'Soon Summer Free' Mixtape

Cover: Beatriz Milhazes
A Mixtape full of Proggy progressions, brooding
post something and summery hopefulness
Side A
01 Wayward Song - The Earlies
The first Earlies album is spot on, but not to sure about the new one.
This song is a proggy psychedelica with a touch of electronica mixed in.
02 Did You See The Words - Animal Collective

I made my friend Paddy leave Flaming Lips, he hadn't even
seen the lips before and we headed over to these boys in the
hope their would play this song. They just came all over us.
Wanky and pretentious, but this is still amazing.
03 Empire State (Son House In Excelsis) - Mercury Rev
A perfect soundtrack to the film "Man With Movie Camera".
04 Come On! Feel Illinoise - Sufjan Stevens
Same feeling as previous song, industrial but not in a
"Einstürzende Neubauten" way, more in a Steve Reich way.
05 About Today - The National

06 Cherry Tree - The National
Both of 'Cherry Tree' Ep.
07 Heart Of Darkness - Ed Harcourt
Seen him at a festival back in 2002 and got the album
because of this song. A machine dirge of doom and I think
Radiohead nicked the bassline from it .
08 I, Bloodbrother Be (£4,000 Love Letter) -
Shockheaded Peters
I love the melodrama gong ending. I got this track of
Rough Trade's Post Punk compilation. Released in 82,
but still sounds new.

Side B
09 New Year's Pray - Jeff Buckley
His 2nd album would have been amazing, this brooding
track would have been one of it's highlights.
10 In Particular - Blonde Redhead
This song made me buy one of their album.
Hypnotic, looming and so so good.
11 For The Trees - Matmos
Matmos are two fellows who make music using found sounds.
Their did one album using only plastic surgery sounds.
This is breezy ditty is not of that album. This is the a start
of the sun shine section of the mix.
12 On Your Way - The Album Leaf
Great cycling music for our man Jimmy LaValle.
13 Nice Things - Mates Of State
A love the accordion sound over the blips from this husband
and wife combo and as a nice schoolyard chant outro that
goes well with the next track.
14 If Your Feeling Sinister - Belle & Sebastian

Only got in it B.& S. three years ago. "If Your Feeling Sinister"
was the first album I heard and still is my favourite album of theirs.
15 Peng! - Iron And Wine
Ending the mix with a sweet cover of a Stereolab song.
Enjoy and Good Luck.
It's in two part and i don't know how to do split files,
so just chuck the tracks in the part2 folder into the
"Soon Summer Free" folder.
Download "Soon Summer Free" Side A
Download "Soon Summer Free" Side B

Gemma Hayes - 4.35am EP (2001) & Work To A Calm EP (2001)

So rich and close Gemma Hayes guitar sounds that it resonated like she is in the room with you. Her First two Eps are arguable the best things she's done. Her first album is slightly more poppy in tone but is still amazing.
"4.35am" EP is a darker affair compared to the "Work To A Calm" EP but both have a lush M.B.V. end of summer feel about them. So put the headphones on and find a bit of grass to ly on.

I couldn't find any videos for songs from these EPs but she did to a song with Magnet a cover of Lay Lady Lay which is viewable Here.
Otherwise here is the irresistible single "Back Of My Hand" of her great first album "Night On My Side" to get a feel for what she's like.


Buy 4.35am Ep
Buy Work To A Calm Ep
Myspace
Link In Comment.

The Fall - Perverted By Language (1983)

This marks a change from previous album, the addition of Brix Smith, then wife of Mark E. Smith on keyboard, guitar and the odd bit of vocals also. The counter play of delicate synth lines over the mean and repetitive bass and dirty guitar works well together to produce the perfect soundtrack of a ketamine fueled night, in a similar way the Iggy Pop "The Idiot" record does. This is the 2005 release with four great 7" singles (The Man Whose Head Expanded, Ludd Gang, Kicker Conspiracy and Wings {See Video}) at the start of the cd. Of the four albums of The Fall I have, this is definitely my favourite.

But It
Myspace
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Photo Of The Day

Mark E Smith looking rather Bacon-esque at a recent show in Dublin.

Palace Music - Lost Blues & Other Songs (1997)

I think I was 16 when I first taped "Ohio River Boat Song"
(See Video) off the radio. It was the song what got me into
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy and is from this album. As the title
suggests is a collection of singles, Eps and five previously
unreleased tracks and is personally my favourite album of
Will Oldhams under the moniker of "Palace Music".


Buy It
Myspace
Link In Comment.

Part Chimp - Chart Pimp (2004)

I saw them support Mogwai back in 2004 and they blow me away. The sticker on the cd as a exert from a review which goes as follows; "Bathed in walls of crackling distortion and grinding, heavy guitars. 'Part Chimp' (are) like 'Trail Of Dead' doing 'Sonic Youth' doing 'Black Sabbath'." Which sounds about right.

