radio barz

Saturday morning playlist

Here's today's Saturday morning playlist. Heavy on roots and insurgent country thanks to Jon Langford, James McMurtry, Neko, Sarah Borges and more. Check out these and more tunes on my BlipFM station.

• James McMurtry – Ruby and Carlos
• Chuck Prophet – ¡Let Freedom Ring!
• Sarah Borges and the Broken Singles – Me And Your Ghost
• Holly Golightly – Your Love is mine
• Neko Case – Buckets Of Rain (Bob Dylan Cover)
• "Detroit Cobras ~ "Cha Cha Twist" My Fav Cobras tune"
• Sally Timms – Drunk By Noon
• "Roxy Music – Jealous Guy  
• Neil Young – Cinnamon Girl
• Adrian Belew – I'm Down
• Beach House – Beach House - Norway
• Jon Langford  "Book of Your Life"
• Daniel Lanois – Power Of One
• Chris Whitley – Her Furious Angels
• Joe Pug – Bury Me Far From My Uniform
• John Doe – Golden State
• Jon Langford "1234Ever" --  Good Saturday to you all!

 

Not at Bonnaroo? Me either. But you can still listen in.

NPR and NPR member stations are doing an amazing job of covering Bonnaroo this weekend with live broadcasts and Webcasts. NPR is also offering a free sampler with songs from 11 bands playing the festival. Just like getting your own Bonnaroo mix tape.

Here are some places to listen in on Bonnaroo 2010. Don't forget your sunscreen!

• NPR Music live from Bonnaroo (lots of live Webcasts all weekend plus an archive).
• Great discussion on NPR's All Songs Considered Bonnaroo preview. Gives you a sense of the bands, the songs and the Bonnaroo experience. 
• WFUV's cool, eclectic Bonnaroo coverage. 
• Austin, TX comes to Bonnaroo courtesy of KUT.

And if that's not enough, get a who slew of Bonnaroo news here, including the story of Conan O'Brien's Bonnaroo set. (Rolling Stone)

Additional links:

• Bonnaroo Web site
• Flaming Lips, Kings of Leon ingnite Bonnaroo (Rollling Stone).
• Bonnaroo 2010: The Flaming Lips Play Pink Floyd (The Wall Street Journal Speakeasy blog)

Tears On My Pillow: All Songs Valentine Break-Up Song Mix

We can't play this game anymore, but can we still be friends? 

  

If Valentine's Day makes us all gushy with thoughts of true love, flowers and heart-felt songs, there's also a darker side: The break-up song.

NPR's All Songs Considered serves up a powerful mix of bitter-sweet (often more bitter than sweet) goodbyes from Beck, Split Enz, Vic Chesnutt, The Replacements, and Roy Orbison, among others.

Grab your Kleenex and have a listen.

Adventureland Soundtrack: Loaded with 1980s College Rock Goodness

Holidays are the time for catching up on movies I missed during the year. This afternoon, it was Adventureland. Enjoyable, especially for someone like me who spent his 20s in the 80s. 

The soundtrack plays an integral part in the film, as it does in recent youth romantic comedies like Nick & Nora's Infinite Playlist, Juno and 500 Days of Summer. What's great about Adventureland is the reliance on so many wonderful college radio and alt-rock songs from the 70s and 80s that I've forgotten to listen to for too long -- like a newly found mix tape. 

My favorite cuts include the dreamy, sad Pale Blue Eyes by The Velvet Underground, Satellite Of Love by Lou Reed, Unatisfied by The Replacements, and Big Stars' I'm In Love With A Girl. The only clunker to my ears is Falco's Rock Me Amadeus. But the tune is used to such comic effect in the movie I suppose it had to be included. 

23 of my favorite songs from 2009: Hear my year

Usually, I get around to picking my favorite songs of the year by February of the next year. Or I don't get around to it at all. 

This year, there's so much good music and I'm going to be extremely busy in the coming weeks, so I decided to get to my selections early. Here are 23 of the songs I listened to and enjoyed most in 2009. 

Are these all my favorites? Hardly. I mean, Duke Junior and the Smokey Boots isn't even on this list. Not to mention a lot of great jazz, blues and world music. But If asked to make a mix tape of my year, this would come fairly close. And yes, these are in order. But not a particular one.

1. The Mountain

Heartless Bastards  

Love the persistent guitar crunch and ragged passion of this song.

2. In My Dreams

Eels 

About sums up the optimistic spirit of all my teenage daydreams.

3. Stillness Is The Move

Dirty Projectors 

My 2009 "wake up" song and source of a new personal mantra.

4. Beyond Here Lies Nothin'

Bob Dylan

Old Bob Dylan just gets cooler with each release.

5. I Feel A Change Comin' On

Bob Dylan 

Another repeat play from "Together through Life." The album is packed with great traveling songs, whether the journey is by car, train or in your mind

6. Blood Bank

Bon Iver 

Takes me back 30+ years when I stood out in the too cold January wind, hands numb, heart frozen, trying to make an impression.

7. For Beginners

M. Ward 

Always appreciated, but never listened much to M. Ward. "Hold Time" changed that.

