Date
January 11, 2012
Miracler
KN
Location
San Francisco
Just to see if she could do it, Your Hostess, Miraclizer of past mixes Now, The 60's (not 70's) Bee Gees Definitive Collection, Miracle of Miraclers, City Vs. Country, Happy When It Rains, and Pure Pop For You People, gave herself the challenge this time to include only songs from the past 5-or-so years. Though it can't be denied there weren't obvious moments to slide in a special moon-landing-era-something to keep things textury, you'll in fact find this compilation absent of any Bacharachian birds, pantsuited harmonizing brothers (ILUVU!), or any individuals who performed on Top Of The Pops at any time. Besides, let's face it—those people probably made a LOT of kids, so we're likely listening to them here anyway.
1. El Perro Del Mar aka Sarah Assbring is a Twiggy-looking Swede who has conveniently managed to condense all my New Year's Resolutions into one pop trifle.
2. This prom dance floor hit leads off 2010's EP, "Broken Dreams Club," from Girls (shout-out SF!), which has been played many times by me.
3. Dan Bejar's voice. Purrrrrrr.
4. I present this to you with absolutely no irony. Sure it's a bit over the top (not sure that ENTIRE string section was necessary) but iTunes seems to believe I enjoy it. I'd love to know what Band of Horses thinks of it. Besides, "Yay—money!"
5. Working with a different budget is Bart Davenport, another local boy (shout out localness!) who has brought us this adorkable** song and accompanying super-goony video.
6. After Alex Tyler put Fitz & the Tantrums on her mix last July, I hit them and hit them HARD. Apologies to my husband, neighbors, and any SF pedestrians adversely affected by the Summer of Fitz. That said, while not FDA-approved (yet), the track and its video are known to possess crap-mood healing powers for some.
7. Alexander, frontman for Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeroes. Don't really know much about him outside of his Wikipedia entry, but I heard this on KEXP one day and it stayed put.
8. Eleanor Friedberger. Not the catchiest name in rock perhaps, but she of the Fiery Furnaces Friedbergers makes up for it in words per minute while unspooling a story so riveting it could only be rivaled by...
9. That of Pas/Cal, aka Casimer & Casimir, aka Craig Badynee, a Miracler who came to us through the Toby door for one shining season and who possesses the voice (if not lyrics) of an angel. Who had the bigger day, Eleanor or Craig? You decide.
10. Taking the energy down a notch so you won't leave in a full sweat. Also, I think it's good manners to end with a waltz.
*Johnny Mathis sold separately
**Copyright Zooey Deschanel
Album cover art by Lauren DiCioccio
Mix is UP. Check your email for the actual new, really-working-this time password
To comment on this mix, click on the 'Comment' button below the post and write something. If you don't have/want to use your Google etc. accounts, just type your name in the "Name" box and you are done.
37 comments:
Lordy Lord, Kelly. This is the most seamless mix The Prodge has yet produced. I'm sure that Stephen is sick of it by now, but I'm enjoying it immensely. (And BTW, Toby—I'm listening to it on your dime. I swear I'll work late tonight.)
Very fresh, light and airy!
Lovely mix for this January day.
Nicely done - KSN!
Somehow I feel like I've heard these songs before...Awesome cover by the way!
I love all the whistling, especially the Alexander tune. Good stuff lady!
New password :D :D :D !!!
Downloading in excitement, loving that artwork! And from what I read, it looks very promising.
More later, thanks and bye for now...
Listening now. Love it, as expected. Kelly never disappoints! xo
Kelly, this is an outstanding mix start to finish. I particularly like the opening cut and the one by Girls. And Cee Lo never fails to impress. Nicely done.
It all sounds quite.. lush, I suppose. For some reason mine did not download in the same order as your notes suggest so I'm still confused as to who was who when I listened. I think I may have to break down and get some Fleet Foxes soon.
This mix has made for a sweet and moody early rainy morning indulgence. It's carried me on many fruitful tangents. (and purchased MP3's, yay!) LOVE the quirk factor as you know I would.
Alexander, Girls, Ce lo, pas/Cal highlights but all 5 star.
masterful!!
(Fritz, I had the same issue - the secret is to go into the Info tab and remove the Album Artist info from each track.)
That aside, nice mix! I got a strong and pleasant Jonathan Richman vibe from Girls, and the Eleanor Friedberger track was a standout as well.
Oh, also - I've always liked Dan Bejar's work with The New Pornographers, but the Destroyer stuff was often a bit too precious for me. When he just embraces his inner Pet Shop Boy like on this track, however, I'm sold.
Hey Miraclers,
Sorry for the bumpy tech-start here this season...first last week's password snafu, now I'm seeing in the Comment section that my mix yesterday might have downloaded in a funky order for some of you? EGREGIOUS as, since we all know, order is king.
