Please note that the zip file has a password: QCOMPS.BLOGSPOT
Download mix from: http://www.mediafire.com/file/2ngercqazuojnnc/Q%23118.zip
Q's Compilations
Vol #118 – February
to March 2018
Greetings
and welcome to the first real mix of
the year, I’ve got mostly brand-new releases for you in what is hopefully a
year of being able to celebrate new things.
01)
Superchunk – What a Time to be Alive: This is the title track to Superchunk’s
first record in four years, and it might even be their first politically-tinged
release. Wonder what could have led to that! It’s another triumphant and
anthemic record in the vein of their last few records since Majesty Shredding. I can’t wait to see
them twice in April. “To see the rot in
no disguise, Oh what a time to be alive, The scum, the shame, the fucking lies,
Oh what a time to be alive”
02)
Jawbreaker – Jinx Removing: Having appreciated their influence but not really
paid too much attention to the band
over the years, their reformation still seemed like something I shouldn’t miss
when they announced a show at Brooklyn Steel in February. The band didn’t
disappoint and this tune in particular struck a chord. “I love you more than I ever loved anyone before, or anyone to come,
Someone said your name, I thought of you alone, I was just the same twenty
blocks away”
03)
Hot Snakes – Death Campy Fantasy: Speaking of bands getting back together, I
saw Hot Snakes back in November and they just released their first record since
2004’s Audit in Progress with Jericho Sirens via Sub Pop. This was one
of the singles off the album (which I have yet to hear at the time of writing)
which continues to prove that if you put Rick Froberg and John Reis together
then little can go wrong.
04)
Screaming Females – I’ll Make You Sorry: The New Brunswick trio just released
their 7th studio album, All At
Once, and it’s a double record (I picked up the 3LP set with bonus demos),
once again released via Don Giovanni. It’s their poppiest record yet,
interspersed with perhaps some of their least commercial work to date, but All at Once is definitely about pop hooks
and melody.
05)
Jessica Lea Mayfield – Offa My Hands: Whilst scouring show-listings recently
for inspiration I enjoyed a bunch of tunes by Jessica Lea Mayfield, her songs
seem to have a perfect mix of melody and melancholy. She released her fourth
record, Sorry Is Gone, last year. I
ended up missing her shows at the Mercury Lounge and Bowery Electric recently
but can hopefully catch a future show. “Every
single DNA strand, Gotta wash you offa my hands”
06)
Ruby Boots – Don’t Talk About It: Ruby Boots is an Aussie currently based in
Nashville and this is another new release from February (this is the title
track). While Rolling Stone called her one of the ten new country artists you
should listen to, there’s plenty of rock and pop on a nicely varied record.
07)
Rilo Kiley – Wires & Waves: The first song on the mix that isn’t from this
year, and I can’t really tell you why I thought to put it on the mix, it just
seemed to flow. Originally released in 2001, Take Offs and Landings captures the band at their most charming. While
the band has officially broken up, one still hopes for a reunion.
08)
The Men – Rose on Top of the World: Back to new releases, back on Sacred Bones
following 2016’s self-released Devil
Music, Drift is the group’s seventh album. This song could scarcely sound
more like Meat Puppets if they tried, which is a good thing given how much I
love them.
09)
Anna Burch – Tea-Soaked Letter: Quit the
Curse is Anna Burch’s debut record (via Polyvinyl) and I caught a lovely
show at Rough Trade back in February in support of its release. There’s no
re-inventing the wheel here, just nice jangle-pop.
10)
Nada Surf – Stalemate: Celebrating the fifteenth anniversary of Let Go (or the sixteenth if, like me,
you are far more used to the European release), New York’s finest band played
the record in full at Brooklyn Steel recently. The performance was fantastic,
but the second set was even better as they delivered a bunch of songs I had not
heard them play in a decade (or more), including Stalemate from the band’s debut album, Let Go. Performed live, they even threw in their short cover of Love Will Tear Us Apart just like they
used to do in the old days as well. It was perhaps the most fun I’ve ever had
at a concert (they played a 31-song set in total) and try as I might, I feel
like I always fail to convey how much the band mean to me.
