1. The Russian Futurists - 2 Dots on a Map - Never heard of these guys before. I like the swirling majesty of it! 4/5
2. Blonde Redhead - Misery is a Butterfly - Of course, you had to include this, Chris... it wouldn't be an OPA! mix without a reference to BR. 3/5
3. Mahmoud Ahmed - Belaya Belaya - Interesting, but not necessarily my cup o' tea. 2/5
4. The Brian Jonestown Massacre - Anemone - This is actually quite nice. I thought I wouldn't like it. 3/5
5. Caribou - Brahminy Kite - Nice background music, but doesn't really do much for me. 2/5
6. Konono No. 1 - Kule Kule Reprise - I've heard this song before, but didn't realize it until about halfway through. Mesmerizing and hypnotic. 3/5
7. Rogue Wave - Catform - I hadn't heard the latest from Rogue Wave, and this is quite enjoyable. 3/5
8. The Goton Project - Triptico - I feel like I should be chilling in a French club with this music. 3/5
9. Eliades Ochoa - Que Lio Compay Andres - I love this! 5/5
10. Themselves - Hat in the Wind - this one is mesmerizing, but the vocals are a tad annoying. 3/5
11. Dimitris Mitropanos - Rosa - ah, here's your Greek artist! I feel like I'm in a greek cafe, drinking ouzo, and watching people dance. 3/5
12. Holopaw - Curious - yeah, this one doesn't quite do anything for me. 2/5
13. 90 Day Men - Too Late or Too Dead - This seems to have potential, but not quite getting there. 2/5
14. Why? - Crushed Bones - This kinda reminds me of your precious Blonde Redhead in terms of mood and style. 3/5
15. Marcantonio - Sabia - I'm a sucker for GOOD Latin music. 3/5
16. Adrian Martinez - Baba - Nice closing track. 3/5

OPA, I think you did a great job with the international flavor here. You showcased a good variety of tunes. In a way, it might have been nicer to leave out the "domestic"/current music, and just focused on the international. While I like the BR, BJM and RW you included, it almost detracted from the flow. I could totally see myself popping this one in during a dinner party. 3/5

It's funny you say that. I was going to do an international mix but I didn't want to disappoint people who aren't into international music so I decided on a combo of the two and tried to pick songs that would fit a certain mood.

Oh, and Marcantonio is actually Brazilian.

Ha, I knew I'd heard this song... it was on soreal's mix too!

I think she put the instrumental version on her mix. Right?

yep. i picked the instrumental one. it's a little bit longer than the reprise.

1. The Russian Futurists - 2 Dots on a Map - this sounds a bit muddy in production. i do like the choruses, though.
2. Blonde Redhead - Misery is a Butterfly - i've never been a fan of these vocals. and this song's just not getting it done for me.
3. Mahmoud Ahmed - Belaya Belaya - well, this is an interesting flow from track to track. the vocals sound mixed way too high (and they're not my thing), but i do like the sporadicness of the music.
4. The Brian Jonestown Massacre - Anemone - this is all right. the music is fine. i'm not sold on the vocals, but the lyrics are good.
5. Caribou - Brahminy Kite - it's kinda cool, all the drums and percussion. i think the lag at about 3:30 goes way too long before coming back into an actual song, but props to keeping it underneath the drums once it does come back in full.
6. Konono No. 1 - Kule Kule Reprise - so this is konono no. 1... hmm... i can't say i'm really impressed, especially after the hype/buzz bestowed upon it last year. this song is fine, but not making me regret not having heard it for my 2005 list.
7. Rogue Wave - Catform - okay, here we go... i can get into this. i like these guitars and especially the part around 2:47 that it ends on.
8. The Goton Project - Triptico - this has a french influence that i kinda like. and i really start to like it just after two minutes in. and then when it adds a little more right about four minutes in, too.
9. Eliades Ochoa - Que Lio Compay Andres - this is excellent. i love these singers whose elderliness you can tell by their voice. i guess it just takes me back to the parties of my childhood summers.
10. Themselves - Hat in the Wind - i have this issue with non-musical preludes that last longer than a minute on any song. and then it turns out to just not be my thing anyway. oh well. (is this a hidden track on the end?)
11. Dimitris Mitropanos - Rosa - this is pretty melodramatic, isn't it? i do like the guitar (or whatever it is).
12. Holopaw - Curious - i used this comment on another mix - i don't mind listening to it, but i'd probably never listen to it on my own.
13. 90 Day Men - Too Late or Too Dead - ditto. i just don't feel like this song is going anywhere. near the end, the drums really grabbed my attention, though.
14. Why? - Crushed Bones - this is really not my jam... is atom (& his package) associated with this?
15. Marcantonio - Sabia - back on track, i like it. very chill. i could definitely see myself listening to this at the beach this summer.
16. Adrian Martinez - Baba - good chorus. decent music. nice ending.

this was all over in good and bad ways. when mixes are designed to jump genres with almost every track, it pretty much guarantees that every listener will love something about it, but it also sets itself up for those same listeners to dislike something else. and i guess it comes down to hoping that how much they love is more than what they don't at all. while i appreciate and respect what it takes to create a mix that doesn't revolve around a genre or theme, i've been slowly backing away from making them because it seems to often turn into one of those situations where the listener will toy around and make their own mix out of it. and then the original mix gets tossed in a bin and never heard in its intended form again. of course, this also doesn't bother some people. while i will now hunt out everything by eliades ochoa, marcantonio, and the gotan project, i've also now placed themselves, holopaw, and why? on my "no intention of ever hearing again" list. as for its make-up, i thought it flowed pretty well with a few nice jerks here and there. it also kept my attention because i really had no idea what was coming next at any time. the strings of what i liked/loved versus the stretches where my finger was hovering over the "skip" button are pretty even.

