Mix CD #22 - That's A Nasty Habit You've Got There

Here we go with mix number twenty two and it's yet another mix with no theme!

I know I explain this every time but you never know when somebody new might read this and anyway, what else do I put? So yeah, these are all songs that have popped up lately that I thought would be good on one of these here mixes. Sometimes a good song pops up on shuffle, other times it's a track that stands out on albums I'm listening to or maybe just from various playlists or whatever.

I think it's a pretty eclectic mix and I've been enjoying listening to it. That's no guarantee you will of course but fingers crossed you'll like something, even if it's just the Queen song...

Tracklisting
Ginger Wildheart - That's A Nasty Habit You've Got There
Stone Sour - Do Me A Favor
Maow - Mommie's Drunk
Clowns - Eat A Gun
Within Temptation - Faster
Aerosmith - Sick As A Dog
Jon Oliva's Pain - Winter Haven
Neon Horse - Cuckoo!
Retching Red - I'm A Rat
The Idol Dead - Everybody Knows Your Name
Atom & His Package - For Aliza, Whenever She May Sleep
Frank Turner - Sweet Albion Blues
Queen - Save Me
Red Tape - Stalingrad
Heather Nova - If I Should Die
Groop Dogdrill - Lovely Skin
Testament - More Than Meets The Eye
Sleep Keepers - This City Needs A Hero
Fugazi - Bed For The Scraping
John Mellencamp - Now More Than Ever
Brian Posehn - More Metal Than You
Jimi Hendrix - Castles Made Of Sand

You can download the mix HERE if you want. Also feel free to read what I done writed about each song too.

Cheers,
Luke
x

Ginger Wildheart - That's A Nasty Habit You've Got There
Taken from the 2014 EP G.A.S.S 01

I can't believe I've got to the 22nd mix and I'22ndm only just including a track by one of my favourite artists. There's been a track by a couple of his bands (The Wildhearts and Hey! Hello!) but never a solo track proper. 
Ginger's solo stuff is wildly (ahaha) eclectic and he also tends to go through bouts of prolificness (prolificity?). This year, for instance, he has already released two albums. One with his Mutation project that's a blast of furious noise, bile and brutal heaviness. His latest album, released last week is Ghost In The Tanglewood, a personal and tender Country/Folk album that couldn't be further away from Mutation. Both are excellent.
This song comes from his G.A.S.S. (Ginger Associated Secret Society) project which was essentially a fan club but with a host of bits and pieces released every month, not least of which was five songs, three new and two rare and unreleased. This is from the first ever G.A.S.S. release and it's marvellous

Stone Sour - Do Me A Favor
Taken from the 2013 album House Of Gold And Bones Part 2

Him what's out of Slipknot's other band are apparently releasing another album this year that should hopefully be good. As long as you enjoy their particular brand of Alternative Metal that is. This song is a stomping singalong about being a big old grumpypants and I like it.

Maow - Mommie's Drunk
Taken from the 1996 album The Unforgiving Sounds Of Maow

Maow were a Punk/Indie Rock trio of, apparently very hirsute, women who all shared vocal duties. They're mainly known for their drummer who went on to become Neko Case out of  Neko Case. This is a fun, Country flavoured Punk song sung by, er, one of the other two. There ain't no sassin' when Mommie's drunk.

Clowns - Eat A Gun
Taken from the 2013 album I'm Not Right

This young Australian band play an energetic, breakneck blend of Punk and Hardcore. They sound like the kind of band who support more well known bands and continually blow them off stage. This is from their excellent debut and their third album is due at some point this year. They're definitely deserving of wider appreciation.

Within Temptation - Faster
Taken from the 2011 album The Unforgiving

Within Temptation are one of the big names in the European Gothic Metal scene and effortlessly bash out flawless Arena Metal like this all the time. Sharon Den Adel is a fantastic singer and flies through this song, belting out the choruses and reaching some impressive notes along the way. I think The Unforgiving is probably my favourite album of theirs and Faster was, understandably, the lead single.

