The 12th Mixtape Exchange

[Alien Radio]

Every 3-4 months, I'd say

 

Next one will probably be this summer :)

[Alien Radio]

Finished :sweatdrop: I hope that it's good :anxious:

Uploading now

[Prospector]

Looking foward to listen to mine :dazzled:

[djibou]

Okay so! I'm missing five mixtape, 4 of which the people sent a message or something, saying they'd be late and telling me when they'd be able to get it to me. In the meanwhile, tonight, I'll send the mixtapes to those who have handed theirs in.

Have fun :D

[doritji]

I bow to those who finished it in time :p

 

I'm bad at these things. But anyways, mine's uploading so whoever I'm making it to: no worries !

...although he/ she will never know until I come out as his/her mixtape maker

[djibou]

It's not like everyone had a week and a half or anything, Evelien.... :rolleyes:

 

 

 

:kiss:

 

 

[Tnspieler1012]

Woo! got mine!

 

Jemand can expect a review by tonight. :D

no, I won't rush it. I always listen 2 or 3 times all the way through beforehand

 

[doritji]

It's not like everyone had a week and a half or anything, Evelien.... :rolleyes:

 

 

 

:kiss:

 

 

I do recall being busy planning some sort of trip to a foreign country...

[doritji]

Haha I already figured out who my mixtape makers is :p

 

He/she knows I know

I'll post a review when I had some proper listening sessions

[Tnspieler1012]

Okay, so lay-go!

 

 

1. Distorted guitar fuzz leads into pounding drums, multi-layered guitars and a shouting voice of the Foo Fighters variety. Won't lie, not a fan of this type of pop-rock singing. It was beaten out of me by the nausea of early 2000s pop radio. I applaud the different levels of the song. There's an added dimension to the chord progression, electric guitar and songwriting, but while I completely understand why you like this song (it's not unlike some songs I loved when I was 14

that's not intended as a diss, you could very well be older than me

), the type of emotional drive and feel that they're going for in the chorus is what would normally lead me to change the radio channel due to too many associations with Fall Out Boy, All-American Rejects etc.

 

2. Synths, children shouting and school bells lead into a warm, buzzy electro-pop song. I def. like the singer's voice. Something strangely nostalgic about hearing songs with such an emphasis on a dramatic chorus. Something really exciting about the unpretentiousness of it. Solid timbres, beat, progression, melody, bridge etc.. And I'm tapping my feet. Mission accomplished.

I will say though that I had some concerns about the audio quality, I don't know if it was ripped from somewhere, but it feels slightly distant/staticky.

 

 

3.Mechanical, clunky synths/drum sounds lead into an ominous 4-chord progression, then strings. Feels like the soundtrack for an exotic action film. Interesting keyboards fade in and out. More action movie strings....Fun enough.

 

4.Now a woman's voice with some inspiring messages. Beat picks up, and verses are repeated with more intensity. Now a male harmony. Okay so far, I like the progression. I can dig this. Like before, the audio still feels a bit tinny, but no bother, might just be me.

 

5."I used to live nearby a chocolate river. I tried to fish your lips with my tongue tongue tongue tongue!" :blank:

Crunchy guitar 5ths and a coarse, accented male voice. Also a tremoloed violin. Oh, and a girl, reminding me what she also tried to do with her tongue. Then the chorus lands and I cringe. They want me to shake something, but it's altogether a bit annoying. Sorry.

 

6. Smooth acoustic chords running to 6th, 7th, and back again. Pleasant voice. Lovely chorus. Yep nice little song, thanks for this!

 

7.Street audio leads into a rough acoustic (then electric) diddy. "Don't Tell Me!..." Neutral on the verse, but I def. like the subtle harmony and warm chorus chords. All quite playful, not bad.

 

8.Crunching distorted 5ths. Off the back, not liking it. More of the over-the top rock stuff that just doesn't suit my ears, though I fully respect your putting it on the tape...Yeah, going nowhere for me. Least favorite so far, unfortunately.

 

9.Ooh, Guitar, Mandolin playing a waltz rythm...and a lovely little duet harmony. I like this! A real sea shanty vibe...Thanks!

 

10.Soft drone leads into tastefully plucked guitar harmony. Love the beginning, and a soft, earnest male voice enters...followed by violin accompaniment. The obligatory male/female duet harmony again lol. Now drums enter, and it picks up with a cheesy but lovable horns bridge. And an early fade out. Really liked this actually.

 

11.Ominous/atmospheric lead in with synths, echoey noises and an odd mixture of timbres. Alas, an instrumental. All great in my book. Thanks.

 

12.Tommy drums leads into a demonic voice with appropriate synths. She hopes I'm satisfied, but I'm still waiting for it to go somewhere. The chords move around to make it interesting, but not sold on the melody or voice. Unique, but forgettable (if that's even possible)

 

13.

Check, please. Sounds like a bad high-school garage band jam session. But it cuts off for the entrance of a new beat, fingered bass and some warmer chords. I like the accompaniment during the chorus, though I'm neutral on the voice. Fine guitar. Guitars get distorted and less interesting during the second chorus. Not bad in parts, but can't put it on my 'favorites' list. Yup, end gets steadily worse imho.

