Spectrum

Date
August 29, 2012

Miracler
Toria Emery

Location
San Francisco

It's the beginning of a new age, friends.

The age of CRAY CRAY! Because today, our ragtag Miracling bag takes on a new dimension—for this week, at least—though this may inspire similar acts once you see what all the cray's about. But first, let's rewind to March 2011, where we left off with Ms. Toria Emery.

That's when TE brought us the iconic Happy Melancholy Childhood, a first, I believe, in this group to address the concept of little people, which I understand some of you own. But this mix turned out to impress the Bigs as well: 'Thank you Toria! This mix looks like something that we have needed for a long time!!!!'    'My computer cannot download fast enough. Nelly the Elephant...such a favorite since I was a "kid"! Can't wait to listen to the rest!'    'This is a fun mix...if this is child-oriented, label me a re-juvenile!!'    'A great theme and a smart mix that pushes at the category — a really odd category, one that is well described by the ambivalence of your title: happy melancholy (you avoided the creepy — except, maybe, Daddy-O).'    'Dammit, I laughed out loud while trying to be wistful. Thanks, though. Daniel's comment about media changing brought to mind Sunday's Chron's Pink Section - a 1936 article about radio killing vaudeville.'    'Loved this mix, and I have no doubt my kids will, too. Meet the Elements will be getting a lot of play around the house. Kentucky Ave has always been one of my favorite songs for all the reasons you mention in the liner notes.'    'Highlights for me: the bittersweet, infectious jangle of Lunch Money, and the 'bee' solo on "The Wonderbees". Of course the mighty, mighty They Might Be Giants are always top-notch. The whole mix made me smile, and my daughter dug it too. Not my son though - but he's just a grumpy middle-schooler.'    'I love this....great concept and loads of goodness.....Wolfie likes! And mama loves....'    'My 2 year old and I had a listen together and he gave me this kinda "what are you talking about?" look when I started talking about the Muppets. Then later during video killed the radio star he was off wandering about the house. But that is a 2 year old for ya. I can't wait for the disco stick phase. By the time we got to Tom Waits, it was basically just me listening, but I love Tom Waits so that is totally fine. I agree, The Ferraby Lionheart version IS better than Gene Wilder's. Gotta go, kid crying.'    'Thank you so much Toria for such a fun, beautiful mix. Our 2-year-old says hi :-) It's always nice to add to the kids' collection, but then there's lots for the whole family to love! Like, wait until my wife hears that Willy Wonka tune... nice one.' But never one to rest on her laurels, TE's back with a whole new thing today that's gonna add even more dimensions to our Miracling experience. Witness: 

Liner Notes, by TE

This mix started out as something of an experiment: Could a mix get from one side of the musical universe to the other in around 12 steps without any jarring leaps along the way? Sort of a melodious version of Six Degrees of separation. Admittedly, I didn’t exactly start with Anthrax and end with Selena Gomez, but that would’ve taken more than 45 minutes of tunes. BTW, please visit the first-ever 3MPM Pinterest board. The official videos, cover art, cool tour posters – check ‘em out. How to use Pinterest: Click on an icon to see it bigger, and then click again to go to the original source.  But, brace yourself, Aimee Mann looks a bit uncomfortable in that low-production-value video. 

Expressway / Swervedriver — I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with this song. Love most of it, but there’s an unfortunate chunk in the middle where someone went all crazy on the autotune.

Aimee Mann / Ghost World – Wish this song had been around when I was in 8^th grade. Captures summer ennui perfectly.

Factory / Martha Wainwright –Love those young, nepotistic Wainwrights.

Stew & The Negro Problem / Suzy Wong – A collaboration between Stew and Heidi Rodewald, this is a track from their second rock opera.

Sentimental Food / Lloyd Cole – Despite the fact that seeing Lloyd Cole live was one of the biggest disappointments of my life, I still love how he manages to be simultaneously bouncy and depressed, both cutting and wounded.

Someone’s Calling / Modern English — I once heard Modern English described as the crappiest band of all time. Really? Nah, they must be thinking of a different Modern English.

Horse’s Head / Ian McCulloch – Moving further toward the more atmospheric side of things, it’s the former frontman for Echo & the Bunnymen.

Two Points for Honesty / Guster – Listened to these guys non-stop during an acute case of heartache back in 2000. Their stuff stands the test of time, even during happier times.

The Polyphonic Spree / Light & Day – Okay, now we’re deep into techno-chorus-rock here. And, since a number of you Prodge people are in advertising, you’ve probably hear this track featured on a tv spot or two.

Steve McQueen / M83 – Moving in a more ambient direction, lyrics are now officially taking a backseat to the overall sound.

Walkabout / Atlas Sound – Ambient and sugary.

BONUS TRACK: Whisperlude / Pogo – This is kind of a gimmicky track, but I can’t help it, it’s infectious. The gimmicky part is that the music is essentially created from bits and pieces of dialogue taken from the 1995 version of The Little Princess.

And for those (Doug) wondering what exactly a Miracling Pinterest board might look like, here's a taste of what you'll get when you click here to see the real thing: KKKKKKRAY!

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XOK