.”
RATING: 8.5

12. Ride with Me – the Lemonheads
“I don’t know. I love the vocals, but the song is a bit too boring. Average slow song at best.”
RATING: 6.0

13. Tractor Rape Chain – Guided by Voices
“Not one of my favorite GBV songs, but still rather good.”
RATING: 6.0

14. Vapour Trail – Ride
“Hmmm…I’m conflicted about this one. It hit me immediately, but after several listens, it’s now boring me. There’s nothing exciting about this song. The vocals are purdy though.”
RATING: 5.5

15. Sweetness Follows – R.E.M.
“Uhhh…no. Easily, worst song of the mix. Moving on…”
RATING: 4.0

16. Blown a Wish – My Bloody Valentine
“How is this music? It sounds like noise to me. MBV are in desperate of remastering. I can see myself liking this a bit more if I can actually hear the vocals and some of the music underneath all that noise. Not good, two mediocre songs in a row again.”
RATING: 5.0

17. Another Souvenir – The Connells
“I shouldn’t like this song. I really shouldn’t. Conclusion: starts off alright but becomes corny as hell. I really need something good to happen here.”
RATING: 4.5

18. Up in the Air – Husker Du
“Another band that needs to be remastered. I can barely hear it. With that said, it’s a very catchy song.”
RATING: 5.5

19. About You – The Jesus and Mary Chain
“OK, here we go…this song really snuck up on me. I thought it was nothing special at first, but really hit me after repeated listens. One of the best on the mix.”
RATING: 9.0

20. Road – Nick Drake
“I’m mesmerized. This is an amazing song, although a bit out of place on this mix. Excellent.”
RATING: 8.0

21. Drive That Fast – Kitchens of Distinctions
“You should’ve ended the mix with Nick Drake. My brain won’t process any song after him. With that said, this song sounds like so many other songs from the 80s. It’s OK.”
RATING: 5.0

There were some amazing moments on this mix. Galaxie 500, The Stone Roses, and The Jesus And Mary Chain are all top notch.
The rest of the songs are at least decent, making this mix a rather enjoyable listen.
Not too many missteps or cringe worthy moments.
The only negative things I’d say about the mix is that the songs towards the end aren’t as strong as the ones in the beginning.
The extra effort on the liner notes adds to the enjoyment, and that’s greatly appreciated.
I added an extra point for the liner notes.
Thanks Barton.

OVERALL RATING: 6.28 (Music) + 1.0 (Liner Notes) = 7.28 (…out of 10)

bgl3 – Walking Through Confusion with a Smile on my Face

1. Unsatisfied – the Replacements – Great song, one of my favourites by the Replacements. I don't know if it would be my choice as an opening track, but hey it's not my mix. This may sting some, including the architect of this mix, but this song always reminds me of Courtney Love, whom I saw cover this song with Hole at Lollapalooze '95. It was absolutely unreal, she shredded this song. Considering the circumstances in her life at that point, it was probably an apt cover. 3.5/5

2. Rebound – Sebadoh – Cool, I always like some Sebadoh; I wasn't familiar with this one, and enjoyed it. 3/5

3. Gold Soundz – Pavement – Fuck yes. I absolutely love this song and I am an extremely biased fan of this band. "Is it a crisis or a boring change?" I love that line. 5/5

4. Made of Stone – Stone Roses- Fuck yes, again. Another really excellent song. I'm also a huge SR fan, even Second Coming. This isn’t one of my favourite tracks off Stone Roses, but that’s a moot point because every song is great on that album. 4.5/5

5. Flowers – Galaxie 500 – This is interesting. I’ve personally never listened to Galaxie 500, although I really enjoy Luna. One of my friends from university had all the former’s albums, but none of the latter. I’m aware of their influence, but have just never had the opportunity to seek them out. This seems a bit more spare in terms of music and lyrics. I rather like this song. I think it must sound great at about 2:38 am, precisely. 3/5

6. Stymied – Buffalo Tom – Another band I’ve unfortunately never really heard, outside of that episode of ‘My So-Called Life’ where Angela sneaks out to go see this band. This song isn’t personally reaching in and grabbing me, although I appreciate the accusatory tone in the singer’s voice. However, I like the music a lot and will seek out some more BT. 2.5/5

7. Beauty Lies in the Eye – Sonic Youth – ahhhh, I could seriously listen to Kim all day. Next to Johnette Napitalano, she possesses one of my favourite female voices. 4/5

8. The Slim – Sugar – I love Sugar and all that comes with it. One of my favourite tracks off Copper Blue. Coupling the last two songs together lyrically is a bit of a wrist opener, but the music save them both from being anything but dour, in my mind at least. 4.5/5

