iTunes Shuffle 12/25/15

1. Jay-Z ft. Luke Steele - "What We Talkin' About"
2. OK Go - "White Knuckles"
3. Circus Devils - "Cyclopean Runway"
4. B.B. King - "The Thrill Is Gone" (orig. recorded by Roy Hawkins)
5. Timber Timbre - "Trouble Comes Knocking"
6. Built To Spill - "Happiness"
7. Glen Phillips - "I Still Love You"
8. Camera Obscura - "My Maudlin Career"
9. Josh Groban ft. Faith Hill - "The First Noël" (trad.)
10. Incubus - "Out From Under"

Still loving Timber Timbre. Great to have the B.B. in there, for some Memphis.

And oh look, a Christmas song, on Christmas! And for the second week in a row, all on Spotify.

iTunes Shuffle 12/18/15

1. La Roux - "Bulletproof"
2. The Couch - "Kick The Can"
3. Amandine - "Faintest Of Sparks"
4. Giraffage - "All That Matters"
5. Tori Amos - "Wampum Prayer"
6. honeyhoney - "Angel Of Death"
7. Those Darlins - "Screws Get Loose"
8. Charlotte Gainsbourg - "Af607105"
9. William Fitzsimmons - "Passion Play"
10. Therapy? - "Living In The Shadow Of The Terrible Thing"

Huh, this mix! La Roux and Giraffage are lovely and electronic, Amandine is country/folk from Sweden and it's incredible. honeyhoney is more along those lines as well and REALLY incredible, minus the "Sweden" part.  Charlotte Gainsbourg is always a favorite and oh my god, William Fitzsimmons is a genius. All on Spotify this week!

iTunes Shuffle 12/11/15

1. Redd Kross - "Stay Away From Downtown"
2. Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth - "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)"
3. Himanshu ft. Childish Gambino - "Womyn 2"
4. The Golden Filter - "Nerida's Gone"
5. Andrew Bird - "A Nervous Tic Motion Of The Head To The Left"
6. Lukah Luciano feat. Nina 9 - "Merk Session"
7. Josh Groban - "If I Can't Love Her" (from "Beauty And The Beast")
8. Dark Rooms - "Keep It Inside"
9. Peter Mulvey - "Airbag" (Radiohead cover)
10. Yamatanka // Sonic Titan - "Queens"

This playlist is schizophrenic all over the place. Hip-hop happens three times, the Josh Groban cover is stunning, and I am addicted to Peter Mulvey's cover of "Airbag." The Golden Filter is beautiful indie stuff, and Andrew Bird is a living genius.

iTunes Shuffle 12/4/15

1. Alanis Morissette - "Citizen Of The Planet"
2. AM & Shawn Lee - "Good Blood" (JetTricks remix)
3. Jonny Lang - "I Am"
4. Ponderosa - "Black Hill Smoke"
5. Carolina Story - "Help, Help Me"
6. Rey Pila - "Alexander"
7. Joe Marson and the Satisfied Mind - "The Creek Where Joseph Used To Swim"
8. Garth Brooks - "Papa Loved Mama"
9. Freelance Whales - "Location"
10. Timber Timbre - "Bad Ritual"

Fabulous mix here. I must say the great highlights are Joe Marson, Timber Timbre, and Freelance Whales, followed by Rey Pila, AM & Shawn Lee, and Carolina Story. Not really a bad song in the mix.

As usual, you can't listen to Garth Brooks on the internet, because he is a dick.

iTunes Shuffle 11/27/15

1. Judd and Maggie - "Disappear"
2. Bleached - "Electric Chair"
3. Cities Aviv - "Coastin'"
4. Natalie Cole - "Paper Moon" (orig. sung by Peggy Healy with Paul Whiteman & His Orchestra, made famous by Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, others)
5. Aushua - "Hiding Place"
6. Angel Haze - "Gossip Folks" (freestyle of Missy Elliott's "Gossip Folks")
7. Chopin: Prelude in D flat major, Op. 28 No. 15 (Martha Argerich, piano)
8. Tinsley Ellis - "Diggin' My Own Grave"
9. Tori Amos - "Home On The Range" (with Cherokee addition) (traditional, with new lyrics)
10. Delta Rae - "Darlin' If" (live)

Another lovely mix. Natalie Cole with one of her dad's standards. The Aushua song is quite lovely, Angel Haze is a badass rapper. And the Tori Amos recreation of "Home On The Range" is one of my all time favorite things. Half of them not available on Spotify this week :(

iTunes Shuffle 11/20/15

1. Sarah McLachlan - "Ben's Song"
2. "Chess Game #1" (from Chess In Concert: Live from Royal Albert Hall. Performed by orchestra.)
3. Cage The Elephant - "Aberdeen"
4. Matthew Perryman Jones - "Leaving Home"
5. St. Vincent - "Black Rainbow"
6. Elton John - "I'm Still Standing"
7. Dutch Uncles - "Bellio"
8. Spaceface - "Moonchild" (King Crimson cover)
9. Vivaldi: Violin Concerto In E, Op. 8/1, RV 269, "The Four Seasons (Spring)" - 2. Largo e pianissimo sempre (Jindrich Pazdera: Accademia Ziliniana)
10. David Zollo & The Body Electric - "If I Had The Wings Of A Dove"

Some favorites in here, especially Matthew Perryman Jones and St. Vincent. Oh, and hello orchestral and classical music.

iTunes Shuffle 11/13/15

1. A Place To Bury Strangers - "Onwards To The Wall"
2. Circa Survive - "Strange Terrain"
3. Pictureplane - "Real Is A Feeling"
4. Patsy Cline - "A Poor Man's Roses (Or A Rich Man's Money)"
5. Country Mice - "Ghost"
6. Jonathan Stark - "Let The Water Rise"
7. Robert Cray Band - "I Wonder"
8. Diamond Rings - "It's Not My Party"
9. Leslie Helpert - "A Serpentfly's Dream"
10. Fol Chen - "No Wedding Cake"

