Song Of The Day: 20080728

W. Dry Creek Road, Healdsburg ,2008

Bjork - All Is Full Of Love (Guy Sigsworth Mix)

You'll be given love
You'll be taken care of
You'll be given love
You have to trust it

Maybe not from the sources
You have poured yours
Maybe not from the directions
You are staring at

Twist your head around
It's all around you
All is full of love
All around you

All is full of love
You just ain't receiving
All is full of love
Your phone is off the hook
All is full of love
Your doors are all shut
All is full of love

All is full of love

SMS Text: FoodCourt Mixtape

This is my mixtape to you. It comes in at 62 minutes and 24 seconds, so you may have to get a 90 minute tape. You may even have to buy a cassette player, or just get one of these gadgets. Maybe, this is a way to convince you to go to my junior year Ring Dance, or maybe even the Senior Prom. We'll have cases of Becks beer, Peach Schnapps and Wine Coolers for the ladies, and whatever else we need to make the night memorable. I'll give it to you at Burger King, the place to drive to in between classes, and meet the girls from the sister school. And if I get caught for leaving campus, and get detention, it'll be worth it. I'll clean the toilets, tap the kegs for the jesuits, get on my knees.....to pray.

I hope you like the tape. It's probably best if you go to a quiet place, and listen to it through your headphones. I think these things come together better when you don't have too much time to think about it. Take a mood here, a lyric there, and you have this entirely new thing that's made up from the smaller parts, to help to capture a feeling that may be difficult to express through words, in our adolescence. How a song can take you to a place, this mixtape will take you to all of the places, experiencing all of the unexpected, and help you to remember this small moment, in our time together.


SMS Text: Food Court MixTape (Download)


Milosh - You Make Me Feel - a simple message of how "it" can make you feel. the music has that dream-like, delirious quality, just like "it". "you, beautiful moment in my life, a sweet wrinkle in time, so let's stretch this thing out"

Joseph Arthur - Honey And The Moon - maybe it's about a past love, but the melody has such optimism. "if you weren't real, i would make you up, now". "and right now, all your dreams are waking up"

Jeff Buckley - Morning Theft (Live) - "a heart that beats as both siphon and reservoir"

Björk - Headphones (Live) - the power of music to convey emotion. how music may be the most powerful language. "these abstract wordless movements". "i like this resonance, it elevates me"

Sigur Rós - Med Sud I Eyrum (With A Buzz In Our Ears) - we're traveling on a train and looking out the window into a vast open space of the future, and it doesn't matter where we end up, it's all about the journey and adventure to get there, together.

Hanne Hukkelberg - Ease - whimsical, yet painful. change can happen.

New Order - Every Little Counts - the laughter, for being stupid, together. not the greatest lyrics, but every little does count, like making a bed. "every second counts".

Damien Rice - The Blower's Daughter (Live) - "i can't take my mind off of you"

The Cinematic Orchestra - To Build A Home (featuring Patrick Watson) - home is not necessarily a place. is it a state of mind, or another person ? "Out in the garden where we planted the seeds. There is a tree as old as me. Branches were sewn by the color of green. Ground had arose and passed it's knees"

Daft Punk - Digital Love - so sappy, but such a great pop song about happiness and hope.

Cat Stevens - The Wind - when you least expect it, your soul will guide you in the right direction, or to the food court at the mall.

Iron & Wine - The Trapeze Swinger - a song about purgatory which I have often felt that I was trapped in as well. all of the beautiful haunting imagery in one of the most beautiful songs ever recorded. it has that sort-of sad optimism feeling to it. happy sad.

Bloc Party - Tulips (Original Version) - "this could be an opportunity". the drumming helps to convey the mood of urgency, and trying to convince someone that this is special, that this is real......

Radiohead - Go Slowly - i love how his voice flows through, and acts out the lyrics, "come slowly to me", "patiently".



There's a great site, Song Meanings which lists lyrics as well as user interpretations of each song, and it helped with the lyrics stated above.

FoodCourt: A New Off-Line Dating Service

Lloyd Dobler, Say Anything...

