Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Chaos Theory

Date
April 18, 2012

Miracler
Wes Gurley

Location
Seattle

So, tell us about this new Miracler.
But of course. So, I briefly attended college with WG long ago/far away, and it was my lil, non-Miracling sister Jamie who brought him into the 3MPM fold (or was it Monnix from last season? Suddenly can't remember). But what you're really asking is, Am I in good hands here with this new person?

Short answer: Awwwyeahhhh. Folks, this season's theme-heavy mixes have been unprecedentedly conceptual as a group, and to my mind, super-strong across the board. Each time one of you writes saying their upcoming mix will be themed, I squeal, and then when the exact theme is revealed, I ululate. That's bigger than a squeal. This week's compilation is no exception. But I'll let Wes tell ya bout it.

Liner Notes from WG

Chaos Theory. I like it best when chaos is controlled. Actually, that’s not true at all. I like it when the Swans lose control of a room in Seattle, things come undone and then they manage to pull it back together. I like it when music feels like it is about to fall apart. These songs will reflect that. They all teeter just on the brink of a loss of control, but they all come back.

Black Eyed Snakes. This is one of Alan Sparhawk’s side projects. I love Low and think that Mr. Sparhawk has done very little wrong, but I do like it when he teeters on the edge.

Archie Bronson Outfit. The opening chord is all I needed. When it was played on KEXP one afternoon I drove immediately to the record store and secured my copy on vinyl.

Times New Viking. Columbus, OH has produced this group of lo-fi wunderkinds. What is it about Ohio that keeps producing bands that can’t afford good recording equipment?

Apache Dropout - These boys from Bloomington, In pull of beautiful chaos as well as anybody. They always seem like they are about to tip over.

Ty Segall – I don’t think I’m out of line to say that Mr. Segall might have a screw loose. That is my favorite thing about his recordings. This is a great record that borders on and eventually succumbs to chaos throughout.

La Dispute. This song was brought to my attention by my newest musical influence, Jelayna. She and I had a discussion about the beauty of the vocals being on the verge of breakdown through the entire song, but the music never quite goes over. She has great taste and her enthusiasm is palpable. As a result of our discussion and a opportune tour date, we got to see them together at the Vera Project in Seattle a week later. They melted our faces off.

Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band. This is my favorite record of 2011. They are wonderful. There is no way to properly capture this record in one song, but I picked one. Everyone should have a copy of this record on vinyl and play it loud. They have a new Ep coming out soon. I can’t wait.

Little Hurricane. They are a duo from San Diego. Not in the same vein as Flat Duo Jets, but holding the mold. And it’s a great song and sometimes that’s enough.

The Raveonettes. A beautiful song that ends in total chaos. You have to wait for it, but when it happens, it’s fantastic.

Monogamy Party. This band makes me happy to live in Seattle. Brutal and beautiful. Punk rock is just awesome.

Oneida. This is an absolutely bizarre band from Brooklyn. This song is off a split EP with Liars. I can’t say that this captures them because they are different on every release. If you have the notion, the Preteen Weaponry trilogy is phenomenal.

Menomena. This is a Portland band that goes outside the confines of definition. Their releases are all over the place, in a wonderful way. They did an in-studio at KEXP that captured them well.

Mix is UP. NEW-ish password is in your email
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XOK

18 comments:

Owen said...

I was excited to read the word 'brutal' in the liner notes. Can't wait.

Van B said...

I love this mix and the way one song falls into another from beginning to end. Hard to pick any favorites, but I especially liked the Ty Segall and La Dispute, both of which were new to me. Thanks, Wes.

toria said...

Haven't pressed Play yet, but this is the very, very first music I've added to my computer at a brand-spanking new job. I feel isolated behind a crazy firewall, so huge thanks for bringing me the sounds of the outside world!

Sterling Bromide said...

Totally get your comment about the Archie Bronson Outfit - one play and I moved it to heavy rotation. And Ty Segall is another astute judgment - he's just the right amount of crazy for me. Other than the Raveonettes and Menomena, this is a collection of bands that are new to me. I'm enjoying the chaos growing over me like a fungus. Thanks for the introductions Wes! Give my regards to the Pacific Northwest...

Kevin Seidel said...

Wes, your mix has just broken the spell of the past 6 months which had me under a folk/baroque/pop induced haze. Seriously, great. GREAT. It could be I've had to much coffee - but that's okay. This is what my Friday morning needed. The music. Not the coffee. I too am going to buy that Mt. St. Helens album tomorrow on Record Store Day. Maybe the Archie Bronson one too. Seriously, thanks.

jeffrey bell said...