So this mix. Good! Weird! I love Diamond Rings so much, and of course Patsy Cline. Don't skip Leslie Helpert, even though she's not on the Spotify playlist.

iTunes Shuffle 11/6/15

1. William Fitzsimmons - "Beautiful Girl"
2. Gang Gang Dance "Nomad For Love (Cannibal)"
3. The Cranberries - "Pretty"
4. Morphine - "I'm Free Now"
5. Sly & The Family Stone - "Dance To The Music"
6. David Byrne & St. Vincent - "Cissus"
7. Crash Crew - "On The Radio"
8. DJ Shadow - "I Gotta Rokk"
9. Mark Eitzel - "I Love You But You're Dead"
10. Kate Bush - "The Dreaming"

William Fitzsimmons is one of those singer-songwriters you can simply call "special." Then Gang Gang Dance, The Cranberries and Morphine make a nice trio.

David Byrne & St. Vincent brilliant (not on Spotify, but do not skip, it's gorgeous), DJ Shadow an old favorite, and of course, the great Kate Bush.

iTunes Shuffle 10/30/15

1. Vetiver - "Roll On Babe" (Derroll Adams cover)
2. Shenandoah Davis - "Oh Captain!"
3. Phish - "Chalkdust Torture"
4. Charlotte Gainsbourg - "Heaven Can Wait"
5. DJ Infamous ft. Jeezy, Ludacris, Juicy J, The Game & Young Berg - "Double Cup"
6. Cowboy Junkies - "Blue Moon Revisited (Song For Elvis)" (partial original, partial cover of famous standard, "Blue Moon," originally recorded by Connee Boswell)
7. Usher ft. Will.I.Am - "OMG"
8. Cocteau Twins - "Touch Upon Touch"
9. Willie Nelson - "Recollection Phoenix"
10. Dr. Dog - "Dreams" (Saint Rich cover)

Schizo mix. Great, though. The hip-hop is just fun -- it's not even smart hip-hop. Just commercial stuff that's, um, fun anyway.

Highlights: Vetiver, Shenandoah Davis, Charlotte Gainsburg, Cowboy Junkies, Cocteau Twins, Willie Nelson, Dr. Dog, um, and also the hip-hop., for stupid purposes. So basically alla it. Don't miss Shenandoah Davis, even though she's on YouTube and not on the list. Same goes for Cocteau Twins, but that goes without saying.

iTunes Shuffle 10/23/15

1. The Mountain Goats - "Ethiopians"
2. Nina Simone - "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood"
3. Flying Lotus - "Ganesh"
4. Dwight Yoakam - "A Heart Like Mine"
5. Michael Chapman - "Fahey's Flag"
6. The Bloodsugars - "Light At The End Of The Tunnel"
7. James Blake - "I Never Learnt To Share"
8. Waka Flocka Flame - "Lifestyle" (remix of Rich Gang's "Lifestyle")
9. David Wilcox - "For Real" (live) (Bob Franke cover)
10. Indigo Girls - "River" (Live, Joni Mitchell cover)

Another beautiful mix, and ending with the covers from David Wilcox and Indigo Girls is perfect. Oh, and Nina Simone. Perfect. And OMG, James Blake. If you don't get him at first, listen to it like eight times.

iTunes Shuffle 10/16/15

1. Gil Scott-Heron - "I'll Take Care Of You" (Bobby "Blue" Bland cover)
2. Young Dreams - "First Days Of Something"
3. Cocteau Twins - "Sugar Hiccup" (BBC Session)
4. Of Montreal - "Heimdalsgate Like A Promethean Curse"
5. Kristin Hersh - "Flooding"
6. Young Man - "Thoughts"
7. Azealia Banks - "1991"
8. Sarah McLachlan - "Wait"
9. Erin McKeown - "Life On The Moon"
10. The Walkmen - "Heaven"

Wow, this is just a beautiful mix, beginning to end. Gil Scott-Heron kicks it off beautifully, and if you don't know about him, you need to. And oh, that Kristin Hersh song. I love her more every year I get older.

iTunes Shuffle 10/9/15

1. Björk - "Big Time Sensuality"
2. Rihanna - "We Found Love"
3. Alpines - "Cocoon"
4. Clark - "Herzog"
5. Big K.R.I.T. - "Country Shit"
6. Foreign Fields - "So Many Foreign Homes"
7. The Shangri-Las - "Remember (Walking In The Sand)"
8. Frightened Rabbit ft. Tracyanne Campbell - "Fuck This Place"
9. GRiZ ft. Dominic Lalli - "How It Ends"
10. ABBA - "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)"

You know the Björk, you know the Rihanna, but Alpines is your new favorite. Add Clark and the first four songs are kind of an electronic journey, and then Big K.R.I.T. brings it back to earth. For a second. Because then it goes back into ethereally beautiful Foreign Fields. Frightened Rabbit is Scottish and neato, and GRiZ is so good I just downloaded all his records for free.

Great mix.

iTunes Shuffle 10/2/15

1. Lower Dens - "Brains"
2. Garth Brooks - "Cold Like That"
3. Waterdeep - "Back Together Again"
4. clipping. ft. baseck - "bout.that"
5. JD McPherson - "Twinkle (Little Christmas Lights)"
6. The Fearless Vampire Killers - "Mexico"
7. Arthur Alligood - "Darkness To Light"
8. Craig Wedren and BABY - "Unreal"
9. Denison Witmer - "Three Little Birds" (Bob Marley cover)
10. Thundercat - "Daylight"

This mix is all over the fucking place, at least in the first half. Fell in love with the Lower Dens song over the course of the week.There's even a Christmas song at number 5 to get us in the mood for 2 and a half months from now, ugh!