I understand for one's progression in life, one should reflect back on the past, but to actually relive it is a different hallucinatory experience altogether. I know that with this blog I am constantly preaching the aspects of music that makes it so personal for the individual, especially me, without divulging too much personal information myself, but a series of strange coincidences that I did not tie together until this morning have left me feeling as if I have been somehow transported back in time, some 20 years. Where to start ?

I am currently studying for a standardized exam which is in 2 weeks. An exam similar to the required regurgitation of worthless information that one usually takes in the high school era of their life. Similar to any of my schooling years, I have tried to do everything to procrastinate from this inevitable brain drain of information, like write this blog entry. Do I truly need to know that "potable" means drinkable, or that Community Property Laws are based on Spanish law shaped by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ? I mean, thanks for that Scrabble word and that tour of history, but how is that information going to help me to become the Thumb Wrestling World Champion. Besides the schooling aspect of my mysterious time travels, my social life has reverted back to that transitional 80's to 90's period as well.

The mall. A place of undeniable fluorescent beauty that became the new town center of any suburban oasis. Apart from Skateland, this is where teenage relationships formed and dissolved, sometimes both, in a matter of hours. Vans, Jams, OP shorts, Parachute pants, Z cavarichi's, Girbaud Jeans and Rolling up your jeans were just some of mistaken forms of identity during this era. The family wood paneled wagon was there to transport you to this neatly packaged digestable form of culture. The center of any mall was, and still is the food court. So, a few weeks back I went to a mall in the outskirts of San Francisco, as parking would be easier, to purchase a black tie for a wedding. I figure I needed a black tie anyway, and considering the fine line between a wedding and a funeral, the function fell in nicely with the form.

At the mall, after purchasing my symbol of life and death, I went into the Apple store which is another strange coincidence for other reasons, but also the fact that Apple, for me brings me back to my teenage years, because it's always been the main computer of use in my life, even before email and the internet. At the Apple store, I met someone and after a brief tutorial on the Mac for the both of us, we had lunch in the food court. Maybe I should elaborate on how I got this person to actually have lunch with me, a stranger, but I can't divulge everything, and it's always up to the female to decide, for whatever reason. Maybe I just said the two magic words, "food court" and her eyes lit up like a newly plugged-in Lite-Brite. I don't think she was as concerned for the fact that we live in SF and that we were having a meal in the food court, at the mall, but I just couldn't get over it. Unfortunately, there was no Sbarro Pizza, or TCBY Frozen Yogurt, but I guess it just proves that you meet people in the most unlikely of places. What impact does this person hold in my life could make this story even stranger, but for now, I kind of do feel as if I was a rejuvenated senior in high school with all of the anticipation and energy to explore the many possibilities of life, and the world.


Here are two songs from that so-called critical period of my life and two songs from my period of life, now.

Bjork - Sun In My Mouth (Recomposed by Ensemble) - from an E.E. Cummings poem, on her, in my opinion, best album. subtle, delicate and full of incredibly textured emotional songs.

Sigur Ros - Med Sud I Eyrum (With A Buzz In Our Ears) - this song has that sweeping soundscape Sigur Ros is known for, but with that tribal quality. One of the best albums I have heard in quite a long time.

The Replacements - Within Your Reach - the Mats' Pleased To Meet Me was a fixture in my car radio senior year in high school. There was something ironic about driving my parent's car, dressed in jacket and tie, going to a Jesuit prep school and blaring music that had just become part of a big corporatation, but was still somewhat rooted in ethos of punk rock. This song was on a previous release, but I had found it on the Say Anything... soundtrack, which is another seminal high school movie for me.

The Cure - Closedown - this song has a close rhythmic pattern to the Sigur Ros song above. Another moody piece from another album full of sweeping sounds from the late 80's.

The Clowner

"Can You Hear It ?", or The Future Face of Hollywood Starlets?

On this episode of music that don't jive on the radio, we have a percussionist. Miss Evelyn Glennie, featured in the outstanding Touch The Sound documentary. This Scottish being of sound goes around the globe in search of rhythm, the part of music that can be physically felt. She explores the existence of sound and how unique sounds that we take for granted make up the music in our day to day life. Oh yeah, did i mention that she is deaf.

