Thursday, April 19, 2007

children waiting for the day they feel good


i took a couple days off at the beginning of the week. from work, from life, i just kind of tuned out. yesterday was spent catching up with the world. in retrospect, i should have just stayed in and watched another movie.

without tv or a daily paper to bring the news, yesterday was the first time i heard of what happened at virginia tech. i don't know what i think. the whole thing sucks.

who can save a world that's already gone?

you may or may not have seen this already, but i think it's a nice b-side to what we've all processed over and over already.

but how about headlights' music video?? [thanks, brenty!] awesome, is what i say. this is what you miss when you turn down the volume and close your eyes for a few days. they're also giving away copies of their tour e.p. at woxy.com.

speaking of internet radio, the hype machine launched theirs yesterday. "it's like listening to the ipod shuffle that the zeitgeist carries around in his pocket." -downhill battle

our girl feist is making waves. she made an awesome music video, too. and the new york times did a think piece on her.

paste magazine band of the week? menomena.

and last but not least, the tolkeins finished that other book. and then salon reviewed it.

on top of all this madness, i walked into work yesterday to learn my boss had been fired, and my building is working the next 22 consecutive days, ten hours a day, no weekends off.

madness.

the only cure for which, at least that i know of... yeah, that's right... pop a cold one, fire one up, and get out your air guitar for the finale...

TUUTHMAN's MIX [pop-up player!]

live, love, rock... :)

Friday, April 13, 2007

jeff's mix/TGIF


i intend to put up all the necessary links for these artists and albums, like any respectful blogger would, but i'm at work and pressed for time. and i was going to wait to post jeff's mix next week, but i burned it to cd yesterday and took it with me in the car -- the damn thing has "friday" written all over it. the way the playlist disentegrates from stomping, clapping menomena to, well, the flaming lips, kinda befits it being the 13th, too. so. i hope this makes it to you in time... :)

DOWNLOAD JEFFS MIX [ZIP, 108 MB]

01 menomena - muscle 'n' flow
02 you can be a wesley - fire it off
03 broken social scene - cause=time
04 roy - tell it true
05 jigGsaw - dance for me
06 beirut - postcards from italy
07 danna/devotchka - do you think there's a heaven?
08 the little ones - lovers who uncover
09 crystal castles vs health - crimewave
10 asobi seksu - nefi + girly
11 vashti bunyan - somethings just stick in your mind
12 the national - mistaken for strangers
13 sunset rubdown - snakes got a leg III
14 my bloody valentine - when you sleep
15 muse - map of the problematique
16 the flaming lips - feeling yourself disintegrate
17 tv on the radio - dry drunk emperor
18 do make say think - a tender history in rust
19 you can be a wesley - brand new colony (postal service)
hidden track: daniel johnston - devil town

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

kprs mixtapes: why i'm not a lesbian


limor was the first to respond when i asked you guys to take over and spin some tunes. i asked her to say a few things about her picks, in the vein of itunes' celeb playlists -- she's kind of my guinea pig for this, but i like how it turned out. if you've already submitted a mix and feel so inclined, i encourage you to do the same as well. anyway, i thought since she got back to me so quickly, i'd put hers up first.

that, and i think she misses nick almost as much as i do. after a whirlwind weekend with him, i'm left a little dizzy and out of sorts. actually, very out of sorts. it's worse than when you were a kid and your dog ran away, every time he comes and goes. and limor's mix is kind of like mom saying, "oh don't worry, he'll be back," and then giving you a popsicle. it doesn't fix the gaping hole in your heart, but you do love popsicles...

why i'm not a lesbian [.zip]
by limor hakim

01. the national - fake empire
[mp3 from boxer | beggar's banquet | the national]
this was actually the first time i'd ever heard one of their songs. immediately i was hooked. they kind of reminded me of murder by death. but i don't have much to go off of, so i could be wrong. i'll find out when i go see them in june. ;)

02. two gallants - steady rollin
[mp3 from what the toll tells | saddle creek | two gallants]
tour. nick played this all the time when we'd load in. this song makes me happy...i have problems, i know.

