The Who Are You and What Are You Doing To My Country? Playlist

Me: Mosquito-bitten, farmer-tanned, sleep-deprived. The usual summer state, except it is too early for a beer.

You?

Oh, and for the record, Bong Hits for Jesus.

Had a very fun and outraged political discussion last night and began assembling a mix CD. Haven't posted one in a while, so with little else to talk about, and even less time to post it, here it is, the "Who Are You And What Are You Doing to My Country?" playlist:

1. State of the Union, by the Cloud Cult
   
2. Memorial Day, by The Perceptionists
3. Rich Man's War, by Steve Earle
4. Television, the Drug of the Nation, by the Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy
5. New World Order, by Ministry
6. Gas Chamber, by L7
7. American Idiot, by Green Day
8. Life Music, Fakts One
9. Orange Alert, by the Briefs
10. Fight the Power, Public Enemy
11. Youth Against Fascism, Sonic Youth
12. The World's Gone Mad, Handsome Boy Modeling School
13. It's a Hit, Rilo Kiley
14. Burn One Down, Ben Harper
15. Bulls on Parade, Rage Against the Machine
16. Men of Worth, Mary Black (brilliant bit of back story on this one)¹
    
17. Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore, John Prine
    

Suggestions? A few up there are pretty obvious, although I'm quite proud of managing to include songs sampling both Dubya and Dubya's Daddy (#1 and #5) on one mix CD. Thought about including some Ani Difranco or some other relevant artist, but again, sleep deprived.

¹"The Archie Fisher-penned "Men Of Worth" has an interesting background. As the liner notes indicate, it was originally composed for a BBC program celebrating the new oil economy but was rejected due its ambivalent message of questioning the wisdom of trading a way of life for easy company money." http://www.rambles.net/black_song.html

Spring Soon! Playlist

13 hours + long days? Check. Temps waaay up into the 30s? Check. Full blown Manic Affective Disorder*? Check.

1. Ivanka, Imperial Teen
2. So Sweet, The Hands
3. It's You, PJ Harvey
4. My Little Brother, Art Brut
5. Non-Stop, Whitey
6. The Privileged Few, The Arm
7. Can You Feel It?, Apples in Stereo
8. Way Out, Yeah Yeah Yeahs
9. Howl, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
10. Not That Social, The Von Bondies
11. Hot, The Minds
12. Seventeen Devils, The Starlight Mints
13. Starting Five, Dios
14. The Warning, Hot Chip
15. End of Summer, Masonic
16. In the Fields of (Lonely Fences), Languis
17. Underwater (You and Me), Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
18. I.C.E., Antibalas featuring Afrobeat Orchestra
19. Rehab, Amy Winehouse

*I'm determined to get this one recognized. The opposite of SAD, Seasonal Affective Disorder, well-publicized winter problem upon which many a light box sale has occurred. Turns out they sort of recognize MAD, and honestly, the signs and symptoms don't sound that bad. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/seasonal-affective-disorder/DS00195/DSECTION=2

Playlist for POW

Zut alors, my peoples, it's been a busy week or so, so much that I'm scarcely keeping up with state politics. But that must wait for someone with an attention span - which is not me at the moment.

Instead, I offer the most recent playlist gracing my ITunes collection, custom-made for the pissed off woman in your life:

1. Long Shot, Aimee Mann
2. That's Just What You Are, Aimee Mann
3. Goodbye, Baby (Baby, Goodbye), Van Morrison
4. Heard it All Before, Sunshine Anderson
5. You'll Never Change, Bettye Lavette
6. Superhero, Ani Difranco
7. So Much for the Afterflow, Everclear
8. Santa Monica, Everclear
9. My Favorite Mistake, Sheryl Crow
10. Call and Answer, Barenaked Ladies
11. I Need You, the Eurythmics
12. I Will Survive, Cake
13. Haze of Love, Cake
14. Me-Jane, PJ Harvey
15. F--- and Run, Liz Phair
    
