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Ok… I’ve been meaning to make a podcast out of this, but.. I’m lazy. So, here’s just the tracks..

clicky clicky: dennis’ august 2009 mix.

It opens with Lisztomania, by Phoenix, which you may recognize from the Brooklyn ratpack video that I posted awhile back. Damn, I love this song, it just gets me in a good mood every time. Cool in the Cool Way is a local band here in SF, made up of a bunch of my brother’s CMU classmates. Its video ironically bashes hipsters, which, in and of itself, is kind of inherently hipster. (Whoa, how meta.)

Moth’s Wings, by Passion Pit, and Velvet, by The Big Pink are two tracks that I found whilst listening to my favorite XM station, XMU. I still think that it was better when Toby was around, but whoever is running it now is getting better at finding good stuff. Except the lazy-voiced dude in the mornings. I can’t stand him.

Any one of my mixes is bound to be sprinkled with a liberal dose of female folky indie chicks, and this one is no exception. Blue Lips is one of my favorite tracks off Regina Spektor’s newest album, Far, and Bitter Heart by Zee Avi is a lovely tune sent to me by my friend Jason, who knows I’m a fan of this genre.

Definitely check out Blue Motorbike, by Moto boy, who I found through my work at Techdirt — we’re featuring some great things from Moto boy in the Techdirt Music Club that we’re currently selling, so go check that out. And buy it.

I was introduced to The Real Tuesday Weld by the movie Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist — their song, Last Words, was in the movie, and from there, and this track, It’s a Wonderful Li(f)e has that same dreamy, hopeful yet melancholy quality that I loved in Last Words. If you’re a fan of Indie music and Michael Cera, you should definitely go see Nick & Norah.

Quiet Little Voices is an epic post-rocky track from We Were Promised Jetpacks, from Scotland. Thick, luscious sound. Good. Hat tip to my friend, Ali, for this one. Kettering by the Antlers seemed to continue the epic tone that WWPJ had set, so I threw that in here as well. Closing out the triplet, and bringing us nicely back into a happier, lighter land, is Andrew Bird with Take Courage.

From there, Landon Pigg paints a light hearted picture of Falling In Love At A Coffee Shop — although if you’ve been to a coffee shop lately, I don’t know if that can really happen anymore, since everyone there seems engrossed in their laptops nowadays.

Wee.. music. Love it.

Update:

I just found another track that I’m going to add.. She & Him’s cover of the Smiths song, Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want. Zooey is da awesomes.

I gotta get my gimpy self to the movie theater and see 500 days of summer… in the meantime, this new music video will have to do.

sure looks like fun.

ps. if you haven’t checked out Phoenix‘s new album.. you should, it’s good.

pps. and their site has a SECRET section.

And.. now that you’ve enjoyed the podcast, here’s the whole summer mix all of its sound and fury.

18 tracks ranging from electro-dancey-indie to folky-country to some old school ska to some classics.. yeehaa giddyup.

Enjoy. And, happy summer!!!

So it’s officially summer now, and that means that it’s time for yet another mix.. But, I decided to do something a little different this time and actually make a little podcast to accompany the mix.

Unlike the ska podcast that I did with Mike, this time I recorded the entire podcast in GarageBand, which actually worked out quite well. I picked 7 songs out of the 18 that are on the whole summer mix, since I wanted the podcast to be only about half an hour..

I’m pretty happy with how it turned out, so maybe I’ll do some more..

Anyway.. I also am uploading my entire summer mix up to 8tracks, so after that’s done, I’ll post that, but for now, you have to listen to the podcast.

So.. years and years ago, I made my radio hosting premiere at WVBR in Ithaca, when I hosted “Ithaska” with Audris on a blustery Saturday night..

Masnick came over this weekend, and we recorded the third episode of his podcast..

Have a listen. I think the levels of the music are a little off, but oh well.. lesson learned for the next ones.. Masnick has the full set list on his site, but it was fun and now I’m inspired to record more podcasts..

So, I’m listening to my good ol’ iTunes DJ (dutifully renamed from “Party Shuffle” for some reason) and “Earth Angel, by Weezer” comes on…

I’m not sure where (ahem) I got this song from, but it got me wondering.. damn, this is a good song, but is that really Rivers singing?  I mean, the album listed in the ID3 tags is “Rare,” but I’m not able to actually find any reference to this recording anywhere..  Well, imeem has a copy, but that just means that this person got it from the same place I did..

Weezer – Earth Angel (Platters cover) – Punk Ska Covers

And.. that one is even worse.. I mean, Earth Angel is NOT a Platters song (it’s originally by the Penguins), and that song is definitely not Punk Ska.

So.. I dig a little deeper.

A search on YouTube turns up this same version of the song, now attributed to the Temptations:

Uh.. ok.  This is clearly not the Temptations..

