The Perfect Playlist: "Smiles and Sighs"

So...

Who knew that people actually paid attention to me posting things on Facebook? Cheers. I started talking about The Perfect Playlist recently, and got requests to post it when it was complete (Sorry, Kendra: wish I could do downloads, but I am SO not that cool.). A brief explanation is in order before I proceed, however.

Is this The Perfect Playlist? No...and yes. And maybe. This thing was designed for a purpose. One day recently, while listening to music, as I am wont to do occasionally, I heard CHYSY's "In this Home on Ice". I thought (and even FB'd!) about the lyric "Now that I'm so sad and not quite right / I could dance all night". That lyric has a strange effect on me...makes me both sigh and smile. It gives me the feeling of being resigned to things, yet very much OK with them. It speaks of the potential for utter happiness in the midst of difficult situations. Simply put, I love that lyric. It got me thinking about what other songs give me a similar feeling. So, I set out to make a playlist of songs that gave me this feeling, songs that I was amazed people were living their lives without listening to...that said, some of the songs are relatively obvious, but most are on the more obscure side of the spectrum for those of us who don't have ridiculous amounts of time to scour the indie-verse for the next amazing band/song/album. I mean, me? What else am I gonna do? I scour, so you don't have to.

So, here it is. It is 2 hours long, and separated into 2 different "sides". Not a "Smile" side and a "Sigh" side (remember, all the songs elicit both responses--for me)--the sides are almost arbitrary, but in sequencing, it just made sense to me. Plus, I like titling things, so I was able to come up with an extra title (AKA, I was able to rip a lyric and call it a title)...here goes. I will try to explain as I go, but some of the choices need no explanation--or, if they do, I can't really explain them.

My thanks goes out to Crystal (who smartly made me feel lame when I said I was attempting "Perfection"), Annastasia (who asked first to see this diabolical scheme), Kendra (who probably shouldn't compliment me so much), Jeffrey (who is a true mix-making hero), and Laika (who paved the way for humans to travel in space, ensuring we would all always have reasons to smile and/or sigh).

Please, be gentle with your criticism. :)

Smiles and Sighs
Side 1: "...I could dance all night"

1. Ryan Adams: Come Pick Me Up
2. Band of Horses: Detlef Schrempf (Kind of schmaltzy, but my favorite of BoH's more sentimental works.)
3. Elliott Smith: The Biggest Lie (I could find an Elliott song for any mix, so...I did.)
4. Film School: Two Kinds (I can't hear this song without being surprised by the violins. So pretty.)
5. Pinback: Penelope (How many love songs are there about fish? This is easily the best of them.)
6. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah: In This Home on Ice
7. Ra Ra Riot: Run My Mouth ("All my days, they end too slow")
8. The Spinning Wheels: Wrecking Ball (This band needs more fans. That means you.)
9. Owen: Femme Fatale (Not as good as the original--obviously--but I like the way it sounds here.)
10. Iron & Wine: Jezebel (Sigh. I couldn't love this song more than I do.)
11. Volcano Choir: Island, IS (I told someone recently that this song has ended up on nearly every mix I've done for the past year...PROOF!)
12. Rogue Wave: Maps (Yes, we all love Karen O. This version is better. I get being a purist about the original, but this one is SO GOOD.)
13. Loch Lomond: Wax & Wire (This one is kind of scary, if you really listen to it, but something about the rise and fall of Ritchie's voice always mellows me out.)
14. Foals: Spanish Sahara (This may be the most epic song that gets released this year. That's not meant to be hyperbole.)


Side 2: "You little mountain noise"

1. Coconut Records: West Coast (Turns out, Jason Schwartzman can write a pretty damn good Beatles-esque melody.)
2. Spoon: Goodnight Laura (Makes me wish I knew someone named Laura...)
3. Peter Broderick: Below It (I am enamored with everything Peter Broderick does, but it all started with this amazing song.)
4. Glen Hansard: Say It To Me Now (If I could sing and play guitar, I would just cover Glen Hansard songs.)
5. Neal Burton: Bandages (I was introduced to this on Aviation Records' "2021" compilation, and this guy's voice is killer. And the song embodies such a beautiful, escapist idea.)

