Nothing tropical on this week's mix but songs contained herein are pulled from at least a couple desert island discs. Another great cover from Greg Morris who really came through in the clutch. I have to say this week's mix turned out pretty good. Nice mix of new and old and everything flows together well… so no shuffling ok? That is a running gag at this point but, you know, funny cause it's true or something.

EDIT: Greg just pointed out that "Any Major Dude" was on the first-ever Summer Fridays mix. (Which is now out of print.) I try to keep track of these things but it was bound to happen at some point. Coulda sworn I used "Barrytown." Sorry folks. Refunds at point of purchase.

DOWNLOAD SUMMER FRIDAYS 3.12

Here's the tracklist:

1. The Boo Radleys – (I Wanna Be) Touchdown Jesus
2. Dungen - Soda
3. My Tiger My Timing – This is Not the Fire
4. Fugiya & Miyagi – Taiwanese Boots
5. The 6ths - San Diego Zoo
6. Steely Dan – Any Major Dude
7. Shrag - Tights in August
8. This Many Boyfriends – I Don't Like You ('Cos You Don't Like The Pastels)
9. The Pastels – Simply Nothing to be Done
10. Dog Day – Wait it Out
11. Violens - Acid Reign
12. The Cribs – Housewife
13. Fergus & Geronimo – Girls with British Accents
14. Bare Wires – Dancing on a Dime
15. Candy Butchers – What I Won't Give
16. The Byrds – Why?
17. The Jazz Butcher – Big Saturday
18. Frankie Rose & the Outs – Girlfriend Island
19. Built to Spill – Fling
20. Louis Armstrong – We Have All the Time in the World

Liner notes after the jump.

(more…)

After a stunning run of great cover art from actual, talented people we're back to questionable work by Yours Truly. And yes, I resorted to Poladroid but I thought the seedy nature of this tableau needed it. This weird, every-shifting diorama exists in the empty lot at the end of my block and many Williamsburg residents may recognize it. Gorilla knows that even while working at his desk, there's time for partying. Or at least a little guitar. But don't overdo it like Venom, or else the cow will be annoyed. Words to live by. Other words to live by: No shuffling. Here's this week's tracklist:

DOWNLOAD SUMMER FRIDAYS 3.11

Tracklist:

1. Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan – Time of the Season
2. Paul McCartney & Wings – Mrs. Vanderbilt
3. The Dandy Warhols – The Coffee and Tea Wrecks
4. Pleasure w/Ed Harcourt - From the Country to the City
5. Everything Everything – Schoolin'
6. The Coral – 1000 Years
7. Weed Hounds – Skating Away from the Cops
8. Pale Saints – Ordeal
9. Tamaryn - Love Fade
10. The Chameleons – Up the Down Escalator
11. Girls Names – Running Scared
12. Woven Bones – I've Gotta Get
13. The Young Fresh Fellows – Young Fresh Fellows Theme
14. Wild Nothing – Our Composition Book
15. Baby Bird – A Cool and Crazy Thing
16. Twin Shadow – I Can't Wait
17. The Supremes – Dr. Goldfoot & the Bikini Machine
18. Suede – He is Dead

Another not-so-thematically-cohesive mix but I like all the songs. Liner notes after the jump.

(more…)

The hottest month on record since the oppression that was July 1999, the heat finally broke today. This mix was made under high heat and higher humidity, though, and it's definitely a bit crazy. After trying to make all the mixes thus far work thematically as a whole, here's a bunch of songs — mostly new — that I really like. My only criteria being that the segueways not be too jarring.

Cover art this week is by D. Crane of Seattle's amazing BOAT who have appeared on multiple Summer Fridays mixes in the past. Truly an honor. Dave's a vegetarian, I wonder if the dog knows it's just asparagus and eggplant under the grill cover. BOAT are working on a new album and graduate degrees as we speak. Without further salivation.

DOWNLOAD SUMMER FRIDAYS 3.10

1. Versus - Invincible Hero
2. Al Green – I'm Glad You're Mine
3. Alex Kemp – I'm on Your Side
4. Papas Fritas – The Way You Walk
5. Edwyn Collins – Losing Sleep
6. The High Llamas - Rollin'
7. Summer Camp – Jake Ryan
8. The Arcade Fire – Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)
9. The Clientele – Jerry
10. The Rolling Stones - Monkey Man
11. Flamin' Groovies – You Tore Me Down
12. The Electric Bunnies – I Swear I'll Never Let You Go
13. Charlotte Hatherley – Bastardo
14. Wet Illustrated – Born Stoked
15. The Car is on Fire – Cherry Cordial
16. Disappears - Magics
17. Surf City – Crazy Rulers of the World
18. Dukes of Stratosphear – My Love Explodes

It doesn't bear repeating but…No shuffling. If you do this mix will make even less sense than it already does. Liner notes after the jump.

(more…)

I know the wildly variating themes of these mixes, week to week, is probably infuriating to some people. (That’s assuming I have regular readers at this point as infrequent as my posting is here. I keep saying I’ll do better, then I don’t.) It may seem impossible that someone can love Unnatural Helpers and The Fresh & Onlys and still have time to not only listen to, but find merit in the new New Young Pony Club album. Well welcome to me. Man cannot live in Altered Zones 24 hours a day, not this one at least, and I don’t need to have my dancepop drenched in reverb to justify listening to it. (Hey I like Delorean too, don’t get me wrong.) Bitter and defensive much, me? There is currently no running water in my apartment so I am cranky.

Anway: this week is poppy and dancey, maybe in a more 2007 kinda way than right now I dunno. It’s also got Xymox and Naked Eyes and the new Mark Ronson single that I think is pretty undeniably catchy as all get out. And new Deerhunter too which I think fits in just fine. Dig it. Cover art this week comes courtesy Philip Maramba who I’ve known since college and still lives in WV where he is Design Editor for the Charleston Daily Mail. He probably cringes at every typo in this post. Philip also is an avid listener of these mixes despite never seeming to be able to figure out how to make them play in correct running order. Dude, it’s not that hard. The picture was taken Ghent, WV and looks particularly idyllic. And yes, some people in West Virginia do read David Sedaris.

DOWNLOAD SUMMER FRIDAYS 3.9

Tracklist:

1. Breakbot - Baby I’m Yours
2. Deerhunter - Revival
3. The Superimposers – Seeing is Believing
4. Captain Sensible – Brenda Pts 1 + 2
5. School of Seven Bells – Heart is Strange
6. Xymox - Obsession
7. Steve Mason – Am I Just a Man?
8. Psychobuildings - No Man’s Land
9. New Young Pony Club – Oh Cherie
10. Naked Eyes – When the Lights Go Out
11. Guru - Loungin’
12. Holy Ghost! – Static on the Wire
13. Mark Ronson & The Business Intl – Bang Bang Bang
14. Ratatat - Mandy
15. James Yuill – When You’re on Your Own

Because I will just never stop saying this: what you’ve got here is an actual mix, the songs segue together and much thought has been put into the running order. They are separate tracks though…so NO SHUFFLING. Liner notes after the jump.

(more…)

 

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.

(more…)

 

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.

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.

(more…)

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

(more…)

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.

(more…)

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.

(more…)