Nick's Pick

Okay my close friend Liz and new contributor to 'The Fishbowl' was drilling me about what my 'favorite' album of 2009 was on the way up to Asheville on Tuesday. 2009 was a weak year one for album releases so I had to think about it for a few days and I finally picked:

Bowerbirds - Upper Air.

Folk trio out of Raliegh, NC. I listened to this album only a few select times over the year, but it definately made an extreme impact each and every listen. My opinion is extremely swayed by the fact that I've basically only been listening to acoustic folk and bluegrass music for the majority of this year, but here is the track "Nothern Lights".

In 2010 they kick off a tour with Julie Doiron at The Grey Eagle on the 12th of January. They hit Kentucky, a few dates on the west coast moving on through Texas and Florida. Then close the one month tour at the Earl in Atlanta, GA.

For all the dates for the tour check The Bowerbirds myspace:

http://www.myspace.com/bowerbirds

nicholascaywood

"What's your resolution?"--25 songs I couldn't get out of my mind in 2009.

OK, let me be honest. For all the talk of great music this decade and talks of which bands and which albums dominated the 'Noughts, 2009 was a relatively tame year for music. Take Merriweather Post Pavilion for instance. Animal Collective released this album in JANUARY and it still remains at the top of almost every year end list. I don't agree with that placement personally but it is a good album and has been generally regarded as the year's best. It seems that from the beginning of 2009, albums were picked as the year's best months before they were actually released. Grizzly Bear's Veckatimest contained new tracks played live by the band on television months prior, plus album itself leaked early. Dirty Projectors' Bitte Orca was refreshing but an expected progression for such a talented outfit. There was little to nothing to surprise us this year.

Besides Album by Girls (my choice for debut of the year, hands down) and Dragonslayer by Sunset Rubdown, there really wasn't much that I'm willing to say will stand up against some of the past great albums from this decade.

So, in lieu of my usual countdown of the best albums of the year, I'm providing this mix. 25 songs that knocked my socks off. Some come from my favorite albums, some are the only good tracks released by that band this year. All of them were played on repeat almost immediately after I first heard them. While 2009 may not have been a deep year for LP releases, it sure did provide us with some great tunes.

[CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD]

1. "Lust for Life" by Girls -- from Album

2. "Stillness is the Move" by Dirty Projectors -- from Bitte Orca

3. "While You Wait for the Others" by Grizzly Bear -- from Veckatimest

4. "Home" by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros -- from Up from Below

5. "Idiot Heart" by Sunset Rubdown -- from Dragonslayer

6. "Actor Out of Work" by St. Vincent -- from Actor

7. "I Am Goodbye" by Bonnie "Prince" Billy -- from Beware

8. "VCR" by The XX -- from XX

9. "Ledmonton" by Clues -- from Clues

10. "Young Adult Friction" by The Pains of Being Pure at Heart -- from The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

11. "Genesis 30:3" by The Mountain Goats -- from The Life of the World to Come

12. "Walkabout" by Atlas Sound feat. Panda Bear -- from Logos

13. "Hey Dad!" by Franz Nicolay -- from Major General

14. "Say Please" by Monsters of Folk -- from Monsters of Folk

15. "Rain On" by Woods -- from Songs of Shame

16. "Now We Can See" by The Thermals -- from Now We Can See

17. "Here to Fall" by Yo La Tengo -- from Popular Songs

18. "Daylight" by Matt & Kim -- from Grand

19. "The Sound" by Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson -- from Summer of Fear

20. "No Hope Kids" by Wavves -- from Wavvves

21. "Indiana" by Cymbals Eat Guitars -- from Why There Are Mountains

22. "Wilco (The Song)" by Wilco -- from Wilco (The Album)

23. "Lisztomania" by Phoenix -- from Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

24. "Hunchback" by Kurt Vile -- from Childish Prodigy

25. "This Blackest Purse" by Why? -- from Eskimo Snow

First Post

My first contribution is an obvious staple in the 'mix tape' world: The mix tape for your significant other. This one is a bit dated but timeless in my mind. I actually never gave this mix to the person I made it for until I posted it to the Fishbowl.

It begins with a dreamy pop tune by Deerhunter. From there it hits a lot of my favorite songs in the past few years and closes with an 11 minute song from one of my all time favorite artists. Even though this was made for someone in my life I feel like this mix is for everyone in the mood for a steady arrangement of alluring songs.

