2007 – Hot Concrete

After having to skip making a 2006 album, I was getting fearful that I would run out of time to get a 2007 disc ready before Christmas. But here I am on December 24th with a stack of CDs, so it will be more of a New Years CD. Not the first time I’ve missed my self-imposed deadline.

Why a compilation CD at Christmas? I have always made the infamous ‘mix’ tapes, and my one semester spent at graduate school (in the fall of 1991) left me too poor to buy gifts for any friends after family obligations. I had just purchased a dozen new CDs with a gift certificate I had gotten for my birthday and thought I’d share some of the best music on them, as well as from the rest of my collection. It has now turned into a bit of a tradition for me to do this as I love to share the great music I can find that is rarely, if ever, heard on the radio.

You may not like everything I put on these CDs, but everyone usually finds at least one new song they like. I strongly encourage you to buy a CD from whatever artist strikes your fancy. Perhaps if more non-mainstream music were purchased we’d get some more variety on today’s radio stations.

Update: Go to this page if you want to add the album artwork to iTunes.

✧   ✧   ✧   ✧   ✧

What I’ve Seen
Michael Franti & Spearhead
Yell Fire!

This record rocks! Full of intelligent, thought-provoking lyrics, “Yell Fire!” is the best album I’ve bought in the past five years, if not the past ten. I can’t say enough good things about this record. Well produced, well written with a positive message. This record gets bonus points because I can play it with my kids around.

✧   ✧   ✧   ✧   ✧

When The Night Feels My Song
Bedouin Soundclash
Sounding A Mosaic

Canadian Reggae. First caught wind of this song from a sample download provided by the South by Southwest (SXSW) music festival that takes place yearly in Austin. After spending several years collecting reggae style music for the casino beach bar I tend to still gravitate to those beach rhythms. Probably the song most likely to have gotten some radio play.

✧   ✧   ✧   ✧   ✧

Come On! Feel The Illinoise!
Sufjan Stevens
Come On Feel The Illinoise

Here’s the album least likely to have gotten any airplay. This quirky album (my favorite kind) is the second part of an “ambitious musical map of the United States,” where he plans on writing an album for each state. Perhaps as entertaining as the music is some of the song titles like “A Short Reprise For Mary Todd, Who Went Insane, But For Very Good Reasons” and “They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!! They Have Come Back From The Dead!! Ahhhh!”

✧   ✧   ✧   ✧   ✧

Autumn Sweater
Yo La Tengo
Prisoners of Love: A Smattering of Scintillating Senescent Songs: 1985-2003

Found this 2-disc set in a used bin and wonder to myself why I had never heard of this New Jersey based band before.

✧   ✧   ✧   ✧   ✧

Inhaler
Hooverphnic
A New Stereophonic Sound Spectacular

I’ve heard and been intrigued by Hooverphonic’s music here and there over the years, but they had never quite made it to the top of my “Must Buy Now!” list. I’m glad that I finally got around to adding them to my collection, as I do enjoy the electronic/ambient sort of music style.

✧   ✧   ✧   ✧   ✧

Awa Awa
Wes
Welenga

No idea what this song is about, but I know I like it. Cheesy African pop? Maybe, but there’s still something enjoyable about it. Love the rhythmic style of the language.

✧   ✧   ✧   ✧   ✧

Lake Of Exploits
Jai Uttal
Beggars And Saints

Exploring some more world music here. I enjoy the Indian/Middle Eastern sound and rhythms of this song.

✧   ✧   ✧   ✧   ✧

Me Gustas Tu
Manu Chao
Esperanza

A little Latin flavor to change things up a bit. I like the goofy-ness of this song, which may not be its purpose, but it’s catchy to me. I’ve always been a fan of music that adds strange background sounds to good effect (think Pink Floyd).

✧   ✧   ✧   ✧   ✧

I Hope You Want Me Too
The Mavericks
Trampoline

Love the horns and the funky guitar underneath. Love the sound of Raul Malo’s voice. I used another song from this album on 2005’s “Fueled By Lemons.” The group seems to be on a hiatus right now, but Raul has some solo work he’s been doing that I’ll have to explore.

✧   ✧   ✧   ✧   ✧

Sons & Daughters
The Decemberists
The Crane Wife

First got a taste of this band (and this song) from another friend’s compilation album. Kind of cool & quirky folk-rock story telling.

✧   ✧   ✧   ✧   ✧

Die Laughing
Nik Kershaw
To Be Frank

Here’s another record I’ve mined for songs before. I can’t say I was a fan of Kershaw’s during his heyday of the 80’s, but I do like this album.

✧   ✧   ✧   ✧   ✧

Receptacle For The Respectable
Super Furry Animals
Rings Around The World

Speaking of quirky, this Welsh band is full of it. I really chose this song because of the way it transitions from a nice pop formula to the near goth refrain at the end. If you’re not paying attention you’ll wonder when this new song started.

✧   ✧   ✧   ✧   ✧

The Information
Beck
The Information

At this point, anyone who has heard my past CDs realizes that it’s rare not to have at least one song from XTC or Beck. That attests to how good the song writing is on their albums, and how little of it gets played in the mainstream market. Beck is a rare example of truly off-beat music making it mainstream.

✧   ✧   ✧   ✧   ✧

I Don’t Need Anymore Friends
Collective Soul
Afterwords

I’ve always been a big fan of this group. After their first four albums they seemed to have lost some of their punch, but this album starts to evoke some of their earlier work.

✧   ✧   ✧   ✧   ✧

What I’ve Seen
Michael Franti & Spearhead
Yell Fire!

The worst thing about this album was trying to decide what songs not to use for my mix. This song in particular was troublesome because I really wanted to open my CD with this. The problem is that it’s such a strong song that I couldn’t figure out what to follow it up with. Almost anything else after this song is a let down.

✧   ✧   ✧   ✧   ✧

Bring The Boys Back Home
Pink Floyd
The Wall

OK, a little social commentary on my part. Like most people, I’m sick of this war and what it’s doing to the world. I think the best advice ever given to Mr. Bush was from Colin Powell when he said before the invasion “You break it, you own it.” Too bad that advice wasn’t heeded. I’m glad things appear to be getting better in Iraq, but the extra “boots on the ground” should have happened back in 2003. This new effort is four years too late. I don’t agree with those who say we should get out now, because we need to fix what we’ve broken, but the powers-that-be need to stop saying everything is great when it’s not (“They’re in their last throes”), and deal with the reality of the situation.