ONCE June 2007 Mixtape

Welcome back to this months ONCE mixtape. Got a lot of cool tracks on this one that span from Swedish pop to 50's Soul to Indie rock. 15 tracks are the best of the new and old.

Track #1
Robyn
With Every Heartbeat (ft. Kleenup)

This track is too cool! She is the Swedish dance queen who gave up the hits Show Me Love and Do You Know (What It Takes) back in 1997. Well she has never quit putting out the dance candy she is known for. But she has matured the material to give it a very deep and introspective feel that is refreshing. This track follows her through the heart break of a lost love and the attempts she makes to leave the drama behind and move forward with her life.

Track #2
The National
Slipping Husband

A sweet track from Brooklyn's indie darlings. The song is a wake up call to a husband who is lacking in his duty as a husband to take care of his children and wife. It ends with the awesome condescending line "Dear we had better get a drink in you before you bore us."

Track #3
Nina Simone
I Shall Be Released

No one sings like Nina does. Her sadness drips from this 1974 track that was off the album "Here Comes the Sun". A women scorned and is beaten down by her past relationships. But with a new sense of pride in herself she realizes that one day she will be released from all that pain.

Track #4
Smashing Pumpkins
That's the Way (My Love Is)

We haven't heard from Smashing Pumpkins since their breakup in 2000. Now a period of quiet has produced another Corgan masterpiece that by far is better that the last two Pumpkin albums. This soaring song invokes the spirit of Corgan's Zwan while adding the great sound that made the Pumpkins who they are.

Track #5
Steven Lindsay
Monkey's Gone To Heaven

This haunting song defies explanation. A classic Pixie's song is redone by Steven Lindsay's second album Kite. A beautiful rendition of a song most critics called one of the essential alternative songs of the 80's.

Track #6
Coconut Records
West Coast

Everyone's favorite "man on the bottom of the heap" actor Jason Schwartmann puts out a album, Nighttiming, crafted solely in his bedroom playing all the instruments. Known for his roles in Rushmore, I Heart Huckabees and as King Louie XVI in Sophia Coppola's Marie Antoinette, he creates a fun summer album full of Indie rock and Beatle like vocals.

Track #7
Deerhunter
Heatherwood

The band hails from Atlanta with a singer suffering from Marfan Syndrome. This makes him around 6 foot and 100 lbs making him easily the skinniest man in indie rock. This track comes from Cryptogram their debut album. The album is like a bitter pill. It tastes awful at first but makes you feel alot better after you have swallowed it. They were the most talked about band at SWSX this year in Austin.

Track #8
The Delfonics
Ready Or Not, Here I Come (You Can't Hide My Love)

Philadelphia soul brothers gave us this classic which has been used in the massive Fugees hit of the same name. The soaring vocals and harmonies leave no doubt why these guys ruled in their field of work during the 60's. For another great hit of theirs check out Didn't I Blow Your Mind This Time (Didn't I?).

Track #9
Rufus Wainwright
Release the Stars

The son of folk legend Loundon Wainwright III is back with his 5 octave vocal chords with a blistering album of piano tunes aimed at sobriety and maturity. The albums namesake "Release the Stars" is a sarcastic look at Hollywood and it's excesses.

Track #10
Hawthorne Heights
Saying Sorry

Ohio emo rockers pull all stops on their latest album tearing out there hearts and placing the pieces in the lyrics. This non-stop rocker includes this track about biting the bullet, swallowing the pride and eventually saying sorry for the things you have done to other despite the consequences. The killer hook in the song will have you coming back for more and more.

Track #11
Battles
Atlas

This great band features the ex-drummer from helmet on the skins. The album features a heavy drum feel with weird live vocals voice overs. At first you wonder what you are listening to then all of the sudden a song emerges from the noise and you are hooked.

Track #12
Art Brut
Direct Hit

This band has a unique approach to their music. The singer tends to lean toward spoken word more than actually singing. But with a killer band backing him the sound works well for them. Here we have Direct Hit. The song follows two individuals who are hanging out a club and cant seem to get over their reluctance to get on the dance floor and dance even when there is a direct hit playing!

Track #13
Elsiane
Vaporous

The little known group has put out a classic album that rivals the 90's Portishead run. Plays like a slow motion jog through fog. The vocals are delivered in a lisp style that you might hear from a fairy in the forest. And the violin solo will bring a tear to your eye. Check out the great album Hybrid which plays across all genres from classical, jazz, rock and electronic.

Track #14
Afghan Whigs
I'm A Soldier

The 90's saw the rise of grunge. But hidden in it's shadow was the Motown sleaze of The Afghan Whigs. They were the opposite of grunge and were hailed by the critics for releases such as Black Love and Gentlemen. But they never got to see their star shine the way that it should have given what they brought to the table. When they broke up after the awesome output of the 1965 sessions the fans were stunned. Luckily front man Greg Dulli (a solo track of his made the ONCE March 2007 Mixtape) went on to release solo albums as well as forming The Twilight Singers and the Gutter Twins. The Whigs are my favorite band of all times. When their label from the 90's, Sub Pop, announced a best of package from them, they came back together to record two new songs. I'm a Soldier was a result of that rare collaboration. A gritty song which begs to be analyzed as something deeper, but in the end it is just what the Whigs did best, a sleazy dirty song with Motown backups. Another classic from a classic band. Pick up their greatest hit package, "Unbreakable" if you want to see what they were all about.

Track #15
The White Stripes
Icky Thump

Detroit's Jack and Meg White are back with this English influenced album full of simple drum taps and awesome guitar work. This band never fails to disappoint. And on this new album they show why they are still the best at what they do. The new album Icky Thump was just released last month.

Battles

Battles is a great new American Math band with a really cool sound. This is their lead single entitled "Atlas". The drummer is the old drummer for 90's alt-rock outfit Helmet. The sound is very percussion based and there are no traditional vocals. But whats is so cool about this band is that at first it seems like a bunch of noise. But then out of the blue you hear a real song, and a good one at that!

The group's line-up is composed of well-known musicians, including ex-Helmet drummer John Stanier, ex-Don Caballero guitarist Ian Williams, ex-Lynx guitarist Dave Konopka, and Tyondai Braxton (son of avant-garde jazz musician Anthony Braxton), who also plays guitar and keyboard and creates live voice samples.

Their first full-length album Mirrored, recorded by Keith Souza at Machines with Magnets, was released on May 14, 2007. The first single from the album, "Atlas", was released on February 21, 2007 as streaming audio, and the accompanying streaming video was released on February 28, 2007.

Elsiane

This music is beautiful. My friend Joey turned me onto it. Their name is Elsiane and the album is called "Hybrid". They are from Montreal. The singer is Elsieanne Caplette and the drummer's name is Stephane Sotto. The album is available from ITunes. Get it before these two blow up and you miss the train! They weave classical influences with a certain dreamy jazzy feel. If you liked Portishead back in the day, then you will love this. The vocals are delivered with a urethral lisp.