For When The World Is Letting You Down

This one is for when nothing seems to be working out, and it's everyone else's fault. The lies of elected government officials, your friends not picking up the phone, another depressingly bad date, I could keep going. At times like this there's only one thing you need and that's a song to sing along to. Did I say sing? I meant scream. What you need is an angry anthem begging for just one fucking person that you can believe in. The Shods wrote this song for you, for this feeling, and it's perfect. But that's what the Shods do. They write songs for you to shake your fist at, to bring a smile to your face, to make your heart swell, to sing along to, and they do it so so well.

The Shods' Give Me One Person

Hella Pops

Hella Pops. Power Pop, Pop, Pop Punk, etc. Hella Pops.

This is the first mix I've made where I couldn't come up with an order, so I just hit random a few times til it worked. This is also the pre-cursor to the power pop mix.

HELLA POPS

Lemonheads- The Great Big No
The Strange Boys- Heard You Wanna Beat Me Up
The Go- You Go Bangin' On
John Cale- Child's Christmas In Wales
Pointed Sticks- Out Of Luck
Elvis Costello & The Attractions- Radio, Radio
Linus Of Hollywood- Thank You For Making Me Feel...Better
Ramones- Chasing The Night
New York Dolls- Stranded In The Jungle
Arlo- Runaround
The Wave Pictures- Just Like A Drummer
The Smiths- Ask
Marshall Crenshaw- There She Goes Again
Lesley Gore- Maybe I Know
The Troggs- Love Is All Around
Harlem- Caroline
Richard X. Heyman- In The Scheme Of Things
Flight Of The Conchords- Carol Brown
The Bananas- Gentrification For Dummies
Belle & Sebastian- Dirty Dream Number Two
Aceyalone- Lonely Ones
Reigning Sound- Debris
Wreckless Eric- Whole Wide World
Van Morrison- (Straight To Your Heart) Like A Cannon Ball
The Muffs- Everywhere I Go

Hella Pops

*Image credit- Harold Edgerton, Bullet Through Balloons, 1959

We Made It Through That Water

I went to New Orleans this past summer to photograph. I got into my rental car upon arriving and started flipping through the radio stations before finding some old school hip hop and settling in for the drive. The next song that came on was this exciting, booty-shaking brass band song about surviving Katrina. Best possible accompaniment for my drive into town. While driving I wrote down a few lyrics to be able to look the song up later. I kept trying to listen to that station the rest of my trip, but it never played anything other than the same Top 20 hits on shuffle after that. Months later I found the song on the Treme soundtrack. This is it. It still sounds important. It's a thoroughly satisfying and cathartic mix of pure joy and years of frustration getting released. And if it doesn't make you wanna dance, I don't know what to say.

Free Agents Brass Band's We Made It Through That Water

*Image credit- "Home of Lionel Williams Who Drowned in the Flood, New Orleans, LA, 2006" by Will Steacy

Power Pop Plus

Here's my power pop mix. Power Pop purists beware. The plus means I've taken liberties. Not to say there isn't plenty of great Power Pop on here, but Harry Belafonte? It just worked. This one's from sometime in the fall, but it's perfect for spring.

POWER POP PLUS

The Raspberries- Tonight
Badfinger- No Matter What
Elton John- Crocodile Rock
The Plimsouls- A Million Miles Away
The dB's- A Spy In The House Of Love
The Modern Lovers- Government Center
The Boys- (Baby) It's You
David Bowie- Here Comes The Night
George Harrison- Apple Scruffs
20/20- Jack's Got A Problem
Raspberries- Oh Tonight
Only Ones- City Of Fun
The Romantics- I Can't Tell You Anything
Demon's Claws- Weird Ways
Shivvers- Teen Line
20/20- The Night I Heard A Scream
The Breakaways- House On A Hill
Bonnie Hayes- Girls Like Me
Harry Nilsson- Me and My Arrow
The Hollies- Jennifer Eccles
Only Ones- Another Girl, Another Planet
Matthew Sweet- I've Been Waiting
The Posies- Ontario
Harry Belafonte- Jump In The Line

Power Pop Plus

*Image credit- Andy Warhol (Power Pop Art!)

Winter 2011 Mix

Here's a mix I threw together from a bunch of stuff I was listening to a few months ago. This is the first LCD Soundsystem song I really fell for. Very late to the game. The Max song is an old mixtape staple from an old split 7" with Matty Luv from Hickey on the A-Side. It's one of my favorite songs and I'm excited that a few new people will get to hear it.

WINTER 2011 MIX

LCD Soundsystem / Dance Yrself Clean
Built To Spill / The Plan
New Order / The Village
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros / Home
The Dø / The Calendar
The Everly Brothers / Cathy's Clown
The Human Hearts / Pilot Light
Little Scream / Heron and the Fox
The Good Ones / Sara
Gerry Nobody and Erwin Leirs / Drowning Alone
Max / 80 East
Title Tracks / Tougher Than The Rest
Sonny & The Sunsets / Lovin' On An Older Gal
Girls / Oh My Love
Cary Ann Hearst / The Thread
The Action / Brain
The Resonars / The Golden Age
The Parting Gifts / My Mind's Made Up
Range Rats / The Two Of Us
V-3 / Another Exterminator (Eaten By Bugs)

Winter Mix 2011

*Image credit- Allan Macintyre

Looking For A Reason

Here's a quiet one based around three versions of I Found A Reason. This is a mix I made or year or so ago, whenever Love More and Excuses first appeared on the internet, and it remains one of my favorites.

LOOKING FOR A REASON

Cat Power- I Found A Reason
The Velvet Underground- I Found A Reason
Beach House- Zebra
The Dutchess & The Duke- The River
Dirty Three- Everything's Fucked
Low- When I Go Deaf
Sharon Van Etten- Love More
The Morning Benders- Excuses
Daniel, Fred & Julie- The Gambler And His Bride
Ida- Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
The Velvet Underground- I Found A Reason (Demo)
Dirty Three- I Offered It Up To The Stars & The Night Sky
Lajkó Félix- Vigadó / Ballroom
Nick- Rewind

Looking For A Reason

*Image credit- Whitney Hubbs from the series Day For Night

Her Pain, Our Gain

This time, just the ladies.

HER PAIN, OUR GAIN

Candi Staton- I'm Just A Prisoner (Of Your Good Lovin')
Doris Troy- Whatcha Gonna Do About It
Aretha Franklin- I Never Loved A Man (The Way That I Love You)
Sharon Jones- How Long Do I Have To Wait For You?
Etta James- Pushover
Betty Wright- Clean Up Woman
Rose Batiste- Hit and Run
Diana Ross & The Supremes- Where Did Our Love Go
Sweet Inspirations- Sweet Inspiration
Baby Washington- That's How Heartaches Are Made
Linda Jones- For Your Precious Love
Barbara Lynn- You'll Lose A Good Thing
Penny & The Quarters- You and Me
Rozetta Johnson- That Hurts
Freda Gray & The Rocketeers- Stay Away From My Johnny
The Sweet Things- I'm In A World Of Trouble
Fontella Bass- Rescue Me
Martha Reeves & The Vandellas- (Love Is Like) A Heatwave
Wendy Rene- Bar-B-Q
Ike & Tina Turner- A Fool In Love
Mary Wells- My Guy
The Marvelettes- Please Mr. Postman
The Ronettes- (The Best Part Of) Breakin' Up
The Shirelles- Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow
Bettye Lavette- My Man, He's A Lovin' Man
Helene Smith- You Got To Do Your Share
Bettye Swann- Make Me Yours

Her Pain, Our Gain

*Image credit- Young Aretha Franklin in studio