Imaginary Sounds Mix 30; Part 2: Can't Help Falling In Love

This is Part 2 of Mix #30! I'm doing something a little special with this one and releasing 3 mini-compilations; each one containing several cover versions of 3 of my favorite songs of all time.

Here's where you come in. I want you to vote for your favorite version by leaving a comment on that particular mini-compilations page. I want your friends to vote too. 

1. Download and listen to each mini-compilation as it comes out. "I Only Have Eyes For You" is the first. This is the second.
2. Leave a comment telling me which cover version is your favorite on EACH mini-comp. Put your email in the comment.
3. Once the last mini-comp is posted and I've got all votes in, I will do a random drawing.
4. The person who is pulled in the random drawing will pick any album from my top-25 of 2012 list of albums. I will buy them a physical copy of that album in any format they choose (Digital, CD, Vinyl, or Cassette if it exists).

You HAVE to vote on your favorite song on EACH mini-comp to be eligible! I still have no votes on the previous, so lets get those in!

(download full album) [31MB]

Based on the Plaisir D'amour, Can't Help Falling In Love is a song of the most maudlin of arias.  It was released as a b-side by Elvis in 1961 to little initial fanfare, save for a short stint at the UK billboard charts almost a year later. When Elvis began playing a much sloppier and fatter version in the 1970s to close his last tour people decided to finally pay attention. And then Elvis died on a toilet.

UB40's faux-reggae'd version is the version most people of my generation are familiar with; and it's honestly my favorite. Sure, it sounds like the 90's, but do does Pavement, so shuddup. Bob Dylan put his croaky spin on the song in 1973, and in 1992 Bono changed the key and did the unbelievable by recording a great song AFTER the Joshua Tree. I'm told that the Fleet Foxes cover on here was not actually done by Fleet Foxes but by a Fleet Foxes cover band. But for all intents and purposes it doesn't matter. If you have a problem with that just keep in mind there's also a cover by Japanese ska band Oi-Skall Mates from a Disney compilation. Because why not.

This mix is just as varied and wonderful as the last. Give it a listen and don't forget to vote on your favorite cover of the song!

Download Mix #1 as well.

1. UB40

2. Bob Dylan

3. Bono

4. Elvis Presley

5. Oi-Skall Mates

6. Fleet Foxes 

Album Review: R.E.M.'s Murmur

As I posted about recently, I'll be doing guest reviews on fellow blogger Jacob Dixon's Desert Hymns. It's a great place to read about amazing albums you've never listened to, or ones that you've loved for ages.

This week I wrote  about one of my favorite albums of all time, R.E.M.'s debut full-length Murmur. Check it out, if not solely for the 1980 television debut live performance of the band on the David Letterman show at the end. When you see what's on top of Stipe's head...

Imaginary Sounds Mix 30; Part 1: I Only Have Eyes For You

The next compilation will mark a milestone for Imaginary Sounds. Number 30! Much lower than expected when I started with the idea of doing a mix every month. But that's ok. I'm doing something a little special with this one and releasing 3 mini-compilations; each one containing several cover versions of 3 of my favorite songs of all time.

Here's where you come in. I want you to vote for your favorite version by leaving a comment on that particular mini-compilations page. I want your friends to vote too. 

1. Download and listen to each mini-compilation as it comes out. "I Only Have Eyes For You" is the first.
2. Leave a comment telling me which cover version is your favorite on EACH mini-comp. Put your email in the comment.
3. Once the last mini-comp is posted and i've got all votes in, I will do a random drawing.
4. The person who is pulled in the random drawing will pick any album from my top-25 of 2012 list of albums. I will buy them a physical copy of that album in any format they choose (Digital, CD, Vinyl, or Cassette if it exists).

You HAVE to vote on your favorite song on EACH mini-comp to be eligible!

(download full album) [46MB]

One of the greatest love songs ever written, I Only Have Eyes for you is the first covers mini-compilation in this trilogy of mixes. Here are 7 versions of the song originally written and released in the mid-30s for the Warner Bros. musical comedy film Dames. While the number was certainly popular then, the song didn't catch on in the public consciousness until the Flamingos' incredibly moody and slightly melancholic doo-wop version was released in 1959. The song highlights the convictions of personal monogamy experienced in the throws of true love and the confusion you sometimes feel about everyday experiences in the light of absolute mental devotion to another person. You stop noticing the weather, the sky; sometimes you even forget where you are. Anyone who's truly been in love or infatuation can relate to this song, and the songwriting is completely bulletproof. 

