mixtape | drift

after a stressful week last week, and in anticipation of a similar week ahead, i've spent the weekend doing as little as possible other than reading a mindless thriller and listening to music. i'm constantly tweaking my itunes, creating new playlists, correcting genres, etc. when your library is over 300gb it's the only way to keep track of things and be sure you can listen to what you want when you want. plus it's nerdily satisfying.

and here's a selection of songs from this weekend's playlist. it started off by listening to james blackshaw and spread from there. call it interesting background music that lets you drift.

::: james blackshaw - past has not passed
::: the black heart procession - the waiter no. 3
::: boom bip - the use of unacceptable colours in nature (mogwai remix)
::: tortoise - speakeasy
::: july skies - it's late in the day for love
::: auburn lull - seaforth
::: labradford - v (harold budd remix)
::: stars of the lid - requiem for dying mothers, part 2
::: estonian philharmonic chamber choir - pärt: zwei slawische salmen: psalm 131
::: yann tiersen - kala
::: pole - rondell zwei
::: aerial m - safeless (peel session)
::: town and country - hat versus hood

get it.

various | tba picks of 2008

i'm not one for compiling meticulous best of lists, my listening approach is far too scattershot for that. but this year has seen some excellent albums. it's also seen a resurgence in vinyl sales, something few people predicted when the ipod was first released. so it seems traditional formats are surviving the digital age, even if actual physical sales continue their decline. what that means for the future of the music industry is relevant only to those in its direct employ; for the rest of us, the main thing is that the music continues...

anyway, here's a list in no particular order, of albums i've enjoyed this year. these are the ones i listened to most, got most excited about.

there are plenty of others that would probably be in this list if i'd given them more ear time (hello clinic, bon iver, roots manuva, neon neon, mercury rev, johann johansson, growing, fuck buttons...).

anyway, i'd better post this before i change my mind.

::: ra ra riot - the rhumb line (oh, la)
::: the verve - forth (appalachian springs)
::: darker my love - 2 (two ways out)
::: coldplay - viva la vida (lovers in japan/reign of love)
::: fleet foxes - fleet foxes (tiger mountain peasant song)
::: vampire weekend - vampire weekend (bryn)
::: deerhunter - microcastle (little kids)
::: stephen malkmus & the jicks - real emotional trash (out of reaches)
::: portishead - third (machine gun)
::: uzi & ari - headworms (headworms)
::: sarandon - kill twee pop! (joe's record)
::: lykke li - youth novels (little bit)
::: james blackshaw - litany of echoes (gate of ivory)
::: flight of the conchords - flight of the conchords (the most beautiful girl)
::: the great leap forward - finished unfinished business (tolerance and respect)
::: beatnik filmstars - the purple fez club social 72 (scrabbling)
::: the dodos - visiter (red and purple)
::: frightened rabbit - the midnight organ fight (i feel better)

zipped 1 and 2.

and finally, two biggest disappointments this year came from mogwai (it just hasn't got me excited, despite batcat) and plush (just a bit dull really). oh and death cab for cutie get points for trying to prove the oc hasn't ruined them, but really they tried just a little bit too hard and forgot to write any decent songs.

and finally finally, missing in action because i haven't got hold of them yet are new albums by desalvo (i hear it's a monster) and james orr complex.

various | sunday mix

the weather has been crap recently, lots of rain, grey days and an autumnal chill in the air. it's a shame, but so long as it's sunny mid-may then i'll get over it. i've been itching to get out take pictures of the neighbourhood. the dogwoods are out in full bloom and the streets are covered in pink blankets of petals. maybe tomorrow.

in the meantime, here's a gentle mix for a sunday hangover. happily i don't have one today, but someone else in this house certainly does.

::: pedro the lion - be thou my vision
::: mark eitzel - christian science reading room
::: james blackshaw - running to the ghost
::: movietone - sun drawing
::: south - smoke
::: valgeir sigurðsson - focal point
::: butterfly child - lunar eclipse
::: the wedding present - falling
::: white rabbits - take a walk around the table
::: calliope - did you get what you came for