MIX AND MATCH VOL.3

If you don’t care about my babble, scroll down and you’ll find the download link to the mix, and my liner notes. Enjoy!

It’s been a long while, I know. For those who may oddly check this page frequently hoping for a new post, I can only say you may get lucky. You did this time! As for the time off, I’ve been settling into a new full-time hospital job for a month now, which is going fantastic. Before that I was laid off for three months, so this is a huge change. The reality of the situation is questioning what I want to do with myself. Stalled with college. Writing just isn’t a passion anymore, and I don’t know why that is. The film passion is still there (I’m starting to write for the awesome www.reviewstl.com), and my love for music is strong, but there isn’t love in my life to prompt me, I’m not especially glowing with happiness, and there isn’t a whole lot of sadness either. So what prompts me today is anger.

Ah, yes, anger. That age old pastime. This evening, coming off a grueling eight-hour shift, and only a block from my house, I was gay-harassed. Not gaybashed, but taunted for being gay because of my tunes. Which is strange, because gay isn’t a trait of mine. As I’ve matured, I see nothing wrong with homosexuality in the least, and far be it me to judge something of which I am not. That’s a joke, but ideally? Come on, it’s a wonderful idea. Anyway, I think we all have a little gay in us, liking something that culture says "is for chicks" or "is for dudes" when we are indeed the opposite. In this case, it’s a ditty from Peaches. Who knows what way Peaches swings, but she does it with filth. So I’m stopping at a red light, windows down, sunroof open, and it’s a lovely night. A car pulls up and I’m yelled at by a passenger, so I turn it down. He then speaks in what I assume was his attempt at retard, however he must have just seen Justin Bartha in Gigli, because this was just awful. At any rate, there are two girls in the front, two guys in the back (handjobs, likely) and the faux-tard told me they were having a pizza party at his house, with extra large sausage. This went on and on, I stopped listening. It was really, really lame. The driver leaned over and mouthed that she was sorry. I was too, honey, because associating with this type of person will only get you raped. The light changed, we parted ways. It was lovely.

Can we just not judge people? I know it’s not possible to completely turn that part of us off, but why can’t we DO that? These kids looked old enough to know better. I’m listing to a jammin’ pop tune, unwinding, and why should it be any concern of yours who the fuck I am, what the fuck I do, and what the fuck I’m listening to? Just having a little fun...FUCK THAT. I’m 28, I’ve grown out of this bullshit. I like boobs. A LOT. I also like vaginas. There is no protocol that says I can’t listen to Beyonce while enjoying those, and it’s of no concern except to the parties involved. A and B conversation, C you next Tuesday. I think my taste in music is just fucking wonderful. It’s a roadmap of the spectrum of sound. From gay-as-hell to heavy-as-hell, and all in-between. So to those bags-of-fuck in the back of that shitty Explorer, and their twat-hole girlfriends in the front, suck my cunt, eat a dick, and jam this mix up your fucking ass.

THE MIX LINK! http://www.filefactory.com/file/ahb8f2d/n/MIX_N_MATCH_3_rar

Remember just scroll down to download with FileFactory basic for free, enter the security code, and viola. Burn, and enjoy. Don’t forget to track down the artists if you love the music like I do.

Pump it loud in the car, too. No classics this time, just new shit I love. My notes for this mix:

01 Peaches - Talk To Me (from the I Feel Cream LP)

The song that caused a ruckus tonight. Pop music is best when interpreted by someone as strange as Peaches. This is a surprisingly clean moment from her, and from her wailing question to the vibrating beat, this is a surefire win to get you bouncin’, no matter what sex you dig.

02 Band of Skulls - I Know What I Am (from the Baby Darling Doll Face Honey LP)

Appropriate? Sure thing. I DO know who I am, and perhaps if I had been pumping this track from a band that’s half White Stripes and half Franz Ferdinand, they would have kept quiet and assumed I was cooler. Well, I am cool, and therefore I love, love, LOVE this song. Stupid and catchy, giving me a little Ting Tings vibe.

03 Jay-Z - D.O.A. (Death of Autotune) (rom the upcoming Blueprint 3 LP)

Thank you, Jigga. If there’s one thing in pop music I really have had enough of, it’s the autotune. Or rather, the aggressive use of autotune. It’s not talent, and when you filter someone with vocal ability (like, say, Jamie Foxx or T-Pain) or someone who can flow (like Lil Wayne or Kanye West, who oddly enough produced this track), it often ends up sounding ridiculous. And if there’s one guy who can put the nail in it, it’s the world’s most prolific and enviable rapper. Amen.

04 Dredg - I Don’t Know (from The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion LP)

This band has been rather under the radar for a number of years (though not without a following), and with each release manages to move away from progressive rock and toward mainstream music. They’ve found a unique sound that is growing more and more accessible. With this song, or a track like Light Switch, they could break thru a bit more if given the chance. The chorus floats, the bridge soars, and the track gets better with each listen. They are exceptionally awesome live, bringing out instruments you’ve never seen before, and enthralling you.

