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.