Summer Fridays 2010

Ring Ring Ring… “Hello, Who Is It?” “It’s: Summer Fridays 3.8. I’m in Jail(l).”

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SF_3.8
We're back to singing in English this week. Aren't you glad? Cover design by my friend Carly who is a genius soundperson when not being half of the Daed Pizza label/partythrowers. It reminds me of old school Peanuts for some reason, though I'm not sure there was a lot of smoking in Charles Schultz's world, though maybe Snoopy's wayward brother, Spike, did. Carly likes power pop, so I designed this week's mix with that in mind. I miss rotary phones. 

DOWNLOAD SUMMER FRIDAYS 3.8

Tracklist:

  1. The Nerves – Hanging on the Telephone
  2. The Goodnight Loving – Into a Grape
  3. Yuck – Georgia    
  4. Rooftop Vigilantes – Aliens for Breakfast
  5. Superdrag – Phaser
  6. The dB's – Amplifier
  7. Dolly Mixture – Everything and More
  8. Betty & the Werewolves – Paper Thin
  9. The Undertones – True Confessions
  10. Sloan – C'mon C'mon
  11. Jaill – Everyone's Hip
  12. Hefner – Hymn for the Cigarettes
  13. Herzog – Town to Town
  14. Julian Cope – Sunspots
  15. Tim Cohen – A Mind of Thier Own
  16. Brilliant Colors – Walk Into the World
  17. Unnatural Helpers - Sunshine / Pretty Girls
  18. Nada Surf – Electrocution
  19. R.E.M. – Life and How to Live It
  20. Standard Fare – Philadelphia 

By this point you know what's next but I keep saying it. These songs are put in a particular order on purpose and are mixed together, so if you listen on shuffle it's gonna sound like crap. So don't do that. Click through for insightful liner notes.

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Zut Alors! C’est Summer Fridays 3.7

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Maybe it was the oppressive, triple-digit heat but I've been in a Frenchy / featherlight mood all week and kept throwing that type of music into my "possibilities" folder for this mix. Yes, I realize there's always some Franco-pop on these but I was really in that mood and then I realized Bastille Day was next week, so I embraced the theme and here we have a mix with half of the tracks having an actual French connection (sorry) and the other tracks fitting the mood. Well, I think so. There's also some Welsh language singing courtesy Cerys Matthews, an obscure, awesome cover of a Stones track by some Italians, some Americans (April March) and Danish (Cours Lapin)  pretentending to be be French  Plus Jim Noir, new Liechtenstein and a great new single by new band The Title Sequence. 

Cover Art this week is by Ryan Sovereign who makes some really snazzy ties when not playing hammering at synthesizers in 'Mazing Vids. It reminds me of the kind of 7" sleeves Rough Trade released in '79/'80. Artwork for this third Summer Fridays series has probably eclipsed the music on them. Bravo. Anyway, without further adieu…

DOWNLOAD SUMMER FRIDAYS 3.7

Tracklist:

  1. Serge Gainsbourg – Pauvre Lola
  2. The Title Sequence – Lovers
  3. April March – Garçon Glaçon
  4. Bertrand Burgalat – Demolition Derby
  5. Cerys Matthews – Arlington Road
  6. Les Yper Sound – Psyche Rock
  7. MC Solaar – Obsolète
  8. The Goodies – Sophisticated Boom Boom
  9. The Free Design – My Brother Woody
  10. Jim Noir – Key of C
  11. Automelodi – Baunderie Jazz
  12. Stereolab – Percolator
  13. Two Wounded Birds – My Lonesome
  14. Carol King -He's a Bad Boy
  15. The Tritons – (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
  16. Liechtenstein -Passion for Water
  17. True Love Always – Modesto
  18. Katerine – Le Manteau de Fourrure
  19. Cours Lapin – Cache Cache
  20. The Legendary Jim Ruiz Group – My Bloody Yugo
  21. The Liminianas – Je Ne Suis Pas Tre´s Drogue

What is French for "no shuffling"? A bit behind this week, I'll try and get liner notes up tomorrow.

Summer Fridays 3.6

Bill 2 Comments

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Happy America, people! This week's mix features mostly foreigners, or as some senators cal them, enemies. Not me, I'm all about uniting the world through jangly guitar music. For this mix, at least. Cover art this week is by Jack "Skippy" McFadden, former talent booker for Union Hall and The Bell House who has now landed at The Rock Shop which has it's first show next week. If I knew anything about the music that's gonna be on this Altered Zones website ("Drone Step"? Really? That's a thing?) this could be cover art, though the title would've been scratched into the Polaroid with a safety pin instead of the fine photoshopping you see above. What am I on about? No idea. Here's the mix:

DOWNLOAD SUMMER FRIDAYS 3.6

Tracklist:

