11:28 a.m. - November 29, 2006
The Most Impressive Designerchica Mix
Now, I've got a lot of friends in cyber land, and sometimes they give me presents. And those presents are all loved and appreciated.
A few times, I've met my cyber land friends, and those meetings have been outstanding, warm and funny.
But it's really nice when one of your cyber land friends becomes a real life friend, especially when she's a local. This is the case with Designerchica, who is a smart, sassy youngin' (Well, she's not jailbait, and has a boyfriend - a Hot Asian Boy(TM) - OK - pipe down you...) that shares my love of music and my love of making fun of everyone else in the Chinese buffet when we eat lunch together.
So I made her a great mix for her birthday (she's also a fellow Scorpio - HEY - I told you to pipe down!) and when mine rolled around, she reciprocated. Just one CD, but that's OK. I know not everyone is as demented and sad like I am.
(Let me also say that I received another mix CD and sadly, haven't popped it in the player yet. I've been busy at work since I'm taking a couple days off next week for a business trip. So don't fret...)
The mix CDs that people have sent me over the year have been great, and many songs have made it into my permanent collection. But, I must commend Designerchica, because she hit an absolute grand slam home run with her mix. Since she's young, and I'm not, she's turned me onto some people that I've only read about or just heard in passing. But now, I'm becoming fans of theirs.
So let's examine this mix, shall we. Since I don't know a lot about some of these bands, I'm just going to wing it. Here we go.
1. I Say **** - The Supersuckers. What a way to start out the mix! It's short, sweet (ok, not sweet) and to the point. Funny thing is, I used to have this album, The Smoke Of Hell, and sold it back without putting many songs on my computer. Pity me. It's now on my mix rotation.
2. Moment Of Weakness - Bif Naked. Designerchica definitely follows the Junior Soprano code of "Come in strong, or don't come in at all." Was I dancing around my office when I first heard this song? Yep. This track smokes.
3. Half Jack - The Dresden Dolls. She also knows that I like the unique, and challenging, and odd, which this song is. It's not every band that can pull off the German Cabaret sound, but they do. I love the husky quality of the alto on this song. Sigh...
4. Run Thru - My Morning Jacket. I was just a casual MMJ fan - in fact, just had a couple of songs. Well, now Designerchica has changed my thinking on them by including this song. From the opening guitar sound, I knew it was special. There was something about that tone and how the guitar fit in with the arrangement. It's spooky and haunting. And then, halfway through, the tempo picks up and rockets you somewhere else. That I like - I like a lot.
5. Dim - Dada. I don't know what rock I was under when this band came out in the early 90's. Oh, I think I was under my Pixies / Nirvana / Soundgarden / Big Black rock. Not a bad rock to be under, in reality, but some good stuff escaped my sensibilities, like Dada. Now the big crime is that only a few tracks by them are available on iTunes. Please Apple, make it so, and let us have more Dada!
6. To Try For The Sun - Lindsey Buckingham. I'm glad he’s back - I really am. He was always the most intriguing member of Fleetwood Mac (well, besides Peter Green, and that's a whole 'nother ball o'wax, that is) and listening to this song reminds me of some of the nuttiness on Tusk. And that's a good thing!
7. Passing Afternoon - Iron & Wine. I’ve read a lot about them (ok, him) and I was happy when Designerchica put this on my mix. This song is fragile and beautiful. That's all that needs to be said.
8. Shine - David Gray. Another one that I've heard OF, not heard, if you get my drift. I like this, too. It's evocative. However, when I first heard this, it was after my birthday lunch at Little Mexico, and of course, they give ginormous portions of food and well...I was driftin' off to sleep and the mellowness almost got me. I was this close to having keyboard face.
9. Pavlov's Bell - Aimee Mann. Sometimes, I'm an idiot. When I first got this, I told Designerchica that there were only a couple of songs that I already had. But I had forgotten that the wonderful and talented Violet had ALSO mixed this for me, and it was ON my iPod, just rather neglected at the time. Mo-ron. Anyway, it's funny because I think the two of them would hit it off so well, since they're fun, quirky, snarky people that love the visual.
10. Mona Lisa - Guster. I have mixed "Amsterdam" for various and sundry people, but this is a different side of them. Another fragile and haunting song on this collection. I wonder if she was trying to tell me something?? Or maybe just saying, "Dude, these tunes are great!" I think it's the latter. I mean, she's put up with my mixes - and they included the infamous "Madonna Triolgy" by the Meat Purveyors.
11. Outfit - Drive-By Truckers. I bought a DBT album a while ago, and it was an early effort and wasn't that impressed. However, I've now been converted thanks to this song. It caused me to go onto iTunes and grab about a half dozen or so other fine fine songs by them. I never call what I'm wearing an outfit, by the way.
12. Crawl Back (Under My Stone) - Richard Thompson. I'm terribly deficient in my Richard Thompson collection, and I realize this is something I must correct, pronto.
13. Tannin' Bed Song - Shawn Mullins. The first time I heard this, I said to myself it sounds like something John Prine would do. That's high praise, indeed.
14. Childish Things - James McMurtry. This is another outstanding story song by a singer songwriter. The thing about the new breed of singer songwriters is that they're writing interesting material that's not all self-indulgent or cloying.
15. Ain't Nothing Wrong With That - Robert Randolph and the Family Band. Oh, my, this track just explodes out of your speakers. After a good, yet, mellow stretch, this is something that was needed. Well mixed Designerchica, well mixed. Oh, I already had this one, but that doesn't matter. It shows that she's a woman of taste, if not wealth.
16. Super Bon Bon - Soul Coughing. Oh, I had this one too, because Doughty and Soul Coughing rules. That's all that needs to be said.
17. Saw Red - Sublime. I know the story behind Sublime, and it's a tragedy. This is upbeat and frantic, and that's great. It's a great closer, as it makes you want more, more more.
Well, there you have it. Seventeen great songs, well mixed and well presented. *MWAH* to you, Designerchica.
It makes an old man happy to know his friends care enough to mix the very best.
