Aaron Found Us A Place To Play!

I just made a mix on 8tracks, a site that Aaron hipped us to this week (and that isn't the royal "us," because he told Joshua, too). I think you can embed them. Yes you can (below) but it's randomized and the embed doesn't show song titles.





Below is the playlist I uploaded, but it changes every time (I think it plays in order the first time). The mixes are really micromixes, as they need to be about 30 minutes long, or about 8 tracks (though mine is 10). Tune in and tell me what you think.



Some Thoughtless Thoughts On This Mix

Usually I put more thought into mixes, but I was so excited to get started with 8tracks that I just dove in. The first track is the eponymous "Mystery Party" by The Stickmen, an 80s Philly no-wave band that made me oh so very happy as a young driver. As a 16 year old, I had two of their tracks taped from the radio and I used to love driving my 1971 VW Beetle while cranking the herky jerky Stickmen. Next is something from the very underrated Songs of the Free record by Gang of Four; yes, Entertainment! is a much more important record. Gang of Four is one of those bands that had to exist. I love this LCD Soundsystem track, which really captures what they are like live (despite the fact that the studio stuff is just James Murphy all by himself). I was so happy when David Byrne played "Crosseyed and Painless" in Ann Arbor. LCD Soundsystem's "Daft Punk Is Playing..." is remixed here by pop geniuses Soulwax; I think this re-mix might be better than the orignial, especially when you listen for the Daft Punk samples. The first Devo record (produced by Brian Eno) was brilliant, and "Uncontrollable Urge" is as good a track as you'll find there. I literally fell on the floor when I heard "Dad I'm In Jail" for the first time at Sam's Jams in Ferndale (yes, I fell on the floor in public). I purchased the single for XTC's "Ball and Chain" back in 1982 or 1983 at Camelot Music, and it was backed with "Punch and Judy," a great little song; my mom drove me to the record store--on our previous visit, she purchased Fleetwood Mac's Rumors, and I bought KISS Alive II. My ears did some growing up between those two visits. "Constellations of My Vanity" is a great song with grad school-esque lyrics (how many pop songs have the word "modernity" in them, eh?). A recent re-encounter with Elvis Costello has me going through his back catalog, and this is a nice closing song.