  1. The Chills – Double Summer
  2. The Silver Seas – What's the Drawback?
  3. Nick Drake – Hazey Jane II
  4. Richard James – When You See Me (In The Pouring Rain)
  5. Teenage Fanclub – Ain't That Enough
  6. Family Trees – Dream Talkin'
  7. Dusty Springfield – Magic Garden
  8. Tame Impala – Solitude is Bliss
  9. The Lionheart Brothers – Bring it Down
  10. Best Coast – Boyfriend
  11. Badly Drawn Boy – Everybody's Stalking
  12. Gold-Bears – Tally
  13. The Rough Bunnies – I Say Goodbye
  14. A House – Love Quarry
  15. The Vaselines – I Hate the '80s
  16. The Meligrove Band – Halflight
  17. The Kinks – Driving
  18. That Petrol Emotion – The Deadbeat
  19. MINKS – Funeral Song
  20. Frankie Rose & the Outs – Little Brown Haired Girl

Please listen to this in it's proper running order. Putting this on shuffle would be UNAMERICAN. Liner notes after the jump.

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Zoing! Summer Fridays 3.5!

Bill 1 Comment

SF3.5
The cover to this week's mix is not available at Spencer Gifts, though that's the first thing I thought of when I saw it. Design courtesy Jimbo Matison and this wasn't some clip art job — dude actually hired a model. Maybe not just for this cover but probably mostly.  I'm not sure how well it matches with the music, but the guitar she's slinging is very indie rock which is — surprise! — what you're getting this week. With temperatures in the upper '90s here yesterday, it's definitely bikini weather. Which way to the beach?

DOWNLOAD SUMMER FRIDAYS 3.5

Here's the tracklist:

  1. Magic Kids – Summer
  2. Family Fodder – Film Music
  3. Big Troubles – Wouldn't Mind
  4. Title Tracks – Hello There
  5. Wavves – Super Soaker
  6. The Fresh & Onlys – Vanishing Cream
  7. The Wedding Present – Convertible
  8. Mystery Jets – Dreaming of Another World
  9. Dum Dum Girls – I Will Be
  10. Blake Babies – Out There
  11. Aias – Canvis
  12. Drop Nineteens – Wynona
  13. Jacuzi Boys – Bricks or Coconuts
  14. Sky Larkin – Kalide
  15. HollAnd – Anna Winter Stasi
  16. Mad V – A La Mode
  17. Cloud Nothings – Didn't You
  18. Sisters – Wake Me Up
  19. Revolver – Red All Over
  20. Ty Segall – Bees

You know the drill — don't play this on shuffle as the songs are actually mixed together. I mean, I can't really stop you from doing it but it's not going to sound right. Go ahead and listen to it WRONG if you  want, dummy. It's a free country. Liner notes after the jump

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That Hard Shell Finish: Summer Fridays 3.4

Bill 2 Comments

SF_3.4_web
We're still a few days from it actually being Summer but that is good, as we've got a whole season to look forward to: the oppressive heat and humidity, the crushing disappointment of everything Hollywood has to offer except for Inception, and gallons and gallons more oil into the Gulf. Good times!

On the plus side, this week's cover was done by famed street artist King of the Streets, who is probably the hottest name this side of Mr. Brainwash. As you may remember he's a staunch environmentalist (and suffers crippling agoraphobia), so all graffiti takes place via MS Paint. You can visit that turtle down at the South Street Seaport if you like. Musically, after a couple weeks of dancier fare, the guitars return for Summer Fridays 3.4. Please enjoy: 

DOWNLOAD SUMMER FRIDAYS 3.4 (new link!)

Tracklist:

  1. The Jameses – Rat People
  2. Blur – Fool's Day
  3. Charlotte Gainsbourg – Trick Pony
  4. La De Das – How is the Air Up There?
  5. The Soft Pack – Pull Out
  6. The Megaphonic Thrift – Talks Like a Weed King
  7. Women – Narrow with the Hall
  8. Jacques Dutronc – Mini, Mini, Mini
  9. Eddy Current Suppression Ring – Gentleman
  10. The Turtles – You Showed Me
  11. Woods – Blood Dries Darker
  12. Love – A House is Not a Motel
  13. The Coral – Butterfly House
  14. The Morning Benders – All Day Daylight
  15. Film School – Waited
  16. Asteroid #4 – Let it Go
  17. Swervedriver – Birds
  18. Bear Quartet – His Spine

Disclaimer: all the songs are actually mixed together, despite being separate tracks so, say it with me, no shuffling! Liner notes after the jump.

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Up in Your Grill: Summer Fridays 3.3

Bill 2 Comments

SF3.3_sm
Usually when I make these mixes, I'm either making the artwork the night before they're supposed to go up or waiting on whichever friend I've conned into doing the artwork for me. Either way, the actual mix is done. Not so this time. My friend Greg sent this to me last week and I built the mix around it. Pretty killer art, I think, clever, and not only screams Summer Fridays but also Sound Bites' food-and-music modus operandi. Definitely one of my favorite covers ever and a call for future mix cover designers to step up their game. This one's definitely on the dancey side, perfect for your next BBQ disco.

