Really Quickly...

The links for previous muxtapes have been updated, so if you want to find an old mux, just click the muxtapes tag at the bottom of the post and it will take you to all the muxtape entries thus far.

MUXTAPE #1 UPDATED

MUXTAPE #2 UPDATED

MUXTAPE #3 UPDATED

muxtape updates: #4

MUXTAPE

So, if you haven't gotten the news yet, all current muxtapes are currently available on chrisyamashiro.com, so check it out.

I previously posted that this was muxtape #4, however in reality, it was #3 and this is muxtape #9, but let's not get into that just yet. Eventually, I'd like to have a section on my website devoted to muxtape naming conventions, but I don't think anyone would read that (even you, Jennifer).

Anyhow, this muxtape is a longstanding favorite around these parts and it is called "College Town, 1997." This is not because it is filled with hits from 1997's CMJ top singles list or anything, but it is how I imagine college dorms sounded in 1997, somewhere on the east coast.

1. Jets to Brazil - "Sea Anemone (Orange Rhyming Dictionary)"
I'm totally excited for Schwarzenbach's new band and his master's degree in English, as well as the Jawbreaker doc that's coming out. Apparently, it's crazy professional because it's being made by the guys that did the Minutemen documentary. I was expecting something super punk, but I also forget that Jawbreaker was supposed to be the East Bay's next superstars or something back in 1995. Like much of Blake's music, this song seemed so sad, but it seemed to also be a little bit about Jawbreaker not making it big.

2. Heatmiser - "Plainclothes Man (Mic City Sons)"
Is that some Elliott Smith b-side? Well, apparently he did play this song live quite a bit, but it was from Heatmiser's final album, which many regard as their best. I think people like it just because Elliott's songs sound like his solo stuff, rather than the "alternative rock" of the first few albums, but that's just a stab in the dark.

3. Pavement - "Shady Lane (Brighten the Corners)"
For a long time, I never thought of Pavement as a band outside of Crooked Rain or Slanted and Enchanted, but once I heard this song, I fell in love with the rest of their discog and became a Malkmus believer. The bit about Geddy Lee and the false endings are plain genius. The only thing better than Pavement singles were their videos, for example, the Spike Jonze video for this song.

4. Grandaddy - "El Caminos in the West (Sumday)"
Yeah, this came out way after 1997 and doesn't even sound that much like 1997, Jeff, but I still dig it and sort of wish it had been out around then. I think that if Jason Lytle hadn't been a pro skateboarder in 1997 and was writing these songs, Grandaddy would have been as big as The Flaming Lips were at this point. Yeah. I said it. Seriously.

5. Yo La Tengo - "Sugarcube (I Can Feel The Heart Beating As One)"
What a wonderful song. Also has a wonderful 90s video. Also, this video is great because it really doesn't focus on the song at all, cutting in and out of the audio, finding that the narrative structure was more important. This was supposed to be their "big, coming out" single that broke them into some sort of mainstream consciousness, but I think the video was their attempt to be a non-MTV MTV band. They had the amusing parody video, but the song was chopped and fit for the video, which changed everything. Too bad this came about as 120 Minutes was either dying or dead (and before MTV2).

6. Steve Burns - "Mighty Little Man (Songs for Dustmites)"
Yeah, it's Steve from Blue's Clues and the talented heroin addict from The Flaming Lips! This song also takes liberty with the time period, but I felt like The Flaming Lips in 1997 didn't quite fit this tape. It was after Transmissions from the Satellite Heart and before The Soft Bulletin, so it really doesn't matter to me.

7. Weezer - "You Gave Your Love To Me Softly (Angus OST)"
Yeah, I included the non-demo version, Jeff. I prefer audio files that aren't decayed to hell by Limewire and Karl's hard drive bursting into flames. This b-side from Pinkerton was on the Angus soundtrack. What a wonderful little song to put into a movie. I just wish that I would have seen them play this song as Goat Punishment or something.