Here Mercury Rev updates the song to mellenial indie standards, Zapp give us a completely over the top funk revitalization, Martina Topley-Bird cools it down and trips it up, the piano virtuoso Art Tatum gives us a transcendental interlude, Beck gives us the newest, dreamiest version, and Art Garfunkel...well, can I say I think he perfects the song? He does.

Enjoy! Part Two coming just around the corner. Don't forget to vote.

1. Mercury Rev 
2. The Flamingos
3. Zapp
4. Martina Topley-Bird
5. Art Tatum
6. Beck
7. Art Garfunkel

Desert Hymns

Good friend, collaborator, and fellow blogger; Jacob Dixon has just recently started a daily updated tumblr featuring underrated, cherished, and just plain great albums. The albums aren't posted to download for free, it's more personal than that. Back story, dissection, and personal value are the highlights at Desert Hymns.

You can start your journey there by checking out a guest post that yours truly did (of which hopefully I'll be doing often) on the post-hardcore band Gospel and their debut album. Check that out HERE and follow Desert Hymns on your tumblr. 


@deserthymns
http://www.deserthymns.tumblr.com/


Below is the Gospel track Paper Tiger to stream. Read the Desert Hymns post at the same time for a truly psychedelic effect. (Not really. No psychedelic effects. That was a lie.)

Tame Impala and Synesthesia

Holy SHIT this song. I know that's a terribly unprofessional way to start a blog post but frankly I don't care. I'm finally getting around to listening to the first single and second released song from neo-psychedelia maestros Tame Impala and it's an amazing track.



Listen and lets talk about synethesia because I promise there's a link. In short, synesthesia is a condition that causes disparate senses to become inseperable. The number three is red. Red is a bumpy color. The word "portamento" tastes salty. I'm being totally serious here! Stories of 
Synesthesia and music are well documented all over the pop-sci reading charts. We think of these examples as strange but lighter forms of synesthesia are a huge part of our culture. 

Why do even numbers tend to be viewed as more positive? Why are these bass notes "low"?

Which brings me to Tame Impala's "Elephant". It's so damn HEAVY. And I don't mean that in a Black Sabbath metal kind of way, which this song obviously takes cues from. The bass swagger seems to fill the entire room. It feels confident, like a fullback who's put on some pounds after retirement competing in a grape stomping competition. Thing is: this is just as arbitrary as 13 being a "bad" number--we're just so used to these notions that it has become common sense. You can read more about these lighter forms of synesthesia here but my point is that synesthesia is hardly as strange as we want to believe. Some of this is cultural, but it was introduced and stuck with culture for a reason: It made sense. 

What numbers do you taste when you listen to Tame Impala?

Listen below to the other song already released from their new album Lonerism.

Beginner's Flowchart: CAN

Most times discovering new bands or artists you love is a great thing. The only thing that can sour that experience is finding out the band has a huge output. Sometimes there's just not enough time in the day to spend weeding through a vast, eclectic, or confusing discography.

With Beginner's Flowchart, I hope I can make that a little easier for some people by helping the new listener know where to start, and what to listen to next.

__________________________________________________________________

This installment focuses on German psychedelic & krautrock pioneers; Can. All of their albums are not featured on this chart. I've covered the ones that are most important to a new listener.

Imaginary Sounds Mix 29: Reaganland (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

(download full album) [138MB]

There is a history that is very different from the one you've been told about. Altered from the reality you experienced.


There is an alternate dimension where the Cold War on Eath was not so chilly. While the time prior to 1979 happened just the way you remember, the 1980 election of Ronald Reagan started a domino chain that brought about the worst disaster in American history. The nuclear attack from the Soviet Union left less than 50 million souls alive in the United States and a dystopian wasteland Mad Max would envy. 