Fred Frith & Evelyn Glennie - Scuttlebutt (Abstract) - this collaboration was featured in the Touch the Sound documentary.

Björk & Evelyn Glennie - Oxygen (Classical) - Glennie collaborated with Bjork on 2 tracks. The other one being My Spine which was featured on Bjork's Telegram release.

Trouble, More Trouble

Trevor Andrew and Dingo

santogold's hype is soon to boil over. very much in the vein of m.i.a. she is doing tracks with spank rock, being remixed by switch and name checked by bjork. i need to listen to more, but what i've heard is some pretty heavy stuff. she's also associated with a band called trouble.

trouble is a project by burton/analog/uninc. snowboard rider trevor andrew. now, when i think of professional athletes going into the music world, i think shaq-fu. i first heard of trouble from the free 'Analog moving picture project' dvd which you can find at your local snowboard shop. it features the analog riders from burton riding in japan. also, it has trevor andrew and his band trouble performing a number of songs. at first, i thought it was some type of 80's tribute band because it has all of the elements that i would normally hate in the electro 80's music of today, but the songs are catchy and good. go to MKOB for two great tracks from the album. below are two videos for the tracks. the 'bang bang' track features santogold. did i mention that he is a sick rider as well.


Videos:
Trouble - Bang Bang featuring Santogold
Trouble - Chase Money

A Word In A Phrase

apply, remove, protect or talk (tena's purse), 2007

this is the great show.
it's nina simone
live in paris.
from 1968.
an album that is now out of print.
it has a song called
'just in time'which plays a key in role in
richard linklater's movie
'before sunset'.

here are three selections from that amazing show.

Nina Simone - The Great Show Of Nina Simone : Live In Paris, 1968
'Just In Time'
'Backlash Blues'
'Please Read Me'


------------------------------------------
i was asked the other day to pick out some wedding songs for a first dance. maybe i should become a wedding dj. for some reason, the first song i thought of was 'let's get it on' by marvin gaye. maybe a bit too obvious, but funny. for something slower, i picked these songs after spending about a half an hour on it because this could have easily been a 2 to 3 day ordeal. have you seen the movie 'high fidelity'.

nina simone - 'just in time' and 'wild is the wind', you can't go wrong with either of these songs. although 'just in time' is a bit of a waltz and the timing is not standard. great lyrics and incredible phrasing from the women who sang from the heart no matter what genre of music.

damien rice - 'the blower's daughter', maybe a bit of a downer, but who listens to all of the words at weddings. it has that chorus, "can't take my eyes off of you" and that's enough.

miles davis - 'blue in green', if you can't tell from one of the revolving banners above, it is one of my favorite songs and one of the best breakfast spots in philly. every element of this song is incredible.

sting - 'my one and only love', i can't stand sting in his solo days. the police, version 1 was great. this, is a standard jazz piece which is conveyed nicely by mister tantra himself.

david gray - 'this year's love', a sappy song. another irish crooner.

bjork - 'unison', such a great song and besides the lyrics, how each speaker/side conveys a slightly different part only to come into unison during the chorus. i think 'vespertine' is her most accomplished work, thus far. it has the songs, the melodies and it has the stripped, but powerful production to go along with these bare songs.

forwardmusic : XXXchange from Spank Rock

This interview is the first in a series of interviews with artists that are pushing music forward. We are honored to have XXXchange aka Alex Epton, production master and member of hip hop group Spank Rock to start the series. As the producer/musical mastermind behind YoYoYoYoYo, the debut from Spank Rock and one of the best music releases in 2006, and remix credits that include Thom Yorke, Bjork and Coldcut, XXXchange's hip hop flavored touch is influencing music from all genres of music.


FoeWeel: It seems that you guys have brought back the fun and party atmosphere back to hip-hop and struck a chord with the indie-rock community as well as the electronic/dance community. What do you think is in the music to make all of the hipsters wanna dance ?

XXXchange: It's really just our taste. We're not going to play a record that we don't believe in just because it's cool, or trendy. There's definitely some new cool artists in our mixes but, really, if somebody comes out to hear us DJ and they expect all mstrkrft or blog-house they'll probably be disappointed. We're all all about having fun, playing records we like, and giving credit to our audience and their desire to dance. We're not really about having the shows be some scenester cool-kids-club bullshit...it's for everybody.