 

14.Haha. Okay, a musical worthy piano ballad. Works better not to take guy's voice too seriously. Piano and string arrangement is quite nice actually, but I have to imagine him on broadway dressed in some ridiculous costume to feel it. The melody and chords during the verse and ending are really very enjoyable. Its the power-ballad vibe of the chorus (cheesy 80s guitar solo is insult to injury) that's kind of off-putting. Can't help but like it though.

 

15. Last song. Groovy little synth arrangement. Looks to be an instrumental closer. Electric drums enter. I definitely like this one. A funky arrangement of timbres and noises. Yup, dig this. And....we're done.

 

 

queso, thanks for the all the work and trouble that went into making this mixtape. The first thing I loved was how alien most of it was to some of my own taste, such that I know I would never have incidentally heard these songs otherwise. That experience alone made this tape a success for me. The fact that I really liked a bunch of songs is a bonus.

 

I would have to say that 2, 6, 7, 9, and 10 were definitely my favorites. Though I also loved the little instrumental interludes intermingled throughout. Though I may or may not 'know' you (in any sense of the word), I feel like this mix did a great job of a. having a coherent sound insofar as I feel like I know something concrete about your taste in music. and b. providing a nice flow and variety that kept me from getting bored.

 

So, I raise my glass to you. Thanks again!

[djibou]

awww the first review of the first mixtape exchange I am holding :blush:

and it's done by Chris, what a great start ;):wacky:

[Violet]

Your tape sounds really interesting, Chris. Hmmm. :thinking:

 

Anyway, I just downloaded mine. Seeing how it is just by looking at it, I'm pretty stoked to listen to it. I'll elaborate why that is in my review. I''ve gotta go listen to this now. :cheesy: :escaping:

[Mrk]

Ok, I listened to my mixtape several times and here's my review:

 

Track 1: A very dynamic and "crazy" instrumental. Guitar riffs and synth lines creat a very interesting soundscape and it's a very good song to start a mixtape. Really liked it! :thumbsup:

 

Track 2: A country song. It's not really my kind of stuff but it's not bad and I liked the harmonica solo.

 

Track 3: Starts with a soft keyboard melody then it gradually builds until guitars explode during the chorus. I'm not really keen on the vocals (which language is it?) but they fit with the song's melody. One of my favorites of the mixtape :wacky:

 

Track 4: An acustic-y duet. I found it a bit too cheesy but overally very good and the "dreamy" guitars.

 

Track 5: Very powerfull, I liked the electric guitar+piano and the big synth layers riff and the voice sounds very familiar... Great!

 

Track 6: At first is like a classic acustic ballad with only voice and guitar then piano kicks in and the then it culminates with an epic string arrangement at the end. I was afraid it was going to become boring as it progressed but it really suprised me.

 

Track 7: This sounds like Arctic Monkeys. I really liked the deep distorted guitar effect but it gets a bit boring after a while.

 

Track 8: A nice and quite sad piano ballad. I didn't really like it at first but it grew on me and I think it's one of the highlights of the mixtape.

 

Track 9: This sounds a bit too generic for me. I quite like the chorus but it didn't really hit me

 

Track 10: I love the minimalistic beat the strings and the piano on this one. It's a very "atmospheric" song. Great!

 

Track 11: This has a very 60s vibe (quite reminds me of The Beatles for some reason) and the little choir during the chorus is awesome!

 

Track 12: This is quite weird. It's an indie rock song with a very "goofy" melody. This sounds very familiar too....

 

Track 13: Ok, this is Sea Fog by Keane. I still haven't heard the whole Strangeland album but this is one of my favorite songs from it so far and a very good album (and mixtape :P) closer.

 

Overally this mixtape was very good. My favorites are 1, 3, 8, 10 and 13. I wish there was a bit more variety but the music choice was awesome and it flowed very well, so, it has my seal of approval :thumbsup:

[Cheese Nip 2]

I loved the mixtape I got! I'll listen to it a few more times before I review it:)

[Violet]

I've taken a nice, solid listen to my mixtape. I have a nice basis for a review written up, but I plan on listening to it some more so I can talk about it in a bit more detail before I put it up and tell you what I think. :nice:

[The Final Track]

haven't gotten mine yet :\

[Violet]

Review tiiiiime! :cheesy: I hope you don't mind reading. I wrote quite a bit, as I often tend to do.

 

Just looking at the tape before I listen to it, there were a few observations I want to point out.

 

1. The very first thing I noticed was that it was called “For Violet.” That means you either know me or have heard of me in some way. Either way, I like having that sort of familiarity, even though I don’t know who you are just yet. :nice:

2. It has 20 songs on it. I love that. I’m a very musical person, and the more music I get on a mixtape, the better. Thanks for that. :thumbsup:

3. I’m glad I looked at it on my laptop before I started because I noticed that while the track numbers were changed on the song titles, they weren’t on the actual track numbers. There are multiple songs with the same track number, and one of the tracks was labeled as #35, which I found rather odd in an interesting sort of way. It’s not that big of a deal, though. I’ll just put them in the proper order. I’m sure you put this together with the intention of having me listen to it in a specific order, and I want to honor that.