8. The Rentals - "Barcelona (Seven More Minutes)"
I never bothered to listen to Seven More Minutes, thinking that Matt Sharp couldn't have written more than a few good songs without Rivers as his foil, but once I learned of Maya Rudolph's involvement in this album, I knew I had to listen. I can't even tell which songs she sings on, and it doesn't matter. The demos for this song are called "California" and are totally different. Some Weezer scholars argue that "California" is the better version, because it reflects more of Rivers' songwriting that Matt lifted once he left Weezer, but I love this version because it really sounds like what the Rentals should sound like (and provided a blueprint for Korg/Moog-emo bands in the future).

9. The Dismemberment Plan - "Gyroscope (Emergency & I)"
I remember downloading this song when I was 14 or 15, reading about The D Plan on the Weezer message board or something. I just knew that they were one of those bands that most Weezer fans respected, so I wanted to get to know something about them. I was just getting into Sunny Day Real Estate and Mineral and thought the Dismemberment Plan must sound something like one of those bands, just because of all the Weezer fans being way into it. What I didn't know is that The Dismemberment Plan was way more influenced by that which surrounded them (Washington DC and Dischord Records) than any other "emo" band at the time. They were somewhat cut off from the Midwest, being from DC, so they sounded a little different (like SDRE, who sounded sort of like Seattle). After I downloaded this, I downloaded all the Dismemberment Plan I could find. Travis Morrisson has a wonderful sense of humor that you don't find every day in "indie rock."

Liveblogging TC5 Premiere

I decided to forego livetweeting the show. I figured the few people that follow me would appreciate not being bombarded with tons of tweets along the lines of "LOL@" or "SRSLYWTF".

6:57p - Reliving the TC4 finale. Richard looks so sad and I was totally sad for him. I hear both of his restaurants closed down and now he's "consulting," whatever that really means. I guess that gives him more time with his adorable baby.

7:02p - GENE RULES ALREADY. Too bad he's not going to win. Jeff is too pretty; he'll get far, but he can't win.

7:05p - UP THE BEARS.

7:07p - Great elimination quickfire. PEEL THE APPLES.

7:09p - blood. gross. Immunity? Man.

7:12p - I better see some great apple dishes. Also, Radhika might have been a bad choice for fantasy league.

7:18p - God, some of the cheftestants this season are annoying. Also, I love the alpaca commercials.

7:20p - GREAT. The loser is OUT.

7:22p - Oh no! The cat from Boulder doesn't know where Brighton Beach is!

7:23p - GAY ALLIANCE FTW.

7:25p - Fabio/Stefan... bromance or rivalry? Prediction: they will both be in the finale.

7:27p - Who will be out? I hope Carla gets far. I totally dig it.

7:31p - I also dig the dyke. I don't dig Carla describing everything as 'yummy' or Ariane.

7:33p - Gene v. Alex. This will be a tough one. Some of the other matchups are going to be too easy.

7:36p - Asian? We're all the same.

7:38p - Molecular gastronomy is so last year!

7:40p - I predict that if Fabio wins one of the first two elimination challenges, he will win TC5.

7:47p - BEAR AGAIN (fail), Stefan wins. Also, Spike just gave out Andrew's phone number on the TC twitter.

7:51p - My picks are pretty much shot, except for Stefan (FABIO=FAIL). Patrick is done.

7:55p - GENE WINS. BY ACCIDENT.

7:56p - I love it already.

8:00p - Richard is gone soon. So is Ariane and Melissa. Eusebio will get halfway, but that will be it.

8:03p - Eugene will get far unless his inexperience gets the best of him. Also, I have a feeling that Ariane's going home.

8:15p - it's over. Babyface is gone. Duh.

TONIGHT, WE DINE IN HELL

Everyone should get stoked on fantasy leagues for completely irrelevant reality shows. Should I livetweet this ep?

MAD WEBSITE UPDATES

there is a SECRET that is not so secret. it contains the following:



i will update with tracklistings and such soon.

If you haven't been there already...