FoeWeel: I had the chance to see you play at Mighty in San Francisco last year and I was amazed of how the vibe seemed like an old-skool hip-hop show. People were going off and it was more like a house party rather than a hip-hop show. I even heard 'The Outfield' as one of the warmup songs and with Yes and The Romantics on the Fabric release, are you guys laughing as well as saying, just dance and who cares what people think is "cool", or not cool ?

XXXchange: (see above re:cool) but also, if you go to a weekly or monthly party in your town that's actually successful, (where tons of people come every time and the dj's actually make rent doing it) you're going to hear stuff like "push it" way more than you hear the new LCD soundsystem or Ed-banger indy stuff. We try and give people a good mix of both, but yeah the fabric mix we made super-accessible on purpose.


FoeWeel: Can you share a story when all of you realized that maybe you guys were onto something and connecting with people with your music?

XXXchange: Just doing the shows and having people respond to us having fun and being ourselves. People get really excited when they see you up there actually having fun and doing your thing! As a producer I've had alot of nice things said about my work in the press which is a
really encouraging, at the same time, you always want to do better, just on GP


FoeWeel: From a production and MC standpoint, who are your influences ?

XXXchange: My influences as a producer and as a DJ are all over the place from doo-wop to funk and soul to radio hip hop, especially Timbaland, to DFA stuff, which is maybe my biggest influence. Oh, and classic rock, like Creedence and Chicago and shit.


FoeWeel: I hear that you guys have remixed the track 'The Eraser' off of Thom Yorke's album of the same name. Knowing that he's thrown such huge praise out to you guys, how did you react and what did you think of the acknowledgment ? The same with the 'Earth Intruders' remix by Bjork. I think it's one of the best Bjork remixes I've heard in a long time and it might even top the original. Two of the biggest and credible and influential names in music are fans. It must be an honor that two people that continue to push music forward are throwing credit your way.

XXXchange: It's really flattering, man, I mean really, I want to stop doing remixes now! It's like what else am I going to do!?! unless, you know, Puffy wants to pay me 20k to do one or something (!) seriously though, it was a really great honor that they asked for remixes, I felt kind of stressed out when I found out, but when i actually sat down to do the mixes the music came really easily and it's probably two of the best things I've ever done. As a producer you're always accompanying somebody's lyrics and singing/rapping. It's the easiest thing in the world to make a good piece of music when the vocalist is that great.


FoeWeel: What's the strangest request for a remix that you have encountered from an artist or record company?

XXXchange: Lot's of sub-par rock shit. Like whiney emo-ish stuff and we make these really exuberant / fun records and it's like "why did you pick us for this again?" Usually they're asking for the wrong reasons.


FoeWeel: Hip-hop seems to be the American version of dance music. How has the reception been in other parts of the world to your music and shows?

XXXchange: We usually tailor the show depending on what part of the world we're in...more house and electro stuff for Europe, can't really get away with playing too much Creedence over there. You know, you can't really play alot of straight up dance music in the US, it has a stigma here. You have to play dance-rock, or dance-rap or whatever... god forbid you play Mr Fingers or something people are like "are you going to play techno all night? When are you going to play 'sexy-back?'" like that.


FoeWeel: Who would win a mixed martial arts, or thumb wrestling battle between Naeem and James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem ?

XXXchange: Murphy. he's huge. Naeem makes spaghetti look fat.


FoeWeel: If you could have one superpower, what would it be and who in the music world would be your arch nemesis ?

XXXchange: Easy. To be able to stop time and Diplo. ( for no other reason than he's the competition. no beefo.)


FoeWeel: Fork, Spoon or Spork ?

XXXchange: Spoon. They are also a great band as well as a utensil for eating soup.


FoeWeel: What do you see as the differences between both cities (New York, Baltimore, Philadelphia) and which city has influenced your musical style more ? Philly Cheesesteak or Maryland Crabs ?

XXXchange: I've never lived in philly, I pretty much left Baltimore straight for New York so my influences are rap, club music and disco more or less in that order. I had no idea Josh Wink was from Philly!? Cool. He's awesome. Definitely crabs though. Seriously.