03. modest mouse - bukowski
[mp3 from good news for people who love bad news | epic records | modest mouse]
i just read tales of ordinary madness... three times in a row...

04. paul westerberg - love untold (live)
[mp3 from come feel me tremble | vagrant records | paul westerberg]
perfect song. Perfect Voice. i'm in awe of the brilliance that is paul westerberg. i only hope that i can write and play and touch with one tenth of the passion and power that he can.

[i'm not sure if the live paul w. concert that limor has is the same one that i do, but i have a few different live versions of "love untold" and this one is my absolute favorite. and, with nick having just been here, come feel me tremble is fresh on my brain. hope you don't mind. -ryan]

05. of montreal - bunny ain't no kind of rider
[mp3 from hissing fauna, are you the destroyer? | polyvinyl records | of montreal]
fun. fun. fun. nick. fun. driving a truck. fun. fun. fun. (i think my hearing is still impaired from seeing them live)

06. mika - grace kelly
[mp3 from life in cartoon motion | casablanca records | mika]
guilty pleasure... ;)

07. piebald - grace kelly with wings
[mp3 from if it weren't for venetian blinds it would be curtains for us all | sideonedummy | piebald]
one bad grace kelly song makes me think of one incredible one.

08. local h - bound for the floor
[mp3 from as good as dead | local h]
adolescent angst that never leaves.

09. bright eyes - lover i don't have to love
[mp3 from lifted, or the story of... | saddle creek | bright eyes]
this was my first introduction to bright eyes. conor's voice, his words, his pain. must have listened to this song at least 100 times when i first got it.

10. britt daniels & brian reitzell - writer's block
[mp3 from the stranger than fiction soundtrack | spoon]
sitting on my couch, frustrated with my guitar skills. i breathe.

11. the black keys - act nice and gentle
[mp3 from rubber factory | nonesuch records | the black keys]
and then i listen to the black keys and remember why i want to play the guitar.

12. the 88 - all cause of you
[mp3 from over and over | mootron records | the 88]
finally, a fucking happy song. i have a problem of only listening to music that hurts my heart. i need a break. seriously.

13. drive-by truckers - a world of hurt
[mp3 from a blessing and a curse | new west records | drive-by truckers]
but still... it's great to be alive... right?

[speaking of, i just read yesterday that jason isbell left the band. pretty sure he's the one singing here. patterson hood explains on the band's site, or check jason's myspace.]

14. m. ward - right in the head
[mp3 from post-war | merge records | m. ward]
his voice. his voice. his voice.

15. modest mouse - fire it up
[mp3 from we were dead before the ship even sank | epic records | modest mouse]
"we ate all the oranges off the navels of our lovers grabbed a book and read the cover." that sounds nice. i'm looking forward to it.

--

one down, a bunch to go! i got china's mix today (still waiting on USPS for yours, emma), and my buddy amanda just told me she caught up on the blog and might mix us a hip hop playlist. and sorry sam, rules are rules... but you know how i feel about those things. surprise me!

Monday, April 09, 2007

mixtapes?

as expected, i had a rock-out weekend with nick and somehow managed to pull myself together in time for work today. ratatat show and 6th street mayhem on friday, an all-night grindhouse movie marathon at the alamo drafthouse downtown saturday [and, technically, half of sunday], followed by calls home to wish our families a happy holiday, the rest of friday's tequila and a 15-hour crash to top it all off. this morning, i helped his theatre crew load into their performance space and ate lunch with them before coming straight to work. so i apologize for not having an awesome mix posted yet -- but it does give you guys an extra day or so to get them in. so far i have two in my inbox and one on its way to my real mailbox [total bonus points, emma]. and it looks like china is at it, too.

