As the Worm Turns: Summer Fridays 4.5

Hey it’s the first Summer Fridays of actual Summer! And it’s supposed to rain! Which actually works out ok, given the content this week. Cover art is by Sable Yong who fronts two bands in Brooklyn: Year of the Tiger and Chalk and Numbers. I’m not sure what dissecting a gummi worm says about summer (she calls it “morbid cuteness”) but it kind of reminded me of old 4AD artwork for some reason… so this week’s mix is on the darker side. It does rain in the summer. Usually around 6PM. And with 4AD, there are three classic tracks from the label on here, plus a little shoegaze (old and new) and a bunch of other cool new stuff. Dig in.

DOWNLOAD SUMMER FRIDAYS 4.5

Tracklist:
1. Colourmusic – Tog
2. Zaza – Are What You Aren’t
3. The Wolfgang Press – Raintime
4. Acid House Kings – Would You Say Stop (Invisible Twin Remix)
5. Kindest Lines – Running Into Next Year
6. ***mystery artist*** – **mystery song**
7. Cocteau Twins – 50-50 Clown
8. SBTRKT – Pharaohs
9. Roberto Cacciapaglia feat. Ann Steel – My Time
10. Wild Beasts – Reach a Bit Further
11. Heart Throbs – Dreamtime
12. Det Vackra Livet – Juni berättar
13. Ghost Animal – In Your Room
14. My Bloody Valentine – When You Sleep
15. Austra – Hate Crime
16. Colourbox – Tarantula
17. Serafina Steer – GSOH

Liner notes after the jump:
1. Colourmusic – Tog
Oklahoma’s most awesome prog band. I think you can’t come from that state and not have a little Flaming Lips in you, but Colourmusic are completely their own beast. Hopefully they will tour the East Coast soon. Great and heavy live band.

2. Zaza – Are What You Aren’t
New York duo (trio live) are kind of odd band out in the local scene (as it were) I think, too weird for mainstream, maybe a little too slick for the Captured Tracks/Wierd crowd who otherwise embrace bands with gothy tendencies. But Zaza’s debut, Strange Geometry, sounds great loud and even better live and deserve a wider audience. If any Twilight soundtrack producers are out there… listen up. I mean that in a good way.

3. The Wolfgang Press – Raintime
The first 4AD band on this mix. I think The Wolfgang Press hold the record of being the band to be on the label the longest. They were weird and arty and gothy at the start, then got more danceable for the amazing one-two punch of 1988’s Bird Wood Cage and 1991’s Queer. This is from the former, a remix actually. So much well-contained menace on this one. It’s in the bush, it’s in the trees.

4. Acid House Kings – Would You Say Stop (Invisible Twin Remix)
You may remember this song in it’s original indiepop form from Sound Bites of Spring or Acid House Kings’ most recent album. Invisible Twin take the jingle jangle album version and basically turn it into an early Saint Etienne song, downcast and dubby. And equally awesome.

5. Kindest Lines – Running Into Next Year
Kindest Lines, from New Orleans (have yet to appear on Treme, btw), are one of the poppiest bands yet signed to Wierd Records and their debut album could find the widest audience yet for the label. This song shows a strong New Order influence, specifically it sounds a lot like “This Time of Night” from Low-Life. But I like it in its own right.

6. ***mystery artist*** – **mystery song**
I can’t tell you anything about this as I really shouldn’t be sharing it yet. But I couldn’t resist.

7. Cocteau Twins – 50-50 Clown
Cocteau Twins’ 1990 album Heaven or Las Vegas is one of those rare perfect albums that never dates, you never tire of listening to. Definitely a desert island disc for this guy. Elizabeth Fraser becomes slightly intelligible on this one, just enough. There’s still mystery. If you don’t own this record…do it now.

8. SBTRKT – Pharaohs
This is the ray of sunshine in an otherwise cloudy mix. SBTRKT’s debut is like a culmination of everything electronic music has done in the last 20 years or so: house, jungle, drum n’ bass… almost like an Astralwerks Greatest Hits made modern. It’s pretty great. This track features Roses Gabor and…it’s a little like Black Box’s “Everybody” or am I crazy? One of the Singles of the Summer for me whether it gets released as a single or not.

9. Roberto Cacciapaglia feat. Ann Steel – My Time
Italian Composer dabbles in pop music with an American model to make a mutant prog pop classic.

10. Wild Beasts – Reach a Bit Further
As faithful readers may know, Wild Beast’s 2009 LP Two Dancers was my favorite album of that year. The follow-up is an understated affair, steeped in Blue Nile style quiet beauty. It took a little while to get into but I’ve come around to it’s subtle charms. This is probably the most Two Dancers-esque song on the album.

11. The Heart Throbs – Dreamtime
Fronted by sisters Rose and Rachel DeFritas (yes, sisters of Echo & the Bunnymen’s Pete), The Heart Throbs were kind of like Lush, but a bit poppier and dirtier. Their debut album The Cleopatra Grip (which this is from) is a reference, I’m pretty sure, to the kegel muscles. They also had an album called Vertical Smile. Hello! Anyway, I digress. This was a big college radio hit in 1990 though I feel like nobody remembers it.

12. Det Vackra Livet – Juni berättar
I know what you’re thinking. “Stop mumbling, band!” Well they might not be enunciating, but they’re also singing in Swedish. Det Vackra Livet is the two main guys (brothers) from The Mary Onettes, some sort of side project that basically just sounds like thier main band but in their native tongue. Maybe slightly less catchy and less Cure-y.

13. Ghost Animal – In Your Room
I don’t know much about this band. I bought their 7″ single solely on the cover art. It was a good purchase. You can download both sides for free from their Bandcamp page. Shoegaze heavy on the gaze.

14. My Bloody Valentine – When You Sleep
Which leads straight into this MBV classic. I went to see Memoryhouse a couple weeks ago and they covered this. You don’t hear a lot of My Bloody Valentine covers. It was good. I was surprised to learn I haven’t used this yet on a Summer Fridays mix, so here you are. You’re welcome.

15. Austra – Hate Crime
Nothing says “summer” like “hate crime,” am I right? (I hear Millhouse yelling “HATE CRIME!”) I don’t focus so much on lyrics. Catchy tune, you know?

16. Colourbox – Tarantula
This was a fairly early release (1982) on the 4AD label and easily my favorite (favourite) thing Colourbox ever released. They re-recorded the single a year later but it didn’t have this version’s charm. Two of Colourbox were part of M/A/R/R/S who did the iconic “Pump Up the Volume” single.

17. Serafina Steer – GSOH
And we end on a melancholic note. A beautiful one. If I’d heard last year’s Change is Good Change is Good when it came out I would’ve included it on my Best of 2010 list. A little like the gentlest Electrelane songs. Yes, it does end that way on purpose.