Flatbasset - June '10

Alright, sorry I'm late yet again. It's been a very peculiar month. Let me give you the broad strokes.

It all started out very well with Minnesota's 152nd down at the Triple Rock. Drinking, dancing, friends I hadn't seen in a minute, a couple of new friends made... Good times all around.

Then I took a night and made my way down to Red Wing. Got to see some people who I genuinely love. Picked up a box of records that were lost in the great Squawk Box collapse of '09. Again, good times.

Things took a turn for the worse after that. On two seperate occasions at First Ave. I managed to burn the bridges of two of my five longest friendships. I'm not even sure burn is a strong enough word. I absolutely 35-W'd them. I'm surprised MNDOT didn't turn up. Drank a bit, said and did some things I shouldn't have (I still have no good stories that start with, "We were drinking gin..."). I've always prided myself on living a life without regrets. Not so much anymore. If either of you ends up reading this, I'm sorry. I suck. Hopefully we'll get to talk about it at some point.

Sidenote: It would happen at First Ave. That was one of the few places left that made me feel like an innocent 15 year old every time I stopped by. I haven't been back, but I doubt it will still feel that way.

As a way of trying to cope with those nights I threw myself into work. Today (the 8th) is my first day off after 11 straight days working. I managed to clock 97 working hours into those days plus 8 hours rolling in my Blueberry Taurus. Gotta get my money right for Phil's return to the Twin Cities. Thankfully, that bridge is indestructible.

In the middle of all this, Ms. Basset developed a disgusting ear infection that caused all that gross brown stuff that builds up in her ear to come spewin out and stick to the fur around her ear. The ear was raw, so I couldn't clean it without her whimpering. This on top of dealing with the heat in my apartment. She was hot and lethargic for a few weeks (see, pets do resemble their owners). Fortunately I got her to the vet, shoved pills down her throat for a week, and now she's as lovey and energetic as ever.

Anyway, I used this day off to throw this mix together. Enjoy!

Flatbasset - June '10

Hey, track list and individual mp3 time.

01. Wale - Triumph

I downloaded Wale’s Attention Deficit on a whim. You all know that my love of hip-hop is rooted in indie stuff, but in the last 5 years, the line between “indie” and “mainstream” has been blurred to the point that Interscope would sign an artist like Wale. I seriously rocked this album all summer. It’s introspective enough that it’s not quite commercial, but funny and danceable enough that I can still, well, laugh and dance to it. And roll down 94 feeling like a millionaire.

Sidenote I: I have no love for the Michael Vick line in this song. However, the Kirby Puckett line makes up for it.

Sidenote II: Does this beat sound vaguely familiar? It should. It was made by Dave Sitek. Yeah, that Dave Sitek. He produced a couple of the beats on Attention Deficit. While the rest of TV On The Radio is busy making pointless solo albums and nearly unwatchable movies, Dave Sitek is balling hard.

02. Superdrag - The Staggering Genius

This one is one of the tracks that I found when I went home and grabbed a box of my old CD’s to load onto Squawk Box a couple month’s back. I have always loved Superdrag. Like always. I actually remember hearing “Sucked Out” on The Edge years ago and being late for work because I had to sit and wait through a few more songs (most likely Tonic, Alice In Chains, & Folk Implosion) just to find out who it was. You all know me, I am a sucker for a good hook and Superdrag made a living off them. Well, tried to make a living of them.

03. T. Rex - Life's A Gas

For some reason, after the bridge burning mentioned earlier, I was listening to T. Rex’s Electric Warrior album (not that I need to justify listening to T. Rex, just trying to give you some context). I got to this song and was struck by Bolan’s “coulda, coulda, it really doesn’t matter at all, life’s a gas…” life theory. When you know you’ve fucked up, this song can be quite the medicine.

04. Hard-Fi - Hard To Beat

Another lost album that I tracked down, I was afraid that Hard-Fi’s Stars Of CCTV wouldn’t be as good as I remembered it. You know how these buzzy British bands can be. However, I popped it in and it was even better than I remembered. “Hard To Beat” especially, is sounds better than ever. Perfectly dancy summer single about drinking, dancing, and lusting after the girls you’re drinking and dancing with. This song is dying for a dancefloor remix.

05. A.R.M - Fear Of The Mundane (w/Slug)

A.R.M. is made up of Krukid, Budo, & M.Anifest. This song’s beat is a killer, but the message of it really spoke to me. Obviously, my routine is much closer to the “ordinary life” than that of independent rappers, but who isn’t afraid of that “white picket fence, kids, & a wife.” Hmmm…

06. Blur - Fool's Day

I was torn between putting this song of something from the new Gorillaz album on this mix, since they turned up right around the same time. However, this is the first new Blur track in 8 years! The full lineup! Sadly, the reunion seems to have come and gone without anything else being recorded and no American shows played. Still, all it takes is two minutes to remind us all how perfect Graham Coxon and Damon Albarn are for each other. Who knows if there’s another reunion in the future, but, c’mon guys! A reunited Blur or a reunited Smiths are the only two things that could ever get me to slog out to Coachella or the Pitchfork festival. I don’t actually want The Smiths to reunite, so please, lads, force me to drive to the desert.

