Evening

I have recently discovered that I truly love reading. I don't do it nearly enough and am honestly quite slow at it. Nonetheless I absolutely love sitting back drinking some coffee and enjoying a nice book. While reading I like to have a playlist playing in the background. I also want the playlist to stand by itself so that it isn't just simply monotonous background music, but something that I can enjoy on its own. If I am just in the music listening mood.

I hope you enjoy!

So here we are:

1: Swift Coin - Land of Talk

2: Modern Beats - The Zephyrs

3: Jim Cain - Bill Callahan

4: Hope - The Submarines

5: Down in the Valley - The Head and the Heart

6: All That is Beautiful - Bellman

7: Upside Down - Banjo or Freakout

8: Sea Above, Sky Below - Dirty Three

9: Blasts of Holy Birth - Lewis & Clarke

10: The Wind and The Dove - Bill Callahan

11: There is an End - The Greenhornes

12: Soft Cover People - Walls

13: Amerikanadian - The Ox Magnolia

14: Fortunate Son (Creedence Clearwater Revival) - Cat Power

15: More than ever - Bedhead

16: A Letter to the Patron Saint of Nurses - Richmond Fontaine

17: I Flirted with You all my Life - David Bazan

18: I'll Follow You - White Fence

track one:

Land of Talk is a Saddle Creek Record band hailing from Canada.

The album that boasts Swift Coin, Cloak and Cipher, features the artists: Stars, Arcade Fire, Thee Silver Mt. Zion, and a few others.

Boring Commentary:

track two:

For more information on the Zephyrs' album When the Stars Come Down They Come Down on Your Head, go here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_the_Sky_Comes_Down_It_Comes_Down_on_Your_Head

track three:

Bill Callahan has quickly become one of my favorite artists. He is the brain child behind the 1990's band Smog. I highly recommend his albums under Smog Red Apple Falls and Rain on Lens.

track four:

The Submarines have one of the most interesting stories I have ever heard in the music world. The group consists of John Dragonetti and Blake Hazzard. The two began dating and recording music, however they broke up but continued to record together. They both brought the songs they wrote from the break up to the studio and realized that they were still in love and are now married.

track five:

This album is quickly becoming my favorite album of the summer. They are playing quite a few shows around the Seattle area including an opening slot for The Weepies and later for David Bazan.

track six:

This album, Mainly Mute, is a great ambient mix perfect for those winter days that are quickly coming to Seattle.

track seven:

Banjo or Freakout I discovered through the bands side-project Walls (which appears later on in the playlist).

track eight:

Dirty Three are the frontiersman of the "post-rock instrumental" idea. I am suspicious that the band Explosions in the Sky (a current "post-rock" band) used this track as inspiration for the piece they wrote for the Friday Night Lights Soundtrack titled: The Sky Above, The Field Below.

The trio began to make beautiful instrumental music in 1993 and all three members have gone on released amazing solo albums as well. I highly recommend the groups guitarist Mick Turner's album Moth.

track nine:

Check out Lewis & Clarke's other albums: Bare Bones and Branches and Light Time.

track eleven:

This song doesn't do a great job of representing The Greenhornes sound as the group is typically much more upbeat and have a great 90's Brit-pop sound.

track twelve:

The side-project of Banjo or Freakout that I mentioned above.

track thirteen:

This is The Ox Mangolia's first full-length release.

track fourteen:

Cat Power has been making music since the early 1990's, and everything she puts out is sheer gold. Recently I have been listening to this EP and her cover's album.

track fifteen:

This maybe one of my best finds of the year. The whole album plays effortlessly, and has a great vibe to it.

track sixteen:

Richmond Fontaine, puts out some of the finest Alt-Country music I know. They have been making music since 1994.

track seventeen:

I Flirted with You all my Life, is a cover of Vic Chessnut. Vic and Bazan were both part of the Undertow Orchestra, a supergroup of Undertow Orchestra artists.

track eighteen:

Check out more of White Fence is a one man show of Tim Presley. Tim has recently settled down with the band The Strange Boys.

lone

So let us begin. Well first and foremost I send out my deepest apologies with the tardiness of my first post. But alas here it is.

I should start with a statement of how I prepare my playlists. I often set one according to the mood that I have been in as well as what sort of setting has been encompassing me. As of lately that has been a calm mood with late night readings of 300 B.C. philosophers and early Christian church Theologians. Hot licorice tea has been accompany me as well as I struggle through developing my beliefs. I hope that the playlist will help you contemplate.

