I’d never heard of Chris Garneau, though that’s who I’d agreed to go see as part of a Christmas Indie/Folk/Rock Spectacular (that may or may not have been the events title). The show as a whole was mediocre at best, an uneven mash of acts that had no correlation between them. But Chris Garneau, rocking forward on his piano stool, hammering out his slightly uneven notes, his voice soft and small yet still somehow carrying over the crowd, he shined and we quieted down. He had one of those voices that defies logic.  Crackly and imperfect. Too loud and too quiet at times, it was hard to distinguish some of the lyrics. But everyone swayed none-the-less. He had that intangable thing, like Joanna Newsom, something spritely, like he’d wandered into the bar from a nearby forest, magic still clinging to his flannel shirt.

It took me only five months to look up his music, slowed down by the lack of home internet connection and my faltering memory. But today while looking for some new sound to revel in, his voice popped in my head and it seemed like the only good way to let Monday night fade into a Tuesday morning.

Castle-Time
Download audio file (castletime.mp3)

Relief
Download audio file (relief.mp3)

“….In Fact!….”  -Jel
I Think I’ll Call It Morning -Gil Scott-Heron
Sweet Twilight -Kira Neris
Dawn Chorus -Boards Of Canada
Eastern Glow -The Album Leaf
Into The Sun (with Diplo) -Martina Topley Bird
Daydream In Blue (With The Gunter Kallmann Choir) -I Monster
Beyond The Sun (Featuring Earl Zinger) -Koop
Montego Sunset -Menahan Street Band
Today -Zero 7
La Long De La Riviere Tendre -Sébastien Tellier
Heather’s Golden Shoulder -Absentee

Download and Spread and Enjoy.

The evening started with Ivana XL (we can add her to the category of marcia-music).  A sort of Cat Power, Emiliana Torrini-esque singer whose songs I’d like to download and listen to everyday.

The first film that was showed, Revolution of the Crabs, I’d seen two summers before while working at the Brooklyn International Film Festival, which was fantastic because I loved it then and love it now. The story of the marble rock crabs destined to travel the earth walking in only one direction, enduring 120 million years of tragedy. Its much more light hearted than it sounds.

Though I can’t embed the video here, check it on the IFC website.

My other favorites:

Composte

and Bob Log III’s Pony Dick Story (its exactly like it sounds and twice as hilarious)

Also I have to admit, she’s my fro-spiration.

LINK (Mix Folder)

Soul Coughing-True Dreams of Wichita
Radiohead-High and Dry
Sufjan Stevens-To Be Alone With You
Modest Mouse-Lives
Interpol-NYC
Elliot Smith-Needle in the Hay
Franz Ferdinand-Eleanor Put Your Boots On
Cat Power-Say
The Album Leaf-September Song
Elbow-Weather to Fly
Department of Eagles-In Ear Park
Gorillaz-Demon Days
TV on the Radio-Ambulance

(Well two mixes actually, but this one came together much more easily and I don’t think my computer liked the process at all)

(ps I know. I need to get my errant blogging together)

New mix up on Muxtape & also available for download at Zshare.
Cover art stolen from BK’s flickr stream.

Panama | Brooklyn Zoo – Ol Dirty Bastard
Cye | Return of the Crooklyn Dodgers – Chubb Rock, OC, Jeru The Damaja
OJ | Jockin’ Jay-Z (Dope Boy Fresh) – Jay-Z
Eyejammy | We Live In Brooklyn, Baby – Roy Ayers
Ouxu | BK Anthem – Foxy Brown
Jen | Brooklyn Sky – Digable Planets
BK | Brooklyn – Mos Def
Sam | Murda, Murda - Jay-Z feat. Memphis Bleek & Geda K
Liz | Hello Brooklyn – Jay-Z feat. Lil Wayne
George | The Boogie Man Song – Mos Def
Marcia | The Stoop – Little Jackie

This week we tip our hat in honor of Boom’s big move to NYC (if she doesn’t move to Brooklyn I’ve threatened to disown her and remove this post). Our internet-friendship began a little before her trip to Paris in January and picked up a lot of steam right after mine (she’s been the first person I talked to on a daily for months now), being that I was an internet-friendship-virgin I couldn’t believe how perfectly it translated into real life.

Lets just say her couch has seen more than its fair share of me these past two weeks.

I knew this mix was going to be heavy on the hip hop tip but I hadn’t picked a song by Monday. When I played the first track on the Little Jackie album I immediately thought of how much fun its going to be when she has her very on stoop for us to play own.

My second inspiration was the Captain’s Crate Retro Soul Summer post a while back. That being said I obviously can’t take that much credit for it, but its fly and I like it none the less. Without further ado…

Retro Soul Summer Muxtape

Little Jackie-Guys like it when Girls Kiss

Estelle-Pretty Please

Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings-100 Days of Night

Jamie Lidell-Another Day

Baby Charles-Treading Water

Raphael Saadiq-Love That Girl

Solange-I decided

Dondria-Can’t Stop

Nikka Costa-Stuck On You

Janelle Monae-Mr. President

(I cribbed the photo from Mari. My favorite throwback moment this summer: bomb pops and beaches)

A brief farewell

Bumpy’s Lament
Download audio file (bumpyslament.mp3)

sigh…

(Find a couple of other great tracks at OSN)

Walking through Soho to meet my soon to be ex-boyfriend to see a play and grab dinner, I pressed play and the first cords of “Nothing Brings Me Down” began to play. It was one of those moments where you’re never sure if the song is enjoyable because of its craftsmanship or because it perfectly speaks to your psyche. I listened on repeat for months, not making it to the rest of the album until later that fall. I fell in love with it after spending a few nights listening to it on repeat drifting in and out of sleep till all the lyrics resonated in my head.

Nothing Brings Me Down
Download audio file (emilianatorrinibringsmedown.mp3)

I’m using this as a preface to say that I’ve downloaded Emiliana Torrini’s newest album: Me and Armeni, and am once again succumbing to the psychic powers of her first song “Fireheads.” This time though with intentions if making it through the rest of her album.

Fireheads
Download audio file (fireheads.mp3)

She has that soft child-like Johanna Newsom-esque voice, which you can go ahead and put in the “type of things teeny likes to hear” file.

I’m excited for the next few nights of listening.
(ps: I’m always willing to share)

Jen | Hip-Hop – Dead Prez
Panama | Kryptonite (I’m On It) – Purple Ribbon All-Stars
BK | Lifted – John Legend feat. J. Ivy
Sam | Heard It All Before – Sunshine Anderson
George | Don’t See Us – The Roots
Liz | Orange County Girl – Gwen Stefani
Eyejammy | Everyday (Rudebwoy) – Kardinal Offishall feat. Ray Robinson
Marcia | I’ll Bet You – Jackson 5
OJ | How to Survive in South Central – Ice Cube
Cye | Geen Verschil – U-Niq feat. Feis & Yootha
Ouxu | Insomnia – Pete Philly & Perquisite

Big props to Gary. I used to walk past the “Jackson” house during the summer with my brother and my cousins when we lived down the street from it. “I’ll bet you” was written by George Clinton and recorded by Funkadelic as well.