05 Alphabeat - Fascination (from the This Is Alphabeat LP)

This UK import starts like a Footloose dance party, and jumps into a lovely duet with a bouncy piano and a hook that won’t leave your brain. Sadly, the rest of the album is just a bit too happy for me, but this track is amazing.

06 Phoenix - 1901 (from the Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix LP)

French gods. They’ve suddenly appeared on places like Saturday Night Live. WTF? To go from underground, indie music into...well, more of the same, and then to suddenly explode onto a show which gains them millions of virgin, potential fans is mind boggling. Probably for them, too. Though this doesn’t touch anything off of their second album for me, this song is as memorable and catchy as anything they’ve done before. Bravo.

07 Drake and Lykke Li - Little Bit (Remix) (from the So Far Gone mixtape)

What’s that? Who is Drake? Drake is awesome, that’s who he is. I know that didn’t answer your question, but it’s all that can be said. He sings, he raps, he likes indie music. He’s all around great, and he should be everywhere pretty soon with Best I Ever Had. And while that song’s pretty great, this one does it for me more. Lykke’s babydoll vocals mix so, so well with Drake’s low tone, and the result is a fantastic revision of a great song.

08 The Veronicas - Untouched (from the Hook Me Up LP)

More of that gay stuff I listen to. This is one of my favorite pop songs of last year, and now that the album’s been re-released, and this tune has sorta blown up, it may just be my favorite of this year as well.

09 Killswitch Engage - I Would Do Anything (from the self-titled LP)

Don’t like metal? Skip this one. I do in doses, and this song rocks.

10 Adam Lambert - A Change Is Gonna Come (from the iTunes American Idol tracks)

UH, GAY????? My favorite performance of Adam’s through the Idol season, and quite simply one amazing fucking vocal whether you get him or not. Oh, and the song’s pretty good, too. It’s kinda in the top five best soul songs of all time.

11 Dizzee Rascal - Dance With Me (from the upcoming LP)

If you can’t tell, he’s British. After a few years of rockin’ the UK, and getting some major critical acclaim across the pond here, it’s looking like Dizzee is making a play for our clubs and radiowaves. I’m not a clubber, but if DJ’s aren’t spinning the shit out of this, they better start. This is a fire waiting to ignite.

12 Daughtry - Poker Face (from some radio station somewhere, most likely)

Daughtry must be a HUGE fag. He listens to that Lady GaGa? She oozes gay! All kidding aside, who really could have guessed that annoying po-po-po song could actually sound kinda awesome sung acoustically by a guy? Even more baffling is that the most annoying parts of the song don’t sound anywhere near annoying here.

13 Green Day - Christian’s Inferno (from the 21^st Century Breakdown LP)

What initially sounded to me like "Christmas and Valium" is, in fact, something not at all that.. I think 21^st Century Breakdown is good, and Know Your Enemy is a great single, but it’s this song that reminded me of the band I grew up with.

14 Foals - Cassius (from the Antidotes LP)

Walking a fine line between annoying and addictive is kinda where Foals lives. I’ll admit freely that this may not be your cup of tea, and that’s cool, but this is speedy garage-indie, and it’s grown on me like a fungus.

15 Daniel Merriweather - Cigarettes (from the Love and War LP)

I quit smoking a few months shy of two years ago, and this song really makes me wish I still had it in me. Not really, the song isn’t about smoking, but it’s just a cool, sad track that makes me reminisce about things from the past. I heard this initially as a short demo, basically the same song here before it picks up. I think it’s a great addition by producer Mark Ronson, and I think Merriweather has one of the best and most unique voices I’ve yet heard. May their fame continue to grow.

16 The Dear Hunter - In Cauda Venenum (from the Act III: Life and Death LP)

What does that title mean? No clue. What I DO know is that this band is a recent discovery of mine who don’t really sound like anybody. Progressive, certainly, and this song in particular reminds me of when I used to enjoy The Mars Volta. It’s not for everybody, it’s theatrical, Spanish sounding, and chaotic, but it makes my brain stand to attention.

17 Ne-Yo - Part of the List (from the Year of the Gentleman LP)

For my money, Ne-Yo’s as close to a perfect R&B star as it gets today. His albums grow increasingly better, and his singles more outstanding. I like how this blends a bit of folk into the rhythm.

18 Paloma Faith - Stone Cold Sober (from the upcoming LP)

Have no idea where this came from, but I know she’s from the UK and this is 2009's Rehab.

19 P.O.S. - Let It Rattle (from the Never Better LP)

I like brainy hip-hop sometimes, and especially when it works the speakers like this one dows. It’s a slow builder, but it’s lyrically dynamic, and it really explodes.

20 Escala - Finding Beauty (from the self-titled LP)

This is one of the runner-ups from 2008's Britain’s Got Talent, an attractive quartet of violinists. Most of the songs on their debut album are covers of various songs, but this one didn’t sound familiar to me. This is the slowest thing on the mix, and what better way to end it than with a track as pretty as this.

Comment, let me know thoughts

-M