I don't know how to start because I don't want to "hurt" my mixtape maker.

Well I didn't dislike the mixtape I'm just a bit disapointed. Songs aren't bad but my general impression about the mixtape wasn't really good after the first listening. I gave it a second chance and it's better. But I was hoping more varieties, loud songs, calm songs, dirty songs, but I find them too similar even if there some songs I appreciate.

It start quite well, not really what I use to listen but good. But after track 5, I started waiting more. Nice pop rock songs with hoarse voice that any young girl can resist isn't bad but not 18 times in a row.

I'm really embarrassed to have written that, but I didn't gonna lie by saying that I love when that is not the case. I think that it's just not my musical tastes but I still enjoyed some songs that I would like to know the title and the band. Like tracks 2, 3 and 5.

 

For forgiveness my mixtape maker can laught at my poor english and be not nice to me.

Poor Ivet, two songs were skipped:hug:

:rolleyes:

 

 

It's alright, I knew Bryce wasn't gonna like them anyways :P

I imagine his emotions: :wtf:

:blush:

It's pretty much the smoothest song I could find. It's called "London in February" by Coastal: a really soft, soporific slowcore band. My strategy was to alternate between short, ambient pieces and more upbeat rock tracks.

"The Birth and Death of the Day" by Explosions in the Sky, one of the more accessible post-rock bands. I adore these guys, if you liked this track, definitely check out one of their albums.

 

You guessed right. His voice is sort of unique, so I get how it can be a turn off. The track is called "If you're Feeling Sinister" off the album of the same name.

 

"Horizon Variations" by Max Richter. He makes a lot of contemporary neo-classical music. The album its off of ("The Blue Notebooks") intersperses quotes from Kafka throughout some of the tracks.

 

I'm so glad you liked it :D. It's "Raising Your Voice...Trying to Stop an Echo" by Hammock, a post-rock duo from my home state. Their music consists mostly of ambient instrumentals, but this is one track where they really take off.

 

"Tommib" by Squarepusher. It's not really meant to be a highlight so much as a nice instrumental bridge into the next track. I'll admit I stole it from the scene in 'Lost In Translation' where Charlotte is staring out over the city from her hotel window.

 

Right after I sent my mix in, my only concern was whether I should've chosen a different song by Fictionist. Nonetheless, they're a really great band, this one is called "Set Me On Fire" off of the album "Invisible Hand".

 

No doubt by now you've pinned my musical taste to a T :P. This was an interesting one though. It's technically by Jon Hopkins, but it's a remix of a simple piano track called "Small Memory" that sounds absolutely nothing like his previous work.

 

I chose a lot of 'obvious' bands like The National, The Shins, Jonsi etc. on this mix. I was initially going to replace them after I saw the size of your band library on last.fm, but I went ahead after seeing they weren't on the list. I knew you'd recognize them, but at least you wouldn't be sick of them by the time you heard them on my mix. This song is my current fave off of High Violet, "Lemonworld" (but you already knew that from the chorus).

I was initially going to have a Tim Hecker track here but I kept falling back on the songs I thought you'd enjoy more. I felt that this particular track was a decent compromise because of the way it sort of disintegrates near the end. I'm glad you liked it.

"The Light" by The Album Leaf. Probably not their best track, but I was determined not to repeat a bunch of songs from my last mix, and I'm oddly endeared to this one. It's a little on the safe side, but I rather put someone to sleep than annoy them.

 

You're welcome! :wacky:

 

Another song I stole from Lost In Translation, "Alone In Kyoto" by Air. I thought you'd like it, I love all the little textures they implement.

 

"Machine Gun" by Slowdive. I'm a sucker for shoegaze and I really like the sound of the vocals in this one. I was slightly afraid it might get boring after the first chorus, so again I'm very happy that you liked it.

 

Another Filler, and an excuse to throw in another of two Eluvium tracks. This was called "Hymn #1".

I forgot how much I loved this song before I decided to to add it to the mix. "I Have Loved You Wrong" by The Swell Season.

 

I was probably more eager to share this track than any other. It's "All The Sails" by Eluvium off of his E.P. "When I Live by the Garden and the Sea". At the very least I thought it would be an interesting experience.