Shockingly, the Garth Brooks song is available on YouTube (for the moment) because guess Garth Brook's minions haven't discovered it yet. It will not be available long.

It gets lovely and singer/songwriter-ey toward the end with Arthur Alligood and Denison Witmer, whose live version of "Three Little Birds" is beautiful.

iTunes Shuffle 9/25/15

1. 2Pac ft. Shock G & Money-B - "I Get Around"
2. The Chemical Brothers - "Hanna's Theme" (vocal version)
3. James Vincent McMorrow - "This Old Dark Machine"
4. Josh Rouse - "Winter In The Hamptons"
5. Tindersticks - "City Sickness"
6. Leonard Cohen - "Sisters Of Mercy"
7. Minipop - "Wearing Thin"
8. The Magnetic Fields - "Very Funny"
9. Lambchop - "Six O'Clock News" (John Prine cover)
10. Blonde Summer - "Jim"

Oh, this mix. All of it. The Chemical Brothers is beautiful. James Vincent McMorrow has been appearing a lot here lately. He's become one of my favorites. The great Leonard Cohen. The Magnetic Fields. Lambchop doing John Prine. Seriously, NO BAD SONGS here.

And it starts with 2Pac, because why the fuck not.

iTunes Shuffle 9/18/15

1. David Wilcox - "Jamie's Secret"
2. Wale ft. Tiara Thomas - "Bad"
3. WE CAN'T ENJOY OURSELVES - "Devil In The Old Folks Home"
4. Arcade Fire - "The Suburbs"
5. Himanshu ft. Danny Brown & Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire - "You Have To Ride The Wave"
6. Louis Armstrong - "Struttin' With Some Barbeque"
7. Dirty Projectors - "No More" (Black Flag cover)
8. Chester French - "She Loves Everybody"
9. The Cranberries - "Cordell"
10. The Kills - "Future Starts Slow"

Goddammit, David Wilcox is one of the best things that currently exists on the earth. Going from that into Wale is WEIRD. But okay.

Himanshu is badass. Loud. Going from that into Louis Armstrong is WEIRD.

And the song from The Kills is my new obsession. Great mix.

iTunes Shuffle 9/11/15

1. Concrete Blonde - "Days And Days" (Live in Brazil)
2. J. Tillman - "Year In The Kingdom"
3. Bob Dylan - "All I Really Want To Do"
4. Sean Nicholas Savage - "In My Dream"
5. Allison Weiss - "Nothing Left"
6. Asahi - "How Much He Lies"
7. Chris Pureka - "Hangman"
8. Curren$y ft. Young Jeezy & Lil Wayne - "Jet Life" (remix)
9. The Magnetic Fields - "Busby Berkeley Dreams"
10. Wintersleep - "Preservation"

If it was just ten J. Tillman songs in a row, it would be fine, really. He is a genius, and he's also known as Father John Misty, if you didn't know.

Concrete Blonde is a classic. The version on my playlist was from the Live In Brazil disc, but that's apparently not streaming ANYWHERE, and I don't feel like uploading it.

And The Magnetic Fields ... another classic.

Oh, just listen.


How Much He Lies from asahi on Myspace.

iTunes Shuffle 9/4/15

1. Ani DiFranco - "Sick Of Me"
2. Green Day - "Worry Rock"
3. Dear and the Headlights - "Bad News"
4. Yo La Tengo - "The Summer"
5. Garrison Starr - "Can't Have You"
6. Ben Sollee - "The Globe"
7. Joshua James - "Coal War"
8. The Bug ft. Tippa Irie - "Angry"
9. Brandi Carlile - "Throw It Away"
10. The Walkmen - "On The Water"

This mix made me excited before I even listened to it. Great Ani song, more Yo La Tengo (they keep coming up and I LOVE IT), Garrison Starr is one of my favorite artists ever, and so is Brandi Carlile. And then Ben Sollee & Joshua James on the boy singer-songwriter side. ("Coal War" is fucking amazing, and also Ben Sollee used to play cello with Abigail Washburn.) Just let it play. The only weird song is The Bug, but if you like that sort of thing -- we're on the fence? -- you'll enjoy it.

The only song that's not on Spotify is the Garrison Starr, and it's not streaming on the internet anywhere I can embed here. Usually I would just upload it to YouTube, but I kinda know her, and I don't know if she wants that. So just go to her website and listen to it! It's the first track on the EP.

iTunes Shuffle 8/28/15

1. Dead Soldiers - "Old Man"
2. Incubus - "Consequence"
3. Of Montreal - "Lysergic Bliss"
4. Blonde Redhead - "Spring And By Summer Fall"
5. Renee & Jeremy - "Daydream Believer" (Monkees cover)
6. Daniel Francis Doyle - "How Can You Work"
7. Escort - "Starlight" (RAC remix)
8. Bobby Bare Jr. - "Don't Go To Chattanooga"
9. Tori Amos - "Amber Waves"
10. The Knife - "A Tooth For An Eye"

Ooh, Dead Soldiers is one of the best bands in Memphis, and yet they've never shown up in this mix. One of the best live shows going right now, to be sure.

Otherwise, just a great mix. Very band-focused on the front half, a fantastic Tori song and The Knife is always lovely.

iTunes Shuffle 8/21/15

1. Björk - "Cocoon" (Vespertine live)
2. Bob Dylan - "Tangled Up In Blue"
3. The Carpenters - "Yesterday Once More"
4. Bessie Smith - "Muddy Water" (orig. sung by Harry Richman)
5. Ani DiFranco - "You Each Time"
6. Hot Sugar - "The Girl Who Stole My Tamagotchi"
7. The The - "Giant"
8. Run Forever - "Basement"
9. The Lovely Eggs - "Don't Look At Me (I Don't Like It)"
10. Minks - "Margot"

Björk's "Cocoon" is a lovely song to begin with, especially since I've felt like crawling into one for a couple weeks now. Then a trip to the '70s, followed by a lovely trip to the '20s with Bessie Smith, with Ani DiFranco capping off the front half.

