Happy Friday to everyone.

Throw the Ipod on shuffle for my first random 10:

1) Immigrant Song by Led Zeppelin
2) Foreign Bedrooms by Matt Pond PA
3) Jonathan David by Belle and Sebastian
4) Airport Disco by Athlete
5) Searchin by Kruder and Dorfmeister
6) Flamenco Sketches by Miles Davis
7) Sluttering by Jawbreaker
8) The Bitch is Back by Elton John
9) Joy of Life/Trout in the Water by The Corrs
10) Nancy by Troubled Hubble

Word!

Putting my iTunes on Shuffle for 10 random songs.

1. A Skeleton of Something More - Sleeping At Last
2. Tear You Apart - She Wants Revenge
3. Amazing Grace - Sufjan Stevens
4. Love's Not a Competition (But I'm Winning) - Kaiser Chiefs
5. Mayor of Your Town - Leona Naess
6. Fancy Footwork - Chromeo
7. It's Christmas! Let's Be Glad - Sufjan Stevens
8. The Drinks We Drank Last Night - Azure Ray
9. Homesick - Kings of Convenience
10. I Feel Good - James Brown

A lot of bands release special tracks on the internet for the holidays. Here's a list of the tracks that I think you should check out while they are up.
If you have any other additions, please let me know!

Chris Garneau - Almost Christmas

Brandi Carlile - The Heartache Can Wait

Belle & Sebastian - Are You Coming Over For Christmas?

Rachael Yamagata - River (Joni Mitchell cover)

Regina Spektor - my dear acquaintance (a happy new year) - available on iTunes

A couple of years ago I met Courtney at a Damien Rice Concert in Louisville. In the parking lot after the show (where we got to eat birthday cake and chat with Damien, Vyvienne, etc.) we exchanged some CDs - I gave her a mix CD I had made for one of my friends and she gave me a Live Sondre Lerche recording.

I went to visit her after that and brought up Court Mix 1 - the first in a series of Mix CDs that I made for her. Traditionally, I would not include track lists and she would call me excitedly about tracks that struck her fancy. There is nothing more gratifying than getting feedback on a Mix CD!

However, I was saddened to hear that the last CDs in the series (the first ever double disc Court Mix 11) was hardly listened to! Ouch!

So, with Court Mix 12 I am calling Courtney out! For the first time ever I am posting the track list online. After a few listens I invite Courtney to post a review of Court Mix 12, here at Music Bath! Will she take the challenge?

Continue reading "Court Mix 12"

So today I finally watched the series final of Six Feet Under. Thanks to Best Week Ever's penchant for spoiling everything, I already new some of the big twists and turns of the last season. I also knew that Sia's song "Breathe Me" was used in the closing scene. That didn't stop it from rocking my world. I would go so far as to say that it was the most powerful closing to a television series I've ever seen and the most poignant and perfect use of a song in a television show. It brought home to me how much a written character can grow to mean to someone. It also reminded me of other songs on othertv shows that overtook my life and my mind in the past. I made a huge list, but then decided to boil it down to the top four that really moved me the most. I cannot hear these songs without instantly remembeing the scenes they were attached to and the emotions I felt during them.

Sia - Breathe Me (Six Feet Under)
Kim Richey - A Place Called Home (Angel)
Sarah McLachlan - Full Of Grace (Buffy: The Vampire Slayer)
The Drifters - Save the Last Dance For Me (Queer as Folk)

I ate your neighbor's ferret.

That was about as random as these 10 songs, chosen at random by the iTunes shuffle.

1. Guster - I Hope Tomorrow Is Like Today
2. Nada Surf - Blonde on Blonde
3. The Arcade Fire - Crown Of Love
4. Air - Surfing On A Rocket
5. Eist Aris - Tar Tar A Run
6. Oasis - Cast No Shadow
7. Ben Folds - In Between Days
8. VAST - Goodbye
9. Phoenix - I'm An Actor
10. Television - (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction

So I have a friend who is over in Iraq and I told him that I would send him a couple of mix CDs. He said he likes beat poetry and music like Willie Nelson, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, etc. He likes unplugged instruments and songs that tell good stories as apposed to long instrumentals. So, I didn't really know much about all that, so I just made him a couple of mixes I would like. He said that I could put sad bastard stuff on there and he wouldn't kill himself, so I included the most depressing song ever (Priests and Paramedics). He also said he is the black sheep of his unit, so thus the first CD title.