16. In State, Kathleen Edwards
17. Tyrone, Erykah Badu
18. Think (About It), Lyn Collins
19. You Were the Dog, Irma Thomas
20. Chain of Fools, Aretha Franklin
    

Pre-Christmas, And I'm Still at Work Playlist

And I Went and Screwed Up the Blog Template

• Flathead, by The Fratellis
• You, You, You, You, You, by The 6ths and Katherine Whalen
• Radar, by the Transmissionary Six
• Jams Runs Free, by Sonic Youth
• Postcards from Italy, by Beirut
• Unlisted, by Carolyn Mark
• Steady Rollin', by Two Gallants
• So Much Love, by Alton Ellis
• I Don't Wanna Go Home, by The Slackers
• Flats and Jobs, by The Gurus
• I'm on You, by Izabo
• Shattered, by The Trucks
• Standing in the Way of Control, by The Gossip
• Retreat (Phones Mix), by the Rakes
• The Power is On, The Go! Team
• A Bocquinha e Minha, Juliana e Fogosa
• Bole 2 Harlem, Bole 2 Harlem
• Jaw Modulation, Head Set
• Adir Alam, Balkan Beat Box

Sources include the always marvellous KEXP-Seattle, various mp3 sites, and of particular note, a certain British chick who introduced me to the wonders of Alton Ellis. How could I not have had any Alton Ellis?

Tuesday Playlist

Twang! Resistance is futile, v. 5:

1. Wake Up Sleepyhead, Jeff Bright and the Sunshine Boys
2. She's a Nail in My Heart, same
3. Wasted, Laura Cantrell
4. Drinkin' Blues, Wayne Hancock
5. Thrown Out of the Bar, Hank Williams III
6. Goin' to Texas When I'm Through, Wayne Hancock
7. Watching the River Flow, Asylum Street Spankers
8. If I Could, Sunny Sweeney
9. No Friend of Mine, BR549
10. Looking at the World Through a Windshield, Son Volt
11. Why I'm Walking, Gina Lee and the Brisket Boys
12. Nothin', Moot Davis
13. Jackson, June Carter Cash
14. Folsom Prison Blues, Johnny Cash
15. Pretty Little Shoes, Big Medicine
16. I Couldn't Believe it Was True, Carla Bozulich
    
17. Liquor Store, The Meat Purveyors
18. 666 Pack, same
19. I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive, The Pine Valley Cosmonauts
20. Let the Mystery Be, Iris DeMent
21. It's Not Happening, The Be Good Tanyas
22. Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss, Mary Z. Cox
23. How Many Times, Chitlin' Fooks
24. One by One, Kitty Wells
25. Stone Walls and Steel Bars, Junior Brown and Ralph Stanley
26. Honky Tonkers Don't Cry, Dale Watson
27. You Can't Get That Stuff No Mo

Sources: Salon.com Audiofile contest winners, KEXP Seattle, ITunes browsing, and other assorted influences.
At Right: Country Goddess, Kitty Wells, courtesy of Wikipedia.

Soob Rocking Playlist: the Halloween Edition

As an compulsive, and perhaps obsessive, mix-CD maker, I offer the most recent compilation rocking my clunky old Soob.* I confess that I added Beck reluctantly, because I kind of lost respect for the man when I found out that he is a Scientologist. Why should it matter what cult religion a person belongs to, really, for the purposes of mix making?**

Halloween Mix:

