Songs for Your Troubled Dreams

So I haven't really been sleeping that great lately. I'm not really sure what it is, but it might have something to do with all of the X-Files I've been watching and the fact that I recently read "World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War". Suffice it to say, I've had some weird dreams. For example, on two occasions I have dreamed of the Zombie Apocalypse, and on the second occasion, I was saved by Batman's personal secretary, dressed in a snappy looking pantsuit. Weird stuff, right? Also, I recently dreamed that I was trying to hang out with Kevin Smith but he was totally a dick about it, which kind of messed me up cause I always got the impression he was a pretty cool dude.

Anyways, this mix attempts to capture the feeling and mood of a dream. 1 part strangely romantic yet ominous, 1 part floating/falling, 1 part unnerving/jarring. Yet, with all of this said, dreams always seem to have a strange coherence and consistency that only make sense to you while you are sleeping. This mix is a sharp contrast to Kath's last mix and is intended to be a musical assault. Definitely don't listen to this while falling asleep.

p.s. My apologies for not posting anything last week as promised. I was very busy, and dropped the ball. My bad, sorry dawgs.

original track list
01. "(intro)" - Broken Social Scene (Bee Hives)*
02. "Pennantless on Homecoming " - Hills Like White Elephants (Himalaya)
03. "Soft Revolution" - The Stills (Do You Trust Your Friends?)*
04. "What's a Girl to Do?" - Bat for Lashes (Fur and Gold)
05. "Cliquot" - Beirut (Flying Club Cup)
06. "Tarantulove" - Hawksley Workman (For Him and the Girls)
07. "Bad Education" - Tilly and the Wall (Bottoms of Barrels)
08. "Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)" - Arcade Fire (Funeral)
09. "Devil's Eyes (Piano Version)" - Buck 65 (Secret House Against the World)
10. "The Devil's Workday" - Modest Mouse (Good News for People Who Love Bad News)*
11. "Satan Said Dance" - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (Some Loud Thunder)
12. "Trouble With Dreams" - Eels (Blinking Lights and Other Revelations)
13. "Cells" - The Servant (The Servant)
14. "Fire Coming Out of The Monkey's Head" - Gorillaz (Demon Days)
15. "Helter Skelter" - The Beatles (The Beatles [The White Album])
16. "Modern World (Original)" - Wolf Parade (Apologies to the Queen Mary)
17. "One for the Cutters" - The Hold Steady (Stay Positive)
18. "Les Lumieres Pt. 2" - Bell Orchestre (Recording a Tunnel)
19. "Pioneer to the Falls" - Interpol (Our Love to Admire)
20. "Zombie" - The Cranberries (Stars)
21. "Nimrod's Son" - Pixies (Wave of Mutilation)
22. "Lolita" - Elefant (The Black Magic Show)
23. "Wolf Like Me" - TV on the Radio (Return to Cookie Mountain)
24. "The Less I Know" - Raine Maida (The Hunter's Lullaby)*
25. "Paranoid Android" - Radiohead (OK Computer)
26. "Feathers" - Man Man (Six Demon Bag)
27. "Mad World" - Michael Andrews and Gary Jules (Donnie Darko OST)
28. "God Make Up Your Mind" - Cold War Kids (Robbers & Cowards)
29. "Pan's Labyrinth Lullaby (Nana Del Laberinto del Fauno)" - Javier Navarette (Pan's Labyrinth OST)

*Yes, I know there are repeats from my last mix. Get over it, they fit really well.

je vois la vie en rose. -- august 19/08

I have a deep and enduring love for Audrey Hepburn. This is not unusual. To me, and to most people I believe, she embodies a simplicity and grace of spirit that is wholly, unfailingly comforting. She and her most well-known movies (Breakfast at Tiffany's, Sabrina, Roman Holiday) seem to be enchanted mementoes of a time in which people hoped without reservation or secrecy, in which idealism was not a state of mind but a tender undefeated fact. Each time Holly Golightly finds Cat in the rain, I briefly forget the possibility of disappointment.

""People associate me with a time when movies were pleasant, when women wore pretty dresses in films and you heard beautiful music. I always love it when people write me and and say 'I was having a rotten time, and I walked into a cinema and saw one of your movies, and it made such a difference.'"

