Mix CD #36 - Welcome To Gunville

This mix was originally going to be a themed one, a contentious theme that you can probably work out from the mix title, which hasn't changed.
I started compiling songs that were both pro and anti-guns so as to try and be objective but then I got to thinking, I live in Bishop Auckland, a small town in the North of England and I spent the majority of my life in York, a small city in the North of England. I have about as much real knowledge on firearms as Donald Trump does about tiggy hido so it didn't really seem right for me to get involved too much. Also, I didn't want grief from either The Snowflakes or Team America World Police. Thusly, I bottled it. 

As I said, the title remained and a couple of the tracks but other than that it's now just an unthemed mix of music, both new and old, that I've been liking lately, as per the norm. Hopefully you shouldn't something you don't hate.

So yeah, here's the 36th mix, have a read, have a listen if you want and I hope you like it.

Cheers,
Luke
x

P.S. For what it's worth, I think there's probably a bit of room for compromise on both sides
.
Tracklisting
The Urge - Welcome To Gunville
Samarkind - Thru That Door
Master Boot Record - CLS.NFO
Eureka Machines - Let Me Tell You All About Myself
öOoOoOoOoOo - I Hope You Sleep Well
Million Dead - Smiling At Strangers On Trains
Not Scientists - I Don't Feel So Crazy
Echobelly - Pantyhose And Roses
Torche - Hideaway
NOFX - The Decline
Garfunkel And Oates - Happy Birthday To My Loose Acquaintance
For Love Not Lisa - Daring To Pick Up
Andy & The Odd Socks - Unique
Toehider - How Much For That Dragon Tooth?
Jackdaw4 - Deep And Meaningless
Bearsuit - Itsuko Got Married
[Spunge] - Ego
Owl John - A Good Reason To Grow Old

You can download the mix HERE should that be your fancy



The Urge - Welcome To Gunville
Taken from the 2000 album Too Much Stereo

I think I've probably said about this before but I discovered The Urge in the mid-90's when they supported Korn (a pre-success Incubus were the opening band) and I really enjoyed them, I remember more of their set than I do of Korn's to be honest. Their blend of Ska, Punk and Nu-Metal really stood out although they didn't seem to go down too well with a lot of folk there, mainly due to the brass section. Too Much Stereo is a lot more fluid and poppier than the previous albums but it's packed with great songs. Welcome To Gunville is obviously about America's obsessions with guns but, more specifically, storing them safely so little kids don't get hold of them.

Samarkind - Thru That Door
Taken from the 2017 album Samarkind

One of the big names in the recent upsurge of the New Wave Of Classic Heavy Metal. There's a ton of new, often young, bands playing the kind of Rock music I listened to in the late 80's. Yeah, it's not the most fashionable of genres but I don't imagine anyone involved with it, fans or musicians, particularly cares. Samarkind's debut album is a short but still quite varied collection of songs that are dominated by David Paul Byrne's huge voice. It's a strong debut album without a duff track to be found.

Master Boot Record - CLS.NFO
Taken from the 2017 album C:\>COPY *.* A: /V

I was introduced to this mysterious Italian via a Metal mixtape by a friend. Master Boot Record's version of the Doom theme was one of the stand out tracks on the mix and I investigated further. It turns out his entire discography is ridiculously cheap on Bandcamp and his new album, Direct Memory Access, is currently Name Your Price. 
MBR calls his music Synthesised Heavy Metal, it's mostly instrumental and completely digital. If I'm being honest, if you listen to a full album it gets a little bit samey but in smallish doses, it's fantastic. CLS.NFO might not feature any real guitars or drums etc but it absolutely crushes. Thanks to Michael for the recommendation!

Eureka Machines - Let Me Tell You All About Myself
Taken from the 2018 album Rarities

There's been a ton of decent albums released so far but, unlike the last couple of years, not much in the way of serious contenders for Album Of The Year (at least in my opinion). Then last Month Eureka Machines simultaneously released two at once. Victories is their fifth album proper and is more of a slow burner than the previous four but once it clicks, it's a modern classic. The second album, from which this song is taken, is a double. One disc is a collection of B-sides, rare and unreleased tracks and the other is a lot of the cover versions they've recorded over the last ten years or so, both discs are a treat. It's worth getting for their version of Taylor Swift's Shake It Off alone.

öOoOoOoOoOo - I Hope You Sleep Well
Taken from the 2016 album Samen

At first, this Avant-Garde Metal band's name seems like a pompous, unpronounceable thing but once you know it's pronounced Chenille, which is French for Caterpillar, well, have another look at it...
Samen is an eclectic, entertaining album by the French duo Asphodel and Baptiste. 
I Hope You Sleep Well meanders across genres, from Nu-Metal to Progressive to Alternative Rock with flashes of Symphonic Metal and an unsettling, Circus-like midsection. It never seems disjointed or uneven though, and Asphodel's vocals effortlessly compliment each style. This album was a pleasant find and, if I'd have heard it when it was actually released, it would have easily been in my top 10 albums that year.