-nicholascaywood

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD

Track Listing

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[01/19] Hazel St. - Deerhunter

[02/19] Poison Cup - M. Ward

[03/19] Slow Night, So Long - Kings of Leon

[04/19] Golden Cage - The Whitest Boy Alive

[05/19] I Love You - The Zombies

[06/19] Born On A Train - Magnetic Fields

[07/19] Louise - Mazarin

[08/19] Men in Black - Frank Black

[09/19] Carmen Cross - Butterglory

[10/19] Jelly-Bean - Gaze

[11/19] Fine Day For Sailing - Go Sailor

[12/19] Twin Of Myself - Black Moth Super Rainbow

[13/19] Buenos Aires Beach - The War On Drugs

[14/19] Montreal - Of Montreal

[15/19] The Fool - Neutral Milk Hotel

[16/19] "slighted" - The Microphones

[17/19] Took You Two Years To Win My Heart - Final Fantasy

[18/19] A Sweet Summer's Night on Hammer Hill - Jens Lekman

[19/19] Karen Revisited - Sonic Youth

Come in, Come in

This mix isn't really much of anything. I was bored today and put it together. I just finished finals last week, and the lack of responsibility has put me in a weird state of mind. This is kind of a compilation of the stuff I've been listening to for the past month or two or three. I suppose. Enjoy!

"Come in, Come in"
[CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD]
1 "40 Day Dream" Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros (3:54)
2 "Self Esteem" Andrew Jackson Jihad (1:37)
3 "England" Adicts (2:35)
4 "3rd Planet" Modest Mouse (3:59)
5 "Even the Good Wood Gone" Why? (4:19)
6 "Lucky Number Nine" Moldy Peaches (2:08)
7 "Mr Grieves" Pixies (2:06)
8 "See No Evil" Television (3:59)
9 "Love Henry" Judy Henske (3:50)
10 "You Are Jaguar" Evangelista (4:02)
11 "I Only Said" My Bloody Valentine (5:34)
12 "Green Grass of Tunnel" Mum (4:13)
13 "Glass" Bat for Lashes (4:33)
14 "A Woolgathering Exodus" Benoit Pioulard (3:26)
15 "Grain of Sand" The Back Pockets (3:31)
16 "Dayvan Cowboy" Boards of Canada (5:01)
17 "Auberge Le Mouton Noir" Do Make Say Think (7:05)
18 "Corsica" Coastal (4:27)
19 "Lucy's Sad" HRSTA (4:20)
20 "Tetrishead" Zoe Keating (7:40)

-W

'an hour on the road'

When it comes to mixmaking, the "road trip mix" is the cliche standard. Every one of you has made one. Whether it consists of songs deemed appropriate for a long, lonely night on the road or it contains cheeful, upbeat songs that push the speedometer toward its maximum, we all need tunes for the road.

Two weeks ago Jill and I went to Asheville for her first visit. In honor of the trip I crafted a mix of all the songs that remind me of that town, this summer, and just being on the road. Some songs are cute, some epic, some just make you want to dance or sing along. All of them are good and necessary when you put the pedal to the floor. I crafted it to last just about the length of the trip and I'm happy to share it here with you.

'an hour on the road'
[CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD]
1. "7/4 (Shoreline)" - Broken Social Scene
2. "Idiot Heart" - Sunset Rubdown
3. "Chicago" - Sufjan Stevens
4. "Lisztomania" - Phoenix
5. "This Year" - The Mountain Goats
6. "Bull Black Nova" - Wilco
7. "Lust for Life" - Girls
8. "Feedback in the Field" - Plants and Animals
9. "Keep the Car Running" - Arcade Fire
10. "A Teenage in Love" - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
11. "Amplifier" - Kurt Vile
12. "I Feel It All" - Feist
13. "Say Please" - Monsters of Folk
14. "The Bleeding Heart Show" - The New Pornographers

Some basic housekeeping

Hello,

Just a few reasons why Whitney and I decided to move from Wordpress.

• Templates on Blogger seem to be a little better.
• Wordpress is clunky and all around hard to navigate.
• Almost all of the good blogs I have seen are on blogspot.
• I secretly work for Google and want the entire world to convert to their network.

But seriously, I think it's a good move. I know I've been absent as of late with mix posting. Busy times! I have one on the assembly line as we speak though, and plan to post it ASAP.