Black Sheep
1. Martin Sexton - Black Sheep
2. Eels - Railroad Man
3. M. Ward - Here Comes the Sun Again
4. Bright Eyes - First Day of My Life
5. Cameron McGill - Tell Me On The Way Back Home
6. Andrew Bird - A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left
7. Charlie Mars - Gather the Horses
8. Bob Schneider - I'm Good Now
9. Mic Christopher - Heyday
10. The Frames - Fitzcarraldo
11. Josh Ritter - Chelsea Hotel #2
12. Damien Rice - Amie
13. Ray LaMontagne - Jolene
14. Kashmir - The Aftermath
15. Calexico/Iron & Wine - Hey Lays In The Reins
16. Kings of Convenience - Winning A Battle, Losing The War
17. Will Hoge - King of Grey
18. Joe Purdy - Far Away Blues
19. Cake - End of the Movie

Patriot's Heart
1. Bell X1 - Reacharound
2. The Arcade Fire - Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)
3. Spoon - The Way We Get By
4. Simple Kid - Staring at the Sun
5. Josh Rouse - 1972
6. Athlete - El Slavador
7. The Thrills - Santa Cruz (You're Not That Far)
8. The Guillemots - Trains to Brazil
9. Ed Harcourt - This One's For You
10. Elliott Smith - Memory Lane
11. Nada Surf - Killian's Red
12. Pedro the Lion - Priests and Paramedics
13. American Music Club - Patriot's Heart
14. The Arctic Monkeys - Riot Van
15. The Format - On Your Porch
16. Joseph Arthur - Speed of Light
17. Jump, Little Children - Cathedrals
18. Ron Sexsmith - Gold In Them Hills

Let the whoring of my blog begin.

So a couple of weeks ago roomie was invited to see a concert at Uncommon Ground and asked if I'd like to go along. Uncommon Ground is my favorite restaraunt in Chicago, so it didn't take much convincing.

Upon getting to the restaraunt we were quickly approached by one of the artists who introduced himself as Keith. Keith was adorable, kind of with an American Idol Elliott vibe, but way better looking. Not only did he tell us our meal was covered, but he also let me touch his shirt. Twice.

Keith played a great acoustic set, which was not the norm for him... apparently he puts on more of a rockin' show, but I thought he pulled off the mellow acoustic thing really well. Roomie says he reminds her a bit of having a Ryan Cabrera vibe, which I can absolutely see, although I like Keith more. And while Keith hasn't had as much exposure on MTV as Cabrera has, he did have a song on Laguna Beach, which is really impressive. I think my favorite song from his as yet unreleased CD (which he was kind enough to give us copies of) is "In My Head."

The next act was Ryan Auffenberg (also adorable). Ryan's music is usually mellow acoustic stuff, so Uncommon Ground was the perfect setting for him.

My favorite song was the first track on his (as of yet unreleased) CD which he also was nice enough to give us copies of. The song, "Under All The Bright Lights" reminds me a bit of Irish singer/songwriter David Hopkins, but maybe the connection is just because Hopkins album is titled "Here Comes the Bright Light." Or maybe Ryan is a fan...he does have the BEST MUSIC TASTE EVER (Loves the Frames AND Nada Surf.) Check out his myspace site.

So, seriously though, their music was very good, and that's not just the Mac and Cheese talking. And they are the nicest, coolest, funniest guys ever. Roomie and I loved them so much we went home and stayed up half of the night making them mix CDs for their journey back to California, posted below.