8. Rave On (Featuring Zooey Deschanel)

M. Ward

Wow! A beautiful understatement.

9. Gimme Sympathy

Metric 

Vibrant song from an album full of great Saturday night rock and roll. Who you going to choose? The Beatles or the Stones?

10. Help I'm Alive

Metric 

Here's another.

11. This Tornado Loves You

Neko Case 

And I love Neko's music and this release.

12. Lay Me Down

The Spikedrivers 

I love The Spikedrivers. Thanks to the Nelsonville Music Fest for introducing me to them. Go now and see this and live.

13. My Body's A Zombie For You

Dead Man's Bones

My favorite Halloween song this year and probably for years to come.

14. Low Rising

The Swell Season

I know, sometimes these two can be a little too precious. But I'm a stone cold sucker for the sweet music they make together.

15. Knotty Pine

Dirty Projectors + David Byrne

Maybe my favorite album of 2009. Great selection of songs and performances focused on a vital cause, especially this rave-alicious number.

16. Train Song

Feist + Ben Gibbard

17. Hey, Snow White

The New Pornographers 

18. With A Girl Like You

David Sitek

Atmospheric remake of this Troggs classic. The night just got a little darker.

19. Marquee Moon (Bonus Tracks)

Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs 

Speaking of covers, I had more fun with this CD than any other in 2009. The sparkling remakes brought be back to many of the originals. And if you buy "Under the Covers Vol 2, 2," make sure you get the version with the bonus tracks. Well worth it.

20. Killer Queen (Bonus Tracks)

Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs

I had a major crush on this song in 1974.

21. Beware Of Darkness

Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs 

In the year of THE recession and so many other modern maladies, this song rings loud and true.

22. I Wanna Be Sedated (Bonus Tracks)

Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs

And in it's own way, this one does too.

23. Back Of A Car

Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs 

This led me to the new Big Star compilation. Thanks Matthew and Susanna!

This song is windows rolled down, driving through the Athens, Ohio country side on a sunny, late-spring day. Always makes me smile.

Roadtrip Playlist

Made a quick trip to NE Ohio and back yesterday. 740 mi in less than 18 hours. This playlist helped pass the miles:

El Corazon by Steve Earle, in particular, NYC, I Still Carry You Around, and You Know the Rest

Tell Tale Signs by Bob Dylan. Addicted to both versions of Mississipi and the live cuts crackle with primal roadhouse energy.

Paste sampler, volume 45, including:

1. BLK JKS - "Lakeside"
2. Mugison - "Mugiboogie"
3. Miou Miou - "A Lete De La Saint-Martin 68"
4. Yoav - "Club Thing"
5. Tinariwen - "Cler Achel"
6. Ron Sexsmith - "Brandy Alexander"
7. The Lodger - "The Good Old Days"
8. Carsick Cars - "He Sheng (Rock N Roll Hero)"
9. Martin Hayes & Dennis Cahill - "Jenny's Welcome To Charlie"
10. The Windupdeads - "The End"
11. Bajofondo - "Pa' Bailar"
12. White Shoes and the Couples Company - "Tentang Cita"
13. Anna Ternheim - "To Be Gone"
14. Ladysmith Black Mambazo - "This Is The Way We Do"
15. The Cat Empire - "So Many Nights"
16. A Shoreline Dream - "neverChanger (feat. Ulrich Schnauss)"
17. Sergio Mendes - "Funky Bahia"
18. Orchestra Baobab - "Nijay"
19. Miguel Zenon - "Lamamilla"

The Believer's 2008 Music Sampler, including:

1. Tartit, “Ansari”
2. Animal Collective, “Winters Love”
3. Sholi, “Hejrat”
4. Googoosh, “Makhloogh”
5. Gang Gang Dance, “Nicoman”
6. Beat Konducta, “Dancing Girls Theme”
7. Think Of One, “Antwaarpse Shaâbi”
8. Aceyalone, “Sound Gun”
9. Busy Signal, “Knocking At Your Door”
10. Dirty Projectors, “Finches’ Song At Oceanic Parking Lot”
11. Ensemble Pirin, “Di-Li-Do”
12. Skeletons and the Kings of All Cities, “What They Said (Barnburner Mix)”
13. Mahmoud Ahmed, “Abbay Mado”
14. High Places, “Golden”
15. Ya Bounma, “Jing Riang Me Lun”
16. Lucky Dragons, “Complement Song”
 

Great music site: My secret playlist

Really like My Secret Playlist. Artists pick their eight favorite songs and you can listen in. Check it out.

Recent featured playlists are contributed by:
Katie Noonan 
Ursula 1000 
The Little Ones 
Nick Stumpf, French Kicks 
The Angel 
Paul DiGiovanni, Girls Like Boys 
Matt Ridgway, Winterpark 

And  many more...check it out.

Do you mix?

If you haven't joined the International Mix Tape Project yet, what are you waiting for? Check out my mix tape page.

New mix tape lists just posted on my IMP page

In case you're curious, I've just posted my July 2007 and August 2007 mix tape track lists on my International Mix Tape Project profile page.

It's been a fairly eclectic summer in my music world. Watch for September and October mix lists to be posted soon. And join the fun. Join IMP today!