Any thoughts out there on us getting a domain? Fishbowlmixes.com? Fishbowl.com? I don't really know what is available but I think it could be fun.

Brett

Oh gosh!

Brett and I have been slacking on our mixes. We've bounced some pretty sweet ideas off of each other, though. It's just a matter of putting them together.

I have a mix in the works. I don't really have an excuse as to why I haven't been paying more attention to it. I tend to make more mixes when I'm in a semester at uni because I get super stressed sometimes and opt to make them over doing things I'm supposed to do for my classes. Not a really good excuse, but I tried.

Not sure of Brett's excuse. I'm sure he's in the process of smashing the state as I type this at ~4:46am.

-W

"I've Got It! I've Got It!"--An introduction to Yo La Tengo

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption=""I've Got It!""][/caption]

The first entry in the "Deep End" series. A mix collecting the best from garage rock pioneers and indie rock royalty, Yo La Tengo.

"I've Got It! I've Got It!"--An introduction to Yo La Tengo [click2download]

All tracks by Yo La Tengo

1. "Cherry Chapstick" from And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out

2. "Winter A-Go-Go" from Summer Sun

3. "Stockholm Syndrome" from I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One

4. "Sugarcube" from I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One

5. "Beach Party Tonight" from Summer Sun

6. "Big Day Coming" from Painful

7. "Georgia vs. Yo La Tengo" from Summer Sun

8. "Speeding Motorcycle" from Fakebook

9. "We're an American Band" from I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One

10. "The Way Some People Die" from Ride The Tiger

11. "Autumn Sweater" from I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One

12. "Tom Courtenay" from Electr-O-Pura

13. "From a Motel 6" from Painful

14. "Little Eyes" from Summer Sun

15. "Pass the Hatchet, I Think I'm Goodkind" from I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass

Synopsis originally posted at ivegotfiveyears.com, my blog.

This is the Story of Yo La Tengo.

In anticipation of their recently announced 12th (!!!) new album Popular Songs I present a playlist that encompasses what I feel are Yo La Tengo’s best songs. I avoided the cover songs, because opening that can of worms would probably expand the mix to twice its length. Maybe I’ll include their work on an upcoming cover song themed mix.

Yes. That’s a song from 2006’s I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass. It wasn’t their best album. Probably not even in the top three. But Yo La Tengo is a fantastically consistent band. A taken-for-granted staple of the independent music scene. With very little commercial success but a slightly rabid, very dedicated fan base they’ve managed to maintain a career two to three times longer than most similar acts.

The band name originates from a baseball story of the 1962 season. Center-fielder Richie Ashburn and Venezuelan shortstop Elio Chacon kept colliding midfield while chasing foul balls. Chacon didn’t understand what Ashburn was saying when he repeatedly yelled “I’ve got it, I’ve got it.” To compensate Ashburn decided to yell “Yo la tengo” or “I have it!” in Spanish. Chacon understood and backed off. Ashburn readied to catch the fly ball when left-fielder Frank Thomas ran him right over. After helping him up, he asked “What the heck is a Yellow Tango.”

So, silly baseball anecdotes aside, Yo La Tengo have established a rather expansive catalog of releases. Specializing in rambling guitar rock mixed with obscure acoustic covers and drony jam outs, they’ve maintained a sense of spontaneity to their music. The type of band that could wake up tomorrow and release an album completely unlike anything they’ve ever done.

Husband/wife duo Ira Kaplan and Georgia Hubley are the core  of the band. James McNew has been band’s third member and bassist since 1992. Since the band’s formation in 1984 they’ve experienced substantial critical but little commercial success. However their relentless touring ethic and willing to change and experiment with their sound has built a cult following that have helped carry them into the 21st century as a prominent and respected independent rock band.

My experience with Yo La Tengo began with a copy of 2003’s Summer Sun. It was mailed to me with a box of CDs my Uncle Will let me borrow for a few months. A lot of music from that gift shaped my taste. I played that album a lot not truly understanding how expansive the rest of their catalog was. But as I began downloading more music I acquired a lot of their back catalog. Albums like Painful and I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One became absolute landmarks of my college years.