***There is a bit of a tonal shift here, from the more grounded to the more ethereal. If I'd thought a bit more, I may have dispersed the following songs more throughout the mix, but it turned out I liked the idea of the end of the mix being really dreamlike and pensive. Totally a personal choice.***

6. tUnE-yArDs: Fiya (This is one of those songs you hear on a cellphone commercial, and just marvel about how little those advertisers knew about what they were getting into.)
7. Rauelsson: Elefantes y Ninas (Admittedly, this only qualifies as "dreamlike" since it is sung in Spanish, but I still like the way it fits.)
8. Mum: We Have a Map of the Piano (This has been a favorite of mine for so many years, it's impossible to really talk about. The title of this side comes from this song, as well.)
9. Bent: Cylons in Love (A classic of the "chill-out" genre from the turn of the century.)
10. Animal Collective: Winters Love
11. Grizzly Bear: Foreground
12. Grizzly Bear: Colorado (I have never, nor would I have ever imagined I ever would, put two of any one band's album-enders side by side on a mix. I love the way these two work. There is a first time for everything.)
13. Gayngs: The Last Prom on Earth (Another album-ender. It's kind of tongue-in-cheek, but I still think it's a really pretty song. And it cleanses the palate a bit from all the preceding heaviness.)


OK...let it fly. What do you think?

roar,

TRx

UnDisCoVerEd: More Details on DTR's biggest indie-culture event EVER

As excited and thrilled and amazed as I am about the upcoming Exene show (4/17--scroll down!) on Record Store Day (link on your right!)...I'd be remiss not to fill you in on the awesomeness that is being planned for UnDisCoVerEd. So, here I go!

Peep this amazing poster, created by our very own graphique artiste extraordinaire (sacre bleu!), Mr. Adam "The Metal Made Me Do It" Jones!! This is a first draft, but the final version will roll out soon, and with any luck it will be EVERYWHERE!

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Music: We are all booked with four amazing local bands!

SEE ME RIVER (www.myspace.com/seemeriver)

Cock and Swan (www.myspace.com/cockandswan)

Young Lions (working on this...!)

Sweet Secrets (www.myspace.com/sweetsecretsband)

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As well as visual entertainment, featuring (but NOT limited to):

Spotlight Dance Company (DTR, http://www.spotlightdance.net/) -- pictured -- and The HALL Breakdancers (Harambee, DTR http://thehallrenton.blogspot.com/) and members of The Cabiri (Seattle, http://www.anunnaki.org/cabiri/page.php?page=fp)

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Had enough awesomeness? But, wait! There is oh, so much more!!

35 INDIE CRAFT BOOTHS and Vendors brought to you by Happy Delusions (DTR, http://happydelusions.wordpress.com/)!! Plus, participation by lots of your favorite DTR businesses, many of which are still in the works (more on that later!)

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And let's not forget the reason we are doing all of this. To benefit the amazing and selfless folks at Childhood Cancer Sucks - The Jakob Ellis Foundation (http://www.facebook.com/pages/CHILDHOOD-CANCER-SUCKS-The-Jakob-Ellis-Foundation/341635036084?ref=ts#!/pages/CHILDHOOD-CANCER-SUCKS-The-Jakob-Ellis-Foundation/341635036084?v=info&ref=ts) . Supporting those impacted and fighting so no one ever has to fear this afflicion.

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Tickets: $10 in advance, $12 at the door -- more info soon on how and where you can purchase!

whew. That's a lot of stuff. I guess you know what your doing on May 15 now, right...?

roar.

--TRx

Record Store Day 2010 (The Details)

The upcoming celebration of national Record Store Day (http://www.recordstoreday.com/) will be on April 17th. It is officially the most wonderful time of the year (sorry, Christmas, you've been outdone). Please check out the website for all the specifics, but the idea of RSD is, simply put: Record stores rock, and they should be recognized for rocking. And what is the best way to reward record stores and their patrons? Why, music, of course!

The annual celebration of RSD always comes with a bevvy of singles and collectible releases that are available only at record stores, most in such a limited quantity that they end up being only available on Record Store Day. But it also brings a parade of indie artists who like to perform at indie record stores to show their appreciation to their fans and the stores that sell their wares.

