Out Like a Black Sheep 6 pack

The 6-pack says goodbye to March this week by getting a little dark, rocky & squelchy. A hearty welcome back to Silversun Pickups, no doubt ensconced in fur and draped with diamonds after their extensive licensing of 'Lazy Eye'.

Above is the video for the pretty amazing 'Playing for Change's Stand By Me'(HT: Maureen). Inspiring.

DOWNLOAD: Out Like A Black Sheep.zip

Silversun Pickups - 'Panic Switch'
In which the erstwhile Smashing Pumpkins stomp on an fx pedal and strum as furiously as ever. A little more muscular than before.

Greyboy - Bronson f. Mainflo
(HT: Jay the travelling planner) Just dark, eerie, suspenseful and electro enough for anyone's case study about a Russian assassin.

The Nextdoor Neighbors
(HT: Marcus) Kinda dubby and bassy with a cute kewpie voice. A line could be drawn straight back to the Sugarcubes, but without that awful Einar shouting about lobsters.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Skeletons
This is supposed to be the YYYs' dance record. If so, this is more their 'Into Their Groove' than 'La Isla Bonita'. It's more that Nick Zinner's guitars get left to the side but they still leave room for something epic and rock. This'd be a great pre-dawn/sunrise song at the Burning Man.

Yeasayer - Tightrope
World rhythms for the Dark Was The Night charity comp. This song makes me think of long caravans through the desert. I find a lament and a worldweariness in the singer's voice, but somehow it feels welcoming and inviting - sit by the fire and let's wait for the dawn.

Phoenix - 1901
It's really a straightahead 80s new wave song with some extra production magic thrown in to keep the skinny jeans kids excited.

March Midtemponess 6 pack

DOWNLOAD: March Midtemponess.zip

Royksøpp - 'Happy Up Here'
Midtempo electronic squelchiness. Good tempo for shooting down aliens.

Vetiver - 'Everyday'
Midtempo jangly jauntiness. Good tempo for 'bladin'.

AC Newman - 'Heartbreak Rides'
Midtempo power pop goodness from the New Pornographer. (Sans Neko Case, et. al).

Fight Like Apes - 'I'm Beginning To Think You Prefer Beverly Hills 90210 To Me'
Truthful bizarre midtemponess. I think the title is hurtful only if it refers to the new 90210, not the old one with Luke Perry & Shannen Doherty.

Bat For Lashes - Daniel
Sultry female midtempo weirdness. Cat Power's electro British cousin?

Roger Miller - 'King of the Road'
(HT: Dellapina).
In these economic times: midtempo road trip goodness?

The Tick - 'Going Sane'
Stay on the right side of madness, mis amigos.

Danny Boy

the Beaker Animal Chef trio, for your enjoyment

friggatriskaidekaphobia 6 pack

Bad shit happens on Friday the 13th. Like rainbow-fire-breathing pandas. (HT: Don)

To ward that type of crazy shit off, we've got a covers-heavy version of the Friday 6-pack for your listening pleasure.

DOWNLOAD: friggatriskaidekaphobia.ZIP

Sara Lov - Timebomb (Old 97's cover)
Where the Old 97s original is a glorious romp(play it on Rock Band 2 and see), Sara Lov makes it dreamy and sunbitten. Like lying around on a stolen Sunday morning with a n affair you know won't last, but don't care.

Katie Hasty - Forever Young (Alphaville cover)
(HT: Ben @ musicforpicture). Been sitting on this one forever. Katie picks at an acoustic guitar, backed by an organ and enunciates the lyrics. It's like the opposite of a Ryan Adams cover. This should play over the end of a high school romantic comedy while a graudation slide show plays. See the whole Music For Picture Presents Revisionist History tracklisting here.

The Books f. Jose Gonzalez - 'Cello Song (Nick Drake cover)'
(HT: Maxwell) Honestly, I don't know a damned thing about the original. I believe it was for the original Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in 1973, and was a collab between yo-yo ma and nick drake. This is from the very excellent Dark Was The Night compilation. At the rate that he turns out amazing covers, Jose Gonzalez is fast turning into indie's Lauryn Hill. Quiet, but wonderful.