DOWNLOAD SUMMER FRIDAYS 3.3

TRACKLISTING:

  1. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark – So In Love
  2. LCD Soundsystem – I Can Change
  3. WhoMadeWho – Keep Me in My Plane
  4. Big Audio Dynamite – Hollywood Blvd
  5. Can – I'm So Green
  6. Field Music – Let's Write a Book
  7. The Hundred in the Hands – Sleepwalking
  8. Soft Moon – Breathe the Fire
  9. Grace Jones – She's Lost Control
  10. Heaven 17 – (We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang
  11. Grovesnor – Taxi from the Airport
  12. No Kids – I Want to Be Around
  13. CFCF – Half Dreaming
  14. Edwyn Collins – 20 Years Too Late
  15. Orchester Werner Mueller – Bodybuilding

And here's where I remind you about no shuffling. The songs are mixed together, despite being separate tracks, blah blah blah. Liner notes after the jump.

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Summer Fridays 3.2: Hazy, Hot and Humid

Bill 3 Comments

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Whoo it’s hot, huh? And barely June. Despite my hopes at not having to make any of this year’s covers myself, here we are with a patented B.Pearis Type-Over-Photo school of design. (The font, if you’re curious is a Peter Saville original, created for the 1981 – Factus 8 – 1982 compilation EP.) I actually kind of like this one, though.  The photo is from the Library of Congress’ Flickr. It was taken at a square dance in Oklahoma around 1939. No one in this photograph was dancing to The Drums, The B-52’s or Air Miami, but if I was to go back in time with a boom box and play this mix for them, I feel pretty positive they’d be frightened. Fear would turn to anger and I’d get beat up or worse. But maybe doing so would somehow end up in stopping Hitler. Which would make it all worth it. That is the power of music, folks.

But I digress. Here’s mix #2 which I think turned out pretty well and is about half-and-half new/old. At one point this one had two French language tracks, but now it has none. Probably because of the whole time travel incident, the USA never had to storm Normandy and somehow those musicians were never born or never became musicians. Looks like I’ve got some paradox-fixing to do.

DOWNLOAD SUMMER FRIDAYS 3.2 

  1. Django Django – WOR
  2. The Slits – I Heard it Through the Grapevine
  3. Young Friends – Riverside Kids
  4. The B-52’s – 52 Girls
  5. The Drums – Forever and Ever Amen
  6. Air Miami – Word Cup Fever
  7. Lulu – I’ll Come Running
  8. Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Bright Lit Blue Skies
  9. Darwin Deez – Bad Day
  10. Foals – Total Life Forever
  11. New Order – The Village
  12. Beach Fossils – The Horse
  13. Sea Lions – Good Feelings
  14. The Aislers Set – The Way to Market Station
  15. The Housemartins – Sheep
  16. Here We Go Magic – Casual
  17. The Soundcarriers – Last Broadcast
  18. The Radio Dept. – This Time Around
  19. LiLiPUT – Die Matrosen

It should go without saying at this point that this is an actual mix, the songs segue together despite being separate tracks. So no shuffling, ok? I switched to Mediafire for this one — does it download quicker/easier? Liner notes after the jump.

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It’s the Time of the Season for Mixes: Summer Fridays 3.1

Bill 8 Comments

 
SF3.1_web

We're still three weeks away from the official start of the summer, but with temperatures in the '80s and Memorial Day Weekend upon us… close enough. So here's the first of a season's worth of mixes, made just for you. Having a little extra time for this one I redid it multiple times, tweaking here and there, and am pretty happy with what's now before you. Hope you like it. Cover art for this first mix of 2010 is by frequent contributor Kate Bryant and is the first to features a fold-able insert with track listing. If you'd like to contribute art to a mix, please do get in touch. No one wants me designing anything.

As always, the songs segue into one another, so no shuffle please! Here's the link:

DOWNLOAD SUMMER FRIDAYS 3.1

And the tracklist:

  1. The Crayon Fields – Voice of Paradise
  2. Club 8 – Dancing with the Mentally Ill
  3. David Snell – International Flight
  4. The Cyrkle – Red Rubber Ball
  5. Allo Darlin – The Polaroid Song
  6. The New Pornographers – Silver Jenny Dollar
  7. Sambassadeur – Days
  8. The Embassy – Time's Tight
  9. Kelley Stoltz – Pincecone
  10. Art Musems – Sculpture Gardens
  11. The Particles – Apricot's Dream
  12. Eternal Summers – Able To
  13. Air Waves – Knockout
  14. Veronica Falls – Beachy Head
  15. The What Four – I'm Gonna Destroy That Boy
  16. The Monochrome Set – Eine Symphonie Des Grauens
  17. Biff Bang Pow – Someone Stole My Wheels
  18. The Depreciation Guild – Crucify You
  19. Jack Nitzche – The Lonely Surfer
  20. Comet Gain – I Never Happened
  21. Avi Buffalo – Truth Sets In
  22. Burt Bacharach – Something Big

Liner notes for the curious are after the jump.

 
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