Mix CD #40 - My Slumbering Heart

Following the editing calamity last time, where I deleted half of what I'd already written, I was extra careful while writing the blog this time around. Not careful enough, it seems. I'd almost finished, just had the last couple of bands to type out, tried to delete one little typo and accidentally deleted the entire entry instead. Autosave kicked in instantly and I said some really quite bad words. 

I guess in the end it's worked out better as I've swapped a few things about and included a couple of songs that I hadn't in the previous draft too. Good songs.

Once again there's no theme, some new releases, some from old, revisited CDs and some miscellaneous shit. 

There's also quite a few from albums that are Free Download/Name Your Price on Bandcamp (Astronoid, Retirement Party, Cybernetic Witch Party, Sad Hill plus others) this month. I'd like to name my price as more than nothing on more occasions than I currently do but my money gets sucked away into other, more mundane things so, for now, I'll just have to listen to free stuff and feel a bit guilty about it.

Anyway, there's a ton of really great songs (in my opinion) on the mix this month so I hope you listen to/enjoy it.

Cheers

Luke

x

Tracklisting

Rilo Kiley - My Slumbering Heart

Hedshel - Drown You

Just Friends - Supersonic

T.S.O.L - Satellites

Beachbuggy - Touch My Stuff (You Can Die)

Astronoid - Up And Atom

Driven Serious - Ballad Of Bones

Janus Stark - Clique

A Sound Of Thunder - Charles II

Gama Bomb - Alt-Reich

Mitski - Washing Machine Heart

Thunderhead - Make It Hard

Sad Hill - Heart Attack

Black Mirrors - Lay My Burden Down

26 Miles Per Hour - Bullet Proof

Froglick - Skippy

Retirement Party - Are You My Mother?

Cybernetic Witch Cult - Sagittarius A*

Ty Tabor - Somebody Lied

Hugh Reed & The Velvet Underpants - Car Nicked

Alice Donut - The Son Of A Disgruntled X-Postal Worker Reflects On His Life While Getting Stoned In The Parking Lot Of A Winn Dixie LIstening To Metallica

You can download the mix HERE and read my ramblings below. Ta

Rilo Kiley - My Slumbering Heart

Taken from the 2002 album The Execution Of All Things

In the blurb about Sapphire Bullets, I mention about being in Mix CD groups as the impetus behind this blog. One of the many bands I discovered through mixes received from those groups was Rilo Kiley. Weird to think that was 15 years ago now, I still have all the CDs I received, there are LOTS. 

I first thought My Slumbering Heart was about pining after a failed romance but in actual fact, I think it's more to do with a woman trying to reconcile with the strained relationship she had with her now late mother. The odd little song tagged onto the end of it seems to corroborate this too. I love this track and I'd forgotten how good a band Rilo Kiley were.

Hedshel - Drown You

Taken from the 2001 album Why Speak?

I don't know a whole lot about this band other than they were from Arizona. A girl I chatted to online back then loved the band and sent me this CD. I've not heard it in well over a decade but it was one of the hundreds of CDs I've recently dug out of storage and have been revisiting. Why Speak? does sound a little dated now, very of its time with several Nu-Metal trademarks present. The songwriting shines through however and it was a joy to listen to it again. Drown You is one of the standout tracks and utilises the quiet-loud-quiet thing well. The chorus plays the harsh and clean vocals off against each other and the melody feels kind of 80's Pop in some ways. They should have been bigger at the time as they're way better than a ton of the band that did get somewhere. I shan't name names.

Just Friends - Supersonic

Taken from the 2018 album Nothing But Love

Just Friends take a big bunch of Punk, Funk and Soul, throw it in a bag with sprinkles of energy and enthusiasm, shake it about a bit then let it pour forth in a shower of bright, lively tunes, just like Supersonic. The dual male/female vocals are pretty cool too. Give the band a listen and prepare to fall in love. Platonically.

T.S.O.L - Satellites

Taken from the 2017 album 

T.S.O.L. have been knocking about since the late Seventies and, liking the bands I like, are a name I've come across repeatedly. I've never actually bothered listening to their music until earlier this year though, when a mate saw them live and said they were brilliant. After delving into their work I've quite clearly been missing out. They've been through a ton of genre and line-up changes and, at one point, featured no original members. They're currently back to their near first line up and their last album was a masterful collection of Melodic Punk songs that don't sound like they're from a band that's been going for 40 years. Satellites is a near perfectly crafted song with engaging verses and chorus, it's one of my current favourite tunes.

Beachbuggy - Touch My Stuff (You Can Die)

Taken from the 2001 album Sport Fury

I've had a couple of CDs by this Doncastrian band knocking about for ages but I've only just found out that, at some point during their career, they featured Hug and Pete Spiby from Groop Dogdrill. I realise this is only of interest to a quite select group (groop) of people but I'm one of them and it's exciting, shush. Main chap Jack Straker went on to be in The Wedding Present for a while too if that's any more interesting to you.
They were a peculiar band, playing a mix of Post Punk, Surf Rock and Indie Rock. Touch My Stuff (You Can Die) is built around a repetitive, looped riff with a beat that drives it's melody forcibly into your subconscious. It's about someone very protective of their things...

