the record collection mixtapes pt 3

when i started this project back in march i knew it would be a somewhat neglected project, cos let's face it, i'm a bad blogger. i'm the kind of blogger that would never ever have any readers had it not been for rss feeds. i'm lazy, yes, but more than that i'm always having a hard time getting things out of my brain and onto paper, or onto screen as it is. i'm just not very prolific. i do have my moments, but mostly, i just can't seem to get much out of me.

that, and the fact that i don't really have the time.

so, 9 months after the last post in this series, here's the next. it's time for an album by one of my favorite bands, alice in chains. there's 5 of them in my collection and at first i thought i'd write a 5 times alice in chains post, but then 9 months went passed so that was probably a bad idea. thinking small here.



the album is facelift from 1990 and it's a good one over-all. not my favorite alice in chains album, but still one i've listened to a bit. the things i really love about the band isn't quite there yet on this album. the darker feel and the slightly heavier and slower sound that came with later productions. it's there a little, you can hear it on the song "confusion" and it's lurking behind a few of the other songs. what the album does have is layne staley and his fantastic voice and intensity. and lyrics. (and drug abuse, but that's another story.)

although alice in chains really is more of a heavy metal band than a grunge band - just listen to the intro guitar to "we die young", the opening track on this album, or to the fact that they have a lot of guitar solos - they're often bundled together with nirvana, soundgarden, pearl jam and the likes, which i guess has more to do with the fact that they were playing in seattle in the same time-period than their sound. not that i mind, i'm a big fan of grunge music, i just think it's a bit misleading.

"we die young" is, as mentioned, quite heavy metaly, as is "put you down" and "real thing". "man in the box" was the hit single of the album which i'm not sure as to why, i don't think it's their strongest. "bleed the freak" and "i can't remember" are much stronger and better songs. "i know something (about you)" is flirting with funk with a quite catchy result.

as for picking a track on this album. i'm torn. i want to pick "confusion" cos it sounds like the alice in chains i love and it's such a cheery little song;

i want to set you free, recognize my disease
love, sex, pain, confusion, suffering
you're there crying, i feel not a thing
drilling my way deeper in you head
sinking, draining, drowning, bleeding, dead

i also want to pick "it ain't like that" for the same reasons. at the same time, there's so much more to come of that alice in chains that it feels unfair not to pick a song more representative of facelife. so i'm picking "love, hate, love", a dark suggestive song riddled with dysfunction, so often a theme in layne staley's lyrics.

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cross-posted on 90s geeks - surviving in the future.

dundun

listen to this awesome song by dundun, a band i know nothing about other than some of its members make great music under their own or other names as well. here's a myspace page. listen especially if you like shoegazers :)

the affair

the second album of project the record collection mixtapes is new york city's the affair's yes yes to you from 2006.

i like the sound, a kind of 70s-early 80s punk new wave sound but with modern pop added to the mix. the synthesizer is a killer and singer kali holloway's voice is great, sometimes very sweet and pop and sometimes edgy and punk. here and there the affair remind me of contemporaneous the eames era, and a few times i can hear siouxsie sioux lurking behind holloway's voice. the songs however tend to float into each other and become indistinguishable. it took me several listenings before a few tracks stood out enough to be identified.

even if it's the one track here that sets itself apart from the rest the most, i have to pick "Andy". it's a really sweet and catchy song with lots of the awesome synthesizer and it almost seems like it's coming from decades lost.



also, an honorary mention of the song "the chase", a lovely punk number at just under 2 minutes.

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this will be cross-posted at pretending to be japanese.

new project part 1

so, i guess i feel like i don't have enough to do; between being a mother, writing my thesis, selling the apartment, moving to a house and all the rest of life's lovely assignments; that i need a new project of some sorts. well, here it is.

i'm going to go through my record collection, record by record, write a few lines about each one and, most importantly, pick one song off of every record to be collected in a sort of record collection mixtape.

what do you think of that?

my record collection is very dear to me but otherwise not particularly impressive; it's just a bunch of records i like. there are no rarities (i think), very few singles even by artists i really like and no complete discographies (except maybe if joy division's heart and soul box counts). if you want to take a look it's here on rateyourmusic.com. but impressive or not, it currently holds 625 titles (not counting the dvds, cos madonna's in bed with madonna isn't really a record now is it) so this project will take some time. if you're somewhat familiar with math you'll realize, as i just did, that even if i write about one record a day - which i, for the record, WON'T - it'll take a bit shy of two years to complete, and it's not like i won't buy more records during the process. so, phew.

