listen=speaky

I was helping my friend Dan pack up and move out of the dorms a few weeks ago. He was playing these mashups by some bro who calls himself 'Speaky'. Apparently Speaky was the one who released an album last spring that was 'accidentally re-tagged' as Girl Talk's then-upcoming Feed the Animals.

Speaky's mashups are instantly recognizable as being different from Girl Talk's. The overall production doesn't sound as good and seems less, I don't know, Girl Talky. I don't know a ton about mashups and couldn't list more than a few mashup djs (the first obvious two being gregg & the hood internet), but it seems like Speaky uses a lot of the same effects that Girl Talk uses, except more often, sometimes to a fault (too much squeaky voice). There is a huge overlap in the samples in Feed the Animals and Mashcore Volume 2, the album that was being passed off being the new Girl Talk. This is pretty weird. Coincidence? Mashcore 2 was released about a half a year earlier. Hm.

Overall, I'd recommend checking out Speaky at the very least. His albums are all free on his website, I'd start with Volume 2.5 and then go for Volume 2. Poor (even poorer?) man's Girl Talk? Maybe. But there are definitely some cool moments (plus more daft punk samples).

Download Speaky's music for free here.

weird songs

I was thinking about weird songs and how many of them I had on my computer. I made a mix of some of the best and worst ones...I mostly included songs that didn't seem to be trying to be weird, although some of them are so far from 'normal' or even 'acceptable', I had to use them. Disclaimer: Some of this is really, really bad. That's the point.

'WEIRD SONGS'
104 MB, 76 minutes


1. YMCK - カモン！スウィングオールスターズ
I downloaded this from WFLM. chiptune+jazz influences+J-Pop vocals=really, really weird
2. The Apples In Stereo - King of Carrot Flowers, Pt. 3
I really like Apples, but this is really weird.
3. The Beach Boys - Unreleased Backgrounds
From a 'Pet Sounds' reissue...why?
4. The Blood Brothers - Under Pressure
A peppy cover of the Bowie/Queen classic.
5. Sonic Youth - Piece Enfantine (Nicolas Slonimsky)
One of the tracks on this mix that I genuinely enjoy. From their series of performances of 20th century avant-garde compositions.
6. Black Kids (Feat. Lil Wayne) - Not Gonna Teach Him (The Twelves Kickmix)
Featuring a cut-and-pasted Lil Wayne verse.
7. Calvin Johnson - Sorry Entertainer
A cover of the Daniel Johnston classic. This guy's voice is even more hard to listen to than Daniel's! Yikes.
8. Descendents - Weinerschnitzel
What?
9. T.I. - Whatever You Like (Dubstep Remix)
I have a lot of weird dubstep remixes, I decided this was the weirdest.
10. DeviJive & The Uptown 5 - Krakyani
An intro to a Fond du Lac local band's cd.
11. New Kids on the Glock - D.A.N.C.E.
Towards the end of the track, it gets better.
12. Chewy Chocolate Cookies - It Was Only A Kiss
I really like most of CCC's remixes, but this track sounds like electro Trans-Siberian Orchestra.
13. Dan Deacon - My Name is Robert
Pretty Durn Weird.
14. Fall Out Boy / Kanye - Scene/Arms
I have no idea where this came from. Sort of glad I don't have more than a minute and a half of this.
15. Das Racist - Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell
There is a Wallpaper mix of this that I like, but this original is really, really bad.
16. Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks (Tom ato Remix)
For anyone who hasn't heard this yet, enjoy.
17. Flo Rida v. Stardust - Music Sounds Better Heaps Low (Whack-a-Tone Blend)
Pretty redonkulous.
18. I Set My Friends on Fire - Crank Dat Cavalry Boy
If this track doesn't scream (really) 'NOVELTY', I'd like to see what does.
19. The Advantage - Zelda (Fortress)
The guitar player of Hella is in this band. All they do is covers of NES songs.
20. Necro - The Most Sadistic
Probably my favorite rap song ever.
21. Popchor Berlin - Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
Probably my favorite German a cappella cover of Daft Punk ever.
22. Soulja Boy Tell'em - Turn My Swag On (Instrumental)
Step One: Set this song as your morning alarm. Step Two: Karaoke. Step Three: Get Said Swag On.
23. Superclowns - Poopy
I namedrop 'DJ Skillz' as often as I can. That's from this track.
24. Khoomei - Fedor Tau
Thank you, Smithsonian Museum, for giving me a sampler of weird throat noises from across the world.
25. Richard Cheese - Buddy Holly
Get Your Swank On.
26. Radiohead - Nude (Hipster Runoff Remix)
From HRo's glory days.
27. John Cage and the - 7_03
ha.
28. Toadally Krossed Out! - Toads Theme
Awesome.
29. Ween - Where'd the Cheese Go?
Rejected Pizza Hut Jingle (really)

listen=fiery furnaces

This evening as Arian, Will, and I were walking back from the tallest man on earth/pizza extreme, we talked of many things, one being Dotttt. I might make a post about Dotttt another time.
Anyhow, on the topic of grandmothers, The Fiery Furnaces.