I was sucked into the mix's awesome vortex from the swampy opening bars of Chicken Bone George. I don't know the artists, don't the songs and couldn't be more delighted. My head banging, fat chord loving, wanna set shit on fire inner child has taken control and insists that I listen to the mix as often as possible and as loudly as possible. I will comment on specific songs as I get deeper into it, but I was compelled to give a "Hell, yeah!" sooner than later.

Jeanne-Marie said...

I alway feel bad when there's a noisier 3mpm that needs time to sink in and does not gets lot of comments immediately. Especially when the impact can be so lasting.

Brings to mind a couple gal miraclers who sent out Listening Party, Pentagram and even Peg boy.

Chaos Theory is noisy and yet savory.

And I like people screaming at me like Monogamy Party, but I gotta live with it for a little while to let the finer elements of the song do their own special magic.

I thank you in advance.

Sam K. said...

Impressively consistent bluesy bad-vibes theme throughout -- the little hurricane & Raveonettes tracks are my favorites after one listen, fwiw. Thanks for sharing, Wes.

jeffrey bell said...

It seems as if I judge each mix by its drive-ability. How does it make me feel as I move through space and time; or since I live in Los Angeles, how does it make me feel while sitting in 6 lanes of bumper to bumper traffic.

Turns out I feel pretty awesome while listening to Chaos Theory in either sitch. At full speed, I feel epic and empowered, as if the shimmering sound is clearing the road ahead of me. When I'm stuck in traffic it gives voice to my frustration so I don't have to intentionally rear-end the guy ahead of me just because his license plate frame reads, "Happiness is being Dylan and Montana's Dad."

Current faves are Magnetic Warrior and Andrea. Andrea,in particular, scratches that delightful, "life is unfair, why don't you love me, WHY DON'T YOU LOVE ME?! place." That's not an over share is it?

Thanks again for the mix.

Tim Carroll said...

3MPMP done got picked up by the FUZZ. I've seen the name Black Eyed Snakes, but this is my first ever ear-full. Sounds like the vocals are coming through a harmonica mic. // Loud and dirty blues throughout, with a smoke break or two in the middle. Powerful shit, man! The bass in "Taos" blew my mind, then my speakers.

Karl said...

The Archie Bronson Outfit is one of those names it seems like I'd see in every issue of MOJO over a 2-year period but never heard. 'Twas worth the wait - good stuff! Aside from that, I loved the Ty Segall and Oneida in particular. (Also, knowing that the fuzzed-out loudness is OK with the whole gang here opens up new possibilities for the next time it's my turn....)

pepe verde said...

Can I please have some beer and a dark, smoky bar to listen to this mix over and over? Please!
It took me back some 15 years, to a time when Jon Spencer was king and Chuck Taylor was my only shoe designer. Only, this is all current stuff, which of course makes it all the better. Thanks!
Totally loved it --and I only knew three bands of the whole thing! Which is always a plus. Loved Oneida in particular.
On an über-nerdy note, I liked how you started your mix with a song title that begins with CH- and closed it with a song title that ends in -AOS. Now that is some chaos controlled right there.

Tim Carroll said...

BLUES EXPLOSION!

Danny Lee said...

Loud and proud, Wes. LIke a filthy, dark coal mine with glittering diamond melodies peeking out everywhere. Wish more bands played blues like the Black Eyed Snakes - BTW, check out "Let's Get Together" at http://www.myspace.com/theaces/music/songs/let-s-get-together-irving-o-banion-duo-63485161.

Also liked the punk of Apache Dropout and the spoked word intro of La Dispute. But my favorite of all is Ty Segall. Power pop that's not afraid to get dirty.

Toby said...

I was mad at this mix for awhile and then somewhere in the midst of I'm So Glad I fell in love.

peter b said...

Many great mixes in Season 5, but this has to be one of my favorites. I'm a sucker for music with a heavy dose of grit and grime, and this hits the spot — Ty Segall's madness, Little Hurricanes, etc., etc. It's all good. A lot of head shaking to this one. Thanks.

lauren said...

This one crept up on me, loudly, and now I can't get enough of it. Great mix!

Charlie Rock said...

I keep coming back to this one. Finding order and beauty in the ranks of chaos is among my favorite aspects of listening to music, and oh man, here was a list of entirely new songs to do it with! Great idea for the mix, and I especially dug the Times New Viking, Ty Segall and Black Eyed Snakes songs.