2010 – Bipolar Disco

This years’ CD is packed with 20 songs for an hour and 17 minutes of non stop music. Bipolar Disco is not as eclectic as previous CD’s, sticking mostly to straight ahead rock, but there are a couple of songs that drift. This mix came together very quickly for me this year. I think I did one minor shift of the song order, but this is more or less how all the songs laid out in my first version. I toyed with making the songs link together by trying to carry a narrative through some of the song lyrics, or linking them together through lyric references (an idea that occurred to me immediately after putting the first two songs together). Both of these attempts would have been more difficult in many ways, not the least of which would have been in getting the songs to flow together smoothly. I am not disappointed with this end result.

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

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Volcano
Jupiter One
Sunshower

I hadn’t expected this song to be my opener this year, but I really like how joyful the opening guitar chords sound.

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Fishies
The Cat Empire
So Many Nights

Love the horns in this song. Sort of has a swing band feel to it.

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I’m Gone
Akina Adderley & The Vintage Playboys
Akina Adderley & The Vintage Playboys

This song is “smoking” as my friend JS used to say. Hot horns on this R&B driven piece of soul music. Really great album overall.

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Joyful Noise
Breakestra
Dusk Till Dawn

Some more R&B soul music. Great drumming on this track. This album has a lot of great funky hip-hop tracks. Anyone who knows me knows that I am not a rap or hip-hop fan, but these guys manage to pull off some great rhythms and never venture into vulgarity, making it ideal for playing around the kids. Some great James Brown inspired tracks on this album, too.

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Heading For Nowhere
Jets Overhead
No Nations

I really like the songwriting on this CD. I had a hard time deciding which one of two tracks I wanted to use on this year’s mix. Turns out the decision was made for me as this song flowed better with the other music this year. My only issue with the CD is the drum production. I’m just not a big fan of this drum sound. Not that I’m looking for those fat drums of Green Day, but something closer to the sound you’ll hear on the Stone Temple Pilots’ song would have been nice.

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Move
The New Pornographers
Together

What is it about the sound of an upright bass being bowed? I have always liked the rich bass tones this instrument produces, and to have it right up front in this song makes it irresistible to me.

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Weather To Fly
Elbow
The Seldom Seen Kid

This song didn’t make it on last year’s album, but works well here. I really like this band’s sound, and be sure to check out their website.

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Blue Mace
Black Diamond Bay
Calm Awaits

This is another leftover song from last year that didn’t fit, but works pretty well here. In some ways I feel like I forced this song into the mix, but I really wanted to use it because I keep hearing it in my random listen mix, and I keep getting drawn to it. Consider this an exorcism of sorts for me.

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Peacemaker
Green Day
21st Century Breakdown

You knew these guys would show up somewhere in the mix. This was the song that I had originally thought would be my CD opener for last year, and when it didn’t make it I had set it aside for this year’s opener. I am surprised I couldn’t make it work there, but it works here. I think this song was written when they were working on songs for their Warning album, as it has a sound a lot like the song Misery.

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The Mama Papa
Plants and Animals
La La Land

This quirky song tends to stick with me for some reason. Can’t explain it, but I like it.

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Ten Million Slaves
Otis Taylor
Respect The Dead

I really like the juxtaposition of the banjo and fuzzed out guitar on this. Then the backing “hey” to give it another layer to build up the song. It all just works.

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Alien
MegaRex
Recyclable Data

Is this a throwback to 90’s metal anthem rock? 80’s arena rock? I don’t know, but there’s something about this song I like.

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First Kiss On Mars
Stone Temple Pilots
Stone Temple Pilots

Overall, I’m not a big STP fan, but I really like this song. Scott Weiland can be mistaken for Bowie or Zevon several times in this song. Really great tune. No idea where the title of the song comes from.

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Won’t Be Afraid
The Cat Empire
So Many Nights

I kept getting drawn to this song because every time I heard it I thought it was a Beck tune I wasn’t aware I had. It wasn’t until after I had narrowed down my track list for this CD that I realized I had two songs on here from the same band. I think that says something about the diversity of their style. Great sounding snare.

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Oui Camera Oui
The Heavenly States
Oui Camera Oui

Well, this is unfortunate. Here is a song I really like with a catchy refrain (the kids are tired of hearing me sing it off-key in the car) and I can not get the album the song is on. Every song on my mix is direct from the various band’s CDs, meaning there has been no file compression, so you’re getting the full, original sound as it was mixed in the studio. Every song except this one. The album which bears this song’s name seems to be MIA. The band’s website alludes to this record being released this summer, but there must be some legal hold up, because it is nowhere to be found. I’m lucky to have the song at all.

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Ex-Sensitive
Ben Jelen
Ex-Sensitive

I like the chorus in this song. Hooked on the hook. But it’s more complicated than that. The guitar is constantly playing around in the background with added notes and sounds, like it’s dancing around the edges of the song structure, now and again pulling in it’s own phrasing.

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Good To Be
Backyard Tire Fire
Good To Be

I feel like this sometimes. When things aren’t always going right it’s good to step back, check the perspective, and realize that overall, things are alright.

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Hold It In
Jukebox The Ghost
Let Live and Let Ghosts

This is a really great song. Really quirky in some ways, but love how they always tie the lyrics back to the refrain (such as it is). Fantastic production – I love the piano as it drops all the way down the register at the end of the song.

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Queen Of The Lot
The Spring Standards
Would Things Be Different

This song’s got a Tuba in it! Another great production, with the song going from a restrained frequency range to a full open sound on the chorus. I like how the trumpet and piano flirt in the solo sections. Really neat piano sound on this quirky tune. Did I mention it’s got a Tuba in it?

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Duyen
Dominique Leone
Dominique Leone

There’s a certain XTC feel about this song. It could easily be mistaken for an Andy Partridge song with the first listen. The fact that it’s not does not detract from it in any way. I like the cuckoo sound and feel of time passing. Not sure what this song says lyrically, but I get the feeling it’s about the daily grind some of us go through.