Buy It
Myspace
Link In Comment

... And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead - S.T. (1998)

The first, the heaviest and my favourite Trail of Dead Album. They seem to get more commercial as they went along and their last album "So Divided" is not even worth going near.
I got into them pure by chance, meet a guy in tower records when I was up in Dublin for the weekend in 2000. I met this guy a month previously at the first Wittness music festival, where we kept helping each other to get up and crowd surf. Anyway he said that a band was playing that night that sounded like Sonic Youth (who i barely know at the time). First song in, Conrad jumps into the drum, which fall apart under his weight. They had to stop for 10 minutes to get the kit back together again. When home with a t- shirt, Cd and Bruises. Great stuff.

Myspace
Buy It
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Pearl Jam - Merkinball Ep. (1995)

My older brother bought this for me for Christmas when it came out. A two song Ep with Neil Young on guitar. Both songs are ace.

But It
Myspace
Link In Comment.

Beirut - Gulag Orkestar (2006)

I'm sure most folks have this already, but he is playing Ireland soonish,
22 June, Tripod, Dublin to be precise.
Everyone has it for a very good reason. It's Bloody Great.
Buy It
Myspace
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Beirut - The Lon Gisland Ep.(2006) & Pompeii Ep.(2007)

Pompeii Ep is a two early tracks Ep, both of which sound
more Parisian Cafe than Gypsy Boogie but still pretty cool.

Buy It
Myspace
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Micah P. Hinson and the Gospel of Progress (2004)

The great thing about Micah P. Hinson is that he seems to pull
off a whole album full of mini masterpieces with total ease. For
me he is definitely up there with Oldham, Callahan and Young.
Essential Stuff.

Buy It
Myspace
Link In Comment.

"Silence Is A Rhythm Too"

Photo: Forty Foot, Summer 06
A Summer Mixtape full of Analog melodies, girly post punk and African rhythms.
01 Pagina Dos - Prefuse 73
Still one foot in dream land. This song is a reworking of a song by "The Books".
02 Little Eyes - Yo La Tengo
A song to wake up too.

03 Data Centre - Ellis Island Sounds
Perfect for spinning around in a field on a sunny day.
04 Hurricanes - Au Revoir Simone
Last summer I missed my flight back from Primavera and my ATM card wouldn't work over there, so I slept in the airport, then train station waiting for my flight back home. Still smelling of the day befores "trip" of a festival, This song kept my spirit up.
05 The Shy Retirer - Arab Strap
"You know i'm always moanin'
But you jumpstart my seratonin"
I think this is the last single by the no longer together "Arab Strap". But that a single to go out on.

06 Michael A Grammer - Broadcast
"...And if your feeling like your looking for that chance to let go, then let go..."
I don't think ill ever get sick of this; Bliss.
07 Space Age Love Song - A Flock Of Seagulls
Last Summer's Obsession.

08 Big Mess - Devo
They are doing their 1st European tour in 15 years this summer. I can't wait.
09 Over And Over - Hot Chip
You know the story of smelling repetition by now.
10 Hip Hop - Dead Prez
I've been humming this song to friends for months, trying to find out who the band was after seen the video one late night. Top notch stuff.

11 Headache For Michelle - Au Pairs
" Cos you're not a threat when you're out of your head"
Drug dirge from feminist Brummie post-punk band,Au Pairs. Definitely my favourite of theirs.
12 You're No Good - ESG
Another band I discovered at Primavera last summer. They since played Ireland, but we were left "high and dry" after only seeing the last 4 songs at the gig. But two hours after the show we met the bassist and backing singer. She gave us a copy of the new album straight from her bosom, which made up for missing most of the gig.
13 White Mice - Mo-dettes
This song from all female post punk band Mo-dettes stinks of party.
14 Invasion Party - Ninja High School
Spell it with me i.n.v.a.s.i.o.n.
15 Leaque Chicamos - Sebastian Tellier
Warming 80esque cheese for mad frenchman Tellier.
16 Born Under Punches - Talking Heads
My favourite Talking Heads song.

17 Ominous Clouds - Broadcast
Fairy-tale escapism of "Ha Ha Sounds".
18 Ocean - Richard Hawley
"Richard Hawley for Prime Minster".
19 Sunset Coming On - Mali Music

20 Good Times - Jim O'Rourke
The last track from the wonderful and underrated film "Love Liza".

Like all mixtape found here, it will fit perfectly on a CDR.
Good Luck and Enjoy
Download It
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Warlords of Pez - "500 Title"

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Yo La Tengo - Today Is The Day Ep (2003)

I got very into Yo La Tengo three years ago when I befriended an American photographer in Galway, who was also worryingly obsessed with Sonic Youth. He gave me "And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out" & "I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One". Both Of which i fell in love. This six track EP came out around the same time as "Summer Sun" and every track is top notch. One Of the tracks is a cover version of Scottish folk musician Bert Jansch song, "Needle of Death". If you don't know Yo La Tengo, it's a good as any place to start and I think John McEnroe describes the band better than i ever could. (See Video)

Buy It or go to your local record shop, i got a copy for a 5 euros
Myspace
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