One artist who will be touring West Coast record stores this year on and around RSD will be the incomparable Exene Cervenka. Fans of the 70's and 80's seminal LA punk band, X, need no introduction to Ms. Cervenka, as she was the frontwoman of the band. Identified with the punk scene during its rise to prominence, the band ended up evolving a unique rockabilly sound. Exene has taken this evolution even further in her recent work, her last release being 2009's Somewhere Gone, a beautiful collection of folk/alt-country/Americana rendered in a way that only she can.

"The reason I am touring independent record stores from San Diego to Seattle this April is that I want to play for free, to people of all ages, at a reasonable hour, in a place we love to be. I'm touring at my own expense, because I don't want the economy to stand between my music and people that might want to hear it. Yes, I hope I sell some aprons and a few cds, but bring your X records, the kids, shop independent, and let's have a party! xo exene"

Ah, we couldn't have said it any better ourselves. ; )

Catch Exene at Tyrannosaurus Records on April 17th at 2pm (along with local favorite Devin Moore, and possibly more local music TBD)

The cat is officially out of the bag.

roar.

TRx

The Top 10 Raddest Things About Buying Records

Wow. This blog post really and truly needs no introduction. I mean, it is pretty obvious from the title what you’re going to find here, right? I will say this, though: it all may seem like a desperate plea for attention (y’know, like “hey, come buy records here, everybody…please?”), but really these are just some of the things I most enjoy about the acts of buying and listening to vinyl, augmented with some help from some of our Facebook Fans (as noted). Seriously, these are things that you may have forgotten about, or things that you’ve potentially never experienced if you’ve never bought a piece of new vinyl. Not to say that it all applies to vinyl exclusively—some of these things can easily go for CD’s as well, especially some of the more significant items in the countdown.

That’s kind of a long introduction for something that supposedly “needed no introduction”, isn’t it? What do you say we get to it…?


The TRx Top 10 Things About Buying Records

10. The Music :::::::::: I know, I know. The music should be Number One. Obviously, it is the most important thing about the entire act of buying and playing vinyl. But it only barely squeaks into my Top Ten things about buying vinyl. Weird how sometimes the most important things about activities we enjoy aren’t always the things we enjoy the most…

9. Carrying Vinyl Out of the Store :::::::::: Ironically, my best anecdote to relate here is one I experienced after NOT buying vinyl—allow me to explain: So one time, I am making my way out of the Capitol Hill Sonic Boom store (which has since moved). I had happened to find some good used CD’s that day, but hadn’t really looked at new stuff, CD or vinyl. I go sauntering out with my little bag of a few CD’s, and I pass a lady having a cigarette on the corner. She eyes my bag, eyes me, eyes my bag, eyes me; then she says something amazing, something heroic. She says, “Oh well, maybe next time you can buy a couple records.” Now, mind you, my devotion to vinyl is and has always been beyond reproach, but she didn’t know that. She just saw a relatively young person buying music on CD as opposed to vinyl, and she felt the need to speak up. This leads to a lot of other questions really (most interestingly, was this a person who regularly spent time belittling random people on the basis of their music choices?), but they are immaterial. The thing to take away is: it is always unquestionably and undeniably cooler to walk out of a music store with vinyl in your hand.

8. The Cover Art (Thanks to Carl McKenzie for this one, and also Johnny Goss) :::::::::: It is such a cliché that I can’t possibly resist saying it here: Size matters. It’s not rocket science—you get 12 inches worth of artwork and eye-candy and awesome inserts and a big, significant hunk of physical property when you buy a record (obviously, 7-inches have their own particular mystique not addressed here). Not so much with a CD. And I say this, but I do concede that CD art and packaging has come a long way in the past 5 years or so…but you know what? The aesthetic strides that CD’s have made have come from ideas propagated by vinyl packaging (soft covers, paper booklets, photo inserts, gimmicky fastening mechanisms, etc.). However, if space and storage are major concerns for you, then CD’s are probably the way to go. Not that there’s anything wrong with that…

7. The Smells (Thanks to Patrick and to JYH for this one!) :::::::::: Ah, the smells. Whether it is the clean, vaguely chemical smell of vinyl that has never been played, or the subtle waft of musty, lived-in air that breezes up while you’re flipping through a rack of old records. The smells are great. Probably an acquired taste, but one you may very well find yourself extremely satisfied to have acquired, when all is said and done.