Astronoid - Up And Atom

Taken from the 2016 album Air

Astronoid were recommended by someone on Facebook and I wish I'd been aware of them nearer the time because this album would have been pretty high up in my albums of the year. Air is a fantastic album, innovative and atmospheric, Up And Atom is one of my favourites on it. It's a fast-paced, widdly Prog Metal track with ethereal, Shoegazy vocals and a gorgeous melody. As a clumsy comparison, it kind of sounds like the guy from Mew singing with Coheed And Cambria. I can't get enough of this song at the moment and must have listened to it 20-30 times this week.  

Driven Serious - Ballad Of Bones

Taken from the 2016 single Ballad Of Bones

A band fairly local to me, based in and around Co. Durham. They describe themselves as Folk Punk though I'd say they're more Dark Cabaret with a bit of Steampunk imagery. I've seen the name about but not really paid notice until they were guests on Attention Please and it was a really entertaining show (you can hear the whole thing on Mixcloud if you want). Ballad Of Bones is a song of life and the inevitability of death. It's a stirring, emotional song carried along by the cello and violin and Rob Jones' moving delivery. He has a distinctive voice that, in places, reminds me of Mark Owen (from Take That - My wife's favourite band. He's one of the ones that isn't Gary Barlow). Their only album so far was way back in 2013 so I'd hope that means a second is due sometime soon.

Janus Stark - Clique

Taken from the 2000 album Great Adventure Cigar

I've been meaning to include this track on a mix for quite a while now but it always seems to get bumped for something more recent. This time I've stopped being mean to it. Janus Stark (No relation to either Tony or Ned) released just this one album of weighty Alternative Punk, which is a shame because Great Adventure Cigar is a brilliant collection of tracks. The band are based around Vocalist/Guitarist Gizz Butt, who is probably best known for his work with English Dogs and The Prodigy. He's apparently resurrected the band again recently for some shows so maybe that means there's more to come from the band? 
Clique is an enjoyably bouncy, upbeat song about the feeling of joy and community you get at gigs, both with the crowd and the band.

A Sound Of Thunder - Charles II

Taken from the 2018 album It Was Metal

This American quartet are a Classic Metal band with some Power Metal flourishes. They've released a few albums that are all pretty decent, with It Was Metal being their most recent. The jewel in their crown is vocalist Nina Osegueda and her powerful voice that soars without descending into shrieking or wailing. Charles II is about said monarch's betrayal of the Catholic Irish in the Civil War in the 1700's. Things being what they are, it's all embellished in an entertaining tale of skulls, curses and the defiling of graves.

Gama Bomb - Alt-Reich

Taken from the 2018 album Speed Between The Lines

Speed Between The Lines is the recently released sixth album by this Irish Thrash Metal band and is of pacy, semi-lighthearted headnodders, Alt-Reich being a prime example. Philly has toned down the falsetto end of his range and sounds all the better for it. Like a lot of the bands in their genre, they hark back to the golden era of Thrash in the late 80's but they still sound relevant and not derivative. Alt-Reich is obviously about the current rise of the far right and had some catchy gang vocals in the chorus. I also love the instrumental section that kicks in after a minute or so, I do love a good breakdown.

Mitski - Washing Machine Heart

Taken from the 2018 album Be The Cowboy

I was reading through a few "Albums you MUST hear this year!!!" lists, looking for new stuff for this blog. One list, I forget which, was mostly obvious, pedestrian stuff that I'd have no interest in. One album mentioned on it that did pique my interest was this one and it turned out to be actually pretty good. Be The Cowboy is a varied collection of Alternative Pop songs. There are hints of Rock, Country and Trip Hop throughout. all with an odd, arty feel to them. 
Washing Machine Heart is a bass-driven track about a woman who is so determined to be in tight control of her own body that the pressures of maintaining that control are causing her to gradually shake apart. That old chestnut, eh?

Thunderhead - Make It Hard

Taken from the 1991 album Crime Pays

I used to have this album on vinyl years and years ago but, as all my records are up in my parent's attic somewhere, I've not heard it in a good 20 years. I've recently found a dodgy download of it and it's been great to hear it again. They were a Hard Rock band from Germany and their vocalist, Ted Bullet, sounds a bit like Paul Stanley if Paul was actually a good singer. Make It Hard is about how love can unnecessarily complicate lives and is most definitely not about an erect penis.

Sad Hill - Heart Attack

Taken from the 2018 album Good If It Goes

Sad Hill are an Australian band that play Indie Rock with touches of Punk, Power Pop and Post Hardcore, They released their debut album, Good If It Goes, earlier this year and it goes pretty well indeed actually. There's a brace of really good, solid songs with big choruses. Heart Attack, in particular, is an insidious little thing. 
When I googled to find out a little bit about the band, it brought up a load of stuff about Sad Hill Cemetary that features in the movie, The Good The Bad and The Ugly (Diddle,iddle, oo, wah wah waaaah). Maybe they're named after that? Shrug.