And then it goes off in a whole different direction. I haven't listened to The The in YEARS. The Lovely Eggs are great if you like loud female vocalists with really thick British (Yorkshire?) accents. The second half isn't all from the '80s -- in fact, only The The is -- but it kind of all sounds like it COULD be.

I don't think I've ever had a mix which was so evenly divided between the front and back. Enjoy. All on Spotify this week too!

iTunes Shuffle 8/14/15

1. The Magic Kids - "Hey Boy"
2. Tracy Chapman - "If Not Now..."
3. The Stray Birds - Dream In Blue"
4. Hockey - "Learn To Lose"
5. Lower Dens - "Two Cocks Waving Wildly At Each Other Across A Vast Open Space, A Dark Icy Tundra"
6. Bright Eyes - "Soul Singer In A Session Band"
7. Casiotone For The Painfully Alone - "New Year's Kiss"
8. Tori Amos - "Jackie's Strength" ('Gold Dust' orchestral version)
9. The Ruby Suns - "Oh, Mojave"
10. Sufjan Stevens - "Mr. Frosty Man"

Hi, Tracy Chapman. And hi, Stray Birds (amazing independent country stuff!). My crush on Bright Eyes AKA Conor Oberst continues unabated. More lovely Casiotone For The Painfully Alone. Orchestral Tori. Yeah, not a bad song here.

Oh, and a Sufjan Stevens Christmas song in August because why not.

Putting the studio version of the Stray Birds song on the playlist of course, but also posting this live version, because they're a special thing to watch. Worthy of being one of your new favorites. Also, only one song not on the playlist, but don't miss it, because Casiotone For The Painfully Alone is, once again, wonderful:

iTunes Shuffle 8/7/15

1. Ra Ra Riot - "St. Peter's Day Festival"
2. The Deep Dark Woods - "Mary's Gone"
3. Brass Bed - "Please Don't Go"
4. Magnolia Sons - "Baby That's You"
5. Yo La Tengo - "Stockholm Syndrome"
6. Oneida - "A List Of The Burning Mountains" (preview)
7. The Life Electric - "Carried Away"
8. Thievery Corporation ft. David Byrne - "The Heart's A Lonely Hunter"
9. Kaki King - "Life Being What It Is"
10. Tori Amos - "Lust"

Another lovely, lovely mix. The Deep Dark Woods is one of those "need to know about" bands. So is Brass Bed. Yo La Tengo, Thievery Corporation, Kaki King and of course, one of my very favorite Tori Amos songs. Yeah, good mix.

iTunes Shuffle 7/31/15

1. Low - "On My Own"
2. Neko Case - "The Next Time You Say Forever"
3. Kate Bush - "Prologue"
4. James Vincent McMorrow - "Follow You Down To The Red Oak Tree"
5. Amanda Palmer ft. Peaches & Young Punx - "Map Of Tasmania" (The Young Punx Club Mix)
6. Iron And Wine - "Pagan Angel And A Borrowed Car"
7. Deana Carter - "Love Ain't Worth Making"
8. Brad Paisley - "Make A Mistake"
9. Paul Weller - "That Dangerous Age"
10. Jolie Holland - "The Future"

Low is quite simply one of the best bands ever. And the rest of this mix delivers too. I mean, shit, Neko Case to Kate Bush to James Vincent McMorrow, one of my new favorites? The Amanda Palmer is fun, and then we get brilliant Iron and Wine. God, I have the best music library.

And then we have two random commercial country songs, because that exists in my library too and we don't talk about it.

Ending with Jolie Holland is lovely, too.

Don't not listen to Kate Bush just because she's not on the playlist.

iTunes Shuffle 7/24/15

1. Robert Francis - "Take You To The Water"
2. Elbow - "Mirrorball"
3. The Weeknd - "Heaven Or Las Vegas"
4. Robert Francis - "Pilgrims"
5. Casiotone For The Painfully Alone - "Killers"
6. Alcoholic Faith Mission - "We Need Fear"
7. The Jive Monkey Trio - "Giant Steps (Coltrane)" (John Coltrane cover)
8. Aloha - "Mountain" (DT)
9. Leonard Cohen "Recitation" (w/ Neil Larsen) (live)
10. Crystal Stilts - "Sycamore Tree"

If an artist is going to appear twice, you can't get much better than Robert Francis. Sweet Jesus that man is pretty, and he writes brilliantly. Let's look at a picture of him and then I'll write other things after that, after I get back from fapping in my bunk.

And the Elbow and The Weeknd. This mix STAYS pretty. Casiotone For The Painfully Alone = Owen Ashworth, a brilliantly underrated songwriter who now performs under the moniker Advance Base. Alcoholic Faith Mission is as cool as their band's name sounds.

And then the Leonard Cohen recitation. Sweet lord. Nothing like it.

iTunes Shuffle 7/17/15

1. Brian Eno w/ Jon Hopkins & Leo Abrahams - "2 Forms Of Anger"
2. Denison Witmer - "Light On My Face"
3. Death Cab For Cutie - "Transatlanticism"
4. PUJOL - "Providence"
5. Future - "Itchin"
6. Caribou - "Leave House"
7. Tom Waits - "Jockey Full Of Bourbon"
8. Kelly Rowland - "Rose Colored Glasses"
9. Girl Talk - "Make Me Wanna"
10. Active Child - "Diamond Heart"

This mix is lovely. Especially the first three tracks, and the Tom Waits. Also, out of 34,000 on the iTunes at the moment, it's so weird when things come up twice in several weeks, as the Kelly Rowland appeared in June.