Thanks Z. Yeah, I was a little concerned by the variety in the mix but I figured everyone's gotta at least like one track.

OPA! - Winter 2006

1. The Russian Futurists - 2 Dots on a Map. I haven't heard anything by this group (guy?) since Let's Get Ready to Crumble. I can't remember what that one sounded like. This is alright. 3/5
2. Blonde Redhead - Misery is a Butterfly. I've got this album on my computer, but I've probably only listened to it a couple of times. It never really struck me. I've heard their older stuff compared to Deerhoof (or vice versa, really), but I haven't yet gotten around to checking it out. I have my doubts, though, if this song is any indication, but it's not bad. 3/5
3. Mahmoud Ahmed - I like the backing music here, and I kinda wish the focus was more on that than the vocals. They seem to drown out the music a little too much. 3/5
4. The Brian Jonestown Massacre - Anemone. I don't think I've heard these guys before now, and I've been meaning to see DiG. This isn't making much of an impression, though, and it drags on a little too long. The basic riif/melody is decent, though. I wouldn't mind hearing some of their other stuff. 3/5
5. Caribou - Brahminy Kite. This album is pretty uniformly good. 4/5
6. Konono No. 1 - Kule Kule Reprise. And I like these guys, too. 4/5
7. Rogue Wave - Catform. I picked up a promo of this album and was mostly unimpressed, but this song sounds pretty good on its own. 3/5
8. The Gotan Project - Triptico. Was liking it before the beat came in. Kind of an interesting blend of loops and "live" playing, but I just don't care for it. 2/5
9. Eliades Ochoa - Que Lio Compay Andres. I haven't yet gained the ability to discern between a lot of Latin music, and therefore I can't pretend to know what, if anything, is special about this song. It's alright, though. 3/5
10. Themselves - Hat in the Wind. This is another thing I've had for a while but have neglected to listen to much. In general, though, I haven't been very impressed with Doseone's stuff outside of cLOUDDEAD, and I think Odd Nosdam is a better producer than Jel. 2/5
11. Dimitris Mitropanos - Rosa. OK. Well… I imagine the lyrics are pretty important here because the music certainly isn't doing much for me, and I'm not enamored enough with the guy's voice to get drawn in. 2/5
12. Holopaw - Curious. Seen this name around a lot, but I don't think I've heard this band before. Hard to get a feel for their sound with this brief track, but this really didn't hit me. 2/5
13. 90 Day Men - Too Late or Too Dead. These guys are pretty good. 3/5
14. Why? - Crushed Bones. I don't know why Why? comes off as less pretentious than Doseone. I guess it's because he's better with pop structures and doesn't seem so dramatic. Or something. 3/5
15. Marcantonio - Sabia. This is kinda nice. 3/5
16. Adrian Martinez - Baba. This one is good, too. This is Latin? It sounds more African to me, but I obviously don't know shit about world music. 3/5

Overall:
Flow - 3/5. A very interesting and unique mix, but maybe too eclectic.
Surprises - 2/5. Can't say that I'm sold on anything new here, but I may have to keep my eye for a couple of things. I'm a little more motivated to finally rent DiG now.
Song Quality - 3/5

Final Score 3/5

1. The Russian Futurists - 2 Dots on a Map. ** just not my thing. the airy sound and lyrics just felt cheesy.
2. Blonde Redhead - Misery is a Butterfly. ** not bad, i've just never been able to get into Blonde Redhead.
3. Mahmoud Ahmed - Belaya Belaya. ** started to feel a little repetitive, not bad though.
4. The Brian Jonestown Massacre - Anemone. *** i had to go back and listen to this one after watching dig! i like it.
5. Caribou - Brahminy Kite. *** i like me some caribou. nice track.
6. Konono No. 1 - Kule Kule Reprise. *** on my mix too, so its good.
7. Rogue Wave - Catform. *** interesting flow so far between the world sounds and indie rock. as with most rogue wave, i like this track.
8. The Gotan Project - Triptico. *** at first i didn't like this because it was so long. after a few listens though, i understand it better. could definitely see this on a different type of mix. like all downtempo background chill stuff.
9. Eliades Ochoa - Que Lio Compay Andres. *** really really like the spanish flair in this one. makes me feel like having a party.
10. Themselves - Hat in the Wind. * another long track. i didn't really dig the stream-of-consciousness spoken word thing.
11. Dimitris Mitropanos - Rosa. *** i like it
12. Holopaw - Curious. ** dunno, vocals i didn't like as much.
13. 90 Day Men - Too Late or Too Dead. ** i always hear about these guys but never heard their music. not bad.
14. Why? - Crushed Bones. ** eh. slits, bags of fat, pissholes...kinda creepy lyrics.
15. Marcantonio - Sabia. ** i like the shift back to the world music. i can see why you're going to make just a mix of this stuff instead.
16. Adrian Martinez - Baba. *** nice closer.

i like that its eclectic but agree that it would flow better with just the world music. lots of stuff i hadn't heard before. thanks.

Thanks Jamie. It's interesting that people like the variety but aren't too crazy about the flow.

I'm sending you an all-international mix too. I'm curious to see what you think of it.

1. "2 Dots on a Map" - The Russian Futurists
At first, I wasn't sure if this was the right song, because it sounds like it's starting in the middle. This is very light and airy, yet mildly orchestral. It sounds like something you might here in the background at Bath & Body Works, or some other similarly calming retail outlet. My main complaint about this track is it's really more of a loop than anything else, just repeating over and over.

2. "Misery is a Butterfly" - Blonde Redhead
The music on this track is pretty good, but I'm not crazy about the vocals. A little too Bjorkish for my liking.

3. "Belaya Belaya" - Mahmoud Ahmed
We've suddenly been detoured to a billy g mix...haha. I like both the music and vocals on this track better than the last one, but I'm still not terribly enthralled by the vocals.

4. "Anenome" - The Brian Jonestown Massacre
Best track on the mix so far. Sounds a little like some of the slower BRMC I've heard, though I'm guessing this probably predates anything released by BRMC. Naked also but a BJM track ("Servo") on his mix, and based on these being the only two BJM songs I've ever heard, it's difficult for me to picture this whole wildman image they've supposedly cultivated. Both tracks are quite sedate.

5. "Brahminy Kite" - Caribou
There's a little bit of a whimsical carnival feel to this, yet it's also somewhat ominous. There really isn't a very tight song structure at work here. It just kind of meanders throughout. The vocals are OK, but too muted.

6. "Kile Kule Reprise" - Konono No. 1
I feel like I just won that "visit the village and have a picnic with the natives" challenge they have on "Survivor" every season. I think I'll be Ethan in this one and kick the soccer ball around with the kids, while this plays in the background over the sizzling sounds of a wild boar being cooked over a crudely-made spit.

7. "Catform" - Rogue Wave
I like Rogue Wave, and this is a good song. I like The Shins better for this type of indie pop, but this is definitely worthwhile, too.

8. "Triptico" - The Gotan Project
i quite like this one. It goes on a little too long, but I guess there's no such thing as too much of a good thing.

9. "Que Lio Compay Andres" - Eliades Ochoa
This sounds like something off the soundtrack to "Tortilla Soup," which I really enjoyed (both the soundtrack and the movie). We've really started to hit a nice stride on the mix over the past couple of tracks.

10. "Hat in the Wind" - Themselves
That spoken word intro was really bizarre. We're barely a minute into this, and there's already been WAY too many references to whacking off. Some of the sung vocals (and even the music) sound very much like TV on the Radio, but this is just too out there for me. I think must be one of those things you have to live in NYC to genuinely appreciate. Is there a hidden track at the end of this? It's different, but not really any better.

11. "Rosa" - Dimitris Mitropanos
Greek rock? Well, it's not really "rock," but it's definitely Greek! Might be good for listening to while scarfing down a gyro, but I'm not sure I'd ever really get the urge to listen to this one again otherwise.

12. "Curious" - Holopaw
Another tracks where vocals kill the deal for me.

13. "Too Late or Too Dead" - 90 Day Men
This is starting off promising, with the piano. So far, so good. Like the drumming, too. Even the vocals aren't bad. It doesn't really ever progress much, though. Fair, but could have been better.

14. "Why?" - Crushed Bones
I like this one. It's quirky, but in a palatable way. I like that line about pissholes in the snow being eyes. Definitely one of my favorite tracks on this mix.

15. "Sabia" - Marcantonio
Here's another good one. They seem to be bunched together at a couple of spots on this mix. I might even like this track better than Gotan and Ochoa.

16. "Baba" - Adrian Martinez
Nice mix closer here. Way to wrap things up on a high.

This CD is a real mixed bag for me. There are several gems sprinkled throughout, but also a good share of stuff that didn't really do it for me. Some of us simply have different enough tastes that this will happen from time to time, but that's what makes Obner great, now innit? That solid three-track run at the end lifts this mix up to a C+. If not for that whack off track, it would have been a B-.

Thanks Bob. It seems like your review matches with the others in that the mix is very inconsistent. And thanks for being fair.

I was SO fair, in fact, that I used the term "kills the deal" instead of the MUCH more appropriate and humorous "queers the deal." I did not want anyone to think I was writing a revenge review.

np: Twelve Caesars - "Let's Go Parking, Baby"