Seeqpod?  They think that this version is sung by The Temptations and Buddy Holly.

So, I ask shazam, on my iPhone — that has to be a good way, right?  

Shazam identifies this song as Earth Angel, by Bones Howe, from the Back to the Future Soundtrack.  Aha!  That’s a little better.  And that’s why this version sounds so familiar, right?

But.. who the F is Bones Howe?  Voila, thanks Wikipedia, he was the music supervisor for Back to the Future.  Ok, that makes sense, but I don’t think he actually sang the song did he?

More digging lands me at the Amazon page for the soundtrack, where the song is listed as “Earth Angel – Marvin Berry.”  Uh, great.  Marvin Berry, of course, was the fictional character from the movie (he was supposedly Chuck Berry’s cousin).  I mean Marvin Berry & the Starlighters may have a mySpace page and all, but considering that they describe themselves as “a swing band in Hill Valley, California” it’s clear that they’re more fictional than real.

Ugh.. so yah, I still don’t know who actually sang this track, since according to the internet, it was sang by Weezer, The Temptations, Buddy Holly, Bones Howe, or Marvin Berry.

Yah, if it’s on the internet it must be true.

So I’ve been making a “mixtape” about once every quarter for quite some time now.. As I consume my music, it’s a nice way for me to remember what great songs that I’ve found along the way — and, it’s kind of like a musical diary of sorts, cuz I can look at like an old mix and get all nostalgic and stuff.

The first mix for 2009 is ready a little early (it’s only February), so I must be going through a lot of music this year already…

Here it is for your listening enjoyment…

Track List

Do You Feel Me, by Anthony Hamilton
Gravity, by Sara Bareilles
No One, by Alicia Keys
The Show, by Lenka
Her Morning Elegance, by Oren Lavie
True Affection, by The Blow
Blood Bank, by Bon Iver
My Night With The Prostitute From Marseille, by Beirut
Eyes Wider Than Before, by Scott Matthews
Selective Periphera, by Ben Benjamin
My Love, by The Bird and the Bee
Untrust Us, by Crystal Castles
Don’t Watch Me Dancing, by Little Joy
Young Folks, by Peter Bjorn And John
Dream, by Priscilla Ahn
Love To A Monster, by Okkervil River
Anyone Else But You, by The Moldy Peaches

I love memes, oh yes I do. And here’s another one that I saw that Aubrey did…

So, here we go…

1. Put Your iTunes on Shuffle. (I used Party Shuffle, cuz Shuffle isn’t really “random”)
2. For each question, press the ‘next’ button to get your answer. (or listen to each song, like I did.)
3. You must write down the name of the song no matter how silly it sounds!
4. Put any comments in brackets after the song name.
5. (I added this in myself) – Tag some peeps you want to do the same.

What do your friends think of you?
Breakaway, by Ratatat
iTunes thinks I’m a rebel, always marching to the beat of my own drummer.

If someone says, “Is this okay?” You say?
What Went Wrong, by The Slackers
Yah, I’m a very very caring person.

How would you describe yourself?
Baby It’s Cold Outside, by Ray Gelato And The Giants Of Jive
I guess lately, yah.. I’ve been really cold. Brrrrr.

What do you like in a guy/girl?
Fixing A Hole, by The Beatles
Ok iTunes, I don’t think I’m really a fixer, am I? Is it possible that you know me better than me? Or, maybe you’re just being a little dirty. (snicker, snicker)

How do you feel today?
Beautiful Day Without You, by Royksopp
Wow.. that’s like exactly right. You’re starting to scare me, iTunes.

What is your life’s purpose?
I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow, by The Soggy Bottom Boys
Ok, that’s just depressing, and kind of wrong, since I’m pretty happy.

What is your motto?
Point to B, by Prefuse 73
Hmm. Not a bad motto… just abstract enough to work.

What do you think about very often?
Cute Without the ‘E’, by Taking Back Sunday
I think I have more emo music than my personality really alludes to.. or maybe I’m more emo than I think I am.

What is 2 + 2?
Why Do I Keep Counting? by The Killer
Another direct hit by the iTunes shuffle. Well done.

What do you think of your best friend?
Moon River, by Nan Vernon
My best friend is a new cover of an old classic? I suppose.

What do you think of the person you like?
To Have And To Hold, by Colin Hay
Yah, and I should probably tell her. But you all know that’s not me.

What is your life story?
Sailor Song, by Regina Spektor
Well, thing is, considering this song could be interpreted be about a sailor sailing around the world on the seas looking for something.. maybe that fits.

What do you want to be when you grow up?
Stuck In The Middle, by Steelers Wheel (Mashup)
If I grow up to be stuck in the middle, that would suck. But at least it’s a mashup.