The faux-documentary Reaganland presents this harrowing anachronism through the eyes of the youth rising from the ashes of their home. By 1983, 2 years after the attack, remaining Americans spend their days working to rebuild the American dream in whatever odd jobs they can. Children and teens are left to fend for themselves. An escape from the haunting glory days is found in art, especially music. An unexplained synergy that had not been seen since the 60s took hold of basements and garages from coast to coast. Without the totolitarian influence of popular radio, strange psychedelia merged with the FM synthesis technology of the time and created a hazy kalaidascope of music born of the necessities of preserved instruments. Those who were not playing the music were participating in the "sneakernet" network, which allowed the trade of 8-track tapes and records across the country. The music became the education, the culture, and the lifeforce for young adults with literally nothing else to call their own. 


The original soundtrack for Reaganland is performed by various bands and musicians who portray the bands visited in many oases across the country. Washed Out and Ice Choir soundtrack the saccharine ethereum coming out of the crowded beaches of Los Angeles that kids have made their makeshift home. John Maus and Blouse personify the gritty ballads coming from the leveled alleys of Long Island. A Gap Between and Com Truise treat us to the instrumental jazz-influenced jams coming from the half-flooded French Quarter of New Orleans. This is only a taste of a fantastic soundtrack to the melancholy story of a ravaged America and the flowers growing through the busted concrete sidewalk. Enjoy the soundtrack, because sadly this film does not exist yet. 


Well, it does, in my head. 


Lets drop the pretention now. This is just a Chillwave compilation, really. You know that. I'm just self indulgent and I love concept albums and the idea of alternate histories. 


Chillwave has become something of a joke within the indie music community, but as a child of the 80s and a fan of all the music that inspired the movement, I've never found it a laughing matter. There were the early stars like Washed Out and Neon Indian and there were the surprising finds hiding in the basements, bedrooms, and bandcamps that I knew the world needed to know about. 


Reaganland is a little of both, and a lot of awesome.


Enjoy! 


1. A Gap Between - Orange Horizon
2. Toro Y Moi - Blessa
3. Ice Choir - Teletrips
4. Neon Indian - Should Have Taken Acid With You
5. Small Black - Camoflage
6. John Maus - Head For The Country
7. Brothertiger - You're Afraid
8. Ray & The Prisms - Astrograph
9. Twin Sister - All Around And Away We Go
10. Com Truise - Sundriped
11. Casa del Mirto - Weak
12. Active Child - Call Me Tonight
13. Soft Lightning - Press Rewind
14. Neon Indian - Deadbeat Summer
15. Washed Out - Feel It All Around
16. Blouse - Videotapes
17. M83 - Skin of the Night
18. Ford & Lopatin - Everything Is Working
19. Emeralds - Genetic

These mixes are compiled by myself to promote good music only, NOT to take money away from these artists. Please support the artists you like. And to make it fair, I ask you to delete these files within 24 hours. 

btw, We're always curious to hear your feedback on mixes. Let us know what you think about this one, past mixes, or the site in general by leaving a comment. Please?

2012 Upcoming Releases: Updated

For those who haven't been keeping an eye on the original post; I've been updating my list of upcoming 2012 releases I've been excited about throughout the year. 


Here's the updated list of the rest of the year.


Also, new mix coming next week!


August

• Antony and the Johnsons - Cut the World 
• Antibalas - Antibalas 
• Bloc Party - 4
• Four Tet - Pink
• Dan Deacon - America
• Yeasayer - Fragrant World
• Kanye West - Cruel Summer
• The Darkness - Hot Cakes

September

• Various Artists - The Spirit of Talk Talk
• St. Vincent & David Byrne - Love This Giant
• Buke and Gase - TBA
• A$AP Rocky - LiveLongA$AP
• Animal Collective - Centipede Hz
• Azealia Banks - Broke with Expensive Taste
• Rudi Zygadlo - Tragicomedies
• The XX - Coexist
• The Fresh & Onlys - Long Slow Dance
• Grizzly Bear - Shields
• Ben Folds Five - The Sound of the The Life of the Mind

October

• Tame Impala - Lonerism
• Flying Lotus - When The Quiet Comes
• Bat for Lashes - The Haunted Man
• Chrome Canyon - Elemental Themes

November

• Big Boi - Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors

TBA

• Death Grips - No Love
• MGMT
• Missy Elliott
• The Avalanches
• M.I.A.
• Black Moth Super Rainbow
• Deftones
• Laura Marling

And the Giraffe

And The Giraffe are immediately recognizable, even if you've never heard their music. 