Oh, and the Active Child thing is one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard.

iTunes Shuffle 7/10/15

1. Moby - "Porcelain"
2. Gram Parsons ft. Emmylou Harris - "Sleepless Nights" (alternate version) (Everly Brothers cover)
3. The Black Lillies - "Reason To Believe" (Bruce Springsteen cover)
4. Ben Harper - "Touch From Your Lust"
5. Foals - "Blue Blood"
6. Sheryl Crow - "Maybe That's Something"
7. Miranda Lambert - "Baggage Claim"
8. Jens Lekman - "Waiting For Kirsten"
9. James Vincent McMorrow - "If I Had A Boat"
10. Maps & Atlases - "Winter"

Another GORGEOUS mix. And oh my god, James Vincent McMorrow is my new favorite.

iTunes Shuffle 7/3/15

1. King Tuff - "Wild Desire"
2. Chelsea Wolfe - "The Warden"
3. AM & Shawn Lee - "Winter Sun"
4. M. Ward - "Duet For Guitars #3"
5. Fanfarlo - "Tightrope"
6. Angel Haze - "Hot Like Fire"
7. David's Lyre - "This Time"
8. Waterdeep - "Get It Together"
9. SBTRKT ft. Little Dragon - "Wildfire"
10. Al Lewis - "Battles"

Well this mix sure does have some beautiful music. Chelsea Wolfe, AM & Sean Lee, the instrumental from M. Ward. And that's just the first half.

Angel Haze is a badass rap lady, and there is a Christian band on here, but it is not David's Lyre! SBTRKT is great, and OMG Al Lewis. I'll put the studio version of him on the playlist, but I'll put also put a vid of him performing it live because SEXXX.

Another great mix.

iTunes Shuffle 6/26/15

1. Band Of Horses - "NW Apt."
2. Rihanna - "G4L"
3. UNKLE - "Hold My Hand" (Innervisions Orchestra remix)
4. The Pipettes - "Pull Shapes"
5. Paul Westerberg - "Nowhere Man" (The Beatles cover)
6. Femi Kuti - "Dem Bobo"
7. Blue Lu Barker - "Don't You Feel My Leg"
8. Björk - "Thunderbolt"
9. Banjo Or Freakout - "Go Ahead"
10. Bon Iver - "Perth" (The Polish Ambassador remix)

Another week, another great mix. Really digging Rihanna, The Pipettes, Björk of course, and the Blue Lu Barker is just a great old song.

iTunes Shuffle 6/19/15

1. Sly & The Family Stone - "Everyday People"
2. Rage Against The Machine - "Bombtrack" (live)
3. Dan Zimmerman - "Lonely Way"
4. Electrelane - "John Wayne"
5. Menomena - "Muscle'n Flo"
6. Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - "Only In My Dreams"
7. Kyler England - "When The World Stops Spinning"
8. James Brown - "I Got The Feelin'"
9. Western Medication - "The Painted World"
10. Björk - "Mutual Core"

Fun mix! All on Spotify this week.

iTunes Shuffle 6/12/15

1. One eskimO - "Givin' Up" (Don Diablo remix)
2. Santogold - "Creator"
3. Jay-Z & Kanye West ft. Otis Redding - "Otis" (Cookin' Soul remix)
4. Joe Pug - "Hymn #76"
5. Christina Courtin - "Green Jay"
6. Kelly Rowland - "Rose Colored Glasses"
7. Veronica Falls - "Tell Me"
8. Dan Mangan - "Leaves, Trees, Forest"
9. Tori Amos - "A Case Of You" (live, Joni Mitchell cover)
10. Boy Friend - "Hammer" (live, Daytrotter)

HUH! So, this mix! Could not be more different from last week. The One eskimO and Santogold (now spelled "Santigold") back to back really spell that out. It settles down with Joe Pug and Christina Courtin, familiar singer-songwriter territory. Both are stellar artists.

Dan Mangan, as always, is lovely, and if you haven't heard Tori's Joni cover, it's one of my favorite things. Probably my all time favorite Joni Mitchell song.

iTunes Shuffle 6/5/15

1. Debbie Gibson - "Lost In Your Eyes"
2. Dawes - "That Western Skyline"
3. Björk - "All Neon Like"
4. Sonic Youth - "Peace Attack"
5. Howlin' Wolf - "Evil (Is Going On)"
6. Phosphorescent - "It's Hard To Be Humble (When You're From Alabama)"
7. Oasis - "The Hindu Times'
8. Sons Of Fathers - "Out Of Line"
9. Brahms: Serenade No. 1 In D Major, Op. 11 - Rondo. Allegro (Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra)
10. John Prine - "Long Monday" (live)

This is a hell of a mix. Not a bad song in it. From Debbie Gibson (yes) all the way to John Prine. Especially loving the Sonic Youth song right now. And it's all on Spotify, for once, so just let it play.

iTunes Shuffle 5/29/15

1. Blue-Eyed Son - "Step Away From The Cliff"
2. Kanye West feat. Keri Hilson, Pusha T & CyHi Da Prynce - "Take One For The Team"
3. The Changes - "Such A Scene"
4. Sly & The Family Stone - "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Again)"
5. Beat Happening - "You Turn Me On"
6. Chelsea Lankes - "Wrecking Ball"
7. Lukah Luciano ft. Nina 9 - "Merk Session"
8. The Beatles - "Something"
9. Joseph Arthur - "Redemption City"
10. Juicy J ft. Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz - "Bandz A Make Her Dance"

Shuffle time! Here are your highlights, besides the obvious (Sly & the Family Stone and one of the greatest Beatles songs ever). Chelsea Lankes is kickass electropop out of Nashville, Lukah Luciano is killer hippity-hoppity from Memphis and Joseph Arthur may be one of the greatest songwriters alive.

