Date
April 2, 2017
Miracler
Xtina Stork
Location
Oakland, CA
When last we heard from Xtina,
It was 2014, Obama was king, there was the sense that we might actually get to use words like post-racial & post-feminist one day, and people only made women-artists-only mixes because it sounded fun.
New timez. Now we have leaders who remove African Americans from their rallies, who won't shake hands with female leaders, who won't eat dinner with women they're not married to, and who make our reproductive rights feel like a special and passing privilege. In that landscape, making an all-chick mix becomes a political act.
Luckily for us, it's also an aesthetic act, cuz it's by Xtina Stork, the lady who made us the fabulous 4 mixes Pairs 2, Pairs 1, Hobos, Hookers, and Hoodlums, and Under the Influence. So yes, the cover art does feature one of Those Hats (which I now own!), but it's still a purrrrrfectly dude-friendly lineup. Enjoy, and thanks for the hat AND pound of See's, you A+ Miracler! XO
GRAB BACK—Liner notes from CS
Everyone died, so it’s time for some new voices.
A riot of pussies—some old, some new, all fresh to me.
Couple themes in here: dudes can be awful, and the world still has plenty of wackadoo freak women. I wouldn’t mind a little more of the latter, and a little less acceptance of the former. So here’s to honor … and hope. Grab this. Permission granted.
- Get bloody.
- Womb + hormones = emotions ≠ hysteria ≠ insanity.
- ❤️ my heavy bag.
- Compassion is the basis of morality. - Arthur Schopenhauer
- Her voice is like a strong candy hug.
- There’s more to Scandinavia than just supergroups.
- A lot of friends, a little wine. Well, maybe a lot of both.
- Yes, folc.
- The radio up and the windows down. If we’re gonna die young, we’re gonna die with a love song in our mouths. But not today. If this doesn’t make you relive a moment of your youth, then you were never young or haven’t lived.
- Maybe walk away, find a super ripe Meyer lemon, and tell that dude to fuck off.
- Drama!
- Freak scene.
- You can’t blame me.
Mix is UP. Check your email for the current 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. See you back here or on our members-only Facebook page soon. XOK
17 comments:
Look at this guy being the first to comment! (the joys of working at home able to blast music). GREAT mix and had only ever heard the Torres and Irma tracks before. The first 4 grabbed me and I fell into a groove after that. Thanks for turning me on to some great women artists I didn't know about!
Okay, a bunch of people (except Cate le Bon) that I've never heard of. Exactly what is supposed to happen!
Love the Cate Le Bon, Torres, and Laura Gibson, but damn, that Weyes Blood song is beautiful. Thank you.
This is my favorite kind of mix. Every one of these songs was new to me, and they are all good. It's hard to pick favorites from such a diverse mix, but I'll go with AURORA, Lady Wray, Barbara Keith, and Irma Thomas. Thanks, Christina!
Almost all new artists for me too, and more than a few that I am looking forward to investigating further.
For me the second half of this mix really hits all my sweet spots, starting with Barbara Keith's rootsy singalong and the odd-ish rhythm of Cate le Bon's Nico-Ice-Queen delivery. Mission Desire is psychy-dreamy but ominous and serves as a great lead-in for Pet Body which has been running non-stop even when I'm not playing this mix-- it's just fantastic! Poor Irma Thomas keeps getting denied as I hit << every time track 12 comes to a close, but it is a great way to finish off the set (and the only piece here that I'd heard before).
Really good mix-- thanks!!
I'm with Fritz, Pet Body has gotten several repeat plays in my world, too.
And I should mention that I think this theme kicks ass and is the perfect follow up to Kelly's excellent mix last month. Jean and I loaded the daughters into the RV in January and made our way to the Women's March in DC; it was awesome to see that sea of pink on the Mall!
This is my favorite mix of the season! Aside from the all girl line up (nice!), it is a solid mix that flows amazingly well from sound, tempo, and genre...plus, these gals are all new to me and brought back memories of some of the fierce female artist of my youth.
Well done sister, well done....slow hand clap!
This took me awhile to get my shit together to download and fuck I'm happy I finally did. Because (a) I have been desperately hungering for new music (I've been settling for listening to whatever songs my friends are listening to on Spotify, which has been dispiriting, because frankly a lot of them listen to house music which ain't my thing.)
Highlights:
Anyone Who Knows What Love Is - this is the perfect cherry on the top of my recent Black Mirror binge-fest, and experience that left me contemplative & blue, but I did love the way this song threaded through the episodes.
Running With the Wolves - Just handed in my script to Sony for the pilot of Sharp Teeth series and believe you me if this thing Ever gets green-lit than this song is gonna be running over the credits.
Detroit or Buffalo - You say "Detroit!" and I say "How High!"
Mission Desire - Sexy Sexy Sexy Sexy
Two Kids - Perfect Three Minute Pop Miracle. A PERFECT THREE MINUTE POP MIRACLE.
I'm about to get in the car and head out in a long drive and I'm gonna be listening to this mix from the east to the west, from Clinton Country to Trumplandia and - hopefully - back again.