What do you think of when you see the person you like?
Dangerous and Sweet, by Lenka
Yah, sure, that works.

What will you dance to at your wedding?
In our Bedroom After the War, by Stars
I think this song is actually about a breakup, so.. maybe not such a great wedding song. Sorry, iTunes, you’re failing a bit here.

What will they play at your funeral?
Sand and Ice, by Fanfarlo
I really like this tune for my funeral actually… It sounds hopeful. If only I actually listened to lyrics, cuz I really have no idea what this song is about.

What is your hobby/interest?
Apres Moi, by Regina Spektor
Really, iTunes? Another Regina song? Seriously, that’s like a mixtape no-no. You should know better.

What is your biggest fear?
What Went Wrong, by The Slackers
Ok, I’ll let it slide this time, cuz this song is dead on for this question.

What is your biggest secret?
Dream, by Priscilla Ahn
My dreams are my biggest secret? That’s kind of deep, iTunes.

What do you think of your friends?
Medley – Sentimental Reason, Tenderley, Autumn Leaves, by Natalie Cole
Yes, my friends are awesome. And I love the fall.

What will you post this as?
Here To There, by Michael Nyman
Ok, if you say so.

I consume a lot of music. Out of the 1,259 songs I’ve added to my library this year, 61 songs received the coveted 5 Star “Dennis Loves This Song” rating. 304 songs garnered the still prestigious 4 star “This Song Makes It Onto My Ipod” award. So yah, it’s been a pretty good year, musically..

Anyway, I made a little mixtape of my 11 favorite songs of 2008… Enjoy.

Drive My Soul, by Lights
Yes, I admit it.. I first heard this song on The Hills. It’s bubble gummy, but that doesn’t mean that it’s bad. Cheese flavoured (spelled that way since Lights is canadian) gum to be exact.

Last Day Of Our Love, by The Bird And The Bee
With its retro-ish sound and wispy vocals, listening to this song is like eating cotton candy in the park on a brisk fall day in the 1960s.

I Adore You, by Melpo Mene
Like I’ve said before, this song is so frikkin cute. So, if you’ve had enough of shiba-inu puppycam, listen to this.

Only A Song, by Ben Sollee
This dude is like the coolest cello player I know. Well, besides that dude Yo Yo Ma, that dude is bad ass.

Momma’s Boy, by Chromeo
Chromeo rocks. This song, while honestly, not as good as “Needy Girl,” is still a really solid, solid track from the Montreal duo. (Hmm.. why are there so many Canadians on my list?)

A Lovely Beginning, by Vic Ruggiero featuring Lisa
So, Masnick and I went to see Vic play at Amante this year. He has been doing solo projects, sans the Slackers, for awhile now, and yah, it’s good.. This track is from his latest solo cd, and features some woman named “Lisa,” who Masnick tells me is German or something. It’s not very ska, it’s got a nice Calypso thing going on..

I’m Yours, by Jason Mraz
This is the second song that I’ve been introduced to by Jocelyn Yvette, a girl who covers songs and posts the videos on YouTube. I found her cover of Regina Spektor’s “Samson” last year, which is still one of my favorite versions of that song.. Anyway, here’s her version of I’m Yours if you’re interested.. Anyway, she’s good, and I wonder if she’ll make it big one of these days.. Oh yah, and Jason Mraz does a pretty good job on his song too. Thing is, after hearing this song, I bought the whole album, and I must say it sucks pretty bad. Aside from this song and “Lucky” with Colbie Cailait, the entire album is pretty much teh suck.

To Be Loved, by Joan As Policewoman
Yet another sophomore album release on this list (along with Chromeo), this track is really, really good.. but.. “I Defy” from her first album is absolutely amazing, which is the same problem I had with this year’s Chromeo track… Oh, the bitchy shadows of success.

Coney Island, by Good Old War
Weeee! I fun little country-ish, bluegrass ditty. It’s got it all knee slappin’, vocal harmonies, pickin’ guitar, and a tambourine.

Falcon Jab, by Ratatat
Ratatat’s album LP3 is probably my vote for best album of the year. It’s insane. It’s hard for me to even pick a best song off that entire album, so just go buy it and listen to it in its whole-y glory please.

Undertow, by Stars
Sheeza, yet another Canadian on this list. I guess they make good music up there. I first heard this song when Stars played the Fillmore, and immediately I was in love with it. A simple soothing melody followed by a nicely jamming bridge.. good stuff.

Anyway… that’s it.. if you’ve made it this far, then you deserve to actually LISTEN to this mixtape… so go here to listen.

Update:
Ooo.. Trying out this embeddable player from 8tracks.

Update:

Ok, I’ve added two songs that were late entries to this list..

Don’t Watch Me Dancing by Little Joy.
Can’t Help Falling in Love by Ingrid Michaelson.