Mixtape #1: Winter Spaceman Blues

"When you stick a song on a tape, you set it free." — Rob Sheffield, Love Is A Mixtape

Everybody Taste is going on holiday from tomorrow through January 4th. While I'm gone, I hope you will enjoy this homemade artifact of love and time that I'll be taking on the road with me—a mixtape. I promise each song and its position were belabored over. You can grab the entire mix as a zip file below.

SIDE 1:

Spacemen 3 - "Feel So Good"

Murder Mystery - "Love Astronaut"

The Apparitions - "God Monkey Robot"

Alec Ounsworth - "Underwater (You and Me)"

Luna - "Lovedust"

Marcy Playground - "Wave Motion Gun"

Nick Lowe - "I Love The Sound of Breaking Glass"

Beirut - "No Dice"

SIDE 2:

Howe Gelb - "Paradise Here Abouts"

Junior Kimbrough - "I Feel Good Again"

The Vibrators - "Baby, Baby"

Pulp - "Like A Friend"

Hot Chip - "Bad Luck"

My Morning Jacket - "Rocket Man"

Spiritualized - "The Slide Song"

Shivaree - "Goodnight Irene"

Winter Spaceman Blues Mixtape.zip

Happy Holidays: A Rebel Jew Playlist

Au Revoir Simone - "Fallen Snow" (from The Bird of Music)

My Morning Jacket - "Xmas Time Is Here Again" (from Does Xmas Fiasco Style)

The Format - "Holly Jolly Christmas" (from Do You Hear What I Hear?)

Sleepy Sun - "Snow Goddess" (Daytrotter session)

Otis Redding - "White Christmas" (from A Classic Soul Christmas)

Bob Dylan - "Winter Wonderland" (from Christmas In The Heart)

Clarence Carter - "Back Door Santa" (from A Classic Soul Christmas)

Blood Feathers - "Christmas Will Help You Feel O.K." (via Stereogum)

The Soft Pack - "Walking With Jesus" (Spaceman 3 cover)

The Silver Jews - "Rebel Jew"(from Starlite Walker)

The Leisure Society - "The Last of the Melting Snow" (from The Sleeper)

John Frusciante Quits Chili Peppers For Good

According to a Myspace post, guitarist John Frusciante quit the Red Hot Chili Peppers a year ago—and it was for good. The Peppers are/were a great band, but I've always loved Frusciante's solo work even more. I can't wait to see what direction his music takes after his most recent The Empyrean.

Here's what the philosophizing Frusciante had to say: "I really love the band and what we did. I understand and value that my work with them means a lot to many people, but I have to follow my interests. For me, art has never been something done out of a sense of duty. It is something I do because it is really fun, exciting, and interesting. Over the last 12 years, I have changed, as a person and artist, to such a degree that to do further work along the lines I did with the band would be to go against my own nature. There was no choice involved in this decision. I simply have to be what I am, and have to do what I must do."

John Frusciante - "Song To Sing When I'm Lonely" (from Shadows Collide With People)

The Headphone Masterpiece

Cody Chesnutt might have taken the term "headphone masterpiece" for his own home recordings back in 2002, but no album more perfectly fits and deserves that phrase than Kurt Vile's Childish Prodigy. On "Overnite Religion" there's hints of a hushed Robert Plant and a subdued Jimmy Page; the next moment he's shouting about the "Freak Train" over an uptempo lo-fi pop beast; then there's "Amplifier," which churns along on a railroad rhythm and woozy part-Fahey, part-M. Ward finger-picked guitar riffs that break into a sunrise of building trumpets and crooning vocals. If ecstasy lies within two cupped ears, it starts here.

Kurt Vile - "Amplifier" (from Childish Prodigy)

Overlooked Album of the Year? Yes, Indeed.