I know we've heard about this weird-order problem before and couldn't figure out the cause. But behold: a New Miracler has written with a FIX! And this is universally helpful, so:
Take note: To ensure proper mix-listening order when making your mix (and to listen to my new mix in its intended order), please go to the Info window and remove the Album Artist info from each track.
Thank you Fritz Eifrig for letting us know about the prob, and ultra-thanks to his hero brother Karl (aka next week' Miracler) for insta-fixing it.
I'm pained to think what order you guys heard my precious baby in, so for all you purists, I've just replaced the original upload with the corrected one. Or, you can follow the red words above with the already-downloaded mix to correct the sitch.
Multigrazzi,
Your Hostess
This is my kinda mix, lady. Love it! Some familiar faces and plenty of new things to love. That Girls track was on heavy rotation here....and believe it or not Bart Davenport was an old old (like 1993 old) favorite of mine. He used to be in this amazing band The Supernaturals (his band after The Young Ones) and I went to see them every Tuesday night at Bruno's where they shook the house down. Alexander is new to me (I'm a sucker for whistling so I was sold within 5 seconds) as are Eleanor Friedberger and Pas/Cal and I'm totally digging. GO! GO! 3mpm2012 is off with a bang!
xo
A
(Also, HURRAY for Karl!! I was just looking at my wonky play list and trying to figure out how the hecks to re-order it. Also, hurray for spelling Karl with a K...that's how my brother spells it too.)
The perfect mid-tempo head nodder, Kelly. And as much as I try, I can't dislike that CeeLo version, or the Alexander track. I think he has at least one bar of whistling in every song he's ever written, but this has just the right amount of 60's pop, and less hippy dippy for my taste. Even enjoyed the Destroyer tune (I'm with Karl on my usual dislike). A winner.
It's a good sign that there's not just one—but TWO—songs on this mix that are (were) shortlisted for my upcoming 3mpm...right? LOVING Girls, btw. Ah, horns.
Here's the best reason to be part of this group: A song that I'd never heard before, by an artist I'd barely heard of, instantly goes into the FAVES folder. Eleanor Friedberger's "Rosevelt Island" is downright hypnotic. /// I love this whole mix, Kelly. Everything goes together, and the level of Damn Goodness is constant. But there's something mysteriously perfect about that Friedberger song. Can't quite put my finger on it -- and that's part of the magic. The voice and the lyrics feel like a close friend telling a private story. Then there's that keyboard. It feels like Billy Preston, while somehow managing to not sound imitative. Natural, funky, and not at all decorative. /// Okay, So how could Fitz and The Tantrums NOT be people-pleasing? They've got Stax and Motown soul, they've got a Daryl Hall voice double, they've got super smoooooove base lines. And they even got flute.
Just like I thought Kelly, this is mix is rocking.
Didn't mind CeeLo's version at all --it brings back memories of yore, when soul artists tackled country songs. Bring it on!
Agree with Tim re: Friedberger. Instant love! Thanks Kelly for the first discovery of the year.
Liked many other things here, but also special thanks for Bart Davenport! (BTW, note for the Bay Area Miraclers: Davenport is playing Cafe du Nord on Feb.17th. Time for a Prodge Flashmob™?)
Aaah,Fiery Furnaces. That kinda explains! :)
I think it's funny that you swoon over Dan Bejar's vocals. He's a funny cat.
I'm starting to really like Fitz, thanks to you and your relentless name dropping of them.
oh, and that bart davenport video is cool, but kinda creeps me out
ps: i vote that zooey deschanel's name be never uttered in these posts forever.
I always love a Hostess mix; this one's been on "repeat" through a sleep-in truncated morning and early afternoon around the house. Doug's "seamless" and Fritz's "lush" are spot-on.
Bart Davenport, Alexander and Pas/Cal went straight to "favorites"; and the CeeLo version works really well for me!
Xtina's comment, "ah horns" -- I wanna second that emotion. The world needs more trumpets. The Girls song's opening sounds like a mashup of the guitar in Jackie Wilson's "Lonely Teardrops" with the cheese grater in the Drifter's "Under The Boardwalk."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nEfuE8Pw4U
3MPMP musicians, is there a name for that sound on a guitar?
Really nice Kelly. The Bart Davenport track is a big surprise for me - I'm a big fan of the Loved Ones but had no idea he was still singing. The Girls are great - Tim nailed the influences and I'll just add early E. Costello.
Tim, that guitar sounds to me like it's a super clean guitar (with some reverb added in the case of The Girls) being played with the strings damped or muted by the palm of the picking hand so thy don't ring out (palm muting), and the chords being played as arpeggios (individual notes) rather than strummed. Anyone else want to weigh in?