1. Remember - by The Figurines
2. Enough to Get Away - by Joseph Arthur
3. The Staunton Lick - by Lemon Jelly
4. Rules of the Game - by Brazilian Girls
5. Ungodly Fruit - by Wax Tailor
6. Whoo... Alright, Yeah... Uh-Huh - by The Rapture
7. Parade of Punk Rock T-Shirts - by Maritime
8. Dream at Tempo - by Silversun Pickups
9. Money Folder - by Madvillain
10. Jaadu (Nickodemus and Osiris Remix) - by Ustad Sultan Khan
11. Front 2 Back - by Playgroup
12. Driving Through the Redlights - by Monster Movie
13. Insistor - by Tapes 'n Tapes
14. Figaro - by Madvillain
15. String of Blinking Light - by Paper Moon
16. Moonbathing - by Sky Cries Mary
17. Benton Harbor Blues - by The Fiery Furnaces
18. Halo of Gold - by Beck
19. Dunes Dub - by Strategy

*You know the one that y'all in the big honking pickup trucks tailgate as I putter up Ballaine Hill? Yeah, that one. I apologize for making you slow down on icy roads and all, but I didn't have snow tires on for the last few weeks. Of course, slowing down is such an inconvenience - pickup trucks never go off the road or anything as they are not subject to the laws of physics.
**I don't know the answer to that one. I haven't added U2 to any mix in years, for that matter, on the grounds that Bono has gotten entirely annoying.
-- Powerpuff Girls image at http://artfiles.art.com/images/-/Powerpuff-Girls-Magnet-C11754857.jpeg

Friday Playlist v.2

In true Goldstream Valley, cabin-dwelling fashion I drive a 15-year-old Subaru Loyale. Yes, it sports several green-themed slogan bumper stickers as is required by the laws governing these things. Francesca (the Soob) just spun past the 200,000 mile mark, though, and requires work of me, and when that proves insufficient, with some humiliation I call in the professionals.

Francesa*, so-named because she is made up from parts from at least 5 other dead Subaru's, has survived hitting a moose, my deranged Valley (Mat-Su) seat-and-steering-wheel-eating dog, and the idiocy I demonstrated trying to cold start her at 38 below. Oh, and my learn-as-I-go mechanicking.

The totals:
1 new fuel filter
several cups of gear oil pooled in the driveway
rolls of paper towels to attempt a clean up: 1
a new record, approx. 50, the number of times I f-bombed in 5 minutes

Seriously, changing the rear differential oil looks easy, and sounds easy in the book. However, contrary to many of the nifty design features of the old Soobs, putting the gear oil back in comes in under the category of Big Pain in the Ass. You just can't angle it right to get the gunk in there without getting it all over. Correction: you might be able to, but I managed to make a big freaking mess.

But the highlights of today's playlist:

1. Stupid Day Job - Wally Pleasant
2. Tabu - Ska Cubano
3. Ask Me How I Am - Snow Patrol
4. Dance Me to the End of Love - Madeline Peyroux
5. Fuel for Fire - M. Ward
6. Miyabelle - Baaba Mal (hmm, that doesn't seem to be spelled correctly...)7. Poor and Weird - The Briefs
8. Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk - Rufus Wainwright

* Frankenstein, Francesca. Ah ha ha ha. Yeah, it doesn't take a lot to amuse me. Frank, of course, was off the table, because of the unsavory associations it would bring to mind.

Friday playlist v. 1

While it is therapeutic to rant about politics, I seem to be falling into a pattern: political rant followed by a non-political one. This does not indicate well-roundedness, or Buddistness, or any other positive spiritual/mental state on my part.

Or rather, it's not intelligent design on my part, it's just random.

Confession #1: I am a serious music junkie and compulsive mix CD maker. Highlights of the playlist for today:

1. "Requiem for O.M.M. " by Of Montreal
2. "Velocity Girl" by Snow Patrol
3. "Melt Your Heart" by Jenny Lewis
4. "Little White Lies" by Ella Fitzgerald
5. "New Slang" by the Shins
6. "Siki Siki Baba" by the Kocani Orkestar
7. "Poor Ellen Smith" by Neko Case and the Pine Valley Cosmonauts
8. "Leader of the Free World" by Elbow
9. "Noisy at the Circus" by Head Like a Kite
10. "Memorial Day" by The Perceptionists"