So this mix are all the songs I could find that communicate even an iota of that delicate, transcendent calm. These are not hipster show-off songs; this may be viewed by some as a dull mix. Don't try to do chores to this mix. Instead - fall asleep to this mix. Be comforted by this mix. I could think of no better title for it than the obvious.

original track list
01. "Reflections After Jane" - The Clientele (Suburban Light);
02. "Quelqu'un m'a dit" - Carla Bruni (Quelqu'un m'a dit);
03. "A Sunday Smile" - Beirut (The Flying Club Cup);
04. "Vein of Stars" - The Flaming Lips (At War with the Mystics);
05. "A Sweet Summer's Night on Hammer Hill" - Jens Lekman (Oh You're So Silent Jens);
06. "Maybe Lately" - Miracle Fortress (Five Roses);
07. "The Aspidistra Flies" - Stars (The Comeback);
08. "Dogs" - Damien Rice (9);
09. "Gold in the Air of Summer" - Kings of Convenience (Riot on an Empty Street);
10. "Weigh Me Down" - Royal Wood (A Good Enough Day);
11. "She's Always a Woman" - Billy Joel (The Stranger);
12. "La Valse d'Amelie (piano)" - Yann Tiersen (Amelie OST);
13. "The Only Living Boy in New York" - Simon & Garfunkel (Garden State OST);
14. "Moon River" - Audrey Hepburn" (Breakfast at Tiffany's OST);
15. "You Really Got a Hold on Me" - She & Him (Volume One);
16. "Grace Cathedral Hill" - The Decemberists (Castaways & Cut-outs);
17. "You Belong to Me" - Jason Wade (Shrek OST);
18. "Those to Come" - The Shins (Chutes Too Narrow);
19. "We Put a Pearl in the Ground" - St. Vincent (Marry Me); and
20. "La Vie En Rose" - Edith Piaf (Sabrina OST).

Brief Self-Endorsement

As I have spent all day in ridiculous heat in high heels (smart move, Kathryn. smart move), this entry shall be brief and to the point:

Ms. Mix & Bitch of Mix Tape Therapy featured us on her blog. We made a mixtape especially for this guest post, and it is damn awesome. You can find it here. Right here. And once you've read that, you can succumb to the addictive and witty advice of her blog. I suggest reading them at work, they're very diverting and who doesn't love when your boss sees you reading a post about Bears while you should be working.

Things Have Gone Better Than Expected

So apparently people are actually listening. Kath and I are both simultaneously thrilled, and absolutely terrified. We're going to try and keep it going. Therefore, this is our plan: we are going to do our best put out a mix every week, alternating between the two of us. In the other person's off week, the other is going to write something music-blog related. It might be artist specials as mentioned before, it might be a top 5, or a music review.

We're going to try our best to keep this consistent as both Kath and I are both going back to school soon, and our lives will be busy and hectic again. As always, feel free to contact us at our shiny new email address (cassetteshelf@gmail.com) and let us know what you think in our comments sections.

Songs for Your Existential Crisis

"The making of a great compilation tape, like breaking up, is hard to do and takes ages longer than it might seem. You gotta kick off with a killer, to grab attention. Then you got to take it up a notch, but you don't wanna blow your wad, so then you got to cool it off a notch. There are a lot of rules."

As with Kath's last playlist, I encountered a problem with Mixwit's selection of music, as it is sometimes unfortunate. That being said, this tape is a bastardized version of its true form. I will post the completed list as always, and feel free to contact us to get a full version.

Apart from the technicalities, this tape is the soundtrack for your existential crisis. Have fun with that, by the way... I tried to create a mix with the feeling of being lost, being moody, being confused, and being in crisis. The styles of music vary from folk, to rock, to death-country, to... well, Beirut.

Enjoy.

original track list
01. "Gulag Orkestar" - Beirut (Gulag Orkestar)
02. "My Body is a Cage" - Arcade Fire (Neon Bible)
03. "Both Crosses" - The Hold Steady (Stay Positive)*
04. "King's Crossing" - Elliot Smith (From a Basement on the Hill)
05. "Dramamine" - Sun Kil Moon (Tiny Cities)
06. "Tatou" - Brand New (Deja Entendu)*
07. "Hospital Beds" - Cold War Kids (Daytrotter Session)
08. "The Cold Part" - Modest Mouse (The Moon and Antartica)*
09. "Chuckwagon" - Elliott Brood (Mountain Meadows)*
10. "The Pelican" - Menomena (Friend and Foe)
11. "Dilaudid" - The Mountain Goats (The Sunset Tree)
12. "SW" - Blonde Redhead (23)
13. "Leif Erikson" - Interpol (Turn on the Bright Lights)
14. "The Swell Season" - Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova (The Swell Season)*
15. "This Place is a Prison" - The Poastal Service (Give Up)
16. "Nude" - Radiohead (In Rainbows)
17. "Going, Going, Gone" - Stars (Nightsongs)*
18. "Zombie" - The Cranberries (Stars)
19. "The Apartment Song" - Do Make Say Think (Goodbye Enemy Airship)*
20. "Gouge Away" - Pixies (Wave of Mutilation)
21. "Wolf Like Me" - TV on the Radio (Return to Cookie Mountain)

Torrey's Folk Fest Top 5s

The festival is over, and I have my shiny new sunburn and stack of new CDs to prove it. Seeing how I have a day off, and some time on my hands, I have compiled here for you my top 5 musical discoveries, and my top 5 musical re-discoveries from our whirlwind weekend.