That counts for a lot in the sea of "cutting edge" mediocrity and buzz band silliness that is indie music. The band conjures an alternate reality where Nick Drake had been born in the mid-eighties and was brought on by post-rock poster boys Explosions in the Sky as a hazy eyed siren to a melodramatic, but genuine, brand of dream folk. The duo released their Something for Someone EP last year and it is very solid. It's rare to find so much promise from such a young band, still making their rounds on Bandcamp.

In June 2012 the band released single Darling (Reprise), which even still shows a ton of growth. 

You can listen to the Something for Someone EP and Darling (Reprise) on their Bandcamp or stream it below. And if you enjoy it, which I think you will, you can then buy at your own price and download. 

Imaginary Sounds Mix 28: Essential Zappa: Phaze Two

(download full album) [124MB]

By 1970, only 5 years into his musical career, Frank Zappa could have retired.


At this point he already had the output most great bands produce during their entire existence under his belt.


In a way he did retire. He retired the first part of his life; disbanning the original Mothers of Invention and leaving his record label. Always the workaholic, though, he immediately began the next stage.

Phaze Two would begin with a newly assembled Mothers of Invention and a whole new style inspired by the solo album he recorded, Hot Rats, during his time without a proper band. Hot Rats went a long way in pioneering the sound of the, then, infantile genre known as jazz-rock fusion, and this new set of Mothers would continue that pioneering attitude. Most of the new members came from a background in either jazz or progressive rock, which lended them particular talents that helped them pull off Zappa's increasingly complex arrangements. 


The lyrical content also developed overtly comical themes, as opposed to the tongue-in-cheek mocking and cynicism of earlier albums. Tracks like What Will This Evening Bring Me This Morning, Ms. Pinky, and others often focused on taboo sexual exploits and touring stories. The conspicuous humor would become the star of his career later on, but here it only serves as much needed comic relief to the most inspiring and technically creative rock music ever written, exemplified by songs like Florentine Pogen and Echidna's Arf (Of You). Even the more straightforward tracks, and there are those again with the doo-wop flair he loved so much, have the flourish of great depths in the pool of music theory. I'm letting you know now: the second half will, for lack of a better cliche, blow your mind. 


This is where many people find their fondness for Zappa, especially musicians themselves. He was always, as I've said, a musician's musician, but during this period he shows us how far you can take guitar based music with a little imagination and a lot of elbow grease. Please, if you didn't get the first release, Phaze One, check it out. If you want to start here, that's fine too. Just enjoy them and have fun.


Tracklist:
1. Wind Up Workin’ In A Gas Station from Zoot Allures   
2. Magic Fingers from 200 Motels
3. St. Alfonzo’s Pancake Breakfast from Apostrophe       
4. Father O’Blivion from Apostrophe
5. Would You Go All The Way from Chunga's Revenge       
6. Disco Boy from Zoot Allures
7. Tell Me You Love Me from Chunga's Revenge               
8. Apostrophe from Apostrophe
9. Ms. Pinky from Zoot Allures                      
10. Florentine Pogen from One Size Fits All
11. Zomby Woof from Over-Nite Sensation
12. Dirty Love from Over-Nite Sensation
13. Let Me Take You To The Beach from Studio Tan
14. Daddy, Daddy, Daddy from 200 Motels
15. Cheepnis from Roxy & Elsewhere
16. Echidna’s Arf (Of You) from Roxy & Elsewhere
17. Inca Roads from One Size Fits All
18. Find Her Finer from Zoot Allures
19. Sofa from Zappa In New York
20. What Will This Evening Bring Me This Morning? from 200 Motels

These mixes are compiled by myself to promote good music only, NOT to take money away from these artists. Please support the artists you like. And to make it fair, I ask you to delete these files within 24 hours. 

btw, We're always curious to hear your feedback on mixes. Let us know what you think about this one, past mixes, or the site in general by leaving a comment. Please?