LET IT BITE Mixmasters Round 12 A mix by Steven Reule Greetings friends and fellow mixmasters. And so we begin another round. Finally. I was torn again this round about what music to include. More accessible pop-rock like last round or a something that rocked a bit more. What to do? At the same time I saw comments from fellow mixmasters about people "playing it safe" and going for higher ratings by not putting anything difficult or challenging on their mix. Well, those of you who remember my electronica mix a few rounds back know that I don't always play it safe. But in retrospect, maybe I did last time. Not intentionally, of course. Maybe it's because I'm getting older and mellowing out with age. What the hell am I saying? That can't be happening to me, can it? After all, I can't be more than ninety years young, right? Well? Right? OK, here's the deal. I still like rock and I still like some things that aren't necessarily easy on the ears in the traditional sense. So my decision was basically made for me. That's right, it's YOUR fault. And now you must suffer. So this mix contains a little bit more bite than last time. So shoot me. You heard me. No begging for all tens like I usually do. Give me all ones. Hurt me. But seriously, this mix is a, well, a mixture. I've used 13 or 14 artists. Some are new to Mixmasters, some are not. Those that are not new have not been sufficiently represented so I am making up for those omissions. I have included multiple tracks by some artists because my goal is NOT to introduce you to as many new artists as possible. I didn't even draw from that many albums. In some cases I wanted to show the range of an artist so that meant including 2, 3, or even 4 songs by them. Bottom line, if you like those artists the mix will do well. If not then it won't. Maybe in the next round I'll go back to my nearly bite-free formula. Or maybe it will be that long-awaited polka mix. I'm still thinking about it. And I'm getting a little edgy so don't fuck with me. Love, peace, flowers, and sunshine ;-) Mixmaster Steven Reule And now for the mix… (Play loud) DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE "President Of What?" Album: You Can Play These Songs With Chords I listened to the first few track off this CD in a record store in Seattle because I thought they had a cool name. I was expecting punk or hardcore but what I got was an intriguing mix of indie rock and pop that sounded different from the mainstream and yet accessible. So I bought it and each time I listen to it I like it more. Some songs were originally released on a cassette only, some were re-recorded, some were b-sides so the CD has kind of a variety. That's why I included four songs by them. By the time you hear this I will probably have other CDs by them but at this point it's a new interest. This song is the first track on the CD. What is it about? Hard to say, which is usually a good sign. It's got kind of a lo-fi sound so you can hear the instruments playing off each other. This one hooks me. DASHBOARD CONFESSIONAL "Hands Down" Album: A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar I've heard that this is a successful single but I've never heard it on the radio or seen a video or anything like that. But if it is, then it's because it should be. It has a guitar base but an emotional vocal (emo!). Cool lyrics - "your kiss might kill me, so won't you kill me, so I die happy". Yow! This band was a big discovery and it's a very cool CD. GREEN DAY "The Grouch" Album: Nimrod Sure, you all know this trio. They were the flavor of the month a while back. But I think that at their best they produced some truly great pop-punk. Beyond the fast tempos and the attitude they have a very tight band, good harmonies, and they rock. EVANESCENCE "Going Under" Album: Fallen This band has a unique sound, heavy rock but with female vocals that don't fit the typical hard rock style. We saw them in concert and they were very good and also entertaining. They are a young band so it will be interesting to see what their next CD brings now that they have hit it big. GOLDFINGER "Just Like Heaven" Album: Darrin's Coconut Ass Live From Omaha Most of you know that I am a huge fan of The Cure. But I used them in earlier rounds and their was some grumbling about not using the same artists, etc, so I haven't used them in Mixmasters for many years. So what? Well, in case you didn't catch it, this is a cover of a great Cure song, Just Like Heaven, though this is just a BIT faster and noisier. It's good to have music smack you in the face once in a while, it builds character. This is off an EP of eight cover songs. Be glad I picked this one. LESS THAN JAKE "All My Best Friends Are Metalheads" Album: Hello Rockview No, that's not me on the intro. Anyway, it's time for ska-punk to rear it's head. Not much of this stuff in Mixmasters so far so it's about time. In your face, yet bouncy and even tuneful! You know your head was bobbing, admit it. RANCID "Roots Radicals" Album: …And Out Come The Wolves Sure, I used a Rancid song once before in a previous round. But that's not enough. Some of you even liked it, as I recall. Get past the band name and their appearance, they can totally rock and there's a raw emotion that you just don't find on your Justin Timberlake CD. Like people, it doesn't have to be pretty to be good. THE WHITE STRIPES "There's No Home For You Here" Album: Elephant At least one Mixmaster has already expressed his disdain for this group and I can picture others having a coronary when they hear this, so there goes my chance of best ratings this round. Yeah, right, like THAT was gonna happen! Anyway, don't believe all the hype about this band but there's still some good stuff on their latest CD and they do have a sound that is at least a little different from the grunge and sludge clogging up the alternative airwaves. May need to grow on you, but