Please enjoy.

Track One: Blue Skies: Noah and the Whale
My favorite track off of Noah and the Whale’s new album The First Days of Spring. Recently released on Cherrytree Records (US) and Vertigo Records (UK).

Track Two: Heart Skipped A Beat: The XX
A new band from UK, the XX are a powerful luscious band that found a new beauty in simplicity. They band met while attending London’s Elliott School which also boasts of the grounds in which bands such as Hot Chip, and Four Tet were created.

Track Three: Pale Blue Eyes (Closet Mix): The Velvet Underground
A classic band that I have recently discovered, The Velvet Underground’s Pale Blue Eyes may be one of the prettiest songs I have heard in a long while. The song is featured on the band’s 1969 self-titled album. The Album was produced by the band and featured two different mixes the first by the band engineer, Val Valentin. The second mix by Lou Reed the bands front man. Sterling Morrison thought that Reed’s Mix sounded like the band was playing in a closet, hence the term closet mix.

Track Four: Our Way to Fall: Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo was first started in the the mid 1980’s and was a pioneer in the “lo-fi” sound the band is known for. This track is taken from their 2000 release And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out.

Track Five: Options (Solo Electric): David Bazan
Track five was a late addition to the list. It was originally on the Album Options from Bazan’s original project Pedro The Lion. The track featured in this list is actually taken from David Bazan’s mildly new DVD release Alone at the Mic.

Track Six: Sweedeedee: Cat Power (Cover of Michel Hurley)
The original version of this song is done by a Mr. Michael Hurley a singer songwriter, who first began recording in 1965. Charlyn Marie Marshall (Cat Power) covered this song on her 2000 release The Covers Record.

Track Six: The Book of Love: The Magnetic Fields
The Book of Love hales from the bands epic album 69 love songs. The album was recorded and released in 1999. It was a three volume concept album, primary composed by legendary songwriter Stephin Merritt. His other projects include: Future Bible Heros, The Gothic, and the 6th.

Track Seven:
Anther lovely song off of The Velvet Underground’s 1969 self-titled release. Also the Closet Mix. Please enjoy.

Track Eight: Still: Volcano Choir
Volcano Choir is a new project coming from Justin Vermon, the man behind 2007 break out band Bon Iver, and the band Collection of Colonies of Bees. The group had began collaborating on songs in early 2005 but never recorded anything until 2008. Bon Iver is currently working on the follow up to For Emma, Forever Ago.

Track Nine: We’re Computerizing and We Just Don’t Need You Anymore: American Analog Set.
This is truly one of my favorite bands. Lead by the lusious vocals of Andrew Kenny, this will truly make your heart melt, well maybe. This is taken from the bands 2001 release Know By Heart. If you are a fan of this I recommend the solo EP he did with Benjamin Gibbard (Death Cab For Cuttie and The Postal Service), along with his new band The Wooden Birds.

Track Ten: Inside + Out: Feist
Here is a rare track that took me a little while to dig up. Taken from a live recording Feist did at the BBC, it is a cover of the band Apostle of Hustle. Please also see the work that she does with Broken Social Scene and their Self-Titled release.

Track Eleven: Tears Are in Your Eyes (Yo La Tengo): The Antlers
Here is a small cover song of one of the greatest break out bands this year: The Antlers. Coming from Brooklyn New York, The Antlers put out an album Hotspice early this year which all should own. In 2008 they released a small EP titled New York Hospitals featuring covers of The Magnetic Fields, To La Tengo (featured here), and one original.

Track twelve: Nowhere Near: Yo La Tengo
Here we again feature a song by the band Yo La Tengo this time coming from the 1993 release Painful. This album was a great shift in the bands creative forces they now were working on creating a much lighter ambient feel.

Track thirteen: Stars: The XX
Nearing the end of the playlist we come to another song from the band The XX. Featuring wonderful male female vocal harmonies, and creative and simplistic distances that kind of leaves you breathless. Please, please check them out this is easily in my Top Five releases of 2009.

Track Fourteen: My Broken Heart: Noah and the Whale
Another song taken from the New Noah and the Whale album. I like to think of this song as the encore of the playlist. Feeling a little empty with The XX’s Stars here is a song to hopefully fill you up a little bit.