Let's go:

iTunes Shuffle 5/22/15

1. Allstar Weekend - "James (Never Change)"
2. Future Islands - "Before The Bridge"
3. Barber: Piano Sonata, Op. 26: 4. Fuga: Allegro con spirito (John Browning, piano)
4. Bush - "Body"
5. The Divine Comedy - "Down In The Street Below"
6. Christian Falk ft. Robyn & Ola Salo - "Dream On"
7. Björk - "Ambergris March"
8. Bell - "Meaninglessness"
9. Here We Go Magic - "Only Pieces"
10. Real Estate - "Municipality"

Future Islands is such an awesome fucking band. Also, the Barber Sonata is one of the most incredible pieces ever written for the piano, and the 4th movement is one of my very favorite things to play. Browning renders it beautifully.

The Divine Comedy is, of course, lovely, but #'s 6 through 8 take us on a great Scandinavian -slash- Russian ride. Totally fun.

Honestly, besides the first song (the only one not on Spotify), which is just cheesy and fun, this is just a gorgeous mix, through and through.

iTunes Shuffle 5/15/15

1. David Bowie - "Life On Mars?"
2. Unknown Mortal Orchestra - "Swim And Sleep (Like A Shark)"
3. Thee Oh Sees - "Enemy Destruct"
4. Moxy Früvous - "My Baby Loves A Bunch Of Authors" (live)
5. Stardust - "Music Sounds Better With You"
6. Trisha Yearwood - "Maybe It's Love"
7. Anya Marina - "Lullaby For A Realist"
8. The Spinto Band - "Shake It Off"
9. Miike Snow - "Paddling Out" (Jacques lu Cont remix)
10. Ferraby Lionheart - "Arkansas"

BEST DAVID BOWIE SONG EVER, in my opinion. One of them at least. Other highlights = Ferraby Lionheart, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Moxy Früvous, and for some reason, the Trisha Yearwood song, because I am a dork.

iTunes Shuffle 5/8/15

1. De La Soul - "Long Island Degrees"
2. Titus Andronicus - "Titus Andronicus"
3. Tori Amos - "Precious Things"
4. JJ Heller - "Star Of Wonder" (adapted from Traditional)
5. Iceage - "White Rune"
6. Curtis Mayfield - "Billy Jack"
7. Håkan Hellström - "För sent för Edelweiss"
8. Das Racist - "Rainbow In The Dark"
9. HEALTH - "Death +"
10. Nirvana - "Dumb" (live MTV Unplugged)

Weird mix. Tori, De La Soul, Christmas music, British punk, Curtis Mayfield ...

Das Racist with a lovely "Saved By The Bell" reference ...

Oh, and Swedish folk pop. Yeah, here's a weird mix of music.

iTunes Shuffle 5/1/15

1. Gov't Mule - "Lola Leave Your Light On"
2. UK Subs - "I Live In A Car"
3. J. Irvín Dally - "Shanidar"
4. The Elected - "Sun, Sun, Sun"
5. The New Pornographers - "My Rights Versus Yours"
6. Tears For Fears - "Shout" (Refine Tuned mix)
7. Panic! At The Disco - "Mad As Rabbits"
8. Kurt Vile - "Jesus Fever"
9. Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - "Nobody's Baby"
10. Talib Kweli & Z-Trip ft. Greg Nice, Styles P - "NY Shining"

Another week, another great mix. Your highlights this time? J. Irvín Dally, The Elected and OF COURSE The New Pornographers, perhaps the greatest band in the world.

iTunes Shuffle 4/24/15

1. Pee Wee King & His Golden West Cowboys - "Slow Poke"
2. Broken Fences - "Pocket Knife" (live Daytrotter)
3. Twilight Hotel - "Mahogany Veneer"
4. My Morning Jacket - "Our World" (The Muppets cover, orig. from Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas)
5. Tool - "Vicarious"
6. Dar Williams - "The Light And The Sea"
7. Denver - "The Way It Is"
8. Wintersleep - "Archaeologists"
9. Yo La Tengo - "I Feel Like Going Home"
10. Annuals - "Always Do

Ooh, fun, RANDOM old country to start things out. I love it when hidden gems like that pop up. Then we have two INCREDIBLE man-lady country/folk/rock duos, Broken Fences and Twilight Hotel. This mix is making me giddy so far.

The My Morning Jacket Muppets cover is something I just love. Tool is a favorite band, and on the whole other end of the spectrum, Dar Williams is one of my favorite humans and musicians of all time.

Denver is great country/folk kinda stuff, and then Yo La Tengo and Annuals are two MORE of my very favorites. Seriously. Maybe best mix ever?

iTunes Shuffle 4/17/15

1. Deep Sea Diver - "The Watchmen"
2. Rush - "The Rhythm Method" (live)
3. Elenowen - "Flying For The First Time"
4. Daniel Francis Doyle - "There Are Two Of You"
5. YACHT - "Utopia"
6. Red Wanting Blue - "Space Time"
7. Nathan Angelo - "September 22nd"
8. Jars Of Clay - "Like A Child"
9. GRiZ - "Where Is The Love"
10. Matt Baldwin - "We Enter The Dream"

This week's mix is just PRETTY. The drum solo from Rush (a total outlier) gives way to the beautiful harmonies of Elenowen. Red Wanting Blue is a serious highlight. I've had their stuff in my iTunes forever and never really listened. Nathan Angelo is wonderful, and my inner Christian teenager loves Jars Of Clay. Great mix, overall.

iTunes Shuffle 4/10/15

1. M83 - "Reunion"
2. Ben Folds Five - "Eddie Walker"
3. Matthew Sweet - "Divine Intervention" (live)
4. The Morning Benders - "Excuses"
5. Matthew Perryman Jones - "Home"
6. Panic! At The Disco - "Behind The Sea"
7. Jagwar Ma - "The Throw"
8. You Blew It! - "I'm Bill Paxton"
9. Shabaam Sahdeeq ft. Eminem & Kwest Tha Mad Ladd - "5 Star Generals"
10. Jenny and Johnny - "Big Wave"

Hello, huge M83 song. Also, hello Ben Folds, I have everything the man has ever done, and he never comes up in these mixes, weird. The Matthew Sweet song is great, and I actually took the time to upload the live version that came up in my shuffle, because it really beats the ass of the studio version. Morning Benders = awesome. They are now called POP ETC, due to they had to change their name.