 

Having said all that, it’s time to review what you’ve done. Here we go.

 

1. This has an ethereal beginning which grows into an acoustic guitar. It’s slow and very calm sounding. It’s like folk and ambient had a child. This song has some very clean, soft female vocals which are very beautiful. There’s a male backing vocalist as well, and they harmonize so well together. The more I listen to this, the more I love it. This sounds like something I would listen to, and I can definitely use more of whoever this is. This may very well be the best opening track in a mixtape I’ve ever had. I’m psyched for what else is to come.

 

2. Another ethereal beginning with a choir of voices. It quickly dissipates into this indie sound with another female vocalist. Her voice isn’t as great as the girl in the previous song, but hers isn’t too shabby, either. I think it’s just that her voice, quality wise, sounds a tad more…squeaky? I can’t think of a better word. It reminds me of Lily Allen, in a way, but without the Mockney accent. Is this a British artist? She sounds it.

 

3. A woodwind choir at the beginning? Very interesting. With some strings, too. …Wait. This is a classical piece of music. Oh my gosh. This is great! :D I like the sound of this a whole lot. …But wait. Now it goes into a synth wave, then into some guitar with the same stuff later. And now voicals? I’m so confused as to what this is, but I highly enjoy it. The male vocals are very pretty and match the song so well. Now that I think about it, this sounds like something an artist along the lines of Sufjan Stevens might do. There were several twists in the song, but I think I enjoy that. The song kept me guessing, and I enjoyed it all the way through. Thanks for this one!

 

4. This one moves so much quicker. It’s the most electronic of the bunch so far. It sounds cute. It reminds me of Port Blue, in a way. It’s a nice change from all the pretty stuff that I’ve been listening to thus far. As lovely as the other stuff was, it’s nice to know the whole tape won’t be like that. I’m not the most knowledgeable in electronic music, but this is pretty nice, and I could perhaps get more into it, starting with this artist.

 

5. An interlude of sorts. It sounds like some older gentleman singing on top of some beautiful string work. The strings are the best part of this song. <3

 

6. More electronic/ambient music. OOOH, it goes into this guitar solo with a beat and more ambience. I’m digging this. This song has so many layers. Wow, another female vocalist. Not only does this make as a woman (I’m a bit of a feminist in some ways, not gonna lie), but also as a listener. I have been listening to a lot of female voices lately, and this just helps push my knowledge and love for them even further. This track here in the ending part sounds so magical, with the moving synths, the layers of long notes underneath, and the woman’s clear vocals. I love this a whole bunch. I really do.

 

7. Yes! Piano! I was wondering if I was ever going to hear any of that. It’s combined with some electronic beats and some occasional interruptions from the strings. It gets busier and becomes truly electronic, then goes back as a violin takes over the main line. The piano is added back again later. This tape just becomes more and more interesting. The only thing I think I might have an issue with is that high-pitched buzzing noise that comes in during the latter portion of the song. I thought something was wrong with my ears at first, but it stopped when the song ended, so it had to have been from the tune. I suppose that’s partly my fault for listening to music so loudly, but I feel like I can’t hear all of the underlying layers of a song if I don’t have it at a certain volume. Anyway, other than that one bit, it’s a nice tune.

 

8. …Wow. This is different. :lol: Actually, after that beginning part, it falls nicely into this tune that reminds me a LOT of Pogo. If it is Pogo, I don’t own this particular song. I’m thinking it’s not, though. Pogo’s music is usually a bit more upbeat than this number. This song is more of a slower tune with a nice groove. I don’t know what phrase the woman is singing throughout the song, but it sounds like it might be French. I can’t really tell; it sounds muddled. This song has a lot of different things going on; one can’t possibly detect everything in a song like this one in just one listen. I’m sure I’ll find stuff I didn’t notice before even after listening to this song for a while. The ending seems different from the rest of the song. Does it segue into another song on the original album? I’m just asking out of curiosity. Speaking of segueing, this song went into the next track without me noticing. Nice work on the transition here.

 

9. This one starts along the lines of the first track, but is a bit more upbeat. The female vocals (I think there are two of them, actually), are more subdued. It’s hard to pick out lyrics when they sing like that, but seeing as I haven’t really messed with the lyrics at all on this tape so far (which is rather unorthodox for me, honestly, but I’ve just been so caught up in the musical part of the tape), I’m not bothered. It was pretty nice. It reminded me a little bit of Braids, for some reason. The only “negative” thing I have to say about this track is that I wish it didn’t end so soon. I started listening to it, and the next thing I know, it’s over. I was like, “Awww, already?” It’s a nice one, though; don’t worry.

 

10. This one is another electronic number. I like this one in the sense that it’s constantly adding new layers and changing to keep my mind occupied. I feel like that’s something lacking in some of the electronic music that I don’t like, so to have this one do what it does is great. I can tell that it’s based on one musical idea, but it takes that idea and morphs it into something new throughout the song, almost like a theme and variations, but not quite. The song goes acoustic for a little bit in the second half of the song, which is also great and gives it a bit more musical flavor. Halfway through the tape, I can honestly say that I really enjoy everything so far.