Thanks for restoring my faith in all things Edward Sharpe. This incredibly cloying rendition (and the Toyota spot that followed) nearly killed it for me. And yes, I know I'm a terrible person for not thinking this is the single most adorable thing ever.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L64c5vT3NBw
-- kellen
DOH! Danny thanks for listing Bart's real band name It's The Loved Ones....I mistakenly put The Young Ones. Hah. I guess I had the Mix Track ("A Young One") on my brain!!
This mix has been really quite charming over the course of the week! "Lorelai" and "Kaputt" were among my favorites from 2011 so, of course, they met welcoming ears, but what really struck me were the Eleanor Friedberger and Pas/Cal songs. I've heard such good things about her debut solo effort and "Roosevelt Island" just confirmed it all. And Pas/Cal: never heard anything by them before, but that will change because their late rocker is fantastic!
I feel a tad out to lunch because EVERTHANG here is new to me and incredibly catchy. I too am a sucker for whistling. I especially liked the Hall 'n Oats, er Fritz and the Tantrums. Pop rcoks.
I was doing the usual this-and-that on the computer when I started listening to this mix. The very first track came on, and I had to STOP what I was doing and just LISTEN. Excellent!
< 3 I love it more and more. <3
GOOD STUFF.
Hey Miraclers,
Love these comments—thanks for leaving em! Yep, I too am a sucker for horns, strings, whistling, all those non-guitar melody-makers. Guitars are fine, too, I guess.
I was worried that perhaps the mix was getting TOO seamless sounding, but then remembered that with so many Miracle mixes hitting us, my faves tend to be ones that stay in a consistent zone throughout. Easy to digest and recall.
I'm pleased that you guys didn't laugh off that Cee Lo track. You gotta give him credit for zagging on a cover. As for hearing shades of Jonathan Richman in Girls, that comes as no surprise, as there's usually a JR song playing softly in the background of my brain.
I know what y'all mean about Dan Bejar—I think he's found his sweet spot with the Pet Shop Boys sound here.
Tim C, your comment about Track 2 is WEIRD, because for the longest time, I had the Tom Tom Club's "Under the Boardwalk" in that slot. I took it out cuz it was too old for my new-stuff rule, but maybe there' something about Track 1 that begs to lead into that sound?
As for Eleanor F and Pas/Cal, I'm glad people are digging Storytelling Hour. I don't get tired of hearing those two tracks the way story-songs can sometimes get old.
Pepe, I love your idea to flashmob Bart D's show in Feb! Let' tawk!
Mark U, you're not out to lunch—that's the beauty of The Prodge. It's introduced me to literally hundreds of fantastic artists whose existence was completely unknown to me. That's the Miracle part!
Thanks again for all these fantastic comments. Toby's right—this part is really gratifying for the mixmaker. Let's keep it up!
XOK
Good lord that Swede is precious in the best of ways, very fresh! Here's to giving more and getting more in 2012! Thanks Kelly!
Well, I'm catching up on my listening, and happily so. Thanks Kelly for a fine easy-on-the-ears mix. New to me favorites are the opening track beauty and the Alexander tune. That whistling is Spaghetti Western good.
i feel sooooooo slow. still digging "r.i.p.," loving the lush swim through "i'll buy you a star," i've only tasted "a little burst of energy" and there's already new deliciousness waiting for my attention. i need more drive time.
and speaking of..., cee lo's cover of "no one's gonna love you" transformed a drive the other night. i was heading home along sunset from hollywood, through beverly hills toward the west side. it was after midnight and there was no traffic and and when cee lo came on we cranked it way way up. lusciousness incarnate! the only thing that would have made it better was if we'd been in a convertible. kelly, never apologize for big strings and lush arrangements. it's all about context. thanks.
Peter—You're right—total Spaghetti Western whistling there! Glad you're digging the mix.
Jeffrey—I've done that same drive a bunch lately (doing the new advertising for The Grove) and it definitely deserves a luscious soundtrack. Glad that Cee Lo could be your drive-time buddy, strings and all.
I'm off to escort our first Season 5 Sweepstakes Winner to A Night of Fitz and the Tantrums. Will report back on an noteworthy details.
XOK
This mix continues to be in daily rotation around here. Faves keep changing, but lately it's the creepy-woozy Alexander track and Eleanor Friedberger, which is totally addictive, and very different than what I expected from the name. I have a college friend who lived on Roosevelt Island.
Got a very late start this season, but this is a wonderful kick-off mix. More than half of these artists are new to me. I, too, fell for that Fitz LP awfully hard when it was introduced last summer--what a great record. Love the Pas/Cal song. Thanks, Kelly.
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