That all leads to Matthew Perryman Jones, who is just one of my favorite Men Who Sing Pretty Songs. He's just wonderful. Wow, halfway through the mix and there hasn't been a mediocre song yet. Etc.

The Jenny of Jenny and Johnny is Jenny Lewis. Quite good. Listen:

iTunes Shuffle 4/3/15

1. Jamiroquai - "Hey Floyd"
2. Young Oceans - "None But Thee"
3. Pixies - "Hey"
4. Lazyeyes - "Forever"
5. The Joy Formidable - "Cradle"
6. Anika - "End Of The World" (Skeeter Davis cover)
7. Ani DiFranco - "Everest"
8. Mount Kimbie - "Ode To Bear"
9. Backyard Tire Fire - "One Wrong Turn"
10. Carolyn Malachi - "Fall Winter Spring Summer"

Starting with Jamiroquai is kinda fun. Young Oceans is an example of the indie Christian music that ends up on my iTunes. I'm okay with it. Pixies, Lazyeyes, The Joy Formidable, all great. Very intense music this week!

The Anika cover is really cool and interesting if you know the original. Ani DiFranco is always welcome, glad I finally uploaded all my Ani to this hard drive.

Oh, and if you keep listening, I promise you won't be ready for how incredibly awesome Carolyn Malachi is. You need that in your life.

And for the first time in literally forever, they are all on Spotify, so just let it play!

iTunes Shuffle 3/27/15

1. Makali - "Il faut du temps au temps"
2. Primal Scream - "Loaded"
3. Moby - "Inside"
4. Cold Country - "To Providence"
5. Magic Wands - "Black Magic"
6. Bonnie "Prince" Billy - "I See A Darkness"
7. Emily Reid - "The River"
8. Meat Puppets - "Waiting"
9. Michael Bublé - "A Foggy Day (In London Town)" (orig. sung by Fred Astaire)
10. Big Star - "Kanga Roo"

It always bodes well when we start with a French chanson. The whole first half is lovely, leading to the highlight, the Bonnie "Prince" Billy song. The Emily Reid song is quite nice, though it took me ten minutes of Googling to figure out who the fuck she was. If you like that Katie Herzig sound that's proliferating out of Nashville (and I do), you will like her. Meat Puppets wonderful, of course, and like him or hate him, Michael Bublé does deliver those old standards well. And then Big Star. GREAT MIX, my goodness.

iTunes Shuffle 3/20/15

1. Lukah Luciano ft. Alexander - "Concrete Jungle"
2. Savages - "Husbands"
3. ABBA - "Take A Chance On Me"
4. Eric Clapton - "Cocaine" (JJ Cale cover)
5. Tori Amos - "Honey" (with short cover of Elvis Costello's "She" as intro, live 11/12/01, Oakland, CA)
6. Oneohtrix Point Never - "Blue Drive"
7. Anaïs Mitchell - "Ships"
8. Incubus - "Blood On The Ground"
9. Turnover - "Pray For Me"
10. Library Voices - "Generation Handclap"

Lukah Luciano is a local Memphis rapper and he is great. Savages are wonderful, listen if you like old Joy Division and stuff like that. ABBA, Tori, I somehow need all that this week. I specifically uploaded the live bootleg version of "Honey" with the "She" intro, because it seemed necessary.

Second half includes Anaïs Mitchell, one of the best singer-songwriters out there.

iTunes Shuffle 3/13/15

1. JD McPherson - "North Side Gal"
2. The Boxing Lesson - "Drone To Sleep"
3. The Horrors - "Wild Eyed"
4. Bassnectar - "Voodoo" (Beats Antique remix)
5. Brahms: Serenade No. 2 In A Major, Op. 16 - Scherzo. Vivace (Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra)
6. Tori Amos - "Frog On My Toe"
7. Obliterations - "Kick Against The Pricks"
8. American Landscape Painting - "You Guys Are My Best Friends"
9. The Drums - "Down By The Water" (The Soundmen remix)
10. Grimes - "Caladan"

Well, JD McPherson starts this off dancing. Good for the early mornings when I listen to these mixes. The Beats Antique treatment of the Bassnectar is also a good, energetic thing. Then we move into Brahms, followed by one of my very all time-favorite Tori Amos songs.

But this mix, the one that made me jump up and holler, is the remix of The Drums. HOLY SHIT. Yeah, that.

And Grimes kicks ass too. Great mix.

iTunes Shuffle 3/6/15

1. Sandra McCracken - "All The Miles"
2. The Drums - "Hard To Love"
3. Chic Gamine - "Closer"
4. Alicia Keys - "Caged Bird"
5. Katy B - "Katy On A Mission"
6. Rihanna ft. The XX - "Drunk On Love"
7. Neko Case - "City Swan"
8. Elvis Costello & The Attractions - "I Hope You're Happy Now" (acoustic)
9. Ryan Adams - "Hickory Wind" (live, The Byrds cover)
10. Derek Webb & Sandra McCracken - "From You To Me"

This mix is just fuckin' GREAT.

Sandra McCracken is so amazing. Do you like Patty Griffin? You will like Sandra. She is technically a Christian artist, but unlike so much "Christian" music, she doesn't suck!

This mix is all about the girls, until the end when Elvis Costello (didn't we just have that song like 3 weeks ago?) and the incredible Ryan Adams make an appearance.