 

If I could, I would've made this a 'hidden track'. I must confess I was partially motivated to end with this song because my name is shouted a couple times in the intro, and I thought it would be a cute way of revealing who made the tape...Oh, and it's "San Solomon" by Balmorhea.

 

I'm thrilled that you enjoyed it! I'm also very curious if I was the person you suspected. :P

 

here's the tracklist:

 

1. "London in February" by Coastal ('Halfway to You')

2. "The Birth and Death of the Day" by Explosions In The Sky ('All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone')

3. "If You're Feeling Sinister" by Belle & Sebastian ('If You're Feeling Sinister')

4. "Horizon Variations" by Max Richter ('The Blue Notebooks')

5. "Raising Your Voice...Trying to Stop an Echo" by Hammock ('Raising Your Voice...Trying to Stop an Echo')

6. "Tommib" by Squarepusher ('Go Plastic')

7. "Set Me On Fire" by Fictionist ('Invisible Hand')

8. "Small Memory (Tuning Remix)" by Jon Hopkins ('Seven Gulps of Air E.P.')

9. "Lemonworld" by The National ('High Violet')

10. "Grow Till Tall" by Jonsi ('Go')

11. "The Light" by The Album Leaf ('Into The Blue Again')

12. "Sleeping Lessons" by The Shins ('Wincing The Night Away')

13. "Alone In Kyoto" by Air off of ('Talkie Walkie')

14. "Machine Gun" by Slowdive off of ('Souvlaki')

15. "Hymn #1" by Eluvium ('Copia')

16. "I Have Loved You Wrong" by The Swell Season ( 'Strict Joy')

17. "All the Sails" by Eluvium ('When I Live by the Garden and the Sea')

18. "San Solomon" by Balmorhea ('Rivers Arms')

 

http://rapidshare.com/files/40627838...ummer_2010.zip

 

 

I knew who you were :wacky: From your webcast the last time! I remember you playing a lot of calm and ambient songs. And also Sleeping Lessons by The Shins:wacky:. I am so glad I got a taste of your musical preferences, I loved it and my curiosity towards that kind of music is now satisfied :wacky: Thank you again :kiss:

OMG Still waiting for my tracklist

Same here, yo

:heart: I am so glad you liked it :wacky:

 

So here, the tracklisting:

 

1. Thirteen Senses - Into The fire

2. The Rural Alberta Advantage - Frank, AB

3. Novastar- Mars Needs Woman

4. Joseph Arthur - Honey and The Moon

5. The Rumour Said Fire - The Balcony

6. Goldheart Assembly - Last Decade (edit)

7. White Lies - Farewell To The Fairground

8. Mew - Repeaterbeater

9. Metric - Eclipse (All Yours) [Acoustic]

10. I Am Kloot - The Same Deep Water As Me

11. Empire Of The Sun - We Are The People

12. Editors - Like Treasure

13. The Rumour Said Fire - Dance

14. Hey Rosetta! - Old Crow Black Night Stand Still

15. Morning Runner - Burning Benches

 

Comments from my part will be in the quote, in bold and italic :wacky:

 

:nice: Thank you! I will definitely be checking out more Editors, and I was excited to hear Hey Rosetta! cause I've been curious about them. And I would love the link to The Rumour Said Fire EP... I really did love "The Balcony". Thanks, Marie! This mix fit perfectly with my tastes and was really enjoyable! :D

:nice: Thank you! I will definitely be checking out more Editors, and I was excited to hear Hey Rosetta! cause I've been curious about them. And I would love the link to The Rumour Said Fire EP... I really did love "The Balcony". Thanks, Marie! This mix fit perfectly with my tastes and was really enjoyable! :D

 

Editors :heart:

I don't know how to start because I don't want to "hurt" my mixtape maker.

Well I didn't dislike the mixtape I'm just a bit disapointed. Songs aren't bad but my general impression about the mixtape wasn't really good after the first listening. I gave it a second chance and it's better. But I was hoping more varieties, loud songs, calm songs, dirty songs, but I find them too similar even if there some songs I appreciate.

It start quite well, not really what I use to listen but good. But after track 5, I started waiting more. Nice pop rock songs with hoarse voice that any young girl can resist isn't bad but not 18 times in a row.

I'm really embarrassed to have written that, but I didn't gonna lie by saying that I love when that is not the case. I think that it's just not my musical tastes but I still enjoyed some songs that I would like to know the title and the band. Like tracks 2, 3 and 5.

