I've never been particularly afraid of trying new things. I've done different types of work, volunteered for a variety of positions, (often with no experience but a willingness to learn and do my best,) unusual (to me) food does not frighten me and even, with my intense fear of deep water, used to kayak on a regular basis. Despite that, I still find myself intimidated far too often and have to force myself into taking another step. Epinions and I have a somewhat love-hate relationship. I enjoy reading and some of the writers here are truly gifted; they make me think, laugh, cry and learn about things I have not previously encountered. The downside of that is, I know I'm way out of my league, but I continue to plug away, occasionally submitting reviews and comments. On the other hand, I've benefited through encountering some highly intelligent writers who have introduced me to new experiences -- most often in the area of music.
When Brian graciously sent me the first mix he put together, also included was a copy of this one. I sort of debated in my head whether to review it or not, since it was originally made for another person, but, I wanted to, could really use the practice and Brian's effort deserved some feedback, so here I am. Not surprisingly, since this mix was made with someone else in mind, this one wasn't quite as successful as the first but there are some great moments here and, while I may not totally enjoy everything, it never stops being interesting. Starting off strong, we hit a bit of a low point in the middle but toward the end, the disc redeems itself. This is a rather eclectic blend but I'd expect nothing less from our Voxy. As usual, I've included web sites when I could find them, to encourage your further investigation and a three or better rating means I like it.
Laurie Anderson - Pieces and Parts
Beginning with a short spoken word portion which includes references to slavery, the singing starts soon after. Laurie's voice is very high pitched and she's backed by acoustic string instruments giving an almost classical flavour; this is slow, melodic and thoughtful. The words demand my attention, for they seem to be making an important statement (although, when I look up the lyrics, I'm not sure what that statement is.) The frequent references to whales didn't make much sense to me until I read she had written some songs for a theatrical production based on Herman Melville's Moby Dick. I get a slight Alanis Morissette vibe with the clipped, deliberate words; this is a lovely, mournful, minimalist song.
4/5
http://www.laurieanderson.com/
Dar Williams - I Saw a Bird Fly Away
This has a Celtic sound, fast paced and sort of like a highland reel with a twist of folk. I can hear a harmonica in there (played by John Popper of Blues Traveler who also joins in the vocals,) it's fun and reminiscent of The Rankin Family (they're Canadian.)
4/5
http://www.darwilliams.com/
Dan Bern - New American Language
I already expect to like this track, it's Dan Bern after all. A bit slower paced but not so slow that you can't nod your head; there's a Bob Dylan feel to Dan's voice (but he doesn't slur the words beyond comprehension.) If I were to be really picky, I'd complain the drum beat is a little monotonous but I've never heard a Dan Bern track I didn't like and this is no exception, he's a storyteller.
4.75/5
http://www.danbern.com/
Rachael Sage - Better From Mars
This is kinda funky with more spoken word interspersed with singing. Shades of Siouxsie and Tanya Donnelly are here; it's somewhat disjointed but there's a certain appeal. The somewhat amateurish sounding percussion, the piano, violin or cello and (perhaps?) synthesizers all blend together into a compelling track that I like more each time I listen.
4/5
http://www.rachaelsage.com/
Dresden Dolls - Coin-Operated Boy
Beginning with a few notes that could have come from a child's fairy tale (sort of like a xylophone,) the pace slowly builds and then feels rushed -- but not in a bad way. This track is quirky and not particularly melodic but interesting, different and amusing. Smashing sound effects (literally,) plinky piano and a sing-speak style; this is definitely not danceable... odd, but cool.
3.5/5
http://dresdendolls.com/
King Missile III - Hamsters
Electronica? An electronica track about hamsters? Yep, that's what it appears to be and it makes me laugh. Spoken word against blips and bleeps with freaky sound effects. This track is a trip... how often do you laugh out loud while listening to music? It's a tough one to rate, I enjoy it a lot and the novelty is refreshing but I can't imagine myself listening to it very often.
"So I say: Yeah – okay, hamsters. Balloons, and hamsters. Yes. Yes. Very good. But make sure you've got enough. And make sure you tie them tight to your belt. Otherwise you're gonna look like an idiot."
2.5/5
Aereogramme - No Really, Everything's Fine
Ooooohhh.... could it be? No, I don't believe it... the beginning of this sure has metal overtones and that's not something I ever expected to hear on a Brian mix. To be fair, the verses slow down and are melodic but the chorus is basically a wall of noise that BEGS you to blast the stereo. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't define it as heavy (it's closer to punk) but at times I feel an urge to bang my head à la Wayne's World. There's quite a difference between the verses and chorus which makes the track a little disjointed, but on the whole, this is a more familiar sound to me.