Finally, a song from Sandra again, with her then-husband, Derek Webb. They are not married anymore so :(

iTunes Shuffle 2/27/15

1. Hey Champ - "Shake"
2. Alex Turner - "Stuck On The Puzzle"
3. Bosnian Rainbows - "Morning Sickness"
4. Brian Eno - "Stars"
5. Cass McCombs - "Love Thine Enemy"
6. Jeffrey James - "Tell Me"
7. My Brightest Diamond - "From The Top Of The World"
8. Moon High - "Autumn Leaves"
9. Ty Dolla $ign ft. B.o.B. & Kid Ink - "Creez"
10. Schumann:  Romance in F-Sharp Major, Op. 28, No. 2 (Evelyne Dubourg, piano)

Here is your weird weekly mix. It's all pretty good, but what's REALLY good is My Brightest Diamond. She is just such a gem. Also digging Alex Turner and Bosnian Rainbows. Brian Eno, of course. Put that one at naptime. Cass McCombs super cool as always. Etc.

iTunes Shuffle 2/20/15

1. Matthew Dear - "You Put A Smell On Me"
2. Local Natives - "Breakers"
3. The Smiths - "Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want"
4. The Darcys - "Home At Last" (Steely Dan cover)
5. Sun Airway - "Close"
6. Something Corporate - "I Woke Up In A Car"
7. Low - "Will The Night"
8. Coldplay - "Fix You" (Datsik remix)
9. De La Soul - "Cool Breeze On The Rocks"
10. Barton Carroll - "The Lag's Song" (Ewan MacColl cover)

Oh, it is music time and it is a good one! The Darcys doing Steely Dan is LOVELY. The Coldplay song is ALSO LOVELY. And the Barton Carroll and the Sun Airway, and really, most of the rest. De La Soul is just an interlude, but I left it on the list. It is not on Spotify though, so fuck it. Let us listen.

iTunes Shuffle 2/13/15

1. Family Band - "Moonbeams"
2. Thrushes - "Crystals"
3. Gotye - "Bronte"
4. Ballboy - "Something's Going To Happen Soon"
5. Autre Ne Veut - "Play By Play"
6. Ryan Bingham - "Too Deep To Fill"
7. The Desperate Bicycles - "Cars"
8. Cold Country - "Carried Away With The Wind"
9. Calvin Johnson - "Blind In One Eye" (orig. The Hive Dwellers)
10. Court Yard Hounds - "Skyline"

Oops, we are a day behind on this, but oh well, we are busy bees. This mix is just fabulous. Family Band, Thrushes, Autre Ne Veut and Gotye are just BEAUTIFUL. (And if your only conception of Gotye is that you're tired of hearing "Somebody That I Used To Know," you are in for a treat.) Ryan Bingham is pretty dang cool too, and Court Yard Hounds are the Dixie Chicks sans Natalie Maines.

Etc.

iTunes Shuffle 2/6/15

1. Mobb Deep - "Drop A Gem On 'Em"
2. RxRy - "UAAIO (collapsable interior prism shadow)"
3. Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - "Bright Lit Blue Skies" (Rockin' Ramrods cover)
4. Caleb Caudle - "Miss Me When You're Gone"
5. Grace Potter and the Nocturnals - "That Phone"
6. TRS-80 - "100 Miles Per Hour"
7. Title Fight - "No One Stays At The Top Forever"
8. George Harrison - "Dark Horse"
9. Blues Traveler - "The Mountains Win Again"
10. Rancid - "Ruby Soho"

As usual, all over the place. Just listen. I really love the Caleb Caudle song, but most of it's pretty great.

iTunes Shuffle 1/30/15

1. Beats Antique - "Beauty Beats"
2. Tori Amos - "Tear In Your Hand" (live Royce Hall Auditorium, Los Angeles, 4/25/05)
3. Bleeding Knees Club - "California Eyes" (live Daytrotter)
4. Balmorhea - "Candor"
5. Rodrigo Y Gabriela - "Diablo Rojo" (live in Japan)
6. Counting Crows - "If I Could Give All My Love (Richard Manuel Is Dead)"
7. Katy Perry - "Wide Awake"
8. PDF Format - "God Only Knows 64" (Beach Boys cover)
9. Dawn Landes - "Love" (Margo Guryan cover)
10. Arcade Fire - "Keep The Car Running"

Hummmmm!

Finally getting around to listening to Beats Antique, and wow. They describe themselves as the intersection between electronica and world beats music (Bonnaroo bait, basically) but they do it well. Tori's live track is welcome. Balmorhea, from Austin, are one of the coolest instrumental outfits around. The Mexican duo Rodrigo Y Gabriela is continually stunning. "Wide Awake" is an enormous guilty pleasure for me. It's just a fucking great pop song. The PDF Format track is a video game-style cover of the Beach Boys song. Sounds strange. Is. But it works QUITE well. Dawn Landes, ex-wife of Josh Ritter, doing the Margo Guryan song is pretty great. And "Keep The Car Running" is probably my favorite Arcade Fire song.

Etc.

Weird, great mix.

iTunes Shuffle 1/23/15

1. Amy LaVere - "Never Been Sadder"
2. Dirty Projectors - "Swing Lo Magellan"
3. The Dismemberment Plan - "The City"
4. Ed Roland and the Sweet Tea Project - "Devils 'n Darlins" (revised)
5. Fake Problems - "Gone Before Dawn"
6. Jacqueline Taïeb - "Le cœur au bout des doigts"
7. Eric Clapton - "San Francisco Bay Blues" (live Unplugged) (Jesse Fuller cover)
8. Craig Finn - "Honolulu Blues"
9. Allah-Las - "Busman's Holiday"
10. Nanci Griffith w/ Rodney Crowell - "I Still Miss Someone" (Johnny Cash cover)

Interesting mix. If Ed Roland and the Sweet Tea Project reminds you of Collective Soul, Google that. Lots of anthemic indie rock here. Dirty Projectors are always great, and the Fake Problems song is quite good as well.

The Jacqueline Taïeb tune is quite fun. French Tunisian music from the '60's. And I'm loving the Craig Finn song. And Nanci and Rodney at the end is awesome.

Let's go.