 

For forgiveness my mixtape maker can laught at my poor english and be not nice to me.

 

I was your mixtape maker...

 

And I totally understand :) To be honest...I didn't give as much thought into it as I may have should but I love all those songs and wanted to express my taste a bit :)

 

But I am very sorry you are disappointed, and I would like to ask you if you would like me to make another one for you? I would actually make another ESPECIALLY FOR YOU! :)

 

Anyway, here is the tracklist:

 

1) Radar Detector- Darwin Deez

2) 15 Minutes- The Yeah You's

3) I Saw The Dead- Villagers

4) My Friends Say- Me & Mark

5) O.N.E- Yeasayer

6) Lost In London- Kid British

7) What Is Light? Where Is Laughter?- Twin Atlantic

8) Forever My Father- Go Radio

9) The Past- nevershoutnever!

10) Bitter End- Ben's Brother

11) Vanity Kills- Codeine Velvet Club

12) Generator- The Holloways

13) Girlshapedlovedrug- Gomez

14) Sing It Out- Hope Of The States

15) People Help The People- Cherry Ghost

16) Built To Last- Melee

17) Stay The Night- Ghosts

18) Bang On The Piano- Jack McManus

 

 

Here is a link to my mixtape if anyone would like it :)

http://rapidshare.com/files/404248467/Mixtape.rar.html

OK, time for my review - this is my first go at reviewing anything even remotely musical, don't laugh! :P

 

 

1. A cute, gentle acoustic song. It’s nice and chilled out with some nice guitar work in there, a nice start to the mixtape.

 

2. Some interesting sounds in this one, the beginning almost reminds me of “Spies” by Coldplay. Really liked the instrumental outro, complete with it’s little spacey sounds. The rest of the song was good too, a pretty solid rock song.

 

3. This one has a cool baseline at the beginning. It got to the chorus and I realised that I know the song, I’ve heard it on the local radio station. But I can’t put my finger on the artist. I know I’ve heard other songs by them because the vocals are very familiar (not my favourite vocalist, but not bad). Another solid rock song, though probably one of my least favourites on the mixtape.

 

4. This track starts off with a few background synths/organs before the drums and bass begin. Pretty spooky sounding song. About 2/3 through the song there are some interesting background songs, children playing and doors slamming. Is this Elbow? It took until about a minute into the song to recognise the vocals, but I think it’s them. I’ve only listened to “The Seldom Seen Kid” so I didn’t know this one. I liked it though.

 

5. A bizarre beginning with racing piano (and horns?) that almost sounds like it belongs in a ‘running away’ scene in a horror movie :P. Then the piano then slows down, violins start and it becomes a (rather chessy) love ballad (though featuring the lyrics “have you fed the fish today” :laugh3:. Then suddenly it changes and becomes a bit more upbeat, pretty danceable in fact. “I’ve killed all the mockingbirds” – I like those lyrics :P The way this song was a little distracting but it kept it interesting and made me smile.

 

6. The guitar in this song is happy and addictive. When the piano started and I got this feeling of happiness from the song, that continued throughout it. Some sweet lyrics, not really fussed on the vocals (I can be fussy though :P) but they fit the song well. By the end I found myself trying to sing along, even though I didn’t know the words.

 

7. More soft rock. Nice layering of vocals in this one, it’s very sinister-sounding. A nice, chilled song.

 

8. As soon as this song starts I recognise it – Live and Let Die. I only know the Guns n Roses version, is this the original? I like it much, much more than the Guns n Roses version anyway! I don’t listen to classic rock type stuff as much as I probably should have by now, but this has inspired me to delve into music history a little more :tongue:

 

9. I instantly liked this one. The base is a little addictive and the drumming’s good. Then I can hear violins in the background (which I LOVE), and interesting stringed instruments. For some reason as I listened to this I got images of a beautiful, crisp, clear morning sky. The vocals are very nice too.

 

10. The above song ended pretty abruptly, this one began immediately with some nice piano chords. “I am the grass man, I’ll burn for you.” Interesting sentiment :P The song builds up to an awesome guitar solo in the middle, and again at the end. “I am the grass man” repeats over and over, along without appropriate ‘whoah’s from backup singers. Oh, and you left the album art on this one :P

 

11. The beginning of this song sounds like wind howling on the other side of a closed window, and an acoustic guitar strums pleasantly. The vocals in this song are beautiful. Actually the song itself is beautiful, sad but uplifting. It then builds into a an instrumental part (I’m not good with my musical terminology, as you can probably tell :P) that finishes of the song, and the mixtape, perfectly.