Hastings Sunrise is easily my most overlooked album of '09. Vancouver's Apollo Ghosts debut is an often humorous and unabashedly sloppy good time. Fast and raw guitars, slow tremolo-infused strums, loose riffing vocals, male/female harmonies and whip-smart lyrics—it's a party where everyone's invited and is having a good time. Fans of the Modern Lovers, Saturday Looks Good To Me, and the Violent Femmes, please take note.

Apollo Ghosts - "Land of the Morning Calm" (from Hastings Sunrise)

Apollo Ghosts - "Maybe, It's Me" (from Hastings Sunrise)

Digging For Covers - "I'm Your Puppet"

The glockenspiel is the new guitar. Get on board.

James & Bob Purify - "I'm Your Puppet"

(from Shake A Tail Feather! The Best Of James And Bobby Purify)

Yo La Tengo - "I'm Your Puppet" (from

Mr. Tough / I’m Your Puppet UK Single)

Bootleg Bob - "Wallflower"

Recorded in 1971 shortly after his sessions for New Morning, "Wallflower" didn't see the light of day until 1991's The Bootleg Series Volumes 1-3 compilation. But this fuzzy four-chord progression was worth the wait with one of Dylan's simplest and most straightforward story lines: the narrator's at a bar, he sees a pretty girl, and he asks her to dance. Amen.

Bob Dylan - "Wallflower" (from The Bootleg Series Volumes 1-3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961-1991)

"Love with electric sound"

Philly band Free Energy—comprised of two former members of the now defunct Minneapolis favorite Hockey Night—are set to release their DFA debut with production by none other than label head and LCD Soundsystem visionary James Murphy. If that isn't enough to peak your interest, peep the funk-saturated bass of "Something In Common" and the horn-blaring foot-stomper "Dream City." Finally fun rock music that's not overly cliched or self-serious—just balls to the wall Thin Lizzy-worshipping guitar soul.

Free Energy - "Dream City" (from Free Energy)
Free Energy - "Something In Common" (from Free Energy)

(Photo by Christian Pitsch)

The Perfect Holiday Gift for a Music Fan

If you need an affordable holiday gift for the music lover in your life (or yourself), artist Nate Duval has a pretty amazing collection of posters, prints, and t-shirts. My current favorite is this Edward Sharpe piece, but not far behind is his poster for the Fleet Foxes—a jarring onslaught of color that's easy to get lost in.

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - "Home" (Daytrotter session)

"In the end, you're surrounded by your friends."

Judging solely on their name, it would be easy to dismiss New York City band Hooray for Earth as agents from Greenpeace or some other scheming do-gooders. But to pass over their Momo EP—especially its lead track, "Surrounded By Your Friends"—would be a terribly unwise decision. These electronic architects wield sunny and spacey jams brimful of tambourines and chorusing voices. It's not Brian Eno. It's not Animal Collective. But they might one day be neighbors.

Hooray For Earth - "Surrounded By Your Friends" (from Momo EP)

Grab it at exclusively at Emusic.

London Calling turns 30!

London Calling, the greatest double album of all time, turned 30 years old today. A giant melting pot of ska, reggae, soul, the blues and all things rock, the Clash's third record was certainly their greatest. And no artwork can beat that out-of-focus shot of bassist Paul Simonon swinging his guitar into oblivion. Very punk rock. And very classic. If you don't already own this album, do yourself a favor and go buy it. Now here's the second song I ever learned to play on guitar.

The Clash - "Death and Glory" (from London Calling)

Timelessness: Starring Nancy Sinatra

Timelessness is probably the most sought after quality in music. At least it should be. And for me, Nancy Sinatra is the timeless queen of cool. Certainly she owes that in part to her dad Frank, but with her versions of Lee Hazelwood's "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'" and Cher's "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" she left her own indelible signature on pop music. There's no better example than the psychedelic "Some Velvet Morning"—her classic 1968 duet with Hazelwood.

Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazelwood - "Some Velvet Morning" (from Nancy & Lee)

Vetiver - "Slippery"

Vetiver's Tight Knit was one of my picks for best albums of the year. And one of the best songs on that record is the uptempo "More of This," which the band is currently selling as a tour-only 12" single. On the tail end of that single is a new song—"Slippery"—which uncharacteristically unfolds over a big bass drum loop while establishing its dreamy place in the Vetiverse.

Vetiver - "Slippery" (from More of This 12")

Happy Friday

Lee Fields & The Expressions - "Last Ride" (from My World)

(Artwork by Max Dalton)

Digging For Covers: Favorites

Here's a reposting of the most popular cover songs posted on Everybody Taste this year. Enjoy.

The song "Lover's Spit" first appeared in 2002 on Broken Social Scene's second album, You Forgot It In People. Written and sung by founding-member Kevin Drew, the song's about the passing of meaningless affairs and relationships for something more, like love. In the 2004 b-sides compilation, Bee Hives, the song reappears with Leslie Feist on vocals. That same year, Feist stopped by the Black Sessions broadcast by Radio France and recorded this sparse take. While it doesn't have the emotional grandiosity of the original, Feist's blunt and tender voice and electrified clean guitar give the song a quiet and determined weight.

Feist - "Lover's Spit" (Broken Social Scene cover)

There are different types of covers. An artist can transplant a song into a different musical genre (Al Green funking up the Beatles), strip it down to emphasize lyrics and structure (Johnny Cash covering anyone), play an authentic tribute (Cat Power mimicking Dylan in I'm Not There), or rip it off for money (Uncle Kracker on "Drift Away"). And sometimes it's just for fun. Here's G. Love and Jack Johnson covering Madonna's "Holiday" off her 1983 self-titled debut. Listen for the segue into Bo Diddley's "Who Do You Love."

G. Love & Jack Johnson - "Holiday" (Madonna cover)

Look for more covers in the Cover Song Library

Let In The Dog From The Sea

The latest release from El Perro Del Mar—the solo project of Swedish musician Sarah Assbring—basks in a melancholy Hounds of Love-era Kate Bush sort of pop music. Save for a sparse rhythm section, a few electronic flourishes, and a prominent bass, the show is Assbring's and her endlessly listenable songs of breakup and heartache ride on her cool coattails and pillowy vocals.

El Perro Del Mar - "Let Me In" (from Love Is Not Pop)

Ball of Flame Shoot Fire - "Patience"

Pittsburgh and New York City area band Ball of Flame Shoot Fire sound intoxicatingly manic on their new LP Jokeland (pronounced like Oakland). Especially compelling is the spacey and energetic "Patience" which builds slowly into a monster of wailing harmonies, crashing drums and echoing guitars—a moment where the exceptional loudness turns absorbing and reflective.

Ball of Flame Shoot Fire - "Patience" (from Jokeland)

Download their first EP for free here.

Grooving to the Sleigh Bells

I stumbled upon the song "Ring Ring" by Brooklyn duo Sleigh Bells yesterday over at the consistently great blog Said The Gramophone. Initially, I was repelled because the song is almost entirely a sample of Funkadelic's 1971 classic "Can You Get To That." Aside from a more emphatic beat and a new set of vocals, the song is unchanged—yet I can't stop listening to it. Alexis Krauss's vocals are sleek, cool and classic. Twisting and fluidly melding elements of R&B, hip-hop and standard pop and soul, there's something special going on with the Sleigh Bells.

Sleigh Bells - "Ring Ring"

Funkadelic - "Can You Get To That" (from Maggot Brain)

Brown Recluse - "Contour and Context"

On their The Soft Skin EP, Philadelphia sextet Brown Recluse play with the understated elegance and intimacy of Belle and Sebastian rolled up into the pop accessibility of an early 70s rock group like Stealers Wheel. Pairing wordy lines about reading with the uptempo foot-tapping rhythms on "Contour and Context," the record makes an argument for its place on your shelf during a cold rainy winter.