 

11. LOLWUT? This sounds like some cheesy theme song music from the ‘60s or something. It’s also in French, though, and I’m not sure what sort of TV they had in France back in the day. Actually, it’s kinda cute in a weird sort of way. I just think it’s such a huge break from everything else, so I was surprised to hear it. Heh. I like the ending when it changes keys and she’s all “La la la la la la la la la.”

 

12. This one starts with running water and a few notes specifically place. It picks up after a little bit and eventually continues on with a solid beat. This has another French singer. Do I detect a bit of autotune? Interesting. This is somewhat of a minimal track, but not enough so to where I feel like there’s no substance. I know virtually nothing about French music, whether it be from France or Canada, so this could help kickstart that.

 

13. This starts with synth chords and adds some strings as it progresses. Suddenly, it goes into this rhythmic section with various percussion. “We could talk all night, but talking isn’t real. We could put a name on it, but it’s not the real name.” The vocalist has an interesting twang to her voice. (I think it’s a she, but I can’t be sure. It sounds quite androgynous to me.) I don’t like this as much as a lot of the other stuff, but it’s by no means bad. I like the lyrics quite a bit, and it gets better as it goes on.

 

14. It starts with an indie folk sort of vibe. “This was their last night on the continent, and production was shutting down. Drinks and goodbyes were had all around. The wine tasted like sunshine in the basement.” This deep, male voice also sounds French. I’m starting to get the idea that my mixtape maker either really enjoys French music or is a native French speaker. Maybe it’s both. Anyway, this is an adorable little song. It goes into a huge instrumental break in the middle, which is fine. It breaks the flow of what was going on in the beginning; it would’ve started to sound monotonous, had it kept going much longer. I’m a little disappointed that the vocalist didn’t come back in at the end, and the instrumental half probably went on a bit too long, but it’s still a good number.

 

15. This one starts with electric guitar and some soft, echoic background vocals. A female vocalist enters. The vocals are alright, but I feel like this song doesn’t really go much of anywhere. I got bored with it, really. This song reminds me of Beach House, in a way. I don’t really listen to them, but I’ve heard a few of their songs before, and I think they sound something like this. While I don’t hate this, I’m not a huge fan. Sorry.

 

16. Rhythmic acoustic guitar starts this and takes off. Nice introduction. It has vocal harmony; yay! I’m a huge fan of harmonization in music; I wish more people would do it. The addition of the vocals gives this a lovely indie feel. I think it’s the timber of the main vocalist that makes me feel that way. I appreciate the beat of the drums as it gets into the second verse. Oh wait…it changed tempo on me randomly. HA. It eventually builds back to the original tempo, though, so that’s fine. It has a lovely Listening to this song makes me feel very happy. I don’t know, it’s just feel-good music to me.

 

17. “Would you like some sweets, Willie?” “What would you like then?” “Can I have one of these and one of these and two of those, please?” I’ve heard this artist before on a different tape. (I don’t think it was one of mine, though.) I can’t remember who it is, though. I just remember the distinctive talking voice of the man who comes in later after the samples I just typed up have been going for a while. The song I remember listened to started with that guy saying that boots were made for walking in the rain or something like that. Anyway, songs like this one confuse me. I almost started to get annoyed after hearing “Would you like some sweets, Willie?” so many times. Thankfully, this songs wasn’t quite two minutes long, so I didn’t have to deal with that for very long.

 

18. This has a very synthy beginning. The notes move around here and there as it wants. It sounds like it has a good flow. There are also different synths that get added in as the song progresses, giving it added texture. There’s so much going on in here. The song slowly morphs into a different melody, almost without me realizing. The new idea just slowly made itself known. This song just sounds very natural to me in the way it changes, and it takes a smart person to make something like that work. This is a great number.

 

19. This starts with some pulsating notes, almost in sort of waves. There are some vocals, but they’re drowned out by the background music. I think I caught a snippet of lyrics about somebody selling crack or something. Did I mishear that, or is that really part of the song? There’s some arpeggiation going on in the song after the singing, which doesn’t last nearly as long as I thought it was going to. I like it, but I was a bit confused as to why they did some of the things that they did. Oh well, I’m sure they had their reasons. It’s still an alright song.

 

20. The closer start with some electric guitar bits. I’ve come to the realization that this is an instrumental. I think that if And So I Watch You Afar weren’t so rock-oriented and did softer songs, they might sound like this. Oh wait, there ARE vocals. They just took a while to get here (almost 2 ½ minutes). The voices reminded me of Animal Collective, for some strange reason. Actually, the more I listen to them, the more I think they sound drunk. Not that they actually are, but it’s muddled and slurred, and I can’t really pick out what they’re saying. This song went on longer than I wanted it. I’m not really a huge fan of this one, either. It doesn’t really feel like a solid closer to me, either. Sorry.