 

To whoever it is that made my mixtape, thank you SO much!

The only negative thing I’m going to say is that there wasn’t a LOT of variation between songs – all male vocalists, all somewhere within the genres of acoustic and/or rock – but in saying that, they weren’t all the same either. And there wasn’t a single song on their I didn’t like :D

They flowed very nicely too. I’m really interested to find out some of the artists in the mix because I ‘d love to check them out! My favourite tracks were 4, 9 and 11.

 

Thank you for making me the mixtape and making me explore a little more outside the genres I usually listen to!

 

 

:lol:

 

Ha, I put a Skik song on my mixtape. :tongue:

 

 

Sigur Rós is an Icelandic band, very much worth checking out. :nice:

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgEGVKwURKc

 

 

Which one? :o "Op Fietse"? (I guess so... Fietssleutel) You live in Drenthe too? Thanks for the links, like it! :D

FUUUUUUUUCK! I JUST SPENT ALL THAT TIME WRITING MY ANSWER TO THE REVIEW AND BEFORE I POSTED IT I HIT CTRL-W! :bigcry::bigcry::bigcry::bigcry::bigcry::bigcry::bigcry::bigcry::bigcry::bigcry:

I Saved mine on word and copied it Because I Know how clumsy I am :laugh3:

To whoever it is that made my mixtape, thank you SO much!

The only negative thing I’m going to say is that there wasn’t a LOT of variation between songs – all male vocalists, all somewhere within the genres of acoustic and/or rock – but in saying that, they weren’t all the same either. And there wasn’t a single song on their I didn’t like :D

They flowed very nicely too. I’m really interested to find out some of the artists in the mix because I ‘d love to check them out! My favourite tracks were 4, 9 and 11.

 

Thank you for making me the mixtape and making me explore a little more outside the genres I usually listen to!

glad you enjoyed it! :cool4:

 

1. Underdog (sally) (demo) (Turin Brakes)

2. Phonophobic (Sub.bionic)

3. Jeremy (Pearl Jam)

4. Any Day Now (Elbow)

5. Have You Fed The Fish? (Badly Drawn Boy)

6. If You're Feeling Sinister (Belle & Sebastian)

7. Hush (Sub.bionic)

8. Live & Let Die (Paul McCartney & Wings)

9. Good Souls (Starsailor)

10. Grassman (Dodgy)

11. Ether Song (Turin Brakes)

FUUUUUUUUCK! I JUST SPENT ALL THAT TIME WRITING MY ANSWER TO THE REVIEW AND BEFORE I POSTED IT I HIT CTRL-W! :bigcry::bigcry::bigcry::bigcry::bigcry::bigcry::bigcry::bigcry::bigcry::bigcry:

 

This post made me try what happens when you press Ctrl+W. Hmm, I am very sorry for you :hug:

 

I Saved mine on word and copied it Because I Know how clumsy I am :laugh3:

 

Same here :lol:

:nice: Thank you! I will definitely be checking out more Editors, and I was excited to hear Hey Rosetta! cause I've been curious about them. And I would love the link to The Rumour Said Fire EP... I really did love "The Balcony". Thanks, Marie! This mix fit perfectly with my tastes and was really enjoyable! :D

 

Hehehe, I tried my best to make it fit with what I had seen on your last.fm profile ;)

 

Here, The Life And Death of a Male Body by The Rumour Said Fire:

 

http://www.filestube.com/dd556466ecd39a3b03ea/go.html

 

 

Enjoy!

Still waiting for a tape and a review...

I knew who you were :wacky: From your webcast the last time! I remember you playing a lot of calm and ambient songs.

lol, during that webcast I was actually shuffling through my playlist of 'candidate' songs for the mix. I had no idea at the time that I would end up drawing you.

Mixtape review time! First of all, MASSIVE FILE! 120mb thank god we recently improved our internet speed. But that only means two things: lots of songs or good quality files! Saw it was divided into A and B… nice touch, will be interesting to see why it was divided!

 

Sorry in advance if I get carried away in my review writing.