Though, i've decided, the few singles i DO have won't be included unless they contain some really good song, cos seriously, what's the point in choosing one song out of two, or worse, three remixes of the same song?

so there are the ground rules. maybe if you're nice, you can get a copy of the mixtapes (on cd) along the way. i'll also probably start a playlist on spotify called my record collection mixtape and share with whoever wants it, but given the big gaps in spotify's selection, it will probably be far from complete.

now, for part 1 of this, the record collection mixtapes, the first title. Bigger, Better, Faster, More! by 4 Non Blondes.

look how pretty they are!

i bought this record used for 15 sek (that about $2 at the current rate), i know this cos it still has the price-tag left, and it's dusty too! mental note; need to clean or change plastic thing. so, i really didn't consider it before buying, more than that i really like their early 90s hit single "What's Up" (which is actually a clearly feminist song, something i didn't realize until years after the fact, but is really cool considering what a big hit it was), which in itself was worth the 15 sek. i really like linda perry too, the awesome singer who at the time wore ridiculously large hats. the 90's was a strange place. (what an awesome timing, too, since perry has co-written a lot of material to hole's coming album that i wrote about the other day.)

it's an okay record, some good songs and some not so good ones. the sound, albeit very early 90s sounding (think metal-grunge, red hot chili peppers funk and radio music like the spin doctors), varies a bit. there's the funky "No place like home", the bluesy "Pleasantly blue", the soundgardeny/alice in chainsy "Calling all the people" and lots of Perry's signature "What's Up?" yells. i can't help but pick the obvious song here, but i am sorry that i never really listened to the album until now. this is already turning out to be a great project. i think i'm gonna have to check out Perry's solo albums soon.

the chosen song, of course, being "What's Up?".

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now i need to tidy this text up a bit and cross-post it on pretending to be japanese, cos the boss wants CAPS!

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EDIT: here's the video.

nobody's daughter

i just wrote a post over at pretending to be japanese about the new album hole is releasing soon. i know!

hole!

crazy. so go here and read it.

joy division

i saw a great hour and a half long documentary on joy division from 2007 the other day. it's called "joy division", plain and simple, a hudson production. it's available on svtplay.se (here) til 11 march, so click and watch it before it's too late! the story is told largely with archive footage alongside interviews with band members, people around the band and old friends. it also tells a part of the history of manchester the city and of punk rock in the u.k. at that time.

don't miss it!

kathleen hanna tv

this clip with an interview of kathleen hanna (via her blog) actually made me shed a tear or two at one point. you have to guess where yourself. watch it! it's great, and kathleen hanna is great!

girl power soundtrack

i have no idea if this is gonna work, but i put together a little playlist on spotify for you, that goes together with my previous post. (you have to have a spotify account to listen to it.) click the image. here goes nothing.



spotify's selection isn't the greatest so this playlist lacks essential songs, but short of burning you a mixed cd, it's the best i can do. enjoy!

girl power

reading the krs mail order freaks* blog i stumbled upon this book i really want to read, "girl power - the nineties revolution in music" by marisa meltzer [amazon here, adlibris here]. the aforementioned blog linked to a review of said book by a very young american fashion blogger (who, after doing a little digging i found out, seems to have made a little stir in the fashion world by, i guess, being young, which seemed fun. or maybe not. i mean, why do fashion people care so much? but that's a whole different story and doesn't really have anything to do with this book or it being reviewed. i digress.). this review made me so happy! how wonderful to be a 13-year-old girl and discover so much great music and so many awesome women at the same time! she writes

For me, personally? The book was seriously eye-opening. Despite my having not listened to a vast majority of the music mentioned in the book, I was frowny-sad-face upon reading about how Riot Grrrl faded.. /../ Never before had I felt that feminism was something I could be so much a part of. It sounds like I'm talking about being part of the Riot Grrrl movement itself, but really, just the history of it, and the fact that it even existed, makes me very excited, and proud, to be a girl, and to be who I am.