4/5
http://www.aereogramme.co.uk/
Nanase Aikawa - Owari Nai Yume
This track is also very fast paced but it's completely different from the previous one and sung in Japanese. Words often help me connect to a song, but, while ordinarily that may be an issue, it's not going to be in this case since I love this song from the animé Inuyasha. Fun, exciting, happy, frenetic, dance, J-pop. Yep... my kinda stuff although I suspect, in large quantities, it could become annoying.
4.5/5
Rainer Maria - The Contents of Lincoln's Pockets
Perhaps it's because of the previous track, but this one is quite a shock. Very dissonant, the male singer isn't on key, (the female is fine and actually has a lovely but uninspiring voice,) it's more noise than something with a melody. The lyrics are little more than a listing of what was (you guessed it!) in Abraham Lincoln's pockets when he was shot; perhaps it's an allusion to what we leave behind when we depart this plane. The track improves as it continues but not enough for me.
"These relics rise like steam and each disseminates, Encircling like a halo down trajectory of a common crowd, simmering."
2/5
http://www.rainermaria.com/
Low - Dinosaur Act
The slower pace is very welcome but this is in danger of moving toward boring. The music is sparse but heavy handed (that'll make sense if you hear the track) and the chorus is a little bit annoying but there's enough here to make me think I _might_ like other tunes from this group.
3/5
http://www.chairkickers.com/
Xiu Xiu - Don Diasco
What the hell???? This might go well on a horror movie soundtrack.. clangy sound effects, indefinable (to me) noise, screeching, experimental, distortion, no discernable tune, abrupt stops and starts.... way out of my comfort zone. Brian, you have a challenge if you think you'll be able to convince me to give this group another chance. (I will give 'em this though: the copyright notice on their web site is funny.)
1.5/5
http://www.xiuxiu.org/
Christine Fellows - Roadkill
Yay, a Canadian! (She lives in Winnipeg though, so she must be a little odd.) Ahhhh.. this begins very nicely with a keyboard or piano, vocals and other (normal) instruments joining in shortly. Strangely enough, there are references to hamsters on this track too. A sort of indie/folk sound that is quite pleasing but ends too abruptly.
4/5
http://www.christinefellows.com/
Cave-In - Stained Silver
And we're right back into a rock sound, frenetic and loud but not angry. Parts of this I love while other parts I'm a little less enthusiastic about. It's a tad bit too "thrash" for me but I sure can rock out to it.
4.5/5
http://www.cavein.net/
Kyoko Fukada - Kirameki no Shunkan
More of the J-pop sound, quite fast, happy and a little unusual with (I think) synthesizers prominent. (And here I thought Yak and Jacki were the resident J-pop experts.) Once you get past the surprisingly distorted opening, this settles into a decent yet not particularly fantastic track. I think Kyoko would do better with ballads, her voice isn't strong enough to compete with louder backing music.
3.5/5
Emm Gryner - Beautiful Things Remain
This, I like a lot. Indie/pop/rock, Emm has a lovely voice well suited to the genre. An indicator of whether I instantly connect to a song or not is if it makes me chair dance... needless to say, I'm bopping as I type these words. A definite contender for best song on the mix. (Incidentally, Emm is another Canadian and she grew up not far from where I live... please don't hold that against her.)
5/5
http://emmgryner.com/
Atom and His Package - Open Your Heart
Hmmmm.... it's taking me a few minutes to adjust to the very fast paced indie/punk music (with chimes of some sort?) and it's a little disconnected. However, once I get into the song, I find myself enjoying this quite a lot. Perusing around their web site, it's obvious the band has a wicked sense of humour (how could they not with a name like that?) Compare this version to Madonna's and see which one you like better.
4/5
http://www.atomandhispackage.com/
Jesus Jones - To Get There
A little bit of an electronica/techno sound with some folk/rock flavour thrown in for good measure. Remember the song, Right Here, Right Now? Yep, that was these guys. Some people may categorize this group as a one hit wonder, but they should not have been because there's a lot to like here with great vocals and infectious music.
5/5
http://www.jesusjones.com/
Ani Difranco - Tamburitza Lingua
Spoken word set against a minimalist guitar and some percussion. I'm not a big fan of spoken tracks usually but this is interesting, tuneful and an example of a song I wasn't sure I liked until I read the lyrics. Although I don't have a lot of experience with Ani's music (a mistake I want to amend,) she seems to be someone who sets poetry to music.
"And everything seems to have gone terribly wrong that can. But one breath at a time is an acceptable plan.... So tell me. Did you? Did you do? Did you do all you could?"
4/5
http://www.righteousbabe.com/ani/index.asp
Make sure you stop by Mike's take on this exact mix. I won't be reading it until after posting this so it'll be interesting to see what he said! (Although I did accidentally click into it a couple of times while looking up the lyrics of these songs since it insisted on appearing in my search results.)
Once again Brian, I am in your debt. While I don't love everything here, there's enough that I do to make it worthwhile. Thank you and I can't wait to see you in DC. I hope I'm never afraid of new experiences.
*All quoted lyrics are the copyrighted property of their owners.