 

A

 

Track #1:

A uniquely American track which has a nice balance of country, indie and even a touch of alternative in it. I totally appreciate the whistling on this – as a musician, I am a firm believer in more whistling and handclaps in tracks! Love the brass section after the chorus! That was an unexpected surprise. Vocals shared, has a bit of a country America feel to it, like mid-land kind of stuff. An odd choice for opening track, sort of makes me feel like I am coming home, or homesick… The dialogue in the third (or is it fourth) verse added an interesting dimension! Wouldn’t say I totally love it but it’s a nice track.

 

Track #2:

Wow this guy’s vocals sound really similar to Bombay Bicycle Club but I know it’s not because I have all BBC’s stuff. A relaxing, subdued track easing me into the mixtape. This has a bit of mystique to it, and the strings make it an almost elegant waltz of alternative soft-rock. HORNS AGAIN! Oh my god I love the inclusion on both these tracks! Could this be a theme? It sounds quite British, and I find myself swaying to it in the second half of the track. I liked this one more than the first, great to listen to it to ease myself into the mixtape.

 

Track #3

The pace picks up for the third track, with electronic drums and frequent acoustic guitar picking. Ethereal female vocals come in, with……. yes, HORNS! Brings a smile to my face every time. You’ve really cleverly themed this mixtape so far! Not a great lover of the song, but I appreciated a nice increase in tempo. Track kind of doesn’t build up to something spectacular, but maintains an almost sneaky element as if it was straight off the soundtrack of a mystery movie.

 

Track #4

SPANISH SAHARA! Brilliant. Foals have the song of the year. Seriously, if anyone reading this review hasn’t heard it yet, then you need to. It builds up brilliantly around floating vocals to a pacey atmospheric track about 2/3rds in. Simply amazing. This song inspires me.

 

Track #5

The tempo picks up again with a twisted almost caberet-style track with vocals that have a hint of Alex Turner about them without the heavy accent. It’s got horns, and a whole orchestra. To me, it sounds like it could even be pulled from The Last Shadow Puppets’ album. Really interested to hear who sings this. Because it’s freakishly similar to their material (especially the chorus), with the addition of Female vocals. One of my faves so far if it was a bit shorter. A very dramatic track, going for six minutes, feels like a sweeping journey of 1950’s England obviously produced in the present time.

 

Track #6

Familiar female vocals over an interesting four-chord acoustic guitar progression. This wouldn’t be Laura Marling would it? I haven’t heard a lot of her music but I read about her all the time. A bit of swearing – Laura Marling seems too cute for that. I could be wrong! A very simplistic, stripped back acoustic track, but it’s really effective. Very relaxing, Sunday arvo music. I love how this has been produced, and the reverbed piano, just comes together quite beautifully. Probably the best new track I have discovered.

 

Track #7

GOT to be a comedy track. About pimples. I’m mildly disturbed but intrigued. Guy sings/talks over ukulele. Ending’s pretty funny.

 

Track #8

From the start, sounds like a great closing track. Dreamy, slow with an American female singing. Gets a tad repetitive over time. Not 100% my kind of music, but good choice for an A closer.

 

B

 

Track #9

Electro! Think I recognise this, but then it eludes me. It kind of sounds like the guy who just did a single with Lily Allen. But then it breaks into punk rock, really unexpected shift. But it kind of works! Verses sound similar to The Streets, and then the Pre-Chorus and Chorus is a bit like Foo Fighters. Could be a collaboration here. Really interesting track! Great position at the start of B.

 

Track #10

More electro mixed with punk rock, so this mixtape has been divided quite well. I like the riffs and the intro, but I kind of get lost in the chorus with the wall of guitars. Vocals sound very British, but I could be wrong.

 

Track #11

More pacey guitars, female vocals this time. Sounds like this has a bit more attitude than the last two punk rock tracks. The beat takes me along, on a wild ride. I like elements of it, like the lead guitar and drumming.

 

Track #12

Haha, real American-style punk here. Sounds like they have been inspired by Greenday and like the track could be played on the game ‘Tony Hawks Pro Skater’… My mate loves punk heaps, think this would be right up his alley. Up my alley? Maybe not.

 

Track #13

Well if I wasn’t a fan of 12, I am definitely not 13. Others love this headbanging stuff, not so me.