Aerosmith - Sick As A Dog
Taken from the 1976 album Rocks

This one seems to have been cropping up on shuffle all the time lately and had me mumbling the chorus to myself lots. Aerosmith in the '70's were a world away from the schmaltzy ballads they've become known for these days ("Baby when I close my eeeeeeyyyyes...."). and Rocks is one of their best-selling albums from back then. If I remember rightly, bassist Tom Hamilton and guitarist Joe Perry swapped instruments for this song which is probably why it sounds a little different to the rest of the songs on Rocks

Jon Oliva's Pain - Winter Haven
Taken from the 2010 album Festival

Jon is another of my favourite artists that I seem to have neglected on these mixes. The original lead vocalist in the Heavy Metal band Savatage, Their later albums experimented with Progressive Metal and JOP take that experimentation much further, though Jon's voice remains an obvious constant. Talking of his voice, he's such a unique and recognisable singer, nobody else really sings like he does. He might not be technically brilliant but he has an honesty and a rawness to his voice that I love. 

Winter Haven is about someone trudging through endless snowy tundras and mountains to find a place of solace and harmony, only to find they've been tricked there by a demon who kills them and takes their soul. It's more than just a fantastical tale though and a metaphor for struggling through life with just the promise of heaven keeping you going.

Neon Horse - Cuckoo!
Taken from the 2007 album Neon Horse

Neon Horse were a peculiar, 80's Pop influenced, Alternative Rock band who's members are a mysterious secret. Not that secret, however, as they've long been confirmed as members of Stavesacre, Starflyer 59 and Joy Electric. They're an odd, quirky band but still with really catchy tunes and it's nice to hear Mark Salomon singing something so different to Stavesacre.

Retching Red - I'm A Rat
Taken from the 2006 album Scarlet Whore Of War

Cinder Block has been in a few Punk bands in her time but is probably best known for Tilt, a Fat Wreck Chords band who released a few decent albums n the 90's. Retching Red, as the name might suggest, are harder edged than Tilt and definitely angrier, straying into Hardcore territory at times. Both albums are short, sharp bursts of aggression and worth hunting down.

The Idol Dead - Everybody Knows Your Name
Taken from the 2014 album Hollow Point Curses

This Leeds based Rock band take a few influences from Punk and Metal to create an energetic and engaging sound of their own. Big riffs and choruses are very much what they're about. There's some pleasing guitar squeals that crop up in this song too. I don't think it's about Cheers though sadly. They currently have a Pledge campaign running for their fourth album that you can check out HERE if you like. Go on, be nice.

Atom & His Package - For Aliza, Whenever She May Sleep
Taken from the 2003 album Attention! Blah Blah Blah

Atom (also known as Adam Goren) plays a weird, cheery hybrid of Pop Punk and Synthpop. The Package in question is his music sequencer, not his penis. This song has a great chorus though I'm not entirely sure what the hell it's about, other than a woman who is presumably quite tired? Anyway, it's a cool song and I hope you like it.

Frank Turner - Sweet Albion Blues
Taken from the 2014 album The Third Three Years

It's weird how far Frank has come since his days in Million Dead, he's almost a household name these days. His last album, Positive Songs For Negative People was a future classic but, while I enjoy the music he makes with a full band, It'll always prefer songs like this; stripped back Folk/Punk songs that are just Frank with his acoustic guitars. This is a fast paced song about touring the UK and there's a couple of amusing lines in there too.

Queen - Save Me
Taken from the 1980 album The Game

Does everyone in the world like Queen? It's rare you meet anyone who actively dislikes them at least. The majority of people my age grew up with them around constantly, from, yes, Bohemian Rhapsody to The Invisible Man they were forever on Top Of The Pops and all that. Freddie was an amazing frontman, rock star and a powerful vocalist. They, along with Guns n' Roses, were my gateway into proper Rock Music and I still love them today. Apart from Hot Space, that one is a bit shit.

Red Tape - Stalingrad
Taken from the 2004 album Radioactivist

This Californian Punk band released just the one album but it's a great one. Full of weighty riffs and shoutalong choruses. They are likely best known as the band Jeff Jaworski left to be the new vocalist in Will Haven and he sang on their album The Hierophant. His vocal style on both albums is wildly different though and there are very few screams on Radioactivist.

