mixtape for (alt) glastonbury

side a
Eagles of Death Metal (Saturday, Pyramid) - San Berdoo Sunburn
The Aliens (Sunday, Queen's Head) - Sunlamp Show
Animal Collective (Friday, Park) - My Girls
First Aid Kit (Saturday, Park) - Tiger Mountain Peasant Song
Low Anthem (Friday, Queen's Head & Saturday, Park) - Charlie Darwin

side b
Cold War Kids (Sunday, Park) - God, Make Up Your Mind
Micachu & The Shapes (Sunday, Park) - Golden Phone
Jesca Hoop (Sunday, Rabbit Hole) - Murder of Birds
Metric (Saturday, Other) - Help I'm Alive
Slow Club (Friday, Guardian Lounge) - I Was Unconscious, It Was A Dream

and here's a link to a .rar file of the entire tape

Going over the Glastonbury lineup this year doesn't fill one with a sense of artistic excellence and excitement; it's pretty dull stuff (I know Glastonbury is much more than just music!). However, there are a few highlights - Bon Iver, Neil Young, M Ward, Q Tip, Fleet Foxes and Jamie T to name pretty much all of them!

This tape is filled with some other artists that might be worth checking out (First Aid Kit, Micachu, Animal Collective) and a few that would be certainties in my book (Low Anthem, Eagles of Death Metal, Jesca Hoop, Cold War Kids).

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mixtape for june

side a
Mos Def - Supermagic
Magic Arm - Bootsy Bootsy
Cryptacize - Tail & Mane
The Joy Formidable - Austere
The Phenomenal Handclap Band - I Been Born Again

side b
Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse - Just War (w/Gruff Rhys)
Oasis - (Get Off Your) High Horse Lady (Devendra Banhart Remix)
Holler, Wild Rose! - Peace Lily
Arthur Russell - A Little Lost
Jeff Buckley - Morning Theft

And here's a link to a neatly packaged .rar file of the entire mixtape

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jay z - d.o.a. (death of auto-tune)

new mp3
Jay Z will release Blueprint 3 in September and I didn't think that, after his total destruction of Glastonbury and then hearing "Jockin' Jay Z (Dope Boy Fresh)" (an instant classic!), I could be more excited. I was wrong. It's not 'vintage' Jay Z in terms of hooks but in terms of subject and lyrics - it's great. You gotta love anyone who's gonna attack the way that, like, 80% of today's records are made.

Kanye said it was gonna be a real b-boy record and be the 'anti auto-tune'. Here's the proof. Play Loud.

Jay Z - D.O.A. (Death Of AutoTune)

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desiderata

Although I'd never encountered this piece, 'Desiderata', until last night my understanding is that it is really quite famous. I do know that, despite what it says, it wasn't discovered in a Baltimore church (though that would've been impressive!) but it is, to my mind, very good. Very simple. Very positive. Very soothing.

And it fuels my quasi-religious ferver!

Whilst it doesn't re-invent the wheel with what it says it is quite striking to see these things written out. Food for thought in our confusing times.

Click on the pic to see it clearly.
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more grizzly bear

new video


My love for Grizzly Bear currently knows no bounds and it's enhanced by seeing live performances like this. The thought that they can do justice to the beautiful and intricate recorded music that they produce makes me even more excited to see them live in August! Yay!

These videos are very good.


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the wasp (chancer)

new video

Some people have all the fun - playing at Old Trafford and being interviewed Match of the Day style. Busy fucker!
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stop everything and listen to karen dalton

old mp3
Although I've read Dylan's "Chronicles, Volume 1" and Karen Dalton is mentioned in it I'd never encountered her until very recently (meaning yesterday!). All I can say is that, apart from my daily Grizzly Bear/Department of Eagles listening, I've been listening to her debut album "It's So hard To You Who's Gonna Love You The Best" almost non-stop and it's, frankly, astonishing.

Dylan described her having "a voice like Billie Holiday and played guitar like Jimmy Reed".

It's one of those times, like the first time you 'get' Leonard Cohen or Joy Division or Nick Drake, where you think why didn't I know this earlier? Would my life have been more complete with this in it?

So here's the title track and (I never do this) a link to the full album. It's brilliant. Now I must be off as I've just got her second record "In My Own Time". I can't wait.

mp3:Karen Dalton - In The Evening (It's So Hard To Tell You Who's Gonna Love You The Best)

album:Karen Dalton - It's So Hard To Tell You Who's Gonna Love You The Best

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