EDIT: The band have told me it's about marital rape and, I'll be honest, I completely missed that. I've just Googled the lyrics and read along and totally get it now, whoops!

Million Dead - Smiling At Strangers On Trains
Taken from the 2003 album A Song To Ruin

Frank Turner's current album, Be More Kind, is doing incredibly well and bothering the top end of the proper pop charts. This song, however, is where it all started for me. I bought the single after a review in Kerrang or somewhere though I didn't care for the vocals, funnily enough. 
I didn't pay much attention again until Frank released his first solo album, I thought his voice suited that acoustic style much better. I've since gone back to Million Dead and appreciate them much more now. Both this album and it's follow Up, Harmony No Harmony, are quality Post Hardcore albums and worth listening to in their own right and not just as an interesting snapshot of Frank's history. 

Not Scientists - I Don't Feel So Crazy

Taken from the 2016 album Leave Stickers On Our Graves

I had no idea who this French band until I stumbled across their second album, Golden Staples recently and really liked it. There's elements of Pop Punk, Indie Rock and touches of jangly 80's Goth here and there. I Don't Feel So Crazy is a stand out track in the stuff I've heard and is taken from what's actually an album-length EP. It's a bouncy, cheery song about realising that everyone has weird quirks, foibles and anxieties and maybe you're not as mental as you might think. Or if you are, at least you aren't alone. 

Echobelly - Pantyhose And Roses
Taken from the 1995 album On

 As you've probably figured out if you've followed this blog at all, quite a lot of the music I listen to is rooted in the 90's but nothing transports me back there more than listening to Echobelly and Sonja Madan's distinctive voice. I don't what it is that makes Echobelly so evocative of the time but I stick On on and I'm back to the time of wearing shelltoes, layered t-shirts and not knowing what the internet is. 
That's not to say they sound dated as such, because that's not the case. All three of those early albums (They've since reformed and started recording again) are immensely listenable and not just for nostalgia's sake. They're packed full of catchy, lasting anthems, like Pantyhose And Roses for example

Torche - Hideaway
Taken from the 2010 mini-album Songs For Singles

This Floridan Sludge/Stoner band temper their massive, pounding riffs with a ton of melody and singalong songs. A lot of their songs are frustratingly short and feel like they ought to have been expanded on and extrapolated. Hideaway though is just about right. It's a sprightly, speedy song with prominent but melodic riffs, I especially love the chugging riff that kicks in halfway through.

NOFX - The Decline
Taken from the 1999 EP The Decline

I've been wanting to include this song for a while now but finding a place to slot it in had been understandably hard. It seemed to fit in with the Gun Law themed mix that I chickened out of, while most of that has gone, this track remains. 
The Decline is by far their most ambitious song, composed of several parts that all tie in together, each depicting some aspect of the gradual degradation of American society. Obviously, Politics is a big part of it but also Religion, American's obsession with guns, The Military, murder and suicide are all touched upon. 
It's a staggering piece of work, especially from a Punk band more often associated with songs about booze, with several standout moments, in particular, at about 11 minutes in when everything drops out and it seems like the song's finished. Then a lone, staccato guitar starts up before MIke begins singing the line "One more pill to kill the pain" repeatedly. It's a jarring, emotive false ending and works startlingly well.
The Decline is almost 20 years old now but remains more relevant than ever.

Garfunkel And Oates - Happy Birthday To My Loose Acquaintance
Taken from the 2015 album Secretions

Apparently, Garfunkel And Oates is a TV show but it's one I'm unfamiliar with, though I do recognise Riki and Kate from their separate appearances in The Big Bang Theory. Their music is of the twee Folk-Pop variety though their songs are comedic and frequently hilarious. They're also very often Adult themed and profane. 
There are no swearies in this one however, It's just an ode to some of the peculiarities we all adhere to on Facebook, particularly the fact we all have 'friends' on there that are barely acquaintances and it just seems perfectly normal. There are some great little rhyming couplets and relatable observations throughout and I chuckled a few times.

For Love Not Lisa - Daring To Pick Up
Taken from the 1993 album Merge

Another band recommended to me, this time by Gerald Stansbury at Uberrock. I've known the name for years but never bothered actually listening to them until now. I always pegged them as 80's Post-Rock/ Post-Goth but that's completely inaccurate, They're more of a Post Hardcore band with some occasional Shoegaze tendencies. I bought Merge after talking to Gerald about them and really enjoyed it, this song was the first to really stand out. It's about living with depression loneliness and realising your own self-worth. The chorus line of "It's a complicated thing when you're lonely" is simple, succinct and effective.