 

Well, there you have it. I really enjoyed your tape as a whole. I thought the first half was better than the second half, and the second half had some nice jewels in there. To be honest, I feel like this tape was perfectly tailored for me in the sense that it exposed me to so much stuff that I haven’t heard before in genres that I don’t explore nearly as much as I probably should. I feel like I’ve grown so much musically just by listening to your tape, and I can only hope to grow more as I find out who these artists are and learn more about them. Thank you so much for the wonderful tape you made me. :hug: :hug: :hug:

[Tnspieler1012]

Review tiiiiime! :cheesy: I hope you don't mind reading. I wrote quite a bit, as I often tend to do.

 

Just looking at the tape before I listen to it, there were a few observations I want to point out.

 

1. The very first thing I noticed was that it was called “For Violet.” That means you either know me or have heard of me in some way. Either way, I like having that sort of familiarity, even though I don’t know who you are just yet.

:nice:

Haha, I didn't think twice about this obvious giveaway.

 

2. It has 20 songs on it. I love that. I’m a very musical person, and the more music I get on a mixtape, the better. Thanks for that. :thumbsup:

This is what happens when I miss an exchange. All the bands I discover get cluttered up in my brain attic and I physically can't make myself cut some out. I'm glad you didn't mind my 80 minute batch of shameless self-indulgence.

 

 

3. I’m glad I looked at it on my laptop before I started because I noticed that while the track numbers were changed on the song titles, they weren’t on the actual track numbers. There are multiple songs with the same track number, and one of the tracks was labeled as #35, which I found rather odd in an interesting sort of way. Whoopsie!It’s not that big of a deal, though. I’ll just put them in the proper order. I’m sure you put this together with the intention of having me listen to it in a specific order, and I want to honor that. Tanks!

 

 

Having said all that, it’s time to review what you’ve done. Here we go.

 

1. This has an ethereal beginning which grows into an acoustic guitar. It’s slow and very calm sounding. It’s like folk and ambient had a child. This song has some very clean, soft female vocals which are very beautiful. There’s a male backing vocalist as well, and they harmonize so well together. The more I listen to this, the more I love it. This sounds like something I would listen to, and I can definitely use more of whoever this is. This may very well be the best opening track in a mixtape I’ve ever had. I’m psyched for what else is to come.

Great Success! This is a track from Heather Woods Broderick's solo album. I think it's clear why she sings back-up harmony for Sharon Van Etten. I'm pretty sure the male voice is her brother Peter (I put one of his songs on the tape I sent you last year.)

 

2. Another ethereal beginning with a choir of voices. It quickly dissipates into this indie sound with another female vocalist. Her voice isn’t as great as the girl in the previous song, but hers isn’t too shabby, either. I think it’s just that her voice, quality wise, sounds a tad more…squeaky? I can’t think of a better word. It reminds me of Lily Allen, in a way, but without the Mockney accent. Is this a British artist? She sounds it. Guessed right. The band is 'Broadcast' and from Birmingham. Sadly, Trish Keenan (the squeaky singer) died last year of Pneumonia :(

 

3. A woodwind choir at the beginning? Very interesting. With some strings, too. …Wait. This is a classical piece of music. Oh my gosh. This is great! :D I like the sound of this a whole lot. …But wait. Now it goes into a synth wave, then into some guitar with the same stuff later. And now voicals? I’m so confused as to what this is, but I highly enjoy it. The male vocals are very pretty and match the song so well. Now that I think about it, this sounds like something an artist along the lines of Sufjan Stevens might do. There were several twists in the song, but I think I enjoy that. The song kept me guessing, and I enjoyed it all the way through. Thanks for this one!

No, thank you for complimenting the only indie-cred I possess! It's a collab between composer Tim Hinck, and Aaron Roche, a Sufjan-esque folk musician who I got to hang out with and know a bunch when he came to my University twice. I used him as a brief interlude on the other tape, but meh...

 

4. This one moves so much quicker. It’s the most electronic of the bunch so far. It sounds cute. It reminds me of Port Blue, in a way. It’s a nice change from all the pretty stuff that I’ve been listening to thus far. As lovely as the other stuff was, it’s nice to know the whole tape won’t be like that. I’m not the most knowledgeable in electronic music, but this is pretty nice, and I could perhaps get more into it, starting with this artist.

It's Flim by Aphex Twin. I pulled an audible when I saw you had quite a few Four Tet listens on last.fm

 

5. An interlude of sorts. It sounds like some older gentleman singing on top of some beautiful string work. The strings are the best part of this song. <3

This is a shortened version of an interesting piece by Gavin Bryars. The original composition is 26 minutes long with the same loop of a homeless man singing a gospel song playing throughout.

 

6. More electronic/ambient music. OOOH, it goes into this guitar solo with a beat and more ambience. I’m digging this. This song has so many layers. Wow, another female vocalist. Not only does this make as a woman (I’m a bit of a feminist in some ways, not gonna lie), but also as a listener. I have been listening to a lot of female voices lately, and this just helps push my knowledge and love for them even further. This track here in the ending part sounds so magical, with the moving synths, the layers of long notes underneath, and the woman’s clear vocals. I love this a whole bunch. I really do.Well, I loooove women! :D :blank: *ahem*...This was a song by Memoryhouse off of their E.P. which I prefer to their first LP. Anyway, I'm a sucker for dream pop. I love that you love it!