Cloud Cult - No One Said It Would Be Easy
Internets: "This is from Cloud Cult's new DVD, No One Said It Would Be Easy, a retrospective of the band's 10 years of existence." Me: Cloud Cult's been around for 10 years? Still grand.

Andrew Bird - 'Fitz & Dizzyspells'
I love how it starts with Andrew singing "Comes and" without accompaniment before the guitar chuggs in for 'goes'. I really should have saved this for another top-down mix, but liked it too much to wait.

Art Brut - 'Alcoholics Anonymous'
The ironic hipsters (hip ironicists? hard to say) craft pretty simple great punk tracks that serve as the bed for Eddie Argos devastatingly wry lyrics. The perfect way to kick off your weekend.

Have a safe weekend. Please remember to celebrate Cinco de Mayo at your favorite Mexican watering hole this coming Tuesday.

Happy Birthday, Friday 6-pack

Was searching for an old track in the 6 packs and realized that the Friday 6-pack of mp3 "tradition" is now a year old.

Happy Birthday to the 6 pack and to everyone who's downloaded a zip or 3.

In Like A.... Uh... Like a... hmmm... sixpack

Creationist viewpoint: God, the intelligent designer, has a sense of humor, and this is proof.
Pro-evolution viewpoint: This is the best argument yet for genetic mutation. No sane being would create a creature like this. Only millions of years of chance mutations would lead to this cat-like Buddha being full of strange chamed wisdom.

DOWNLOAD: In Like A Uh.zip

Tracklisting:
These Dancing Days - 'These Dancing Days'
Boppy eponymous goodness from what would seem to be the soundtrack to a montage during a new flick called Surf Party Tijuana. The fun ends when Mexican federales execute a donkey, that you've been riding on with a mujer you met at la farmacia.
(Btw, you can't convince me that it's not Animal on the drum solo in the middle of the song.)
Felinus Strangeus Wisdomus say: the Universe is infinite and plentiful and will soon provide you with another burro.

Ben Gibbard & Feist - "Train Song (Vashti Bunyan cover)"
The Dark Was The Night soundtrack comes strong on the multi-collaborational charity benefit tip. Here, Ben & Leslie add to the 'travelling on your burro across the desert to visit a lover who may or may not still love you' category of songs. All with little more than their voices and guitars. Lovely.
Felinus Strangeus Wisdomus say: the journey is the destination and the universe will provide regardless of whether or not Feist's love is waiting for her.

Leftover Cuties - 'Game Called Life' (HT: Lacy)
Playing at Venice Beach Wines this Saturday night. Pretty without being fragile. Shortcut description is that it's firmly in the Yael Naim strain of iSongs ads.
Felinus Strangeus Wisdomus say: Life is suffering. Anyone who tells you otherwise is trying to sell you a burro.

Dyme Def - 'Rollin Stone' (HT: Lindsay@emoto)
Some of that old funky boom-bap. Includes the line "Like a Flinstone bowling ball"
Felinus Strangeus Wisdomus say: "Only live your life as it is, Not bound to anything.”

Social D - 'Ruby Soho'
Because it was playing at physical therapy this morning and woke me up a bit as Kirsten was torturing me.
Felinus Strangeus Wisdomus say: If a man who enjoys a lesser happiness beholds a greater one, let him leave aside the lesser to gain the greater. Especially if it involves catnip or 90s punk.

Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - I Am Goodbye
Somewhere between 'Hello, Goodbye' and 'a Horse with no name'. Charming with 'hoooooo!'s from the good prince. In the video, BPB does no more than walk through LA and sing. We'd have put him on the back of a burro with a guitar in the same locales.
Felinus Strangeus Wisdomus say: whither are those that are comfortably bald in places and hairy in others, for they have much wisdom and compassion to the universe in exchange for a good scratch beneath the chin.