so, let's write today off as a monday-monday and get on with the rocking tomorrow. i've always loved me a tuesday. related note, one of my favorite blogs, idolator, was just banned from OiNK for posting a screenshot of the site's top ten shared torrents on friday, going for a billboard-style tally of the week's most popular albums. too bad for them, but good for you -- that's one less ratio-obsessive power user you'll have to envy when you win your OiNK invitation.

see you on the flipside... :)

Thursday, April 05, 2007

so good it'll make your tail curl


my brother wants to know, "what's the prize if i win the mixtape thing?" well, i guess i didn't think about anyone actually trying to win, but it would be nice to give a token of thanks to maybe a usually-reserved reader, who comes out of the woodwork and surprises me in a stellar way. yeah, stellar...

so, a token is exactly what you'll win -- an invitation token to mega file-sharing community OiNK. they're a pretty strict crowd, in that you have to maintain an approved ratio of uploaded music to downloaded, and i won't actually have an invite to give until i hit some golden number -- but i'm working on it. so what you'll win is a promise of invitation. jeff even suggested i fashion a certificate in-lieu-of, which i just might do. :)

good luck!

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

gives you source inspiration for new creation!

that's the tagline on this bag of vietnamese coffee one of the women who works for me brought back from the homeland. and in the honor of inspiration, i raise my mug to our daydreams. may we keep them in our sights and may they soon come true.

our ideas held no water but we used them like a dam... -modest mouse

mark, my brother and i are talking of doing a documentary. mark's helping me take my own idea seriously, and as we map it out i'll keep you in tune. it could turn out being something really special.


you're gonna miss me trailer [http://www.rokymovie.com/]

i've already had a submission for the mixtape contest [thanks limor]! china asked about a deadline -- let's give you guys through the weekend. i know i said i'd only put up three, but judging by how many playlists i get, wouldn't it be cool to put up a different one every day next week? if i have a few by the end of the weekend, i'll start putting them up monday. so you'll have a couple days' buffer if you can't get around to it so soon.

of course, nick is visiting this weekend. if all goes accordingly, i may not be able to move until wednesday...

Tuesday, April 03, 2007

kprs mixtape contest - vol 1


[mp3] alanis morissette - my humps

pretty funny. this surfaced yesterday but it's still making the rounds today, so i thought i'd point you in its direction. i've been going back and forth from catching-up-on, to falling-way-the-hell-behind the collective consciousness that is "new music." i guess you could say i've been reprioritizing. breaking down life as-is, and reprioritizing.

but sometimes, the music finds you. these few songs came screaming at me, hurtling through space and materializing in my ears late last night. makes me want to scream at spring that it's got a limited stay this year, summer's begging to come early. my faraway friends, turn up your computer speakers, take your shirts off and spin around the room, fall down on a couch or bed with a sweaty squeal, yeah it's time...

menomena - hustle 'n flo
[mp3 from friend and foe | barsuk records | menomena]

palomar - our haunt
[mp3 from all things, forests | misra records | palomar]

the national - fake empire
[mp3 from boxer | beggar's banquet | the national]

guys and gals, i'm feeling whimsical. your mission, should you choose to accept it: make me a mixtape, kicking off with one of these three songs. whichever one grabs you the most, and/or in the most interesting way. take it and run with it. doesn't have to be new music, doesn't have to be "indie," and it most certainly doesn't have to be perfect. just let the song remind you of another, and another and -- go crazy. feel good. say something. say nothing. rock out.

[edit: i can't seem to get the flash player to play that palomar track. but the link is good, if you can open it in another window or download it.]

those are the rules, for serious, and i'm counting on at least a few of you to deliver. email me your playlist and i'll post the first three who get back to me. just give me artist and track names, and i'll come up with the mp3s. keep it cd-length or shorter, and i'll spin it on kprs and throw up a zip file for everyone to share.

summertime. :)