FoeWeel: For the Fabric release, was it difficult getting releases for all of the music ? Were there any songs you guys wanted to include, but couldn't for whatever reason ? You guys are the first hip-hop act to be in the series. Have you guys checked out any of the other releases. It is a wide variety of dance music and I think you guys fit perfectly in that mold.

XXXchange: Yeah the licensing was a huge debacle, but Fabric handled it very well, the problem was more with the record companies / artists. Still we got some really great stuff in the end and changed our ideas enough to make it work. The only regret i have is that we couldn't credit the guest rappers or any of the re-edits directly, to avoid f*ing up the licensing. Oh well.

(note that the Fabricdead 33.3 : The Remix Mixes was just released which contains all of the original tracks and re-edits that were intended to be on the original release - limited to 1000 copies )

© FoeWeel, Inc.

I Snap Gum, So You Don't Have To

clarion alley series.2007

in my quest to record my vinyl sources into a digital format, leaving in the hisses and scratches, here are some more treats, i believe that are difficult to find outside of the vinyl medium.

Digable Planets - Nickel Bags (Sneak A Beshu Mix) (Hip Hop) - from the 1992 12" of 'nickel bags'. nothing major added or taken away here, maybe a crisper hand clap?

Digable Planets - Where I'm From (Aural G. Ride 12") (Hip Hop) - from the 12" in 1993 of this title cut. a nice dark bass and sax addition to this mix.

A Tribe Called Quest - Check The Rhime (Skeff's Mix) (Hip Hop) - this 1991 mix has a piano and sax to replace the great bass line from the original. i still prefer the original, but it's still great to hear any version of this great song.

Plastikman - Afrika (Test Kut) (Techno) - from a 1998 m-nus vinyl release with 'hypokondriak' on the other side. this is a real departure for hawtin in that he uses actual organic instruments or organic sounding instruments for his presentation of minimal rhythmic beats.

Bjork - I Miss You (Dobie's Rub Part Two - It's Hip Hop Thing) - a 1996 vinyl release and a rare version where most have part 1 of this mix.

Joseph Arthur - Papa (Singer Songwriter) - off of the now, supposedly out of print, 'and the thieves are gone' release from 2004. eerie, haunting, combining guitar with electronics and everything else that makes arthur such an interesting artist . if you ever have a chance to see him perform solo, please do so. he samples on the fly with sounds and rhythms he creates using his guitar and voice to create this wall of sound to accompany his angst.

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flash over at flash vegas has a great live set from amy winehouse at the paradiso in amsterdam from february the 8th.

stereogum has the trailer for "control", the new movie by anton corbijn about ian curtis, the former lead singer of joy division. it apparently won the best european film at cannes this year and stars newcomer sam riley in the lead role as well as samantha morton. corbijn was featured on the director's label series from palm pictures which showcases the works of visionary directors in the music video realm, but it also collects together some of the most visionary directors in feature films as well. michel gondry with "eternal sunshine of the spotless mind', jonathan glazer with "sexy beast" and "birth", spike jonze with "being john malkovich", mark romanek with "one hour photo", and now, corbin with "control". i'm still waiting to see what chris cunningham will do next. pure genius.

Bjork - Live @ The Shoreline 5.19.07

last night bjork and company played the shoreline in googletown, formerly known as mountain view. since on the weekends i don't like to leave the actual city of san francisco unless it's to the airport, or lake tahoe, it took the icelandic songstress to drag me down to the peninsula. superflav was kind enough to score me 10th row tickets almost dead center for the show. and once again bjork proved why, like radiohead and richie hawtin, it is an experience not to be missed. it was more upbeat from her previous 2 visits to the bay area and while maybe not as initmate as playing with the san jose symphony at the paramount theatre in oakland, or grand as playing pier 33 in san francisco with fireworks, it was an energetic show filled with some heavy beats. also, joanna newsom was incredible as the opening act. what an amazing talent. here are some pics from the show:

One.Sun.Day - Covers and Remixes

red poles.