that last part makes me so happy, i cannot tell you. cos it's a fucking harsh reality now for girls growing up. despite progress and enlightenment in various arenas, such as equality, since i grew up, there's still so much ugliness and, i think, more ugliness than before because of the misuse of technology and the shallowness of all things. very few of my peers growing up even had the words plastic surgery in their vocabulary. so there you go. moving on.

i, of course, want to read this book purely out of nostalgic reasons. well, almost purely. i also want to read it and go "i knew that. i knew that. i had that t-shirt, i bought that cd in '95" and so on. to boost my ego a bit, but mostly to be nostalgic. i still do discover things here and there about my beloved decade of the past, this is true, but when it comes to women musicians in the indie rock scene of the 1990s, most of them are in my brain already. and, considering what tobi vail** herself said about this book in her review, i doubt there will be much to discover. i choose to stay somewhat shallow here - my and my geekiness - even though tobi makes great points in her review about the writing of history/herstory and how awkward it is to her because she was in the middle of it and also how it can become so focused on the consumer part and not on the activist part. just go read it yourself!

the krs blog also linked to flavorwire where author marisa meltzer, because of the release of her book, had been asked to list 10 essential female artists of the 90s, and i must say, i'm really pleased at what she listed. veruca salt, that dog., juliana hatfield [yeah!], elastica, breeders, hole, liz phair [hell yeah!], sleater-kinney, kim gordon and bikini kill. all excellent choices in my book. there was some nagging in the comments about why L7 wasn't on it, and why liz phair was, and where the hell is p.j. harvey and tori amos, OMG WHERE IS TORI AMOS, and so on. i'm sorry, but chill out! this is one person's opinion and clearly other people will think differently. there is no such thing as the truth.

that being said, i must defend her addition of veruca salt and liz phair. it's suggested that if liz phair is in it then jewel or tracy bonham might as well be in it. clearly this person hasn't paid much attention to liz's early work. actually i'm going to quote our friend the fashion blogger here, cos even she gets it;

At the same time, reading about Liz Phair's lyrics and behavior also surprised me, as the songs I hear now that are so blatantly and graphicly about sex are sung by men, and women have to keep quiet

liz's exile in guyville is essential listening if there ever was such a thing! [read this.] as for veruca salt, in hindsight they've proven not very influential and sort of strangely became viewed as a one- or two-hit-wonder depending on who you're asking ["seether" and/or "vulcano girls"]. for me, listening to them early on, they just struck me from the beginning as being really great, and i'm sure many others agree. i'd hate to sound important, but everybody that was into indie rock at the time knew the words to "seether". when hole hosted 120 minutes in '95 they played veruca salt's "number one blind" and i fell in love right there, recording it onto tape from the speakers on the tv (hey, that's how we did it in the 90s!) and then buying their debut and loving it. i still listen to veruca salt. besides, marisa herself defends her addition by saying

Is it okay to love a band just for one song? I think when you make a song as perfect for karaoke as “Seether,” it totally is.

so, i ordered the book and if you're lucky i'll tell you what i think after i've read it.

wow. this post got so much longer than i thought it would.

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EDIT: oh, yeah, i forgot. i loved what marisa said about liz phair on the list;

She sang, “Every time I see your face/ I get all wet between my legs,” and all the girls were like, “FINALLY!”

that settles it.

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* krs = kill rock stars, awesome record label that's been around since the early 90's that carries a lot of great indie and favors feminist and queer artists. has released a lot of riot grrl stuff.