And just so everyone knows, I didn't sell myself and my opinion for a bowl of mac and cheese and some CDs...even though it was 8 year aged Irish Cheddar with tomato chutney. I really do like these guys. The next day we took Keith and Ryan, as well as their friend and bandmate Dave to Orange, on us (see, would a whore do that?) Keith had what he called salisbury french toast (ie. Chai Tea Latte French Toast) which he said was the best thing he had ever eaten (it is my favorite dish too.) I, instead, had the cereal themed pancake flight:

Dave said it was the Fab Four of pancakes. He was right... they tasted half dead (but looked great).

Anyway, you all must check out their music and see them. I can't wait for them to swing back through Chicago and do a couple more shows ;-)

Sunday Shuffle is back. I become iTunes Shuffle's bitch for 10 songs. Enjoy and feel free to discuss the cultural ramifcations of this mix amongst yourselves if you feel so inclined.

1. Frou Frou - Maddening Shroud
2. Badly Drawn Boy - Year of the Rat
3. Badly Drawn Boy - A Peak You Reach
4. Alison Krauss & Union Station - Pastures of Plenty
5. The Stills - Still In Love Song
6. My Morning Jacket - Rollin' Back
7. David Mead - Wherever
8. Cabin - In the Wake Of
9. Hem - Pacific Street
10. Jamie Cullum - But For Now

So, a lot has been going on in this blogger's life lately and I've been all mixed up and not knowing what to do! I've got a new pimp job (pimp being an adjective describing my job and, you know, not a noun) and a sweet ass new apartment with my good friend Shayna (and there I actually mean exposed posterior... we're in apartment 311which is the police code for indecent exposure! And everyone just went ahhhh....not clever! about my earlier 311 reference...or any of it really.) I've just not had time for much posting on here. Fear not...this site was too much of an invenstment to slack off on for too long, and I can't let Shan's super wonderful design go to waste now can I?

So, hopefully you will understand if I don't update as consistently as I would like (especially in the next couple of weeks during the big move! Who knows when I'll get my internet back up and running). But hear you me, I have not forgotten about you.

Anyway, I'm not the only one getting ready for a big move. My good dear friend Mel is making the move to Seattle. Mel is good at picking out cool clothes for me to wear and going on road trips to NY to see Damien Rice! I'm sad she is leaving, but that's fine because when she lives far away she sends me stuff in the mail and it makes me feel special. I know she will be very happy there with her boyfriend and her fattest cat in the world.

I made her about 5 mix CDs for the drive. Most of them are happy, party, lets-drive-and-feel- the-sun-and-eat-hawaiian-shaved-(heh)-ice and be glad that life is so wonderful kind of music. But, of course, I had to make one album that is at least a little tiny bit sad/depressing/guilt inducing on the off chance she decides to stay and help me shop for more cool clothes! But I couldn't even make that as stupid sad bastards as I usually do, because I really am so happy for her. And also, some of the songs are about romantic relationships. Please take them out of context like I did! So, in honor of moving, here is that playlist full of songs about moving (or just moving songs):

Continue reading "New... You're So New"

Ten random songs chosen by iTunes for your listening pleasure:

Marjorie Fair - Hold On To You
Magnet - The Day We Left Town
David Hopkins - My Time is Running Out
Devendra Banhart - The Body Breaks
KT Tunstall - Black Horse and a Cherry Tree
Interpol - Evil
The Rapture - Olio
Peter Sallett - Beautiful Torch
Bell X1 - Reacharound
Anathallo - The Bruised Reed

I've been promising my roomie from Ireland, Jamie, a mix CD for awhile. While visiting him in Florida a couple of months ago we heard a great cover of "Mack the Knife" by Ella Fitzgerald in which she didn't know all of the worlds but still made the song entertaining. Afterwards I decided a great mix for Jamie would of more contemporary female singers that I thought he would enjoy. I wrote up this tracklist for him so he could learn a little about the different artists on the CD. (I already have the entire tracklist formulated for Jamie's Girl Mix #2, so don't worry if you don't see your favorite ladies on here.)

Continue reading "Jamie's Girl Mix #1"