Monday Mixtape 03/08/2009

Well well well if it isn't the unwelcome return of the Monday Mixtape. Today's theme, as I sit here surprisingly sweaty for a British Summer, is Summer and the Sun. Original? I thought so.

DATE: 03/08/2009
THEME: Summer
LENGTH: 38:56, 10 tracks

1. BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE - Looks Just Like The Sun (4:23) (You Forgot It In People, Arts & Crafts 2002)
2. GRANDADDY - Summer Here Kids (3:36) (Under The Western Freeway, V2 1997)
3. ANIMAL COLLECTIVE - Summertime Clothes (4:30) (Merriweather Post Pavillion, Domino 2009)
4. FLEET FOXES - Sun It Rises (3:11) (Fleet Foxes, Sub Pop 2008)
5. JUNIOR BOYS - Under The Sun (7:02) (Last Exit, Domino 2004)
6. DJ JAZZY JEFF & THE FRESH PRINCE - Summertime (4:29) (Homebase, Jive 1991)
7. THE KINKS - Sunny Afternoon (3:35) (Face To Face, Pye 1966)
8. PAVEMENT - Summer Babe (Winter Version) (3:16) (Slanted & Enchanted, Matador 1992)
9. THE LIBERTINES - Don't Look Back Into The Sun (2:59) (single, Rough Trade 2003)
10. MORECAMBE & WISE - Bring Me Sunshine (1:55)

So, this list kind of sucks and was made by searching for tracks with "sun" and "summer" in them. I was going to ditch this but it made me realise that there's a Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince album called "Homebase", which for fans of DIY, is amazing.

Recent Solo projects

Jason Lytle - Yours Truly, The Commuter

Despite the (surely unknown to Lytle) uncomfortable association between this and the Kaiser Chief's sophomore, this solo album reminds you that Lytle definitely was the brains behind Grandaddy and has certainly yet to lose his magic touch. Its a shame they couldn't all get along, but as long as Lytle is still making great indie music, I'm not worried.

8/10

Nickel Eye - The Time Of The Assassins

The reviews I read were along the lines of "Oh no, not another Strokes side-project", which I generally thought were pretty harsh. Then I listened to the album, and realised they weren't harsh enough.

4/1o

Graham Coxon - The Spinning Top

Although the idea of a Coxon solo album is pretty redundant now Blur are back together, most of this was still written and recorded in the "wilderness years" which produced his last two, most successful albums. This harks further back to the albums he worked on while still in Blur already, with Drakesque autumnal tracks and a pensieve feeling of well-being. Curiously, every track feels like a great closer to a great album, but this one unfortunately suffers for it.

7/10

Monday Mixtape 05/01/09

This is brand new feature for 2009 (ahamagad) whereby I create a mixtape every Monday (that I can be bothered) of what I've been listening to and/or what I think you should be listening to to appear cool to all of your friends.

Occassionally there will be various themes, but this will all depend on the amount of effort I can muster.

Also, the mixtape will only be 10 songs or 45 minutes, whichever comes first, to ensure minimum effort on my part.

DATE: 05/01/09
THEME: none
LENGTH: 10 tracks, 35:29

1. CRYSTAL CASTLES - Untrust Us (3:06) (Crystal Castles, Lies/Last Gang 2008)
2. GORILLAZ feat. BOOTIE BROWN - Dirty Harry (3:45) (Demon Days, Parlophone 2005)
3. DJ SHADOW - Mashin' On The Motorway (2:58) (The Private Press, MCA 2002)
4. BEASTIE BOYS - Shazam! (2:26) (To The 5 Boroughs, Capitol 2004)
5. FRIENDLY FIRES - Paris (4:00) (Friendly Fires, XL 2008)
   
6. BLACK LIPS - Veni Vidi Vici (2:26) (Good, Bad, Not Evil, Vice 2007)
7. BORN RUFFIANS - Hummingbird (3:08) (Red, Yellow & Blue, Warp 2008)
8. WEEZER - Pork & Beans (3:09) (Weezer [Red Album], Geffen 2008)
9. GRANDADDY - Jeez Louise (3:41) (Just Like The Fambly Cat, V2 2006)
10. ANIMAL COLLECTIVE - Fireworks (6:50) (Strawberry Jam, Domino 2007)

Next weeks mixtape will be on the theme of early 90s North American Indie Rock. Maybe.