Heather Nova - If I Should Die
Taken from the 2008 album The Jasmine Flower

This Bermudan-born singer was at the height of her popularity in the late 90's though continues to release new stuff. I saw her live a couple of times back then and she was really good. This album was a bit of a departure to her usual albums as it was stripped back to mostly just her and her guitar to impressive effect. I recently rediscovered her stuff and I've been listening to it a lot lately. This song stood out particularly on this album.

Groop Dogdrill - Lovely Skin
Taken from the 1997 album Half Nelson

The second most famous thing out of 'sunny' Doncaster after the Airport. They released two albums of sleazy Alternative Rock with a slight Punky Rock n' Roll influence. This is a song about a person entranced by a stripper and it's actually the single edit, though the only difference I can tell is that the opening sample is a little shorter. Personally, I think it works better with this edit than the album version.

Testament - More Than Meets The Eye
Taken from the 2008 album The Formation Of Damnation

One of the original 80's Thrash Metal bands who are, thankfully, still going strong. This song has an awesome, galloping riff running all the way through it. It's a pummelling track but upsets me because it's not about Transformers. This album saw the return of original guitarist Alex Skolnick who was, at one point, in Savatage (see Jon Oliva's Pain above) for a time. They also currently feature Gene Hoglan who is one of the all time greatest drummers of all time.

Sleep Keepers - This City Needs A Hero
Taken from the 2016 EP Roar!

Sleep Keepers are a multinational band currently based in the Ukraine. They peddle a stylish mix of Industrial and Electrorock and while they've yet to release an album they do have a couple of EP's knocking about that are worth a listen. This song starts slowly but builds up and kicks in and it's crying out to be the song playing over the credits of the next but Marvel blockbuster.

Fugazi - Bed For The Scraping
Taken from the 1995 album Red Medicine

I know Ian Mackaye is the Godfather of Straight Edge and a genuine Punk Icon and everything but, if I may court controversy for a minute, he's a bit rubbish at that singing stuff. I much prefer Guy Picciotto's voice and also, how cool does GUy look in the photo above? Sorry Ian. One thing I think Fugazi do get overlooked for is the interplay between Guy and Ian's guitars, they're far more talented musicians than you'd expect from a DIY 80's Punk band and it's often a joy to just listen to them play. Listen to the instrumental song Arpeggiator for example.

John Mellencamp - Now More Than Ever
Taken from the 1991 album Whenever We Wanted

John 'Cougar' Mellencamp never really made a name for himself here in the UK, though he's much more well-known in The States, even if it is as a poor man's Bruce Springsteen. He started out in the mid-Seventies but I first heard of him because my Dad used to play The Lonesome Jubilee a lot when I was a kid in the mid-to-late Eighties. On Whenever We Wanted he eschewed the Country elements of his music for a straightforward, Bryan Adamsy, style Rock album. It worked and is a decent album but he soon returned to the Country and I think that suits him much better. This song is about how we need to band together in hard times and show tolerance to those not like us. However relevant it was in 1991 it's even more so in 2017. 25 years later and things haven't changed, if anything they've just got worse. 
I very much enjoy the way the Fugazi song segues into this one. Not sure segue is exactly the right word but they sound good together anyway. Whatevs.

Brian Posehn - More Metal Than You
Taken from the 2010 album Fart And Weiner Jokes

You might recognise Brian as Bert from The Big Bang Theory (that was a lot of B's!) amongst other acting roles but he's actually a very funny stand-up comic and a massive Metal fan, as evidenced by this song. I'd say what it was about but that's fairly obvious I would think. The crushing riffs in this song are provided by Brendan from Dethklok and Mark from Lamb Of God

Jimi Hendrix - Castles Made Of Sand
Taken from the 1967 album Axis: Bold As Love

Whilst Jimi is best known as one of the best ever guitarists, he was also a talented songwriter. This is one of my favourite Jimi songs and there's no flashy solos or anything, just a simple, pretty song about how life ends, problems get sorted and worries go away eventually. Nothing lasts forever. It seems like as good a song as any to finish with. 

Actually, I'd like to close with a fascinating little snippet of info that you might not know about Jimi Hendrix, here gors. I got a big poster of the above photo for my 16th birthday and on my wall for years after. 100% true that.