the site here is changing. we're going soopercorporate. i plan on hiring about 100 people to look important and stare out of the windows. i've already placed 1000 subliminal banners and ad buttons all over the site. what, you can't see it ? and you thought the post pics were just amateur pics taken by myself ? if you look closely at each red pole in the pic above, it displays the names of every major soft drink manufacturer. i bet you feel the need for a cool carmelized carbonated beverage right about now.

seriously...i am going to try to post more independent artists that have been so kind as to send me music. also, i am starting a series of interviews called forwardmusic. it will feature artists that are truly progressive in music in terms of production and performance.
besides the massive amounts of music i actually purchase, i find some great stuff from other blogs, in my inbox, and from other kind sources. here are some of the great remixes and covers i've obtained recently, and thanks.

Franz Ferdinand - All My Friends (LCD Soundsystem Cover) (Indie Beats) - my favorite song from 'sound of silver' and a great guitar-based cover.

Bjork - Earth Intruders (Spank Rock Remix) (Hip Hop) - i'm still getting my arms around 'volta', but this remix is another stake in the claim of spank rock being one of the current kings of hip hop.

M.I.A. - Birdflu (Guns up Buraka Mix) (Hip Hop) - a new song and a great remix. i think it has that kanye sample, or the sample kanye used in that song.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Hyperballad (Live) (Bjork Cover) (Acoustic) - a gentle rework of the longing optimism originally done by Mrs.G. i heard she killed it at coachella on friday night and i can't wait for her show here.

Soulwax - Wouldn't It Be Good (Nik Kershaw Cover) - showing off the soulwax band side. a sweet melody and an interesting cover which i originally heard off of the john hughes soundtrack. say what you will about his movies, but he provided the best soundtracks in the 80's.

Noze - Kitchen (T. Schaeben Tombo's Teflon Wok Remix) (Techno) - thanks rayna. maybe i should trade my seasoned carbon steel wok for a teflon one. wow.

And "So It Goes"

rest in peace mr. vonnegut. an existential writer who broke away from structure and created world's unlike any other. kilgore trout will be missed.

went to the yuri's night out party on friday night at the nasa research center in mountain view. it was strange to go to a party in a federal facility and it was basically burning man in a hangar as well as outside the hangar. we got to hear telefon tel aviv while we were waiting in line and plaid scared everyone a few hours later while the space cowboys ( a sf party collective) had their unimog booming dance friendly music to the masses outside. i found out about it on a fluke looking up on hefty's website about telefon tel aviv. it was an interesting experience, a bit surreal and one of those moments you look around and realize that you're getting too old for this type of scene which was the unimog scene.

Junior Boys - Double Shadow (Kode 9 Remix feat Spaceape) (Dubstep) - from the mini Dead Horse EP featuring remixes from Hot Chip, Carl Craig and this one. a stellar roundup of remixers.

Wreckless Eric - Whole Wide World (Rock) - a song from the movie 'stranger than fiction'. a good movie but with the material and the stellar lineup of actors, it could have been great. this song plays a pivotal role in the movie

Lou Reed - Perfect Day (Acoustic Demo) - from the re-release of 'transformer'. reed writes poetry and always paints the picture from a unique perspective.

Bjork - Earth Intruders (Beats) - i don't know about this song. it has rhythms from everywhere, but i can't get into the chanting in the chorus.

PausePlayStop Mix (Abstract Downtempo) Oct2005

PausePlayStop, a nice early morning that comes from a late late evening..... mix of abstract beats. Some good headphone music.
Enjoy.

01. Four Tet - And Then Patterns
02. Apparat - Stienholz (Monolake Remix)
03. Björk - It's In Our Hands
04. Kiln - Ero
05. Bus - Tamed Lion
06. Jimmy Edgar - Re City Alley
07. Telefon Tel Aviv - Sound In A Dark Room
08. Mr. Projectile - Less Math, More Music
09. Deadbeat - Texas Tea
10. Sia - Breathe Me (Four Tet Remix)
11. Michael Fakesch - We Got A Generator
12. Murcof - Ultimatum
13. Aphex Twin - Untitled (SAW2 CD1 TRACK1) (Four Tet Remix)
14. Björk - Batabid
15. Plastikman - Pakard