TOP 5 DISCOVERIES

5. The Sadies
Sadly, a mysterious disappearance of The Sadies from the weekend portion of the festival left them a much desired presence, especially in their planned workshop with Broken Social Scene. The Toronto band's sound is described as a "combination of 60s country rock and psychedelia, Country and Western, surf, and punk." This description should be enough, and I really wish I had been able to see them more.



4. Bellowhead
Like a less culty Polyphonic Spree. This British alternative folk big-band was just fun. Appearing on stage with all 11 members (excluding the females) dressed in black suits, they proceeded to entertain with disco sea shanties, traditional British folk songs, and the like, all with a smile on the face, and a leader with a little bit of Jim Sturgess in him.



3. Royal Wood
Ask Kathryn. Seriously. I'm sure you'll see a lot more of him on her mixes to come. She describes him as a clean-cut 50s gentleman who won't touch you till you're married. I'm not entirely sure how this translates into his music, but the singer songwriter made an impression.



2. Serena Ryder
Quirky, cute, fun. Highlight of the festival occurred during her set with Royal Wood and Broken Social Scene, when she started a song of hers that only had one verse, and the rest of the group improvised an entire song, verses, chorus, solos and all.



1. Brett Dennen
When Dennen walked onto stage as a tweener act for the main stage, you could sense the audience losing interest. His baby face, high pitched voice and physical stature gave him the impression of someone who just got out of math class, and was going to the mall, just to hang out. But then Dennen ripped one out, and made an impression. A mix of Paolo Nutini and John Mayer, his quirky sense of humour and catchy tunes led his small stage concert to be one of the most crowded I saw at the festival.



TOP 5 RE-DISCOVERIES

5. Colin Hay
The former Men at Work frontman entertained with his anecdotes, whip smart sense of humour and crowd pleasing songs, including several covers of old Men at Work songs, and those recently featured in Garden State and Scrubs.



4. Michael Franti and Spearhead
Rocked the Main Stage with his intense physical presence, catchy reggae infused hip hop, and heartfelt acoustic songs. Altogether entertaining and sincere, Franti's show mesmerized enough to keep people through the lightening and rain storm occurring at the same time.



3. Hawksley Workman
One of my favorite artists to ever attend folk fest, the independent Canadian music icon entertained both at workshops with his ever-faithful piano player Mr. Lonely doing a folk set, and at the main stage doing his rock set with a full band. Also, he opened his main stage set with the Jackson 5's "I Want You Back" and midway through, "Under Pressure". Try to tell me that doesn't kick ass.



2. Luke Doucet and the White Falcon
Technically a rediscovery since midway through the festival I realized I had seen the Canadian rocker several years ago at another folk music festival with his wife Melissa McLelland acting as The White Falcon. Described as "wheat-rock", Doucet's music is a country twist on rock music, with a sound similar to former folk fest favorite Danny Michel, with McLelland providing almost instinctual backing vocals to Doucet and other artists in the workshops. Also, his guitar was freaking beautiful.



1. Broken Social Scene
The musical amoeba was a force of nature at the folk fest. During the workshops, BSS seemed to absorb artists such as Royal Wood, Serena Ryder, Luke Doucet and John Bottomley into its sound, even for those artists' own songs, creating the Broken Social Scene signature sound. BSS became an alt-country act, a folk act, a rock act, as required, and their musical prowess was such that it created a certain cohesion, giving them impression that BSS had been performing with these artists for years. Kevin Drew's knack for improvising lyrics on the spot shone through in their set with Serena Ryder and Royal Wood as he created a verse on the spot mirroring the written one Ryder had just sang previously, and the rest of the members of BSS's instinctual musical talent made Broken Social Scene the act to be seen at the Festival.

Still here, we promise.

Torrey and I would like to apologize for our recent cyberspace absence. Among other various paltry excuses, we have spent the past four days immersed in the sweltering heat of our local folk festival. We'd like you to consider this as important research for this blog, much like attending a seminar or participating in a workshop, seeing as how we fell in love (quite literally; folk festivals are whirlwind affairs) with several artists, bought too many CDs, and are sore from the ever-essential head nod of music enthusiasts.

But Torrey does assure me that he has a killer mix on the way. In addition, he broached the idea of also featuring "Artist Specials" on the blog from time to time, namely write-ups of artists we are enjoying and think you may not have heard of. As this suggestion allows us yet more opportunity to tell you what you should be listening to, I think it is awesome. So watch for that.