I am not terribly knowledgeable about The Fiery Furnaces. I think the first song I heard by them was 'Chris Michaels', which remains my favorite Fiery Furnaces song, and would definitely hold a high spot on my list of favorite songs if I were to make one. 'Chris Michaels' is weird. Freak folk weird / Skeletal Lamping weird. It's seven disjointed songs in one, lasts about 8 minutes. I like to play guitar to this song. Instead of posting an mp3, I encourage you to plunk out the chords and listen to it that way (via deerhoof)

The Fiery Furnaces (brother/sister Matthew and Eleanor Friedberger) released a cd a while back with their grandmother. It is very weird. Their grandmother, who is named Olga and has a voice like her name is Olga, tells stories from her past. I like it.

trepidation party

SooOo nervous for new voxtrot. Danielle Bade says "Pitchfork agrees with me that Trepanation Party blows chunks. They gave it a 4." This is sort of alarming but mostly because I feel like 'the great d'bader' + p4k are ganging up on me (kinda like Patrick Tillz + 'people who buy cds' ganging up on Pet'ruby 4 buying burial on vinyl).

Is voxtrot

a) piggybacking on the mid '00s synth trend [via Killers]
b) participating in the 'wtf album' release trend [ via kanye west]
c) trying to alienate fans who will accept garbage releases/not listen 'critically'
d) making their music more 'remixable/bloggable'
e) trying to get associated with a genre other than 'twee'
f) obsessed with this year's New Order reissues
g) trying to impress women who are obsessed with this year's New Order reissues
h) choose.your.own.response

??????

*blows trepanation chunks at awful HRo ripoff post*/
*uses asterisks like a seventh-grade girl on AIM*

new music from old favorites.

There's a whole lot going on right now with some of my favorite bands. I'll give you a short rundown of some of the best.

Voxtrot - Trepanation Party [mp3]

wow. it has been a long time, voxtrot. very excited to see where this new sound takes them on their album. Apparently their lineup has changed.. I wonder who's left and how much of the sound change was due to added members' touches/change in direction from ramesh. it does not seem like two years ago that i was just as excited to see voxtrot follow up on their incredible eps with a full-length. Memories.


Trophy Scars - Anna Lucia [purevolume]

I have been waiting for yearss for Trophy Scars to release new material. For a while there, it looked like they could be done forever. Their new album 'Bad Luck' came out on Friday but i haven't ordered it yet. This week I'm going to go around town and see if any madison record stores have it...not sure what i'll find. I bet this album is incredible though. I will call Trophy Scars a post-hardcore animal collective--they don't follow trends, they just make music. respect them.

The Thermals - Now We Can See [mp3]

The Thermals just know how to rock a body.

Grizzly Bear - Cheerleader [mp3]

I have been listening to Grizzly Bear a lot lately, trying to 'get it'. Think i am getting really close.
This mp3 is great.

Dan Deacon - Snookered [mp3]

So stoked to witness this live on May 4 at the Majestic for TEN DOLLARS.
(mp3 courtesy of Living Ears)

Any good ones I'm missing?

listen=louis vuitton 2008

17 min daft punk conglomeration. Not too shabby!


Daft Punk - Louis Vuitton 2008

lollapalooza.com + F5 == today

Hello.

Last week's music committee assignment was to make a playlist for someone we didn't know. I really enjoyed the opportunity to make a mix cd for someone because I hadn't done it in ages. Now that I think of it, mixing tracks on traktor is not that different from creating a mixtape--you want songs that people are going to enjoy and sound good together. Still, it's been a while.

I guess the joke was that everyone was going to try and out-indie each other with b sides and the like.. I did end up putting on more 'unknown' tracks that I want people to know. That's okay, right? I also made my mix short (40 minutes). This is something I have been enjoying with my more recent mixes. For years and years, I put as much onto a disk that I could. While this makes sense (especially for making tracks for oneself) I like the playability of shorter mixtapes. I am very prone to switch listening to something mid-cd if it is long, and I assume a lot of other people are also. That being said, I have gotten some great 20 track cds that are better than my 10 track cds. I've been listening to mixes I've made/received all evening.. It is so enjoyable to hear old strings of songs I've grown used to and forgotten until now.

Since I only know laura a very little bit, my mix is less about the content of the songs as much as their overall sound. I think that a wide variety of people would like this mix.. please download it and let me know what you think!

3-10-9
63 MB, 41.8 minutes

1. Beck - Sexx Laws
2. Bishop Allen - The Chinatown Bus
3. The Daredevil Christopher Wright - How to Get My Head Back On My Shoulders
4. Elvis Costello & the Attractions - Wednesday Week
5. George Harrison - Between the Devil And the Deep Blue Sea
6. Daniel Johnston - Funeral Home
7. Does It Offend You, Yeah? - Dawn of the Dead
8. Hella - Biblical Violence
9. Dan Deacon - Snake Mistakes
10. Lykke Li - Little Bit (Death to the Throne Remix)
11. John Legend & Andre 3000 - Green Light (MSTRKRFT Remix)
12. The Bloody Beetroots - Detroit (Ghetto Edit)

All of these artists are awesome I hiiighly recommend you go out and buy a cd or two from them. Thanks!