 

7. Yes! Piano! I was wondering if I was ever going to hear any of that. It’s combined with some electronic beats and some occasional interruptions from the strings. It gets busier and becomes truly electronic, then goes back as a violin takes over the main line. The piano is added back again later. This tape just becomes more and more interesting. The only thing I think I might have an issue with is that high-pitched buzzing noise that comes in during the latter portion of the song. I thought something was wrong with my ears at first, but it stopped when the song ended, so it had to have been from the tune. I suppose that’s partly my fault for listening to music so loudly, but I feel like I can’t hear all of the underlying layers of a song if I don’t have it at a certain volume. Anyway, other than that one bit, it’s a nice tune. Nils Frahm and Anne Muller collab (the former on Piano). I enjoy how I seem to notice new things each time I listen to it. Sorry for the buzzing noise.

 

8. …Wow. This is different. :lol: Actually, after that beginning part, it falls nicely into this tune that reminds me a LOT of Pogo. If it is Pogo, I don’t own this particular song. I’m thinking it’s not, though. Pogo’s music is usually a bit more upbeat than this number. This song is more of a slower tune with a nice groove. I don’t know what phrase the woman is singing throughout the song, but it sounds like it might be French. I can’t really tell; it sounds muddled. This song has a lot of different things going on; one can’t possibly detect everything in a song like this one in just one listen. I’m sure I’ll find stuff I didn’t notice before even after listening to this song for a while. The ending seems different from the rest of the song. Does it segue into another song on the original album? I’m just asking out of curiosity. Speaking of segueing, this song went into the next track without me noticing. Nice work on the transition here.Yeah, I had a friend on facebook make that same comparison. It's from a group called 'The Avalanches', who are basically a bunch of Australian DJ's. Yes, the song does segue, and all their songs are just as detailed. Supposedly they used 3500 samples on the whole album (titled "Since I Left You")

 

9. This one starts along the lines of the first track, but is a bit more upbeat. The female vocals (I think there are two of them, actually), are more subdued. It’s hard to pick out lyrics when they sing like that, but seeing as I haven’t really messed with the lyrics at all on this tape so far (which is rather unorthodox for me, honestly, but I’ve just been so caught up in the musical part of the tape), I’m not bothered. It was pretty nice. It reminded me a little bit of Braids, for some reason. The only “negative” thing I have to say about this track is that I wish it didn’t end so soon. I started listening to it, and the next thing I know, it’s over. I was like, “Awww, already?” It’s a nice one, though; don’t worry.

The Braids comparison is pretty apt. Most of her songs are actually big ambient soundscapes of the Julianna Barwick variety. She's a Portland musician named Liz Harris, who records under the name 'Grouper'.

 

10. This one is another electronic number. I like this one in the sense that it’s constantly adding new layers and changing to keep my mind occupied. I feel like that’s something lacking in some of the electronic music that I don’t like, so to have this one do what it does is great. I can tell that it’s based on one musical idea, but it takes that idea and morphs it into something new throughout the song, almost like a theme and variations, but not quite. The song goes acoustic for a little bit in the second half of the song, which is also great and gives it a bit more musical flavor. Halfway through the tape, I can honestly say that I really enjoy everything so far.Woohoo! The song is 'Kiki' by [Post-foetus] (now going by Baths). I'll confess I just kind of stumbled across this one randomly and threw it in, but having now heard more, I can vouch for his other stuff.

 

11. LOLWUT? This sounds like some cheesy theme song music from the ‘60s or something. It’s also in French, though, and I’m not sure what sort of TV they had in France back in the day. Actually, it’s kinda cute in a weird sort of way. I just think it’s such a huge break from everything else, so I was surprised to hear it. Heh. I like the ending when it changes keys and she’s all “La la la la la la la la la.”

Marie Laforet. I stole her from B&S's late night tales tape. Anyway, variety points. Plus it's hard not to smile while listening to it.

 

12. This one starts with running water and a few notes specifically place. It picks up after a little bit and eventually continues on with a solid beat. This has another French singer. Do I detect a bit of autotune? Interesting. This is somewhat of a minimal track, but not enough so to where I feel like there’s no substance. I know virtually nothing about French music, whether it be from France or Canada, so this could help kickstart that.Haha, 'fraid I can't help you with French music. The back-to-back french lyrics were more or less coincidental. The musician is actually an American-Chilean named Nicolas Jaar. Don't you love the droppy, plinkily noises? That's right, your mixtape was made by someone with the aesthetic sensibilities of a pre-schooler. :P :blank:

 

13. This starts with synth chords and adds some strings as it progresses. Suddenly, it goes into this rhythmic section with various percussion. “We could talk all night, but talking isn’t real. We could put a name on it, but it’s not the real name.” The vocalist has an interesting twang to her voice. (I think it’s a she, but I can’t be sure. It sounds quite androgynous to me.) I don’t like this as much as a lot of the other stuff, but it’s by no means bad. I like the lyrics quite a bit, and it gets better as it goes on. It's actually a dude. Nick Zammuto's solo project after the demise of The Books. The lyrics are one of my favorite parts as well, though I admit it's a tad weird.

