2012 – Airwaves

I have been so busy this fall that up through most of the month of November I was honestly considering not doing a mix CD this year.  But as we got into the week of Thanksgiving I started feeling the itch and found some time to start making some choices about the music I had been collecting over the last two years.

This CD didn’t fall into place as quickly as 2010’s mix. I did 13 17 different versions of song orders for this mix, trying to find the best flow from song to song. I also had to cut two tracks that I really wanted to include but found them too difficult to segue in and out of with the other songs on this year’s disc.

This disc also marks a new trend in how new musicians are publishing their music. For past mixes I owned the original CD that I took the songs from so that what you got was an exact duplicate of the original track, without compression or fidelity loss.  This year, more than half of the music I am using here is only available via download, so it’s all starting in a compressed format before I get it.

Alas, as convenient as the new digital formats can be (both audio and video), the irony is that here in the beginnings of the 21st century we are often viewing and listening to media that is inferior to what we had available at the end of the last century.

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

✧   ✧   ✧   ✧   ✧

I Should Be Born
Jets Overhead
No Nations

This song almost ended up on 2010’s Bipolar Disco, but in the end it didn’t work into that album’s flow as well.  Here it turns out to be a great way to start an album.  Can’t pinpoint any one thing about this song that I really like, it’s just a song I enjoy.

✧   ✧   ✧   ✧   ✧

Last Day
The BossHoss
Do or Die

Live every day like it’s your last!  Yee-Haw!

✧   ✧   ✧   ✧   ✧

Gravity Calling
Flipron
Gravity Calling

This has a catchy hook.  I like their play with words as well.

✧   ✧   ✧   ✧   ✧

The Music
Al Kapone
A Taste of Memphis Music

There’s a lot of good stuff going on with this song.  First off is the message of the song, referring to the history of black music in the US, specifically the Memphis influence, and how that has led to the style of music in this song.  Then there’s the music itself, a good rap but with a solid rock layer and analog instruments.  It’s unfortunate that the only place to find this song on CD is on a very hard to find compilation CD from the Memphis & Shelby County Music Commission

✧   ✧   ✧   ✧   ✧

I’m Homesick Up Here In My Satellite
Doldrums
Empire Sound

A strange little song, lyrically speaking, but I like the percussion with the unique sound of the multi tenor drums.

✧   ✧   ✧   ✧   ✧

Spread The Love
T Bird And The Breaks
Never Get Out Of This Funk Alive

Funky.

✧   ✧   ✧   ✧   ✧

Soul Shaker
Henry + The Invisibles
onemanphunkband

Aside from a great little tune that channels George Benson’s guitar playing, one of the most remarkable things about this is that it’s played by one person.  Because he performs solo, this would really be an incredible live show to see.

✧   ✧   ✧   ✧   ✧

The Trip
Dylan McDonald
Out From The Door

All about a trip. Oh-la-la.

✧   ✧   ✧   ✧   ✧

I Will Live On Islands
Josh Rouse
El Turista

This is my new theme song – except for the bit about prison and all, though I sometimes feel like I’m serving a sentence working in my basement level office. I’m referring to living on islands and seeing green tropics and sunshine.

✧   ✧   ✧   ✧   ✧

Way To Here
Gypsy Tailwind
Grace

A beautiful song about loss, but is it the loss of youth, or something more tangible?  Great songwriting and duet.  Not sure why this band isn’t more prominent in it’s popularity, because their music is just great.

✧   ✧   ✧   ✧   ✧

Take This One From Me
It’s True
It’s True!

I like the way this song starts out with a 50’s doo-wop sound and then cranks into the electric crunch of modern guitars.

✧   ✧   ✧   ✧   ✧

Solitary Bizness
Tahiti 80
The Past, The Present & The Possible

Can’t say that there’s anything specific that draws me to this song.  Guess it’s just the hook I like with the vocal and synth layering.

✧   ✧   ✧   ✧   ✧

The Letter
Gypsy Tailwind
Grace

There is nothing not to like about this song. Great song and great production. So many good things about this song, but it’s the horn arrangements and full, rich sound that really puts this one over the top.

✧   ✧   ✧   ✧   ✧

Sail
Awolnation
Megalithic Symphony

Not really sure what this song is about, but it’s different.

✧   ✧   ✧   ✧   ✧

Weapons For War
A Lull
Confetti

I like the staccato rhythm in this song.

✧   ✧   ✧   ✧   ✧

Whale
Yellow Ostrich
The Mistress

Now this song is out of the box.  Interesting percussion.

✧   ✧   ✧   ✧   ✧

Switchback
Celldweller
Celldweller

I really like this rocker. It makes my head bob.

✧   ✧   ✧   ✧   ✧

People Going Crazy
Wicker
The Leak

I don’t believe there’s any organic instruments on this song, save for the voice.  Ordinarily this is not the kind of song that I would gravitate to, but it varies enough throughout the song to keep it interesting.

✧   ✧   ✧   ✧   ✧

Down The Drain
Alexis Foxe
The Mistress

A great big band swing tune.

✧   ✧   ✧   ✧   ✧

Run Straight Down
Warren Zevon
Tranverse City

Who doesn’t like Warren Zevon?  He was warning us over 20 years ago that we were headed for trouble.

✧   ✧   ✧   ✧   ✧

We Do Something Or We’re Screwed
David Roberts
Climate Change Is Simple

If you don’t believe that mankind’s actions on this planet have had an effect on our climate, you need to start broadening your sources.  Take a look at David’s post, watch the video, and think about what this is going to mean for your children and grandchildren,