[Пятхъдесят Шест]

Originally Posted by sonicl

Track 1
Elvis Costello's "Welcome to the Working Week". I'm fairly ambivalent about Elvis Costello. I don't dislike him, but I'm unlikely to buy anything by him. That said, I saw him do a short set a few years ago, just him, a keyboard and a drum machine, and it was brilliant. This was a good start for the mixtapr though.

A few years back I discovered Elvis Costello, and quickly went out and bought a lot of his stuff. Looking back some of it is great, but some of it is down right awful. Still a very skilled lyricist, and I too thought this was perfect to start the tape off with.

Originally Posted by sonicl

Track 2
The first occurence of the phrase "I haven't a fucking clue what this is", which, from here on, will be abbreviated to "IHAFCWTI". An afrobeat type track - a genre about which I know absolutely zilch. The main things that stood out for me were the vocals, which were remarkably Bjork-like at times, and rythmn track, which surprised me by sounding very much like a drum machine. I quite enjoyed the track, but it's unlikely to lead me to buy more of the same.

This song just makes me feel good. Samba beat, from Brazil. DJ Dolores, I don't recommend much else from her.

Originally Posted by sonicl

Track 3
IHAFCWTI. It's jazz, a sax / piano / guitar / bass quartet, I think - Possibly the sort of thing I would expect to hear while eating a pizza. I would assume that it's the saxophonist's project, but I only know two sax players - Zorn and Coltrane - and it's neither of them. Is it?

This comes from an Ethiopian music compliation (a series actually) that features all sorts of gems. This one comes from Mulatu Astatqe. It may or may not be featured in the film Broken Flowers. A world away from Zorn and Coltrane, respectively. I'm puzzeled by why this makes you think of pizza?? Though I now crave it.

Originally Posted by sonicl

track 4
Once again, IHAFCWTI. I would categorise it as post-punk or no-wave, I think. I can't even tell the sex of the singer - I think it's female. but it could be a strange voiced man. I didn't dislike it, but I'm unlikely to be humming it in the car on the wat to work tomorrow.

Neither post-punk, nor no-wave, at least in my opinion. I guess we'll bunch these guys into what they call free-folk. Whatever, eh? Wooden Wand & the Vanishing Voice. I included it because its short, and I enjoy the (female) vocals. I like this band greatly. I think they are playing ATP?

Originally Posted by sonicl

track 5
Lena's Song from Angels of Light Sing "Other People".

I too have a great appreciation for all things Micheal Gira. I should thank you for funding such an awesome record. I could have put any song by him on here and it would make sense. Last year I met him in a used book store here in Omaha, of all places. Incredibly nice guy. Yet to have lived up to his promise of playing a show here though. I already own I Am Singing to You From My Room.

Originally Posted by sonicl

track 6
Something by Pussy Galore, I think. A very recognisable guitar sound, and even more recognisable drums. I don't have an Pussy Galore in my collection any more, but I do still have a soft spot for them.

This is Alright from their album Right Now! Very loud record.

Originally Posted by sonicl

track 7
The main thing that stands out this time is what sounds like a cheap guitar played through a cheap amp. It's quite minimalist noisy rock, based on short repeated patterns. I don't know what this is, but I'm going to make a stab in the dark. Is it Dead C?

Judging from their live show, you are probably right about the cheap guitar and cheap amp. This would be Mouthus. I really like the hidden beat in this track, its fun to hear after a few beers. I can see the Dead C connection. This is pretty standard for them however...

Originally Posted by sonicl

track 8
IHAFCWTI. It's fairly stripped down reggae with a nice clean sound. Mid to late 80s? I like this kind of reggae bass, so this went down quite well.

Would you believe this song was recorded in the early 70s? From The Burning Spear. One of my all time favorite songs. Yes, the bass is nice, but the real worth of this song is in Mr. Spears guitar work. Almost psychdelic, makes me want to dance, or sing. Or something.

Originally Posted by sonicl

track 9
IHAFCWTI, but I reckon this is what Nirvana would have sounded like if they hadn't been Melvins fans. So so.

Interesting how you described it. Dayton, Ohio's finest: Guided by Voices. This was one of the first bands I obsessed over, while getting into indie rock. I don't listen to them a whole lot anymore, but this song was sung to me once by someone, leaving me blushing, and wanting to get sick. Either way.

Originally Posted by sonicl

track 10
IHAFCWTI. It reminded me of Gang of Four, but it's not them. Interesting male / female dual vocals. It could be something from the same time as Gang of Four, but I suspect it is actually a lot more recent because of the noisy turn it takes at the end. I wouldn't mind hearing more.

You'll probably know the band after I type it, as they are quite well known. They got their start around the time Gang of Four were popular, and are still a functioning band. They are one of my favorite bands, and they are Dutch. The Ex. I could recommend about 8 records of theirs to you. This one came from their last, Turn. Blueprints for A Blackout is a good place to start, if you feel moved to.

Originally Posted by sonicl

track 11
IHAFCWTI. Ouch! It hurts! I couldn't even tell if it was distorted voice or distorted guitar until halfway through. It seems to be someone else's recording which has been manipulated. To be honest, this did my head in so badly I couldn't concentrate after it.

I'm not sure if I should feel bad or just laugh. A little bit of both to be honest. I figured this would be the most controversial track on the tape, but there is some charm to it...under all the noise. Its from Russian electronic duo The Podryvaniem Boys. There is a lot of stuff going on in this tune, besides a throbbing beat there is also taped recordings of a cosmonaut warning Moscow of a failing spacecraft, quite possibly the Salyut 7 tragedy. This coupled with the classic Russian tune Kalinka. In case you are not familiar with Kalinka, as I realize not everyone is Russian, its an upbeat folkish song about snow, trees, and begging for love (so very Russian). My family has played it at weddings on more than one occasion. Dancing insues. Калинка, калинка, калинка моя!!!

Originally Posted by sonicl

track 12
IHAFCWTI. This was quite mellow, but my head was so fucked by track 11 that I couldn't relax.

I hope you didn't listen to the previous song with headphones on. Yikes. I figured something mellow was needed next. Argentine songstress/actress/guitarist brings you the next song. The vocal stylings here are the high point for me, at some points it sounds like three of four different singers. It translates to 'save yourself if you can'. Oddly some Spanish speakers I know can't make out a word of this.

Originally Posted by sonicl

track 13
Solo guitar, I don't know who. I'll try again when my head is clear of track 11.

This comes from the same region of the world as The Podryvaniem Boys, but is much different in style and just about everything. Dasha Nupreisova of Kazakhstan strums this tune. It sounds like a guitar but its actually a domba, which wiki tells me was an early version of the balaika. I think this was recorded sometime in the 30s. A friend of mine has learned to play this on guitar though. Its a lovely piece of music.

Originally Posted by sonic[B

track 14
[/b]More reggae, quite recent I reckon. Not my kind of thing.

DC hardcore band Bad Brains show they can double it up with this song. When I recorded this song to the tape, it was the first time I had listened to it in a very long time.

Ok, I'm done. And sorry about the buzzing, really.