 

14. It starts with an indie folk sort of vibe. “This was their last night on the continent, and production was shutting down. Drinks and goodbyes were had all around. The wine tasted like sunshine in the basement.” This deep, male voice also sounds French. I’m starting to get the idea that my mixtape maker either really enjoys French music or is a native French speaker. Maybe it’s both. Anyway, this is an adorable little song. It goes into a huge instrumental break in the middle, which is fine. It breaks the flow of what was going on in the beginning; it would’ve started to sound monotonous, had it kept going much longer. I’m a little disappointed that the vocalist didn’t come back in at the end, and the instrumental half probably went on a bit too long, but it’s still a good number.

Originally I had planned to edit tracks D.J. style, but with my limited (nonexistant) production skills, had to give up and let everything play at full length. Anyway, that's my apology for the way it dragged on. The band is 'Lambchop', and they're actually from Nashville.

 

15. This one starts with electric guitar and some soft, echoic background vocals. A female vocalist enters. The vocals are alright, but I feel like this song doesn’t really go much of anywhere. I got bored with it, really. This song reminds me of Beach House, in a way. I don’t really listen to them, but I’ve heard a few of their songs before, and I think they sound something like this. While I don’t hate this, I’m not a huge fan. Sorry.

It's cool. tbh, I probs should've left this out as it really didn't fit anywhere on the mix, but for selfish reasons I felt an obligation to include a Still Corners track. The backing vocal melody was my main interest in it. Song's called, "The Twilight Hour"

 

16. Rhythmic acoustic guitar starts this and takes off. Nice introduction. It has vocal harmony; yay! I’m a huge fan of harmonization in music; I wish more people would do it. The addition of the vocals gives this a lovely indie feel. I think it’s the timber of the main vocalist that makes me feel that way. I appreciate the beat of the drums as it gets into the second verse. Oh wait…it changed tempo on me randomly. HA. It eventually builds back to the original tempo, though, so that’s fine. It has a lovely Listening to this song makes me feel very happy. I don’t know, it’s just feel-good music to me.

Sort of corny in its 'feel-good-ness', but I thought you'd enjoy it all the same. Glad I was right. Oh...it's 'Old Pine' by Ben Howard.

 

17. “Would you like some sweets, Willie?” “What would you like then?” “Can I have one of these and one of these and two of those, please?” I’ve heard this artist before on a different tape. (I don’t think it was one of mine, though.) I can’t remember who it is, though. I just remember the distinctive talking voice of the man who comes in later after the samples I just typed up have been going for a while. The song I remember listened to started with that guy saying that boots were made for walking in the rain or something like that. Anyway, songs like this one confuse me. I almost started to get annoyed after hearing “Would you like some sweets, Willie?” so many times. Thankfully, this songs wasn’t quite two minutes long, so I didn’t have to deal with that for very long.

The band is 'Saint Etienne' if that rings any bells. Mainly an interlude. I thought the drug mentions near the end added to the trippiness, but you're right...I would not want to be locked in a room with this track on infinite loop.

 

18. This has a very synthy beginning. The notes move around here and there as it wants. It sounds like it has a good flow. There are also different synths that get added in as the song progresses, giving it added texture. There’s so much going on in here. The song slowly morphs into a different melody, almost without me realizing. The new idea just slowly made itself known. This song just sounds very natural to me in the way it changes, and it takes a smart person to make something like that work. This is a great number.

'Candy Shoppe' by Emeralds. Glad you liked it, and must say I've really enjoyed your descriptions of the songs on my mix. Great to have a more refined musical perspective on things. I probably should have ended the mix here.

 

19. This starts with some pulsating notes, almost in sort of waves. There are some vocals, but they’re drowned out by the background music. I think I caught a snippet of lyrics about somebody selling crack or something. Did I mishear that, or is that really part of the song? There’s some arpeggiation going on in the song after the singing, which doesn’t last nearly as long as I thought it was going to. I like it, but I was a bit confused as to why they did some of the things that they did. Oh well, I’m sure they had their reasons. It’s still an alright song.I thought it kind of went hand-in-hand with the previous track. No, you didn't mishear. 'Trouble books' pretty much combine quirky indie song lyrics with ambient electronic keyboards. (as if you didn't notice)

 

20. The closer start with some electric guitar bits. I’ve come to the realization that this is an instrumental. I think that if And So I Watch You Afar weren’t so rock-oriented and did softer songs, they might sound like this. Oh wait, there ARE vocals. They just took a while to get here (almost 2 ½ minutes). The voices reminded me of Animal Collective, for some strange reason. Actually, the more I listen to them, the more I think they sound drunk. Not that they actually are, but it’s muddled and slurred, and I can’t really pick out what they’re saying. This song went on longer than I wanted it. I’m not really a huge fan of this one, either. It doesn’t really feel like a solid closer to me, either. Sorry.

