[Editorial note: Please welcome the newest contributing author to N2Notes.com, Bianca. Her bio is available on the Authors page and you can visit her personal website at www.stirfrykitty.com.]
Rather than a traditional album review as my first post at N2Notes, I thought I might review a batch of songs to give you readers an idea of my musical taste as well as a picture of how I discover new music, because I think I might be at least a little unusual in both cases.
About a month ago I put together a mix CD of music that I’ve stumbled across over the last couple of years. These particular pieces have each held a place in my heavy rotation at one point or another, and it’s an eclectic enough mix that it will give you a broad spectrum musical experience.
1. The Jane Doe’s - Junkie –I pride myself on being current on internet fads, and even if I don’t actively participate in everything, I like to at least know what people are talking about. That being said, when it was discovered that lonelygirl15 was not, in fact, simply a young and popular vlogger, but instead an actress portraying a young and popular vlogger, and the blog/vlog community was up in arms about the betrayal, I figured I’d have to go watch a couple of webisodes just so that I would at least know what everyone was talking about. I watched the first half dozen or so webisodes for the sake of this research, and I stumbled across this particular song featured somewhere in the first few, and I loved it after just the first few chords. I kept watching lonelygirl15 for a while after that. Not because the show itself was any good. (It’s not.) But because they kept including interesting music that I had previously never heard, and I love finding new music. Eventually the good music petered out, and I stopped watching, but I managed to add a couple of gems to my collection because of this particular internet phenomenon.
2. Arling & Cameron - Multiplication Blues –I believe I stumbled across this particular song on one of the many music blogs that I follow. I don’t remember which, and I don’t remember when, but I know that this one one of the first bluesy type songs I have ever actually liked, so it made an impact.
3. Bettie Serveert - You’ve Changed –Another music blog find. I actually like her song Attagirl better, but it was too much a [tag]Grrrl[/tag] song, and at least half of my audience for the CD wasn’t women, so I included this instead.
4. Blonde Redhead - Messenger –I used to work at Borders Books and Music, and there was this sort of darkly hip girl named Amy who worked there. You know, the kind who had funky colors in her hair, who wore clothes she crafted herself out of finds from the Salvation Army, and who always, always had good taste in music. Well, she suggested Blonde Redhead for the overhead system, and it didn’t last long because it’s probably a bit too melancholy for the average Borders customer, but something about those minor chords and the singer’s aching voice caught my attention, and I bought the album (Misery Is a Butterfly) soon after. This is just one of many great songs on that album.
5. Butterfly Boucher - Life Is Short –If you’re a fan of Grey’s Anatomy, and you pay attention to the music featured on the show, then you probably remember this song. It’s [tag]peppy[/tag], without being [tag]cheesy[/tag], and captures the mood of the show perfectly for me.
6. Charlotte Hatherley - Behave –I wish I remembered where I ran across this song. Most likely a music blog. It’s got minor chords (are you noticing a theme yet?), and it’s a bit [tag]twangy[/tag], but not in a country music way.
7. Damone - Just What I Needed –There’s this goofy lesbian coming-of-age movie called But I’m a Cheerleader. I say goofy, because I think maybe you have to be a coming-of-age lesbian to get anything out of this movie (I’m too old to be coming-of-age anything, and I’m so heterosexual I think I defined it.), but it’s got a pretty decent soundtrack. This is a cover of the Cars original, and it’s bouncy and singy and Grrrly (and why did I bother censoring the Grrrly with Bettie Serveert when I ended up with so much [tag]Grrrl[/tag] stuff anyway).
8. The Matthew Show - Office Suite, Part I –This is another lonelygirl15 find. It’s kind of a spoken word rap, and reminds me a little bit of The Distance by Cake. To say this artist is [tag]obscure[/tag] is probably major understatement.
9. Tattle Tale - Glass Vase, Cello Case –There is a love scene in But I’m a Cheerleader between the main character and a girl who was previously a total bitch to her, and this song plays over the scene. It’s lovely, a little [tag]bittersweet[/tag], and it’s the kind of song that I would love to have someone write about making love to me. Because I think of my life in terms of soundtracks. And I’m a dork.
10. Kings of Convenience - I’d Rather Dance With You –Back when I was still a MySpace addict I would occasionally surf around to see what people my age in Tulsa were doing, what music they liked, what they liked to read, and to see if there was anyone interesting that I wanted to meet. I ran across this guy, and he was probably too cool to ever want to talk to me, but he had this song on his profile, and I figured I could at least steal that. I love how the singer holds his Ms and his NGs. This is also the only song I ever introduced to my former friend Daniel that he actually liked. He’s sort of a music snob. So I guess that says something.
11. G. Tom Mac - Half –This was at the end of an episode of Scrubs, and I think I liked it better a while back. Can music ungrow on you? I think this has. Anyway, it’s got cello, which I like.
12. Anjali - Misty Canyon –I think this was on an episode of Veronica Mars, but I won’t swear to it. Either way, it’s the sort of trip-hoppy, breathy type song you might like to hear when you’re sipping a martini while wearing your sexiest boots and something on top that shows off your assets and makes the cute guy at the end of the bar buy you your next cosmopolitan.
13. Deceptikon - Ashes of Shanghai –Another music blog find. What do you do with this song? You don’t sing to it, it has no words. You could maybe dance to it a little, I suppose. A sort of sway up against someone kind of dance. It’s too cool to be just background music. Unless, I guess, you’re in a bar somewhere that’s too cool even for itself. And then I guess you’re stuck buying martinis again.
14. Daft Punk - Technologic –Another one that I don’t know where it came from, but you’ve probably heard of Daft Punk before. This is sort of an unsong. It’s robotic, and would probably look great over a totally experimental artsy fartsy music video. It makes me want to drive fast when I listen to it in my car.
15. Chin Chin - Can’t Walk No More –A music blog find. It takes a moment to pick up, but then it’s another cool trip hoppy track, with a great, breathy voice.
16. AK-Momo - Time for the Muse –A music blog find. I don’t know why this feels like it should have come from a cop show from the 60s. It’s definitely taken a cue from early [tag]Portishead[/tag], and for that I love it.
So, there. That’s my totally schizophrenic mix CD for ya. If you’ve heard any of these and you love them, I’d love to know!
