Wednesday 28 March 2018

Q#118 - February to March 2018



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