Andy & The Odd Socks - Unique
Taken from the 2017 album Who Invited This Lot?

Along a similar theme to as For Love Not Lisa, though considerably less gritty, Unique is a charming, catchy little song about appreciating your own little quirks of individuality and seeing the best about yourself instead of getting down about it. 
Those of you with small children, or weird taste in television, might recognise the gurning fool at the back as Andy Day from Cbeebies, for he is the Andy who has Odd Socks.
Fun fact for the interest of nobody: There's a photo of my son in the CD liner collage thing. 

Toehider - How Much For That Dragon Tooth?
Taken from the 2018 Patreon project 49 Songs You MUST Hear Before You Die

Mike Toehider and his artistic partner, Salty have set themselves an interesting task for the year ahead. Starting this January they've set up a Patreon where, each month, Mike writes and records a few songs and Salty creates the artwork for it, occasionally it's the other way around with Mike writing a song based on Salty's artwork. 
There's a ton of other stuff, like video's of the creative process, the recording, preliminary sketches and whatnot. Every month they'll listen and review your band and, sadly in the tier more expensive than I can afford, there's an additional song in the form of a cover from acts as diverse as Meatloaf, Coheed & Cambria and Van Halen.

Anyway yeah, this is one of the songs from that project. It veers away from his more usual Progressive Metal and is pure Power Metal Fantasy. It tells the tale of a wizard who runs a nick-nack store in a market town. His prize possession is a tooth from a dragon he once slew and, despite several enquiries, he refuses to sell. Until the day he discovers it's cursed, that is. It's very much tongue in cheek but it's a rousing epic with a massive chorus and galloping riffs all the same.

Jackdaw4 - Deep And Meaningless
Taken from the 2004 album Gramophone Logic

Jackdaw4 sadly split following the release of their 2013 album Dissecticide and the world is a darker place without their well crafted Power Pop in it. All four of their albums are pretty much flawless. Deep And Meaningless harks back to their debut album and is a perfect example of Willie Dowling's effortless grasp of melody and lyricism. Upbeat, catchy but also intricate and articulate.

Bearsuit - Itsuko Got Married
Taken from the 2004 album Cat Spectacular!

I saw this peculiar Art Rock band from Norwich live a few times about 9/10 years ago now, they were always lively, bright and a ton of fun. The albums don't quite capture that live sparkle unfortunately but some of the songs still shine through, Itsuko Got Married being one of them. It's a brash, manic race to the finish, full of handclaps, Lisa and Iain's vocal interplay and flutes. There's probably a keytar on the go as well.

[Spunge] - Ego
Taken from the 2000 album Room For Abuse

[Spunge] are one of the more well known British Ska Punk bands in the late 90's, and Ego is probably their most well known song.  I had their first two albums (Pedigree Chump and this one) but fell out of touch with them after that and just assumed they'd gone the way of most Ska Punk bands these. It turns out that they didn't split and have been occasionally releasing albums ever since. I've recently had their albums out of storage and given them a listen. I'd forgotten just how catchy a song Ego is. I've since stolen, downlo- listened to their later albums and they're pretty good, assuming you can cope with Ska Punk that is.

Owl John - A Good Reason To Grow Old
Taken from the 2014 album Owl John

This was a last minute addition (I'll include the song it replaced on the next mix) following the tragic death of Scott Hutchison of Frightened Rabbit this week. 
I've been into Frightened Rabbit for years and watched each album bring them more success. It seems weird to think that the little Scottish band I saw in the basement bar of York City Screen are now headlining festivals and poised to have some success in the US. Or at least they were.

Scott was a fantastic songwriter but, more than that, he managed to accurately convey how loneliness and depression feel. He did so without any of the trappings of drama or woe-is-me attention seeking, just with plain, beautiful melancholy and sorrow. Melancholy and sorrow often delivered with wry, self-deprecating humour.

It feels surreal to think he's gone, maybe it got to me more than any other celebrity death lately because it was someone I'd actually met, maybe just because so many of his songs connected with my own demons and insecurities? It upsets me to think what he must have been going through those last few days, it upsets me to think the loss to his family, bandmates and friends who, quite clearly, love him dearly and were so worried for him when he went missing. 
On a personal level, it upsets me that, bar whatever he's already recorded, there's never going to be any more new music from him and Frightened Rabbit

 I wanted to include something as a small tribute to Scott I figured, rather than something by Frightened Rabbit, it might be apt to pick a song from his solo album. A Good Reason To Grow Old is a song about a life consumed with bitternes, resigned to suicide that's brought around by falling in love. It's a tragedy that it either didn't happen in real life or that it just didn't last.

One (very, very small) bright thing in all this is that "I'm away now, thanks" are almost on a par with "I'm just going for a short walk.." as final parting words.

RIP Scott, I hope you've finally found some solace.