 

Track #14

As this track opens, I am thinking, yes! This is more like it! Horns riff and we’re going! German vocals for sure, unless I have my countries terribly mixed up. The music side of the track I love, the indie-pop with a lot of energy and pace to it! This will get people dancing. A nice addition after the punk tracks, good shift.

 

Track #15

Rock, probably one of the more pop-sounding off this mixtape. I love the tempo and the drumming, especially. Musically, sounds a lot like they could be put in the same bracket as Paramore.

 

Track #16

An unusual closer, back to acoustic guitars but we keep the increased tempo. Unfamilar language again, not sure about which one! Could still be German. Erupts into punk rock out of nowhere, surprising, but not my taste.

 

 

Overall, an interesting mix. You’ve obviously separated A and B for acoustic/indie and then rock. There were a few nice surprises, and I will be keen to hear a couple of these artists! I’m not a fan of Punk rock at all but the other tracks were nice to listen to! Thanks :)

 

Thanks for the review!

 

http://rapidshare.com/files/405940414/mixtape.zip (if the link stops working, get back to me, I'll re-upload)

 

Tracklisting:

 

A:

1. Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros - Home

 

American indie folk/neo-psychedelica ensemble, hailling from L.A. My personal summer favorite, this is a song off their first album, released in 2009.

 

2. Noah and the Whale - My Broken Heart

 

British indie folk this time; this band used to have Laura Marling and Emmy the Great as background singers. The song is off their sophomore effort, also from 2009.

 

3. Crooked Fingers - Luisa's Bones

 

This is more of a project than a band, seeing as this outfit has a rotating line-up. Constant factor and the man who started is Eric Bachmann, formerly of Archers of Loaf (if that means anything to anyone).

 

4. Foals - Spanish Sahara

 

You got that one in one go, yay! I love this song.

 

5. The Coral - Music at Night

 

This is not Alex Turner's side project, but rather the Merseyside band that inspired him: The Coral. They do 60s psychedelia mostly, with a little folk and country added. I think it's awesome.

 

6. Kaki King - Sunnyside

 

This is actually NOT Laura Marling, far from it! This is the work of Kaki King, a female American guitar player and singer-songwriter. Her earlier stuff includes a lot of virtuoso stuff on the acoustic guitar, like tapping and slap-bass techniques, while later stuff leans more toward indie rock.

This is off her latest record, Junior, released a couple of months ago. If you want to hear more of this style, get this album or Dreaming of Revenge; if you're curious about her guitar-y stuff, get ...Until We Felt Red, or Legs to Make Us Longer

 

7. Charlie McDonnell - A Song About Acne

 

This is by 19-year old YouTuber Charlie McDonnell, who incidentally is the most subscribed YouTuber in the U.K. He also writes songs about Doctor Who. If you think it's funny, you can check him out on http://www.youtube.com/charlie .

 

8. Laura Marling - What He Wrote

 

This actually IS 20-year old Laura Marling, who isn't American at all. It's off her second album, I Speak Because I Can.

 

B:

 

9. Enter Shikari - Tribalism

 

This is by just one British band actually, called Enter Shikari. Their greatest hit ( [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4MiC67seUY]YouTube- Enter Shikari 'Sorry Youre Not A Winner' video[/ame] ) is Sorry, You're Not A Winner. They do a weird and IMHO awesome mix of post-hardcore, metal, dubstep, spoken word and trance/hardcore dance. What's also great is that they've been making music and touring completely independently for 7 years and making a huge name of themselves at that.

 

Oh, and their motto is "Enter Shikari: abusing music genres' worthless boundaries since 2003".

 

10. Disco Ensemble - Headphones

 

This is a Finnish (!) punk rock/post-hardcore band.

 

11. Sonic Boom Six - Floating Away

 

Again British, this time a ska/reggae/punk fusion.

 

12. Taking Back Sunday - Cute Without The "E"

 

Post-hardcore/emo heroes from Long Island, NY. Pioneers of the genre they represent.

 

13. Alexisonfire - Young Cardinals

 

Again post-hardcore, this time Canadian. I'll admit this might be a bit rough for some people.

 

14. Wir Sind Helden - Die Konkurrenz

 

German indie-rock, and one of my all-time favorite bands. A translation of these particular lyrics can be found at http://lyrics.wikia.com/Wir_Sind_Helden:Die_Konkurrenz .