NEW WEBSITE

The changing of the seasons, both literal and figurative

Friends, today was the first day it truly felt like fall. It wasn't overwhelmingly hot and at 2pm, I felt like it was at least 430 and I needed a nap. The seemingly endless days are finally giving way to long nights. I can't decide what makes me feel this way, but in the fall (and more so in the winter), I get the sense of permanent midnight. This, of course, is not the same permanent midnight that Jerry Stahl experienced, however it is an overwhelming sense of darkness that envelops everything around you. Permanent midnight is cold, usually with dense fog.

The few years past (excluding last year) have all felt the same. I seem to stay up far too late into the night, seeing everything that happens in the middle of the night, be it marketing for Buzz Ballads, the lone security guard walking all over campus with his walkie talkie turned up loud so he doesn't feel alone or even the madness that is the internet in the middle of the night. I've written before that I feel overwhelmingly alone in the middle of the night, but this year something has felt different. Things certainly have changed in my life. Before, I would only sit and watch TV or go on the internet and felt increasingly isolated from the rest of the world, considering the rest of the people awake were either thousands of miles away or completely insane. Now, I generally find myself trying to be somewhat constructive at 3 or 4 in the morning, either cleaning something in the apartment, working on projects or cooking meals for the next day or two.

Overall, it doesn't sound that bad. Insomnia is a young man's game and I'm still young, however this opens me up to a whole bunch of other things that aren't particularly exciting. I get sick more often, I feel like the living dead and seriously, what the hell business do I have being up that late anyways?

Tonight was a strange night. It is the first time I actually feel tired and just want to go to bed without accomplishing anything. I've been reading Calvin and Hobbes all night, thinking about childhood and the seasons in our lives. This weekend, I had the privilege of seeing Ian Mackaye from Minor Threat/Fugazi/Dischord fame speak. He basically said that "living in phases" or "growing up" is a fallacy, because we don't have less capacity as children, we just give ourselves that excuse. While I agree with that theory, considering how many remarkable children I've met over the years, I still believe that there are seasons for everything in our lives and that things aren't meant to happen all at once.

Reflecting on that which Mackaye would refer to as my "salad days," I can see clearly that I've got some good days coming my way. If Calvin and Hobbes taught me anything, it's that all you need in life is good friends, deep conversations and hugs. Nothing else matters because if you've got those things, you can conquer the world.

ps.

Wanted: Kooky Asian American bass player from Orange County for post third-wave ska band that covers 80s hits.

Also totally sad that I missed this:

Mind blown

This is easily the best music video I've seen in a long time, maybe the best I've ever seen.

How do you explain?

The other night, Jennifer and I went to see Wire and it was awesome. They sounded great, even at over 50 years old. Page Hamilton came on stage for their second encore and played guitar, which was just as exciting for him as it was for the Helmet fans in the audience (probably me and two other dudes).

Anyways, Jennifer and I were having a discussion about the post punk bands that were reuniting and playing the Echo. Besides Wire, the other most influential post punk band, Mission of Burma, had just played a show at the Echo. I was a bit sad that I missed it and Jennifer told me that she had never really listened to them before. She then asked me what they sounded like, to which I responded, "post punk" and she asked me how they were different from Wire, to which I said, "God, I don't know. I guess they're more American because they're from Boston." It took me a few days to suss out exactly how to quantify that, and all I've got so far is that they have less dance beats and they owe less to Can and more to Black Flag. Also, they surfaced a few years after Wire and they have more hooks.

So the epic question of the day is "What is the difference between Wire and Mission of Burma?" I know it's like comparing apples and bloody philosophy term papers, but post punk is still narrow enough for this question to make some sense.

Mission of Burma - "That's When I Reach For My Revolver"


Wire - The 15th


bonus: REM covering Mission of Burma's "Academy Fight Song"


Minor Threat covering Wire's "12xu" (one of the greatest covers of any song ever)


ps. When will you do a Mission of Burma cover, Ted Leo?