** tobi vail is an awesome woman, musician, feminist and activist who's been in deep with the riot grrl movement and all that great stuff that happened in and around olympia in the late 80s that became so influential for the 90s indie rock. she was in the go team and in bikini kill. read more about her here and here.

over it

great new video and song from dinosaur jr from their new soon to be released album farm. it seems to have leaked, but i haven't heard it yet. though according to madeleine, it's excellent.

seeing this video made me realize i'm not at all freaking out about growing old anymore. isn't that something :)

little plastic castle

some days ani difranco tells the story best.

in a coffee shop in a city
which is every coffee shop in every city
on a day which is every day
i picked up a magazine
which is every magazine
read a story, and then forgot it right away

they say goldfish have no memory
i guess their lives are much like mine
and the little plastic castle
is a surprise every time
and it's hard to say if they're happy
but they don't seem much to mind

from the shape of your shaved head
i recognized your silhouette
as you walked out of the sun and sat down
and the sight of your sleepy smile
eclipsed all the other people
as they paused to sneer at the two girls
from out of town

i said, look at you this morning
you are, by far, the cutest
but be careful getting coffee
i think these people wanna shoot us
or maybe there's some kinda local competition here
to see who can be the rudest

people talk
about my image
like i come in two dimensions
like lipstick is a sign of my declining mind
like what i happen to be wearing
the day that someone takes a picture
is my new statement for all of womankind

i wish they could see us now
in leather bras and rubber shorts
like some ridiculous new team uniform
for some ridiculous new sport
quick someone call the girl police
and file a report

in a coffee shop in a city
which is every coffee shop in every city
on a day which is every day

breeders love

this is one of my favorite songs with the breeders, and also a great video.



also, we had snow today! the world sure looks prettier with snow. and check out pretendingtobejapanese.com i write there too now and then.

phair love

i love liz phair. this video is sooo 90s it's crazy.

me icon

you need to listen to this. so far all i know is that me icon is an electro duo, london based italians, that sergio is singing and that the song is awesome! sergio said so here, and i happen to agree with him. the song is "me gadget".

some more cranes songs

here's some proper videos by cranes. alison shaw has such a beautiful voice, and i love how the sound is so dreamy. cranes is the perfect band to listen to when it's dark and you hide under your covers and you can't sleep.



"beautiful friend" from loved (1994). here's also another great song from that album, "shining road".



"tomorrow's tears" from wings of joy (1991). also from that album is "adoration", yet a beautiful song, found here.



"inescapable" that was a bonus track/ep released during the wings of joy era.



"jewel" from forever (1993), although the video/single version of the song sounds a bit different than it does on the record. according to allmusic it's because robert smith remixed it. not surprising considering the cure brought cranes as their opening act on their '92 world tour.



"everywhere", also from forever.

cranes still releases albums, the last of which is self-titled and came out in october of this year. but i haven't heard it yet. i'm mostly in love with the music they made in the 90s and there's a huge nostalgia button that gets pushed in me whenever i hear their songs. a lot of their greatest songs can be found on their 2-cd ep collection, vols 1-2, so pick it up.

tangled up

i was just listening to old cranes songs and "tangled up" came on and i fell back a few years and rediscovered how beautiful this song is. unfortunately there's no video made, none that i can find anyway, so you'll have to make due with a live performance from october this year. before you push play, light a few candles and turn out the lights. enjoy.

maribel

if you can't tell already, i'm going through my rss-feed and catching up on the posts on indie-mp3, and now i found yet another very interesting band i never heard before. norwegian maribel.

It's a sleazy slab of noisepop - coming on like The Jesus and Mary Chain rucking with The Cramps whilst trying to remind us how great the 1988 version of My Bloody Valentine were.

this is very true. it sounds great! so far it seems they've only released one single, taste the trash, but i hope they're to release more soon, cos i want more! i'll be keeping my eyes on them.

listen to them on myspace (4 songs).

UPDATE:
what the hell. here's the video, too. why not. :)

osni

go listen to french indie/shoegazer band osni's song "mon pistolet d'amour" (myspace link). someone's been listening to jamc a bit too much it seems ;) although, the other songs aren't as obvious and they aren't too bad.

the baltic sea

there's a sweet song about sweden by swedish/scottish band the social services called "the baltic sea" that i found on indie-mp3. the song is downloadable there but also listenable on the social services myspace. listen to it!

a piece of the lyrics go

Oh Sweden, I’m sorry to say that you’re tedious sometimes / Your natural beauty is unsurpassed, your children are healthy and ruddy / Your recycling facilities are second to none / You’re an ethical peace loving nation.

and then that no one smiles at her on the underground on her way to work. welcome to sweden.

awesomeness

yo, you need to get over to pretending to be japanese and read my first blog post there. i'm all excited! it's about the jesus and mary chain. go!