9. Debonair – Afghan Whigs – I seem to be repeating myself, and after skimming the track list I suspect this phrase will be uttered at least a few more times so bear with me. I have always meant to hear more of this band, yet outside of a song or two, I never have. This seems to be a problem to be rectified, because I really dig this track. I like Dulli’s voice a lot, he’s got some great pipes. 3/5

10. I Wanna Touch You – Catherine Wheel – Hmm, another I’ve heard of but never had the opportunity to listen to. After the first few seconds, I immediately realize I need to hear some more. I really dig this track. The singer’s voice is somewhat reminiscent of Mark Lanegan as well, which is another plus for me. 3/5

11. Double Dare – Yo La Tengo – I’m also a huge fan of this band as well. I’d put this song in my permanent Top 5 for them, with Painful as my favourite YLT album as well. Goddamn I love this song. It’s actually one I would prefer they go on longer, but alas, it’s probably best that it finishes and leaves you wanting more. “I'll walk you home, you take as long as it takes, the sun in the morning sky, in the morning sky we'll know where we are, we'll know where we are…” 5/5

12. Ride with Me – the Lemonheads – Nice, I like this one a lot too. I actually wonder sometimes why I don’t listen to more Lemonheads. I really like Dando’s voice a lot. 3/5

13. Tractor Rape Chain – Guided by Voices – GBV is always a welcome addition to a mix. It’s a terrible song title, but a great song. I may be in the minority, but I always wished he could have pushed himself and released a perfect album. I know some consider Bee Thousand to be it, but I just wished it would have been cleaner, which is probably antithetical to the purpose of the band. Eh, I’ve wished for a lot of things that didn’t happen and this is pretty far down the list because it’s still a great song. 4/5

14. Vapour Trail – Ride – Yet another band I’ve never heard before but wanted to check out. Also seems I’ve been missing, as I get hooked immediately. I really liked this song. Really. 4/5

15. Sweetness Follows – R.E.M. – I would consider myself a fairly major R.E.M. fan, but I came aboard in the mid-to-late period so I carry none of the baggage that the older, and let’s face it, crankier fans have about their latter work. This is on my favourite R.E.M. album as well. “It's these little things, they can pull you under.” 4.5/5

16. Blown a Wish – My Bloody Valentine – This is another great song from a fantastic album. I was introduced to them in about ’94 by the same friend who loved Luna. He knew I was a big SY fan and thought I’d like this a lot. I did and still do. I don’t think it’s the greatest album of all time, but it’s one of the best from the ‘90s for sure. My favourite song off Loveless has always been ‘When You Sleep’ but this song is right up there as well. 4/5

17. Another Souvenir – the Connells – I’ve never heard of this band before, so this was a good introduction. “There’s a place in the back of your mind, where you’d give anything to leave it behind” I think everyone must feel this way once in awhile. And when I’m down in the back of a bar, I’m generally accompanied and comforted, too. 3/5

18. Up in the Air – Husker Du – I’ve always been in a mental toss-up about this band, where sometimes I think they’re absolutely great and other times where I think this is just overly loud, tuneless garbage. Fortunately, this is one of the former cases. This song is fantastic. 4/5

19. About You – Jesus and Mary Chain – You can’t beat some J&MC. I’ve never heard this track before, so it was a good addition for me. They always evoke such an interesting sound, that for me, never gets old. And I always enjoy a short, love song. 4/5

20. Road – Nick Drake – This is another good addition. I’ve never been a big Nick Drake fan, but always enjoy a single song here or there, particularly ones that finish up in less than 2 min. This fits nicely here. 3/5

21. Drive That Fast – Kitchens of Distinctions – I’ve never heard of this band as well, but damn I connect pretty quickly with this one. This sounds like some mid-80s UK stuff that I generally always like. The guitar is somewhat reminding me of Johnny Marr as well, but I can’t recall a band that it reminds me of, immediately. No reflection on the quality of the song, but jesus, what a terrible band name. This would have prevented me from picking an album up actually. I normally subscribe to the idea that if one has the bad taste to name their band something shitty, then the music probably isn’t going to improve out of the gates. This song goes against the idea. 4/5

As I’m looking back over the ratings I’ve given, I seem to really like this mix. There's a fairly heavy shoegaze/noise pop representation here (some Slowdive would have upped the rating even more), which is always good for me. Musically it’s fairly consistent with a personal theme throughout (so any criticism on my part, with respect to overall coherence, is really moot). It’s a mix I would definitely throw on again. So many thanks to b3lg for putting it together and putting the time and effort to write liner notes as well. I think we all get a better understanding of the man.

Rather than calculating a mean rating, I'm going to rate the entire mix as a gestalt, and for that I'll give it 8.5/10.