Some weeks these mixes just grow naturally from a single seed. Other times it feels like multiple puzzles were jumbled into the box. This mix certainly hews to the latter meme, though perhaps September can spawn one more monster before passing the baton.

Something I Couldn't Overlook

The XX – Originally I expected a full-on male/female indie dance record in true DFA/LCD copycat style, instead the beats are buried beneath silence as the two leads play meet coy for most of the disc, only occasionally stumblin’ in to something resembling a rhythm.

Zeep – I’ve gone from never hearing a cover of “Ghost Town” to stumbling across two in a few short months. This is by far the more original take of the two (first was a note-for-noter by The Aggrolites), a Brazilian influenced bossa nova swipe that’s not as interesting as the description promises.

Sally Shapiro – Sweden means superbly produced pop music to my candy coated ears, and Sally adds the extra sheen of disco dance with a 400 grit. She’s the type of girl you always thought was excessively friendly but never in the least considered dateable because that concept just didn’t apply.

Cobra Killer – Unlike these two ladies who are seemingly buying the drinks to seduce your alcohol addled morals with their potent garage raunch cum carefully crafted workouts that finds energy in all the right places.

Streightangular – Couldn’t quite get a grip on this band’s release as I flipped through genre exercise after genre exercise, only the low budget production values held consistent court. Of course that meant I was always one song away from finally finding filler from that one genre I needed.

Drummer – As a concept forming a band from four drummers seems awfully wasteful considering the premium placed on their talents. I bet it was all influenced by their girlfriends who were frankly sick and tired of bulky equipment hogging the hatch of the Civic, and especially being the last ones to leave load-out.

Orphins – Is it a punk band playing tropical or a world music devotee trying to rock it up a bunch? Or maybe the Navy steel drum band cutting loose during a paying gig at the Miller Beer factory (an actual experience of mine, mind you)? Whatever the genesis, don’t expect this tune to accuracy reflect any other slice of sonic output from this outfit’s garage.

Jupiter One – The rarest of instances in my mixes, the best track has been saved to last. Perhaps it’s because as I type this I still can’t come up with the final solution on the most compelling track from this power pop band who seems to take inspiration from 70’s era corporation construction methods for hit-making city dwellers.


And for you banjo lovers out there:

Theme Mix: Banjo