Don't be. It's definitely a strange-track, but one that I have an irreversible obsession with. I definitely get the Animal Collective comparison. It's the last track of Efrim Menuck's solo album (the frontman of Godspeed You! Black Emperor). I liked the use of the loop pedal. I have no idea how to interpret the verse, but its were provocative enough that'd I'd find myself bursting into song at bizarre moments in college to the dismay of my roommate.

 

Well, there you have it. I really enjoyed your tape as a whole. I thought the first half was better than the second half, and the second half had some nice jewels in there. To be honest, I feel like this tape was perfectly tailored for me in the sense that it exposed me to so much stuff that I haven’t heard before in genres that I don’t explore nearly as much as I probably should. I feel like I’ve grown so much musically just by listening to your tape, and I can only hope to grow more as I find out who these artists are and learn more about them. Thank you so much for the wonderful tape you made me. :hug: :hug: :hug:

:hug: Thanks so much for such a detailed review. I was initially nervous after I saw it was you again, as I then made a point of making sure I didn't repeat artists that were on the tape I gave you last time. In a way, drawing you again helped introduce me to a few new musicians myself. Anyway, very very glad you liked it. Cheerio :D

 

Tracklist:

 

1. The Colors - Heather Woods Broderick

2. Come On Let's Go - Broadcast

3. A Weaker Vision - Aaron Roche & Tim Hinck

4. Flim - Aphex Twin

5. Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet - Gavin Bryars

6. To the Lighthouse - Memoryhouse

7. Journey For A Traveler - Nils Frahm & Anne Muller

8. Summer Crane - The Avalanches

9. Heavy Water/I'd Rather Be Sleeping - Grouper

10. Kiki - [Post-foetus]

11. Les Vendanges De L'amour - Marie Laforet

12. Colomb - Nicolas Jaar

13. Idiom Wind - Zammuto

14. Gone Tomorrow - Lambchop

15. The Twilight Hour - Still Corners

16. Old Pine - Ben Howard

17. Wilson - Saint Etienne

18. Candy Shoppe - Emeralds

19. Past The New Parking Deck - Trouble Books

20. i am no longer a motherless child - Efrim Manuel Menuck

 

http://www.mediafire.com/?f9thfon4ap8rmbr

[Italian Plastic]

really enjoying mine. will give a proper review sooooon

[Violet]

OMG. Chris. :heart:

 

I'm kinda confused as to what you're saying. I've kept a solid record of who I have made tapes for and received tapes from, and you haven't made me one yet until now. I will say that I have listened to several of yours to review them because your original recipient failed to do so. (Which is fine, because I got exposed to so much good music through them, anyway.) It's nice to finally have one from you that I can call my special tape. You always make such wonderful mixes, and this one is no different. I really wouldn't have thought twice about listening to Aphex Twin until your mix.

 

A couple of other things:

♦ I had no idea that Sharon van Etten's backup singer could sound as good as she does. I'll definitely look into that.

♦ I've heard of Memoryhouse before, but I don't think I've ever listened to them. Given how that was arguably my favorite thing on the tape, I'll definitely look more into them now.

♦ I really need to look more into some electronic music. Until your tape, Four Tet, deadmau5 and Daft Punk were about as far as I got. :lol:

 

Again, thank you SO SO much. It's fabulous. :hug:

[Tnspieler1012]

OMG. Chris. :heart:

 

I'm kinda confused as to what you're saying. I've kept a solid record of who I have made tapes for and received tapes from, and you haven't made me one yet until now. I will say that I have listened to several of yours to review them because your original recipient failed to do so. (Which is fine, because I got exposed to so much good music through them, anyway.)

It was that one from the 9th exchange that I'm referring to. I wasn't the only one you reviewed (nor were we assigned together), but since my assigned partner bailed, and you were the only person during that exchange to give a complete listen and type a review of my tape, you were sort of my default partner.

It's nice to finally have one from you that I can call my special tape. You always make such wonderful mixes, and this one is no different. I really wouldn't have thought twice about listening to Aphex Twin until your mix.

 

Again, thank you SO SO much. It's fabulous. :hug:

D'awwwww :blush:

[Violet]

You know, you're absolutely right. Would you still happen to have that tape from MTE 9, by chance? I'd love to have it. And all of your other ones, for that matter. I had them on my desktop, but I think I accidentally deleted them not too long ago. :disappointed:

[Tnspieler1012]

You know, you're absolutely right. Would you still happen to have that tape from MTE 9, by chance? I'd love to have it. And all of your other ones, for that matter. I had them on my desktop, but I think I accidentally deleted them not too long ago. :disappointed:

 

I could try to find the zip files when I get home. Until then, try going back to the older mixtape threads. The links may still be good.

[Wyrd]

Wow, you are fast, guys. :)

I just downloaded mine. I already like the name of the tape! Will listen to it now :D

 

Curious!!!

[Alien Radio]

Just listened to mine for the first time... And wow! Looks like my partner has an amazing taste in music. I'll write a review later.