Black Mirrors - Lay My Burden Down

Taken from the 2018 album Look Into The Black Mirror

Black Mirrors are a bluesy Stoner Rock band from Belgium. I heard one of their songs on The Down The Front Podcast, liked it and checked out the album, which is also excellent. It's nice to hear a quality female fronted band playing stuff like this. Look Into The Black Mirror is awash with fuzzy riffs and a distinctly retrospective feel. It's mixed with a contemporary Hard Rock sound though and. kind of sounds like The Pretty Reckless all bonged up. Kind of. It's good anyway.

26 Miles Per Hour - Bullet Proof

Taken from the 2000 album Walk Alone

This is another CD I dug out of storage and haven't heard in a long while. Back in those days, I used to buy a whole load of albums from unsigned acts via CDBaby, 26MPH's debut album, Apathy was one such album. I really liked that one so bought this one when it came out too. At the heart of it, they're a Hardcore band but there are overtones of Nu-Metal to some of the riffs and vocals at times. Bullet Proof is a pummelling slice of vitriol with a great chorus, full of chugging guitars and gang vocals that I have found myself bellowing at inopportune times this week. 

Froglick - Skippy

Taken from the 2000 album Swell

Skippy is from yet another CD dragged out of storage and also one I bought on a whim from CDBaby all those years ago. Froglick were essentially a good time, Party Rock band with strong Punk, Ska and Nu-Metal influences and Swell is a fun, varied album. I don't know if they ever released anything else other than this album or not but this one is worth a listen. 
Skippy is a Ska driven song about a sleazy guy hitting on the 'sexy ladies' but is then either remorseful and self-loathing in private or because he got called out on his behaviour, I dunno which.

Retirement Party - Are You My Mother?

Taken from the 2018 album Somewhat Literate

Retirement Party are from Chicago and peddle an articulate brand of Emo/Punk influenced Indie Rock. A lot of their songs deal with anxiety, depression and self-doubt and Are You My Mother? is no different. It's an upbeat song with wryly miserable lyrics that succinctly express just how apathetic depression can feel on a day to day basis. A recent discovery for me, I like Retirement Party a lot.

Cybernetic Witch Cult - Sagittarius A*

Taken from the 2017 album Troglodithic Trip

This hairy trio lurk somewhere down in the bum end of Britain, inflicting their Proggy, Stonery, Doom Metal on unsuspecting aliens and non-terrestrials Galaxy-wide (mostly in the UK to be fair) Their tales of galactic dinosaurs and other peculiarities are built upon lively, speaker-wobbling riffs and they're a little more upbeat than a lot of their contemporaries. I'm still unsure as to whether it's the witches or the cultists that are cybernetic though.
Sagittarius A* is typical of their sound, heavy, buzzing riffs and tons of melody. It tells the tale of a small spacecraft traversing the Milky Way and getting sucked into the supermassive black hole that lies at the centre (it's called Sagittarius A*, did you know that? I didn't know that) There's a brilliant video that accompanies this song that you should watch. It must have been staggering expensive to make because the effects are state of the art and slick as all hell.

Ty Tabor - Somebody Lied
Taken from the 2018 album Alien Beans

Ty is most well known as the guitarist in your favourite band's favourite band, King's X. However, he's also involved in several other projects and has a slew of solo albums to his name as well. Somebody Lied is from his latest album and is a slice of catchy, Southern-tinged Classic Rock. Ty might not have the powerhouse vocal of his KX compatriot dUg Pinnick but his voice is instantly recognisable and he's more than capable of holding his own. He's not too bad on the guitar either.

Hugh Reed & The Velvet Underpants - Car Nicked

Taken from the 1996 album Take A Walk On The Clydeside

Way back in the late 90's I found myself at a Hugh Reed & The Velvet Underpants gig at (the old) Fibbers in York and I had a great night. I was unfamiliar with the music of this Glaswegian Indie Punk band at the time but songs like Stamp Collecting, I'm Gonna Shoot Myself  (And This Time I Won't Miss) and Car Nicked became instant classics to me. Listening to this album again recently brought back a ton of memories. Car Nicked is a short, Punky song about, well, I'll let you listen to it and figure that out for yourself.

Alice Donut - The Son Of A Disgruntled X-Postal Worker Reflects On His Life While Getting Stoned In The Parking Lot Of A Winn Dixie Listening To Metallica

Taken from the 1992  album The Untidy Suicides Of Your Degenerate Children

I originally didn't want to put this track at the end but that ridiculous title looked unsightly anywhere else in the tracklisting. It's a decent enough closer I suppose though. 
It starts off slowly and ominously before unleashing a big, Grungy riff as kind of the chorus. Tomas Antona's vocals are a  haunting nasal whine (that's not a bad thing!) and add to the unsettling feel of the song. Lyrically, it's about how we keep all our anxieties and worries bottled up inside until they can't be contained any more, they burst forth and you end up going on a rage-crazed murderous rampage. Please don't do that.