The J's or Pop!

A little overdue, I know, but hey, it just gives you more time to listen to the I's.

The J's, or the more poppy album, has probably got the more obscure stuff. But, I think it's just as rewarding. Anyway, without further ado, here's the lineup...

1. Comfy in Nautica by Panda Bear: Ok, yes, I'm aware he sounds just like Brian Wilson, and yes, it's a challenging song to start. But, what the hell, it's almost 5 minutes of sweet pop to get lost in.
2. Cherry Tulips by Headlights: I came across this in a blog post from Allmusic.com. The rest of the album is a good, but not great. The guy sings a bunch of songs, and I wish the girl would do more.
3. Dying is Fine by Ra Ra Riot: this is one of my favorite finds. I got this from another NPR All Songs podcast. They've only got a 6 song EP out and while it's not fantastic, it's still worth a listen. Check out the video for this song, good low budget stuff.
4. Bells by Peel. Song #2 from these guys. I only picked up three from their album. A little Pavement like.... i.e. low-fi.
5. 101 by Albert Hammond Jr. Yeah, I've been going on about this song for a year now. Great SoCal driving pop song.... as the title presumably refers to the hwy along the coast.
6. Free Life by Dan Wilson: This is actually about two years old. It's a live recording from the local public radio station here in the cities called the Current. He just put out an LP with a studio version of this on it. Good to hear him back in front of the mic.
7. Very Small Rock by Happy Apple: Ah, a curve ball. Another local group found on the the Current. The album is really good as well. This song definitely has the rock element, where as the rest of the album is more straight jazz... but good, off beat jazz at that.
8. Kids by MGMT
9. Old Flame by Immaculate Machine: I had trouble picking a second song from these guys. As you've probably noticed, I can't get enough of the girl/guy vocals. I bought the album bounce between disappointed and luke warm. not a ringing endorsement, I know. i think it's more a mood thing for me than commentary on the quality of the music.
10. Freckly Song by Chuck Profit: I've only got 6 songs from the album, but I like every one of 'em. I don't know much about him yet, but he's been around for a while. I think his issue is probably getting airplay... what type of station plays this kind of music?

That's it for now. I'll keep posting as i find more stuff.

Mixes for 2007

I know, it's kind of lame to be sending out "07" mixes in March of '08, but it's better than never, right? OK, don't answer that. Anyway, this post is the start of something new. The discs are on their way to a couple lucky folks, but I thought I'd post some info on the mixes themselves.

First, to make my mixes, the songs either should be released in the past year, or come to my attention in the past year. And of course, I should like them! Now, that's a lot of music, so what I've left off is anything that's been on a mix before (no Queens of the Stone Age, White Stripes, Radiohead, etc... all excellent releases) or that has be hear a billion times on the radio or tv. So, w/out further ado, what do we have...

I's: Slate Mix '07.... subtitled "Rock"
1. Destination Diamonds by Diamond Nights
A Sweet AOR revivalist band. This and Saturday Fantastic are great driving songs. Check out the video
2. All Alone by The Hundreds and Thousands
Heard this on a Podcast put out by the Toronto Star. It's a pretty cool rocker, but hard to find much info on these guys.
3. Dear Confessor by Immaculate Machine
Heard this on the same podcast... my infatuation of girl/guy vocals continues
4. Can't Believe a Single Word by VHS or Beta
Weird transition from this band. Way more commercial and structured than previous outings, but love the song.
5. Shim Sham by Imperial Teen
For anyone wondering what Roddy Bottom from Faith no More is doing now.
6. Time to Pretend by MGMT
Possibly the most well known of the songs on this mix, but I had to leave it on. Very catchy.
7. Oxford by Peel
A little known band from Austin, TX. Came upon this listening to NPR's All Songs podcast.
8. Soap and Water by Chuck Prophet
A rock vet, this particular song reminds me a bit of Tom Petty... in a good way.
9. Love In My Pocket by VHS or Beta
10. Saturday Fantastic by Diamond Nights
By the way, these tunes are from 05 or 06, but they haven't put out anything since and who knows if they still exist. They've got some demos up on their My Space page. For more, check out Girl's Attractive for a mellower feel.... guess this was in a Jaguar ad a couple years back.
11. Rat Race by The Hundreds and Thousands
Another from these canucks. If interested, you can buy their EP for a pretty decent $6 at the Nettwerk Records store. I would say at least 4 of the 6 tunes are worth listening to.
12. All Used Up by Sloan
My only repeat band. Sloan of course has a special place in my heart and they're always welcome on any mix. This is another new track buried at the end of their A-Sides Win best of disc.