Album of the Month: April 2006

The Flaming Lips - At War With the Mystics

This album is my album of the month, not only because it was released in this month, but because it occupied my stereo for the longest time this month. Which is the main criteria for this to begin with.

This was the Flaming Lips follow up studio release to 2002's 'Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots'. It has already reached # 11 on the US charts and #6 in the UK.

It is a lot more guitar driven then their past two studio albums, and the subject matter is a little more serious lyrically as Wayne Coyne adds a lot of political undertones. At the same time he points the finger at himself (or perhaps to us all) wondering if he would be able to do any better with all the power the people we blame everything on have attained. They continue their experimentation on this album and some of their arrangements include sounds not many would throw on a record. But they always find a way to pull of the bizarre and make it completely interesting and completely accessible.

I wouldnt say this album is genius, especially comparable to things like 'The Soft Bulletin' and 'Yoshimi...', but it shows no signs of The Lips slowing down, and it shows a lot of maturity as a band.

So you should not only check out this album, but this band entirely.

This album was an obvious inspiration for the mix listed below.

The Yeah Yeah Yeah Mix

This mix was obviously inspired by the Album of the month (posted above) and numerous other 'Yeah' related tunes I was introduced to in the month of April...a lot of which you will find on this mix. For the most part I didnt know what I wanted to include on this mix, which is why its so short...but I was mostly looking for short spastic rock songs and of course anything with the word yeah in it...haha...sounds really scientific I know...

Anyways I hope you enjoy it. Come to my acoustic shows at the Mocha House in Vacaville, CA and get a free copy of these mixes.

1. The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song - The Flaming Lips - This is the B-side long version. Mainly so I could include the maximum amount of Yeah Yeah Yeah's in this mix. Check out the album of the month if you like this tune.
2. Television - Ok Go - Off their album 'Oh No'. This band rocks in my opinion.
3. She Loves You - The Beatles - I got this off of their greatest hits album '1'. Not too much to say about the Beatles that you dont already know.
4. I'm a Wheel - Wilco - Off of their latest studio release 'A Ghost is Born'. This is one of the best bands of the last thirty years, if you havent checked em out, you should.
5. Yeah! Oh Yeah! - The Magnetic Fields - Off of their album '69 Love Songs'. This song slows things down a bit but keeps the yeah's in the mix.
6. Let the Cool Goddess Run Away - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Off of their self-titled album.
7. Fresh Feeling - The Eels - Off of the album 'Souljacker'. Another great band thats still doing magnificent stuff.
8. Movement - LCD Soundsystem - Off of their self titled album. This band really is what got me into this type of sound recently. They are quite good at what they do.
9. Mushaboom - Feist - Off their album 'Let it Die'. I first heard Bright Eyes do this song on a live album, and a friend introduced me to Feist's version. I also saw these guys and gals on TV the other night, and they rocked.
10. Mysteries - The Yeah Yeah Yeah's - Off their album 'Show Your Bones'. This is a really great new band. I was unexpectedly impressed by both of their albums that I have heard.
11. She Said Yeah - Paul McCartney - Off his album 'Run Devil Run'. It turns out McCartney did do some ok work after the Beatles...and he kept the Yeah's alive for my mix.
12. Welcome to the Working Week - Elvis Costello - Off his album 'My Aim is True'. The ultimate short spastic rock song from back in the day.
13. Things is Burnin' - Candid - Off their album 'Crooked Things'. This is one of my favorite bands and one of my biggest influences as a songwriter is the singer in this band. This is from one of their older albums, but it fits this mix nicely. If you want to hear more of these guys get in touch with me.

So thats it for this month...Its my first time making a mix. Also Im sorry I didnt write a lot about each song, but I am feeling lazy and I wouldnt know what to say right now anyways.

Anyways, check out all these bands if you havent already.

Mixes at Acoustic Shows

From now on I will be handing out Mix CD's at my acoustic shows. The mixes will have a different theme each month, and will consist of music that I am listening to at the time.

There will only be a limited number made each month, but I will also post the tracklisting of each mix here, so you can look it up and check stuff out on your own as well.

So come down to the Mocha House in Vacaville, CA on the third thursday of every month, listen to some good live music, and get a free CD out of the deal.