6. The Act of Playing Vinyl (Again, JYH gets props for this one, along with Chris Anderson) :::::::::: I am not talking about the sound here (that comes a little later in the countdown), but the act of taking a record out of its sleeve, situating it onto a turntable, powering on, and dropping the needle into the groove. I am talking about the subtle pop when the needle makes contact, the surface noise that tells you that you are in for something special, and the first noise you hear through the speakers. It is powerful. And it is scientifically proven (at least, I read somewhere that it was) that this added investment in the physical act of playing the music leads to a greater appreciation of the music itself. So win-win. Oh, man…I could go on and on about this…MUST…CHANGE…TOPIC…

5. Elton John :::::::::: I don’t care what your feelings are on The One and Only Rocketman. Whether you love him or hate him or are indifferent, his body of work sounds amazing on vinyl. Especially the older stuff (I am especially a fan of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Madman Across the Water, and Honkey Chateau), but they are all amazing. He, and his epic body of work, has singlehandedly made the act of buying vinyl better. For me, at least.

4. Finding Amazing Stuff :::::::::: One time, while scouring through the bins in a record store in North Carolina that mainly focused on goth and noise-rock, I found an original pressing (read: Aura Records’ disputed and possibly stolen version) of Nico’s Drama of Exile, AND a vintage Bowie Italian import that included the widely berated and unexplainably successful song “The Laughing Gnome”. I think I paid something like $8.00 for both titles combined. The point is this: You don’t always find good stuff in record bins, but every once in a while, you find amazing stuff. So few retail arenas carry that same air of mystery and possibility.

3. Digital Downloads :::::::::: What?! Did he just…?! Are you serious?!!! Yes, I did. And yes, I very much am. Peep this: one of the major drawbacks of vinyl is that you can’t listen to it while walking, or while driving, or while riding your lowrider bicycle, right? If this was a debate, and you made that argument, I would gladly give you a point—and maybe even a high-five. But then I would rock your world by saying the following: “What if there was a way in which you could buy the vinyl, and then also receive all the music in a digital download at no extra cost? If someone came up with a way to somehow give consumers the physical awesomeness of vinyl, but paired it with the ability to have the music as a digital download that could go anywhere, well then…I guess vinyl would pretty much be unstoppable now, wouldn’t it?” Now you would probably give me a high-five, but I wouldn’t be done. “But they have!!” I would exclaim. “They have! Easily 95% of new vinyl now comes with a digital download of the album for you to have on-the-go!! Anywhere! You can truly have your cake…and you can eat it, too. Viva Vinyl!!!” At this point, I can only imagine we would hug each other intensely, cry, and take a blood oath to always be awesome to one another. Wouldn’t we?

2. Analog Sound :::::::::: …and I’m going to temper my raving about digital convenience by sounding the rallying cry of any self-respecting audiophile. Simply put, the analog sound wave pressed into each vinyl groove is the truest known form of sound replication. Granted, digital sound is a more exact copy (and can be quite fantastic), but it is just that: a copy. Analog sound is the sound, as rendered through the recording equipment and pressed into wax. I have listened to and read a lot of debate on this issue, and at the end of the day, it is really a matter of personal preference. I happen to unequivocally prefer the warmth and depth of sound in vinyl, and I have yet to listen to the CD that makes me think otherwise, strictly in terms of sound quality. It is an opinion, and I am OK with it.