Another interesting Yo La Tengo fact is their penchant for playing obscure cover songs live. They play live for the non-profit WFMU radio station in New Jersey every year to help raise money for the listener-supported programming. During these live shows they’ve played countless covers requested by donors. They released the live recordings on a great compilation album titled Yo La Tengo Is Murder The Classics in 2006. Also, their excellent Fakebook album contains covers from Cat Stevens, Daniel Johnston and John Cale among others. It’s their ability to give these cover songs whole new life that makes them an intriguing and exceptionally talented act.

They’re still rolling strong, playing a fan-decided setlist for this year’s Pitchfork Music Festival. My friend Rosser is attending, so hopefully he can provide me with a review of the show upon his return! I’ve yet to see them live but list them as one of those necessary shows to attend before they retire. At the rate they’re going, I don’t think they’ll be hanging up their instruments any time soon.

Whitney's Post Rock Mixtape

Post Rock Mixtape [CLICK IMAGE TO DOWNLOAD]

1 “Requiem For Dying Mothers, Parts 1 and 2” Stars of the Lid (14:15)
2 “The Sun” Windy & Carl (3:43)
3 “Untitled 8” Sigur Ros (11:45)
4 “The Landlord is Dead” Do Make Say Think (5:39)
5 “Mere Your Pathetique Light” MONO (6:36)
6 “The Struggle” The Dead Texan (5:29)
7 “Add Infinity” Mountains (9:11)
8 “Rememberance Day” God is an Astronaut (4:17)
9 “Stand Shadowless Like Silence” Up-C Down-C Left-C Right-C ABC + Start (3:21)
10 “I’ll Take Mine Back” AristeiA (4:26)
11 “Auto Rock” Mogwai (4:19)
12 “We Flood Empty Lakes” Yndi Halda (11:41)
13 “Moya” Godspeed You! Black Emperor (10:52)
14 “The Triumph of Our Tired Eyes” Thee Silver Mt Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band (6:55)

This is my most recent mix. I started on it last night because I was bored. I just put together some of my favorite songs that I consider to be "post rock." I probably had about 10 hours worth of music on this mix originally. I condensed it all down, put everything in order, and perfected it a few hours ago. I'm really really happy with how it turned out, and hopefully you'll find it listenable.

I used a picture of my cat, Pumpkin, as the "cover art." Why? Because he's the most adorable cat in the world and he loves post rock.

-W

Everymorning

Everymorning [CLICK IMAGE TO DOWNLOAD]

1 “Good Morning Scarecrow” Seabear (1:55)
2 “Sovay” Andrew Bird (4:41)
3 “Kind of Carrot Flowers Pt 1” Neutral Milk Hotel (2:02)
4 “Blessed Brambles” Mum (6:01)
5 “Bridges and Balloons” Joanna Newsom (3:43)
6 “Something” Glissandro 70 (2:45)
7 “Music For a Found Harmonium” Penguin Cafe Orchestra (3:40)
8 “Room Games and Diamond Rain” Silver Jews (4:34)
9 “Elephant Gun” Beirut (5:47)
10 “Sunday Morning” The Velvet Underground (2:56)

This is my mix for morning time. It has songs that remind of the serenity of just waking up in the morning. I used to listen to it when I would wake up in the morning to go to class. I also listened to it in the car when driving to Atlanta early one morning and it was one of the best things.

-W

Learning to Drive at Night

Learning to Drive at Night... [CLICK IMAGE TO DOWNLOAD]


1 “Have to Drive” Amanda Palmer (5:43)
2 “I Want Wind to Blow” The Microphones (5:33)
3 “Cripple and Starfish” Antony and the Johnsons (4:12)
4 “The Dress” Blonde Redhead (4:01)
5 “Coda” God is an Astronaut (5:05)
6 “Superconnected” Broken Social Scene (5:40)
7 “Future Proof” Massive Attack (5:41)
8 “City Middle” The National (4:28)
9 “Requiem for a Fox” Polmo Polpo (11:04)
10 “Soft Power” Ladytron (5:20)
11 “We Have a Map of the Piano” Mum (5:20)
12 “Yasmin the Light” Explosions in the Sky (7:04)

I consider night driving music to be someone ambient and soft. Maybe it's not good that I listen to such things at night while driving, because it could put me to sleep. There are some upbeat-ish songs in here, though, so falling asleep wouldn't really be an issue.

But hey! You don't just have to drive at night with this music. You could probably sleep to it. You can do whatever you want to it, actually.

-W