Brown Recluse - "Contour and Context" (from The Soft Skin EP)

Discovering Roy Harper

The motto here is to find great music through friends and strangers alike and pass it on. So here I am. After reading a wonderful interview with Robin Pecknold of the Fleet Foxes conducted by Pitchfork, I looked up a Roy Harper album Pecknold mentions—Stormcock. Says Pecknold: "Jimmy Page plays on some of it... it's mostly the 12-string guitar. Not chords... just beautiful lyrics. It kind of has this acoustic heavy metal vibe... where he's just playing these intense parts but it's on acoustic guitar." Forty-one minutes (just four songs) and two pots of coffee later, I'm now completely entranced by this "acoustic heavy metal" masterpiece. I hope you will be too.

Roy Harper - "Hors d'Oeuvres" (from Stormcock)

New Nana Grizol album: Ruth

With two former members of the legendary Neutral Milk Hotel enlisted in Nana Grizol, the fellow Athens, GA band is an easy comparison, but also one that fits—albeit loosely. Led by singer/guitarist Theo Hilton, Nana Grizol boasts intimate and tender-hearted narratives banged out with enthusiastic and splintering guitars, rhythms and horn-blasted melodies. Ruth, the group's second album, isn't revolutionary but it nevertheless maintains the band's creative momentum with uptempo ear-catching anthems like "For Things That Haven't Come Yet," "Blackbox" and the muted album standout "Galaxies."

Nana Grizol - "Galaxies" (from Ruth)

Although featured on Ruth, I much prefer this acoustic version of "Blackbox" recorded at If You Make It because of the emphasis on Hilton's excellent lyrics and the beautiful accompanying harmony of bassist Madeline Adams (who also has a nice solo career going).

Nana Grizol - "Blackbox" (from Pink Couch Sessions)

2009: Random Closing Thoughts

Best live act: Grizzly Bear

Best use of reverb in conjunction with recording the year's best EP: Cotton Jones - Rio Ranger EP
Second Best Live Act: Deer Tick, especially between John McCauley's third and sixth drink.
Band I most likely won't like in 5-10 Years: Passion Pit, largely due to Michael Angelakos's piercing vocals which I fear might hurt my hypothetical child's frontal lobe development and general ability to hear whistles.
Jaw dropping vocal performance: Mountain Man.
Second most jaw dropping vocal performance: Edward Droste
Best music blog: Aquarium Drunkard

Band that needs to learn to play real instruments for future live performances so that I don't have to stare at them staring at their consoles: Animal Collective

Mountain Man - "Animal Tracks" (from Mountain Man)

Buy Mountain Man's album for just $5 here.

(Artwork by Luke Ramsey)

The Best and Worst Album Covers of 2009

The Best

Benjy Ferree's artwork for Come Back To The Five and Dime, Bobby Dee Bobby Dee might be my favorite of the year simply because the man covers up his receding hairline with magic marker via a 1950s era coif. Also, did anyone notice the Love Language use the same exact font style for their debut? Generally, it was a great year for artwork with walking plant people, a meditative snow person, and a badass Neko Case clutching a sword, ready to smite a dragon


The Worst

What do the KKK, a disco ball, and rockets have in common? Apparently, DJ and hip-hop group N.A.S.A. are trying to say that the US space program is made up of a bunch of disco dancing lynch enthusiasts. At least, that's my interpretation. As for JJ, why the blood-spattered marijuana leaf? Are they commenting on the link between Mary Jane and terrorism? If so, the spacey and mellow tone of their music is sending mixed messages. Lastly, Monsters of Folk—comprised of two of my all-time favorite artists, Jim "Yim Yames" James and M. Ward—why? A charcoal Brady Bunch formatted portrait with a zoomed-in perspective of Mike Mogis's nose and Conor Oberst's 5 o'clock shadow is a far cry from what could've been a classic album cover.

Benjy Ferree - "Fear" (from Come Back to the Five and Dim, Bobby Dee Bobby Dee)