1. Connecting :::::::::: Like any purchase worth making, a purchase at a record store invests you in the community that created it. It is probably one of the easiest and least painful ways to make the jump from being someone who enjoys and appreciates a community’s output, to being someone who participates in that output and, by extension, helps the community thrive. Of course, the same can be said of any manner of local business, but I have always found that record stores have a certain place in the communities they inhabit, and the set of roots they grow is distinct from most other types of businesses. Consider that if you buy a record at an independent record store and you really love it, each time you re-create that experience of loving that album for yourself, you will also remember the place and the circumstances under which you came upon that particular piece of music. You may find, as I have many times through the years, that a piece of music connects you to a day, a season, or a feeling you had sometime in your life that you haven’t had since—and the place (the store, and the community) that facilitated it is sure to have a special place in your heart.

Connecting—isn’t that the point of all music in the first place?

The hiatus is over! Welcome back—

roar.

An Open Letter to DTR

Dear DTR,

I have been talking a lot about you lately. I thought you might like to know what people are saying, if for no other reason than to know you are not being taken for granted.

Where else is there the sense of community that exists here? I would wager almost nowhere else in the Seattle area. There is a sense of togetherness that is palpable and readily felt by anyone who comes to hang out. Everyone is saying that you are not intimidating or snobby like Downtown Seattle (no disrespect meant to our big sister), and not as bland as downtown areas in other outlying areas. People I have been talking to all weekend have been saying how much you have to offer, and they are happy they are getting in on it while you are still relatively unknown. You are truly becoming known as the place to go for things that are fun, unique, and inspired by community.

Just look at all your great stuff: great antique stores, great restaurants and nightlife, great indie stores for quirky and cool stuff, great coffee, great cupcakes (I personally prefer CG's cupcakes to anything at similar specialty stores and bakeries in Seattle--though those places are not without their own charms), awesome body art, bicycle wares, an amazing professional-quality dance studio (*wink*), music venues, a record store (*wink* again), a book store coming in the Spring, and so much more!

All this, and you are still coming up with new ways to surprise the people who are finding you for the first time, and the people who have known you for years. Some people have called you the "new" Belltown, or the "new" West Seattle, but I prefer to think of you as the "original" DTR. And I am starting to get the sense that you've been planning this all along. ; )

Thanks for everything you have done, and everything you are.

Your friend,

TRx

Rocking your face off with more updates and current events!

The line-up is set, the venue is booked... Get ready for NorthWest by NorthWest (NWxNW)!!! Tickets soon to be available for Renton's first-ever indie-rock showcase at Renton Civic Theater (featuring cutting-edge performance pieces by Renton's own Spotlight Dance Company!)! Call or email for more details...full info to be posted soon. Tix also available at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/, search "northwest x northwest"...

New in the store this week:

BLK JKS / "After Robots" - A heck of an album, available on CD and vinyl. BLK JKS ("black jacks") have a new take on rock n roll, one that includes world rhythms and dub-/dancehall-inspired vocal stylings and approaches something similar to TV on the Radio but then veers left and becomes something completely different. This release is by turns foot-stomping, booty-shaking, fist-pumping, and heartstring-pulling. Good, good stuff...

The Black Heart Procession "6" - CD/Vinyl. Black Heart returns with "6". A return-to-form in many ways for the collective, but in some ways a departure from all that has come before. Lots of Leonard Cohen-esque imagery and lyricism, coupled with the always gorgeous instrumentation that fans of this group have come to expect. Both first editions on vinyl and CD are gorgeously put-together. Don't miss out on this work of art!

The Twilight Sad "Forget the Night Ahead" - CD. These Scots have an ear for the dark and disturbing side of banality, and an uncanny knack for making it sound anthemic and compelling. Drawing from a wealth of influences from across the pond, from Morrisey to Mogwai, each song feels like a self-contained parable with all of them adding up to an epic listen.

Mum - "Sing Along to Songs You Don't Know" - CD. The latest from Iceland's Mum is the first without one of the founding members, but it finds the band finding a new solidarity in partnering in a new record label (Euphono, for which this is the first release). The result is a slightly different breed of Mum, but one that is a logical progression from the textured, chilled-out vibe of the best of their previous work.

Find also new releases (and "new-to-us" releases) from Sufjan Stevens, Volcano Choir, We Were Promised Jetpacks, Okkervil River, Health, Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band, and much much more!

"ROOOAAAARRRR!!!"

We'll see you soon...

TRx

914 S 3rd St / Renton, WA (DTR)

425.988.4118