sometimes that is a good thing. DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE "Prove My Hypothesis" Album: You Can Play These Songs With Chords This song doesn't have any traditional hooks but a generous soul could still describe it as pretty. Well, maybe a generous and slightly twisted soul. Still no lyric sheet for this CD and still need one. And then, in the middle of the song, just when you had it figured out, it takes off in a blazing tangent only to drift back into the delightful drone, noisy guitar, and generally weird shit. Cool stuff. THE DONNAS "Too Bad About Your Girl" Album: Spend The Night OK, I think it's time for a more "fun" song. Who can't like this song? Bad girl goes punk, attitude and hooks with a do-me-now vocal. Rock on, Donnas. GREEN DAY "Church On Sunday" Album: Warning I tell ya, these guys have this stuff down. This is how this catchy pop-punk should be done. Unbelievable hook-filled pop that I can not and will not resist. THE WHITE STRIPES "The Hardest Button To Button" Album: Elephant I know they are kind of strange. But remember, that is often a GOOD thing. Be kind, Kevin. I am told this is a hit single also but have never heard it anywhere but on my own CD players. The lyrics are very odd and the music is not your every day Brittany (thank god). I don't think the whole album is great but they do have something new and fresh happening here. RANCID "Junkie Man" Album: …And Out Come The Wolves A cool punkish number that evokes the ghost of The (early) Clash. There's a lot of raw emotion here that you can't fake in the studio. And then near the end comes the talk/rap by writer/poet/singer Jim Carroll. That part gets me every time, no matter how often I hear it. "It opens like the cover of an old bible, and out come the wolves…" JIM CARROLL BAND "People Who Died" Album: A World Without Gravity - The Best Of So after Jim did that part in the previous tune, I realized that I had included a song by him in a round long ago. But this time I included his most "famous" song, at least some of you will have heard it. But it deserves hearing again. Buy his first album (also includes this song) or this best-of collection. Or both. It's ironic that he's more famous for his book The Basketball Diaries than his music. Of course, he can be a bit inconsistent (2nd and 3rd albums) but it's all better than the donkey dung that saturates the radio, masquerading as music. DASHBOARD CONFESSIONAL "Carry This Picture" Album: A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar I gotta lighten things up a bit after that "People Who Died" song. Sheesh! So here's a heartfelt, semi-ballad which might even tug at your heartstrings if that's your idea of a good time. This is a simple, direct song that nevertheless sounds fresh and real. This should be a top-ten single. Man, when I become king things will be different… THE CLASH "Capital Radio Two" Album: Super Black Market Clash Actually it's an alternate version of another Clash song (without the Two in the title, duh). But I like the emotion here and the humor also. Great late-seventies British punk, we could use something like this now in the brain-dead musical wasteland. Hey, am I sounding jaded and bitter? There's a mellow song later, I promise. Meantime, deal with it. LESS THAN JAKE "History Of A Boring Town" Album: Hello Rockview Back to bouncy ska-punk, you either love it or hate it. Or neither. Whatever, it's still something that hasn't been represented in Mixmasters and it's better than some of the shit we've put forth in previous rounds. If it's not cool then maybe you don't have the headphones turned up loud enough. Yeah, that must be it. THE OFFSPRING "The Kids Aren't Allright" Album: Americana They've been included before but it was more of a novelty song. So here's a reality-based response to the classic "Kids Are Allright" song. Don't get me wrong, I like that song too but thinking that the world is ok doesn't always make it so. DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE "TV Trays" Album: You Can Play These Songs With Chords Is this the best of the DCFC songs on my mix? You can decide, of course, but it was the first one to be a must-include. I would call it pop but then again I sometimes have a brain impediment. But listen again, doesn't it sucker you in with that loopy sound and those slow-punk hooks? One of my favorite songs of the year. BLINK 182 "What's My Age Again?" Album: Enema Of The State This band was represented too but only once if I recall right. I just had to include this, perhaps their coolest song. You've heard it before? Then lucky you! It's snotty, funny, catchy, you can't resist. GREEN DAY "Uptight" Album: Nimrod More basic cool pop-punk, tightly delivered with attitude, humor, and hooks at the same time. What? You say you're too old for this shit? No way, sez me. Trash those Kenny G discs and rock out, dude! DASHBOARD CONFESSIONAL "Rapid Hope Loss" Album: A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar An emotional, noisy but ultimately beautiful guitar-driven ballad in case you've rocked out a little to much so far. Or is it really a ballad? This CD really grew on me, I recommend it highly (watch for the version with the bonus DVD). DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE "Army Corps Of Architects" Album: You Can Play These Songs With Chords One last Death Cab song, a quiet one to wind down after this 77 minute gush of musical pleasure. I have read good reviews of their just-released new CD and I will buy that one and the ones in between too. They have a unique sound, intelligence and a refreshing sense of musical adventure. So that's it for round 12. It's a great mix. Repeat as necessary. Send hate mail and money to: Steven Reule P.O. Box 340564 Sacramento, CA 95834 See you at http://www.obsessed-with-music.com Liner notes at: http://www.obsessed-with-music.com/mm12/whocares.htm