 

15. +44 - When Your Heart Stops Beating

 

This was a side project of Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker of Blink-182 fame. They made one album in this line-up before Blink reunited.

 

16. Die Ärzte - Junge

 

Possibly the most famous punk band from Germany, die Ärzte (German for "The Doctors" or "The Physicians") formed back in the 80s and have released 11 albums since.

Ok so I've started listening to my mixtape but haven't managed 60 mins of it yet, so decided to review in stages... my mixer will be on tenterhooks all week :P :)

 

17 tracks - unfortunately track 15 is missing :(

 

1 - (Anon titled "If") - I love these kind of tracks... no lyrics, just atmosphere. They make albums really stand out. This track reminded me immediately of Phoenix Nights with the tinkling at the start :laugh3: No idea who this artist is but if this song is indicitive I'd like to hear more...

 

2 - (Anon titled "You're") - Don't know who this artist is either... not sure about the headache-inducing drum loop in the background which makes the song quickly irritating... sorry!

 

3 - (Anon titled "Lost") - Back on track - this one had me tapping on the desk, but noticed the word particles appears in this song as it did in track 2 - are these two songs linked in any way?? :thinking: Lots going on in this song, including a flute? and drum signature which dominates the singing. Mysteriously addictive song! .........

 

4 - (Anon titled "And") - Shortish 3 minute song with a catchy string melody - sounded quite folky - artist unknown. A solo artist perhaps? And those waffles look tasty too!

 

ok on to my next part of the review... sorry whoever you are to keep you waiting!!

 

5 - (Anon titled "Feel") - Two Door Cinema Club, Undercover Martyn - I know of this one, unfortunately I only enjoyed the first 18 seconds. Something's happening in that basement, sorry but I'm washing my hair!

 

6 - (Anon titled "Alone") - Good driving track with the lyrics "I've got you next to me... I don't want to waste it" the standout highlight. "I know who this is but I can't put my finger on it" was the rhyming lyrics I added myself at the end......

 

7 - (Anon titled "Circumnavigate") - Is this Arcade Fire? I don't listen to them much but recognise their busy music. This is quite a ballad whatever it is, one of the longest tracks on the mixtape. Only needed one listen and enjoyed it thoroughly!

 

8 - (Anon titled "The") - Singing Softly To Me! I really haven't listened to a lot of Kings of Covenience recently for a reason I don't know, but hopefully this track will give me a reason to capture their mellow ballands again in my collection, including the 2009 album which I've yet to hear! I reckon little Sammy will like this kind of music when he's trying to drift to sleep :lol: Off to Spotify sometime soon.....!

 

Just rectified the anon titles... hmmm someone who likes the old Coldplay B-sides...! :thinking:

 

9 - (Anon titled "Globe") - Another track to drive to... as you can tell most of my music is in the car! Don't know who this is... "feel like a cannonball..." are those the correct lyrics? His voice is quite produced in this song, difficult to tell. Not a great fan of the voice, so for me the melody is in charge here... head for the motorway!

 

 

5. The Coral - Music at Night

 

This is not Alex Turner's side project, but rather the Merseyside band that inspired him: The Coral. They do 60s psychedelia mostly, with a little folk and country added. I think it's awesome.

 

 

Whoa-oh a Coral fan? :awesome:

..........

 

here's the tracklist:

 

1. "London in February" by Coastal ('Halfway to You')

2. "The Birth and Death of the Day" by Explosions In The Sky ('All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone')

3. "If You're Feeling Sinister" by Belle & Sebastian ('If You're Feeling Sinister')

4. "Horizon Variations" by Max Richter ('The Blue Notebooks')

5. "Raising Your Voice...Trying to Stop an Echo" by Hammock ('Raising Your Voice...Trying to Stop an Echo')

6. "Tommib" by Squarepusher ('Go Plastic')

7. "Set Me On Fire" by Fictionist ('Invisible Hand')

8. "Small Memory (Tuning Remix)" by Jon Hopkins ('Seven Gulps of Air E.P.')