11)
B Boys – Discipline: This song was supposed to go on the last mix (my
best-of-2017), I haven’t seen B-Boys play live since Death By Audio closed in
2014 and that seems like a gross oversight. Their debut album (Dada) was released last year on Captured
Tracks.
12)
Fletcher C Johnson – Summer: Whilst flipping through the discounted vinyl at
Rough Trade I picked up Lesson in
Tenderness for $5, which is fitting since I also bought his debut record
for $5 at Rough Trade too. There’s a little more variety on this record but I
seem to have chosen the song that sounds like it could have been on the debut!
13)
Squeeze – Pulling Muscles (From the Shell): I’ve had a real Squeeze itch for
about six months and I’m not sure where it came from (other than always liking
Squeeze), so I picked up one of the numerous greatest hits packages. I’m a
little bummed in hindsight that I didn’t catch a recent show at the Beacon
theatre, but hopefully there will be future chances. 2017’s The Knowledge was a pretty good record,
though this opens the classic ArgyBargy from
1980.
14)
Anya Marina – Ordinary Dude: I was introduced to Anya Marina’s music on a trip
to New Jersey last year and am catching a show in a few weeks, this tune is
from her last record, 2016’s Paper Plane
and appeals to the pop-sensibility of this mix. “You’re not some formula that I set out to prove”
15)
David Byrne – Everybody’s Coming to My House: Having managed to get tickets to
see David Byrne at the magnificent Kings Theatre in September, it probably
seemed like a good idea to check out the single for his new record. Thankfully
it’s a good one! “We're only tourists in
this life, Only tourists but the view is nice”
16)
Gaz Coombes – Deep Pockets: Supergrass main-man Gaz Coombes is set to release
his third solo record, World’s Strongest
Man, in May and he played a couple of shows in March in support of it. While
the set was mostly devoid of Supergrass songs, the quality of his solo material
meant it didn’t seem missed (though the biggest cheer of the night when I saw
him was Moving by some distance!).
17)
Ought – Desire: The Montreal quartet just released their third fantastic
record, Room Inside the World, and
their first on Merge Records. Desire is
the second single from the record and shows how the band are growing as
songwriters, it has a triumphant feel to it
18)
Destroyer – Hey, Snow White: I bought a mystery vinyl bundle from Merge Records
around Christmas time which ended up including Destroyer’s 2002 record This Night. He didn’t play this song
when I saw him at Brooklyn Steel in January, but I just felt like throwing it
on this mix. After the show I felt like I’d had my fill of rock-based saxophone,
however (it was a good show)!
19)
Cayetana – Easy to Love: Another song that I meant to put on last month’s mix
(there are usually more than two, to be fair), New Kind of Normal was released last year via Plum Records and I
saw the band twice, once opening for Waxahatchee and once opening for The Hold
Steady. Keen listeners will remember Mesa
from Q#113.
20)
Aimee Mann – Paper Boats: To celebrate Let Go’s 15th anniversary
(again… 16th if you’re European…), Nada Surf put out a charity album
of bands covering its songs. The biggest name involved is Aimee Mann, who puts
her own spin on the albums’ closer. It’s one of those covers that 100% captures
the spirit of the original. “Sit on a
train, reading a book, Same damn planet every time I look, Try to relax and
slow my heartbeat, Only works when I'm dead asleep, Been thinking and drinking
all over the town, Must be gearing up for some kind of meltdown”
I’m
pretty pleased with this mix, it’s usually the ones with completely new songs
that I’m most excited about and I hope you heard something that pricked your
ear. Speaking of new, I’ll be living in a new apartment by the time the next
mix gets released.
As
always, Peace and Love
Q
Please note that the zip file has a password: QCOMPS.BLOGSPOT
Download mix from: http://www.mediafire.com/file/2ngercqazuojnnc/Q%23118.zip
