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Q’s Compilations
Volume #91 – August
– September 2013
Summer
is finally starting to wind down as October rapidly approaches, I love all the
events that happens but the heat and humidity are rapidly making it my least
favourite season! Despite having the mix done well in advance I’m struggling to
get his out the door by the end of my (self-imposed) deadline, the majority of
this mix features bands I’ve seen live recently with a few scattered new
discoveries.
01)
Roomrunner - Bait Car: If there is a better record released this year than Ideal Cities then I’ll be very happy. The
promo sticker on the album simply states Yes
we’ve heard Nirvana, try harder. They have of course, featured previously
on this series but Ideal Cities is
their debut full length and this track also opens the record. If your ears
survive the opening exchanges and piercing effects then well done. I’ve seen
the band 3 times and something incredible happens every time.
02)
California X - Pond Rot: California X have that sludgy desert-rock tone that
seems to have been cruelly left behind by many bands. Despite the name, the
band hail from Amherst in Massachusetts, and are on the Don Giovanni record
label (more from then later).
03)
Fuzz - Loose Sutres: Ty Segall is a man of many talents and an output that
threatens to surpass Robert Pollard in terms frequency. With Fuzz, Segall takes
his seat at the drumkit but it makes him no less a frontman as he is the
vocalist. I saw Fuzz play a free outdoor show at Redhook Park in the summer and
they were incredible. Catch them if you can, their debut album is out now.
Their sound can be perfectly described with their name.
04)
Primitive Hearts – Harmony: The west coast seems to be serving up a countless
number of garage rock acts right now and Primitive Hearts are a fine compliment
to the movement, if this doesn’t get your head nodding then you just don’t like
rock and roll.
05)
Brick Mower - Back to Haunt Me: I saw Brick Mower at Death By Audio back in
February and was wowed by their set, to the point where (admittedly, I was
probably drunk) I paid double for their CDs, insisting they didn’t need to
break change from my $20, regardless, it was money well spent. Fans of
Superchunk (who I seem destined to not see live!) should gobble this up. This
track appears on their 2013 album My
Hateable Face, via Don Giovanni records, both label and band are from New Jersey.
06)
TV On the Radio – Mercy: My love for TVotR runs deep, and it is always a joy to
hear a new song by one of your favourite bands (they are, for me, still the
best band of this millennium), Mercy is
perhaps the most straight forward rock song they have released since Wolf Like Me, and by all accounts came
together very quickly. Let’s hope there is more around the corner and who
knows, maybe an album!
07)
Bad Cop - Light On: This is the title-track from their recently released EP,
which is a more controlled record compared to their debut album, Harvest the Beast, I had convinced
myself I had already used a track from that but I guess I haven’t! I’ll rectify
that soon I’m sure. Anyway, Light On
has a swagger to it that I hope you’ll enjoy.
08)
Bass Drum of Death - Shattered Me: I saw BDoD supporting Unknown Mortal
Orchestra at the seaport in the summer and while I enjoyed UMO’s set, the night
belonged to them. From Oxford (Mississippi, not England), John Barrett writes and
records everything, while the touring band is now a 4-piece. They may be set
for a sudden burst in popularity as the track, Crawling After You appears on Grand Thest Auto V.
09)
Evans the Death - Telling Lies: This song has been my earworm since first
hearing it on a free compilation of Slumberland Records acts, I hope you all
enjoy it as much as I do. This appears on their self-titled debut released last
year, while they are preparing for a follow-up release.
10)
Gos Gos – Vacation: Another free outdoor concert, this time down at Coney
Island was headlined by the Go Gos, I had initially went to see Tom Tom Club
who were due to support, unfortunately it rained terribly all night and they
could not play. I was starting to wonder if the whole night was worth it, but
what the hell I was drenched by now anyway, thankfully after opening with this
song the mood was transformed and the rain stopped shortly after.
11)
Lost Boy? – Chew: I love the DIY venues in New York, one of which is Shea
Stadium, who not only put on great acts but also record every artist that play
and are free to listen to. I haven’t seen Lost Boy? yet but this was recorded
from a set they played there.
12)
They Might Be Giants - You're On Fire: This sort of comment may become boring,
but I saw They Might be Giants play a free outdoor show at Prospect Park in
August. There really are few things more wonderful than seeing a Brooklyn band
playing a huge show in their own backyard. This track opens their latest album,
Nanobots, which is a fine addition to
their discography.
13)
Bad Girlfriend – Feelings: This song is a bit more dreampop than their previous
efforts, which had a garage rock feel, but the change feels good. I keep
missing them live so I hope I get to rectify that soon.
14)
Mikal Cronin – Change: Another of my favourite records released so far this
year is II, which is staggeringly
consistent. This is one of the more rocking tunes on the album, on which Cronin
plays almost every instrument. He played an incredible set at the Bowery
Ballroom, his 12-string guitar ended up with about 3 strings by the end of the
night. “Faith is just a lover I don’t
know, love is just an answer I don’t know”
15)
The Holydrug Couple - Long Rain: One of the centrepieces of my Chilean mix, I
just felt moved to use another Holydrug Couple track. This particular song has
gone through a few iterations in their discography so far, and I don’t have my
computer with me to check which version this is as I type these notes at the
last second, sorry!
16)
Sharon Van Etten - Don't Do It: Sharon Van Etten is the artists I have listened
to the most in the last 3 months (according to my last.fm stats at least, but I
do not doubt it), her album, Tramp, was
one of the finest of 2012 and she played an enchanting set at Googamooga this
year in Prospect Park, after which I picked up her debut album, Because I was in Love and Epic, on which this song appears. This
song seems fairly obviously about a friend with suicidal intentions, but I
think the lyrics reflect a broad scope that leaves the listener with the chance
to interpret them as they wish.
17)
Future Bible Heroes - Living, Loving, Partygoing: Future Bible Heroes made a
somewhat unexpected return this year with their third album, Partygoing. I usually lean towards the
Stephin Merrit sang tunes on any of his project, but this Claudia Gonson-led
tune is the centrepiece of the album.
18)
Daniel Lopatin and Tim Hecker – Vaccination: Two of my favourite
ambient/electronic artists collaborating on a record is enough to make one weak
at the knees, albeit obviously in a sombre, reflective way. This song has a
haunting quality to it, like your trapped in a graveyard waiting for rescue.
19)
Fuck Buttons – Stalker: After a period of absence, Fuck Buttons finally return
with perhaps their most focused and impressive album to date in Slow Focus, which they self-produced. I
had conspired to miss seeing them live a few times whilst back in the UK so I’m
looking forward to covering their show at Le Poisson Rouge in October.
I
hope that was enjoyable! Also, check out my articles on www.mysociallist.com. October is looking like
a hectic month with various gigs lined up.
Until
next time
Peace
and love
- Q