9. "Lemonworld" by The National ('High Violet')

10. "Grow Till Tall" by Jonsi ('Go')

11. "The Light" by The Album Leaf ('Into The Blue Again')

12. "Sleeping Lessons" by The Shins ('Wincing The Night Away')

13. "Alone In Kyoto" by Air off of ('Talkie Walkie')

14. "Machine Gun" by Slowdive off of ('Souvlaki')

15. "Hymn #1" by Eluvium ('Copia')

16. "I Have Loved You Wrong" by The Swell Season ( 'Strict Joy')

17. "All the Sails" by Eluvium ('When I Live by the Garden and the Sea')

18. "San Solomon" by Balmorhea ('Rivers Arms')

 

http://rapidshare.com/files/40627838...ummer_2010.zip

 

Have to download this! Tommib!! Fuck yeah.

And Slowdive too! Been meaning to check them out. There are lots of other stuff I like too. :nice:

So here's my review.

 

Overall, for someone of my music taste at least, I found this mixtape difficult to get into. I'll post a track-by-track here, because the author put a couple of different genres on there. There were a few songs that stood out to me as pleasant, but a lot of it just didn't grab my attention enough.

 

1. Slow, Nick Cave style doom. Totally freaky vocals, very low and threatening, with a country vibe to the lyrics and inflection. Could this be someone covering Johnny Cash though? The lyrics sound very Cash to me. I like this one, though I have a feeling that I might like the original better if it's a cover.

 

2. A complete shift from the last song: from gloom to glee. Jingly synths, an acoustic guitar and very ethereal vocals. It's in English, but the female vocalists sounds like she might not have English as a first language. Oh my god, there's maracas and chimes now! It's funny to listen too, but waaay too elevator music for me.

 

3. Starts out quite country, with soulful vocals and a little dash of Jack Johnson. After the soul-style background choir kicks in and I've banged my head on the desk for some time, I've come to the conclusion that this must be John Legend. Quite upbeat, but wouldn't listen to it if it wasn't live music or background music.

 

4. This one begins like a soundtrack to a dramatic, still, movie scene soundtrack. I like the vocals and the old piano in the background. Has sort of Eels-like quality to the lyrics, very world-weary. I like this one, but I would've hoped for a chorus or something.

 

5. Synths and over-produced percussion. If there's one thing I can't stand it's over produced percussion. The vocals sort of make up for this by sounding like Santigold/Santogold or M.I.A. If I had to hazard a guess as to who this might be I'd say Santogold/Santigold (what the hell is the current spelling again), although I have a feeling it might be less recent.

 

6. Spanish guitars and a falsetto voice = drama. It sounds like French and an African language. The music isn't very interesting to me, and not understanding the lyrics makes it very hard to listen to this all the way through without getting bored.

 

7. Simple percussion, a glockenspiel and a Hammond organ. Pretty okay, I don't like the lyrics though. "Catch my disease", seriously? The repetitive "pleeaaase"-s and "that's the way I like it"-s get on my nerves after less then a minute. A have a feeling this is some popular singer-songwriter I should know, but I don't.

 

8. Very slow and landscape-y. Sorry, but this means nothing to me. All I can see is some dramatic desert with a sun going down like in those fast-forward sunset films.

 

9. This is probably my favorite song off the mixtape, I like this one a lot! A very comforting male voice with a soft, choppy acoustic guitar rhythm. Nice lyrics too, no pretention. And a cello, I'm a sucker for a well-placed cello section. I'd like to hear more from this artist. I think the singer is Scottish.

 

10. More acoustic guitar, a floaty female voice. I like her voice, the guitar parts are okay, the lyrics aren't very impressive. This gets a little too repetitive after a while, but it's okay on the ears.

 

11. Again acoustic guitar, fingerpicking. An unknown language, maybe Hebrew? Or Arabic? Again, okay on the ears, but loses my attention after a minute. Understanding the lyrics might help here.

 

12. Oh lord. It's lounge. As with the ambient, this just means nothing to me. I really want to put on some noisy music after a mere 20 seconds of this. Sorry!

 

13. Another instrumental piece, clocking in at a measly 1:13. Sounds like it's from a movie. Again, okay on the ears, but meaningless without a context.

 

As a said before, a lot of this music just isn't my style. I'm into loud and agressive music as well as soft-spoken, romantic stuff, but a lot of this was just too slow to listen in one go. The only song with actual balls was the first one. I liked songs 4 and 9 best, so I'm curious to hear more of these artists!

^ An Enter Shikari fan! :D :dance: