The New Year Mixtape – what I’m listening to

There’s no point in pretending this is the monthly mixtape anymore. I haven’t done one since August last year but what the hey. Here’s the New Year Mixtape!

Aberdeen, Cage the Elephant – Cage’s new album show’s a whole new, much more complex direction and I’ve got it obsessively on repeat. Why a boy from Bowling Green, Kentucky is wailing about Aberdeen is a mystery to me but it works.

Candy, Iggy Pop & Kate Pierson – This is sooo 80’s with it’s “atmospheric” storm sounds and little chat clips but I love it!

The Twist, Frightened Rabbit – Frightened Rabbit are my new favourite find. Their awkward little indie folk musings come to a head in this ode to anonymous love affairs.

Firecracker, Steel Train – This song is so cute. It’s sing and bop along fare with a melancholy air, which is my favourite air.

The Old Days, Dr Dog – I recently found an unidentifiable folder of music on my laptop that I had never listened to. Some of it was dross but there were some little gems including this weird, honky-tonk little folk number.

Ready To Start, Arcade Fire – They’re using this song to promote the new season of Skins and I can’t blame them. It instantly creates atmosphere, building up to a crescendo of intensity.

The Riot Song, Johnny Polygon – This one is also from the random music folder and it’s sort of smooth and jazzy and so not my usual taste. I just think it would make such good background dinner party music.

Na Na Na(Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na), My Chemical Romance – When I heard the first single off Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys I thought there was hope for MCR but as we know the rest of the album is dreadful. I suppose I can still enjoy this little rock anthem.

You Are My Face, Wilco – Maybe I’m a little bit late to the Wilco party but I’m loving this songs sticky guitars, smearily emotive vocals and warbling keyboards.

Slave To Love, Bryan Ferry – Bryan Ferry lives in the forest and raised Vince Noir. I know it’s true because I saw it on Buzzcocks. I love this song… shush all of you! (Although admittedly when I was a kid I thought the lyrics were “safety love”).

Finding Something To Do, hellogoodbye – After the success of hellogoodybe’s bizarre but uber-cute ukulele-infused  debut album I was concerned that there was nowhere to go but this is a slice of pop heaven that somehow manages to keep the charm but lose the silliness.

The (not so) Monthly Mixtape – Summer 2010

I haven’t done a mix tape in forever so shall we just call this “Summer 2010”?

Moth’s Wings, Passion Pit – So Passion Pit are ripping off Animal Collective massively. That doesn’t mean isn’t kinda cool…

Bad Reputation, Joan Jett – I’m on a Joan Jett kick after I saw her live. This is such an ass kicking song. The kind of song to kick doors down to.

Shiver Up The Spine, birdeatsbaby – birdeatsbaby have a charming flare for the macabre and they sound like they’re writing Tim Burton soundtracks. I love the hammering piano, broken glass and ghostly background moans on this one. I can almost imagine Mrs Lovett waltzing to this.

Tiger Mountain Passing, Fleet Foxes – This little number makes me thing of bleak art house love stories… in the snow. Radiohead bleak but a little more romantic.

Time Bomb, The Dismemberment Plan – Such raw emotion. You get the impression that Travis Morrison is genuinely concerned that he might explode.

Into The Woods, My Morning Jacket – The surreal fairground dirge that this song is set to makes it exceptionally creepy along with some pretty bizarre lyrics.

Never Stops, Deerhunter – Who doesn’t want a little shoegazy art rock every now and then? I know I do.

Modern Man, Arcade Fire – So everyone is going mad for The Suburbs, including me. I particularly like the jerkiness of this song which makes it sound like a record skipping… mirrored of course in the lyrics.

Take Me To A Higher Plane, Kate Nash – Kate Nash is back in full riotgrrrrl mode and she’s managing to kick ass without taking her kit off… take that Katy Perry!

White Sky, Vampire Weekend – It’s taken me months to get into Contra. Not sure if that’s a good or a bad thing but now I am into it I can’t stop listening to it, particularly this little gem that makes impressively good use of Ezra Koenig’s vocal gymnastic talents.

Human After All, Twin Atlantic – The latest single from my beloved Scots rockers. The full range of Sam McTrusty’s rage is on show here… you know you want to download it.

Monkey Gone To Heaven, Pixies – I’m so late to the Pixies party that I’m almost embarrassed to add this to my play list but I can’t stop singing it. I have to say that since Rob sang me his version, which goes, “this monkey’s gone to Devon” that’s all I can hear!

Mixtape – May 10

Joy, Lucinda Williams – Yup, I’m back on the country again. This one’s a nice powerful little f-you to someone who’s sucked your will to live and it’s all jangly and fabulous.

Ramalama (Bang Bang), Róisín Murphy – This song will always remind me of this dance routine from So You Think You Can Dance. There’s something very cool and creepy about it.

You And Voodoo, Thee Missouri – I accidentally found this on my iPod. I don’t know where it came from. I have no other Thee Missouri songs and I can’t even find any evidence that the band even exists or ever did exist but this is a dark sexy little song that wouldn’t be out of place on the True Blood or a Tarantino soundtrack.

Stay Together, Suede – Just the latest Suede song to get stuck in my head in the lead-up to going to see them on 7 December.

Pala Tute, Gogol Bordello – Since I heard Eugene Hütz drunkenly singing this to Pavla Fleischer, I’ve been in love with the song and the version on Trans-Continental Hustle is the perfect fusion of gypsy folk and impassioned punk.

The Passenger, Iggy Pop – This song intermittently gets stuck in my head. I’m really digging Iggy at the moment… even if he does bad insurance ads.

Lloyd, I’m Ready To Be Heartbroken Now , Camera Obscura – A lovely little slice of miserable indie pop with a little bit of 90’s flair. Loving the organ intro.

Vlad The Impaler, Kasabian – This is Paul’s fault. The song seems to follow him around. Plus it makes him strut around in a very amusing way.

Clean Of You, Envy On The Coast – I continue my love affair with the new album. This one is bursting with latent aggression.

30 Day Meme: Day 6 – Whatever tickles your fancy

So day 6 is whatever you want… I haven’t done a mix tape since November… for shame… mostly because of the demise of Frank, who I will take to the Mac doctor next week, I swear! But despite my music being all over the place, I have cobbled together…

THE MARCH MIXTAPE! No Spotify though cos I need Frank for that.

Jingle Jangle, Hot Hot Heat – I really did forget how good these guys are until I saw them live. Also this song starts with the lyric, “Watch your children around the abandoned well, don’t ask me if they tripped and fell…” So creepy!

Animal Nitrate, Suede – This is the sickest song I have ever heard. Seriously, google the song meaning as stated by Brett Anderson himself. From First To Last could take sick lessons from Suede.

William It Was Really Nothing, The Smiths – Sometimes I listen to The Smiths and think Morrissey, if you weren’t such a miserable c*nt maybe people would want to hang out with you and you wouldn’t be so suicidal. Thank god he is a miserable c*nt though cos if he wasn’t we’d miss out on songs like this.

We Are All Accelerated Readers, Los Campesinos! – So typical of the Campesinos, super depressing cynical lyrics to jump out of your chair with joy pop!

Something Changed, Pulp – Cos it makes me think of Paul and of us doing Jarvis Cocker hand movements in The Purple Turtle

My Girls, Animal Collective – This is so trippy. It makes you feel like you’re being taken on some kind of bizarre journey… or like you’re on an acid trip.

All The Young Dudes, Mott The Hoople – Words cannot express how much I love this song and how often it gets stuck in my head. Plus Bowie backing vocals. SCORE!

Gideon, My Morning Jacket – Mostly because it sounds very much like the song in The Boosh where they look for the “new sound”. I wonder if it was named after Mrs Gideon… with her face like a cream oval…

Crush’d, Say Anything – STILL not released in the UK. Absolute travesty. This is Max Bemis’ love song for his new wife, Sheri. So honest and absolutely heartfelt.

Walcott, Vampire Weekend – I think I listened to this for three days solid… it turned my brain to jelly!

She Came Home For Christmas, Mew – This is all dreamy and full of gorgeous strings. Plus the notes Jonas Bjerre hits are insane.

Transatlanticism, Death Cab For Cutie – If you’ve ever been in a long distance relationship or just away from someone you wanted to be with, this could be your theme song.

Mixtape – November 09

Found what I could on Spotify… enjoy!

Someday, The Strokes– Makes me want to do a stupid dance around my room plus it sounds like it was recorded in a tin can

Where Did Our Love Go, Soft Cell– So charmingly, melancholically Nu Wave… oh and Marc Almond, what a voice!

Bloodless Coup, Sweet Billy Pilgrim– I can’t big this band up enough. Folk genius!

Play Crack The Sky , Brand New– I always end up with one wailing Brand New, song-to-cut-your-wrists-to

L.A. Woman, The Doors – I got this stuck in my head at a write-in and just ended up muttering Mr Mojo rising to myself over and over again

G.I.N.A.S.F.S., Fall Out Boy – The closing lyrics for my novel. Ties in particularly well with what the title stands for. Look it up.

Diamond On A Landmine, Billy Talent – Another one that stuck in my head. Billy Talent are the kings of chorus

Vienna, Ultravox – I want to go back to the 80’s… where I BELONG!

The Captain, Biffy Clyro – Watch the video. It will all make sense. Simon, I love you. Oh and the intro… siiiiigh… duhn duhn duhn wooooo!

March Into The Sea, Modest Mouse – All wonderfully atmospheric and weird… which is to be expected cos it’s Modest Mouse

The Future Freaks Me Out, Motion City Soundtrack – Mostly MCS are just generic pop-punk but when they’re good, they’re goooood!

Crush’d, Say Anything – Yet to be released in the UK so you have to stream this on MySpace but once again Max Bemis has written a love song so personal and heartfelt that I want someone to sing it to me!