THANKS THANKS THANKS
Xtina! I adore this expertly-crafted mix. It touched me in all kinds of different places. I wasn't familiar with most of the artists, which meant I had all kinds of treats in store for me as I listened. I particularly loved Lemon by Blkkathy -- the lyrics and sounds are simple but insistent and catchy. It's been on replay in my house. Barbara Keith hits my 70s folkie country sweet spot. Other highlights for me were the Lady Wray song and the Laura Gibson tune. Thanks for opening my music brain wide open today!
You went and did it, Christina - gave me my favorite song of 2017. Seven Words by Weyes Blood. Heavenly.
Really like the Amason track too - nice, Nena/Berlin thing going on there. Love everything by Barbara Keith, great lyrics, great quaver. Cate LeBon isn't Simon LeBon's sister, I hope, 'cuz I wouldn't like her as much as I do. And you anchor the whole damn thing with Irma? NICELY done, girl!
I have two problems with this mix: One, I can't stop listening to it, and Two, I can't get through it because Damn, I need to hear that song again. I'm wearing out out the |<< button. End-to-end solid.
"Defense" has a hook deep in me, doing all this shoulder-movement dancing on the drive to work, thinking that whoever's drumming was told "Do a slightly dance-y-er 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' kind of thing, yeah?" I think I'm going to get to see Torres this summer at my favorite little festival in the middle of the country; that album has been on my slow-burning heavy-rotation list for a while now; psyched to see her here. I probably listened to "Running with the Wolves" a dozen times before I even got to "Seven Words," and then I listened to that a dozen times before getting to "Defense". And Thank You for bringing Barbara Keith back to the fore - I had taped that LP from a library copy sometime in the previous century, probably before that record was ten years old, and the tape is somewhere in a box of cassettes somewhere in the detritus of my life. Love that.
and you know I'm a sucker for 7/4 time signatures, so that Cate Le Bon song rrrrrrmmmmmyeeeeaaaaaahhhhh.
And seriously. That's about as much of this as I've gotten through with any real attention (except TJB, Black Mirror, right?), and it's been a LOT of attention. I'm like a kid getting to the deep end. Thanks :)
I absolutely love the way this starts out. AURORA’s voice is magical and what a great song. I had never heard of her so it’s especially sweet. Weyes Blood is fantastic too and another new one for me. So far, this is like a box at Christmas that you get to open again and again, every 3 or 4 minutes. Sarah Jaffe knocked me right out. The chord progression reminds me of something that I can’t place. Undoubtedly, it will come to me in a few minutes and I’ll interject it nonsensically. I do that now and again. It makes social situations trying, not for me, but for those trying to stick with a flow of conversation. Stay tuned.
Torres is awesome too. I love the gritty recording of her voice. What a great song too. Lady Wray has definitely made a pass across my radar. She has such a beautiful voice. I had never heard of Amason. I dig it. It’s so smooth. I don’t recognize Barbara Keith’s name, but her voice is so familiar. It’s another one that I can’t place. I really should smoke less pot.
Cate Le Bon is wonderful. I know that because of hearing this song and the fact that two of my nephews went on and on about her during my December visit to Indianapolis. Those two should smoke less pot too, but that’s unrelated to Cate.
Laura Gibson really nails that classic country song structure. This song is really good. Plus, she’s on Barsuk Records so, as a resident of Seattle, I am required by city ordinance to be a fan.
The Blkkathy song is really good too. Another smooth one. Again, the vocal reminds me of something. Maybe she reminds me of Sarah Jaffe. No, that’s not it. Jane Weaver had me as soon as the bass kicked in. I’m a sucker for a good bass line and this is a really good one. A great guitar sound too.
Irma Thomas is a national treasure. The longing in her voice..my god.
Thank you for a great mix, Xtina.
Thank you Xtina, loved everything about this mix -- and not least the artwork!!
Yay Torres. I knew we could trust you :)
xxx
Xtina -- Apologies for the lag time in commenting but after many failed attempts with iTunes i finally had to use Windows Media Player - and it worked!
I think like everybody, I only knew the Kate LeBon and AMAZING Irma Thomas cut. You start off picking great tunes that could be big mainstream hits but aren't (the first 4 cuts) before the superb Lady Wray comes on. Sad to say, this can't be a Soul hit today...(not enough woozy slo-mo synths and sad talking) but its a smash in my private universe.
Then,..holy fucking shit, "Detroit or Buffalo" is a stunner!!! Breaks my heart.
Not a bum track on here. I make playlists for video game characters and I am going to definitely steal from your fine mixtape and try to get gamers into these trax!
Cheers!
I'm not going to call out the individual songs I love on this mix, since it'll just end up being the playlist. But it IS a terrific mix, as is the lady who made it for us. Thank you, Christina! xo, Doug
UPDATE: I STILL REALLY LOVE THIS MIX
Lots of great songs here Christina!
It took me a couple odd months, but I was finally able to really listen today!
Of course I love Torres, who I think you told me about back when. Also great and new to me are Lady Wray, Amason, Bikkathy, and Miya Folick.
Totally solid mix that will now feature prominently into my summer songs!
Finally catching up on some listening. A lovely batch! Thanks for turning me on to Cate Le Bon, love her understated, deadpan-ish, but beautiful delivery.
Post a Comment