07. Kudzu Wish - Re: Assassins

I discovered Kudzu wish back in 2002 while killing time driving around St. Paul waiting for The White Stripes show at Roy Wilkins to start and calling everybody I could think of to see if they wanted to use my extra ticket. I used to kill a lot of time in St. Paul at the old Eclipse Records store and so I drove over their just to see who was playing. These guys were absolutely tearing that little stage up with just me and four other people watching. I grabbed the record and chatted with them momentarily. I remember telling one guy that I was heading to The White Stripes show and he seemed jealous. As a young punk kid who assumed that all punks hated all things non-punk, this was a bit of an eye-opener. You mean I can like punk rock and indie rock and that’s OK? When you’re a stupid kid (and lord knows I was), these types of moments can be very influential.

08. Kanye West - Hey Mama

Natural ending to the last story: Now I’ve swung so far from an aspiring punk kid that I can’t help but put Kanye West on every mix I post. I know, it’s an addiction.

I actually wanted to put this one on May’s mix for Mother’s Day, but May is Minnebasset month, so it made it a month late. This one’s for all the mom’s I know.

For Sarah Bess’s mom for making me feel welcome even though I’m pretty sure she never liked me.

For Steph’s mom for doing the same things, but doing it halfway across the country and on her dime.

For Phil’s mom for knowing all the words to “Shhh…”

For Sarah Elise’s mom for always loving my like her own son even though I would never have blamed her if she didn’t.

For my sister because she’s raising those kids right in Red Wing. She’s two years younger than me and it blows my mind that she could handle that kind of thing.

For my own mom… I don’t even know where to start. Even though I’m absolutely sure I’ve caused her to roll her eyes more than all my siblings combined, she’s always been there when I’ve been in a bad spot. Even when I put myself if these bad spots, she’s always been home when I knocked or on the other end of the phone just to say, “Sorry, honey. It’ll be OK.” I don’t know what else you could want from a mom. Thanks, Mom.

09. Taking Back Sunday - Liar (It Takes One To Know One)

I put this one on here fro two reasons. First, you all know that I can’t resist a good hook and, hate it or love it, this song is catchy as hell.

Second, this is easily the most stereotypically emo song in the history of emo. It’s simultaneously accusatory (“Liar, if we’re keeping score…”), self accusatory (“I’m an addict for dramatics, I confuse the two for love…”), cryptic (“We’ve got 26 days to work with…”), afraid of adulthood (“How long will this hold, is it any different now that we’re old…”), innocent & guilty (“We’re all choir boys at best, intrusive and arrogant…”) and, y’know, screamy (“Liar!!!!...”). If you had to explain to someone who had never heard music before what “emo” is, this would be the best song to play.

10. Black Francis - Six Legged Man

WTFuck is Black Francis talking about? I dunno, but honestly, who even tries to figure these things out anymore? Just enjoy the ride.

11. The Cribs - Last Year's Snow

Remember a couple of month’s back when I put “We Were Aborted” on a playlist and claimed that it was the only track of the new Cribs album that I liked? Turns out Ignore The Ignorant just needed some time to grow. It’s now my favorite album of 2010 by far (at least until the new Lazerbeak and Kanye albums come out, but it may still win). Johnny Marr’s guitar shivers and sparkles all over this one like it did back in the good old days. Not only that, but the Jarmans'manage to put together some startlingly mature lyrics. “Confusion, I’ll greet like an old friend…” That’s been the theme of my 2010.

Colloquial sidenote: “I want to think you won’t remember me like last year’s snow.” Apparently in Wakefield, England, this means you’re afraid you won’t be remembered at all. In Sota, I took this line to mean that I’d like to not be remembered like last year’s snow because we always remember last winter as worse than it was. I’d rather not be remembered as a worse person than I actually am. Not sure if that makes sense or not. It does in my head.

12. The Hold Steady - Barely Breathing

I haven’t quite figured out what to make of the new Hold Steady album yet. It’s easily their most “classic rock” sounding album yet, with even fewer of the left turns that made the first four albums so much fun. Also, for a band that has spent album after album building up a bizarre narrative of drugs, alcohol, sex, & murder, only a quarter of the tracks on this album concern said narrative. Unraveling that story has been half the fun. Not that the songs are bad, but waiting two plus years for more clues and only getting a handful of them is a little discouraging.

Personal Sidenote: My friends and I made a night of their show on the 4^th of July at First Avenue. It was four of us who absolutely love this band and, this being a homecoming show, we were really looking forward to getting stupid and singing along with all the Minnesota references. For whatever reason, they avoided playing all the songs that are too Minny-Centric. No “Southtown Girls,” no “Hot Soft Light,” no “Little Hoodrat Friend…,” etc… This was on the heels of Tad Kubler’s quotes that THS is, “not a Minnesota band.” Guys, we want to love you! Just throw us a bone! No one’s questioning your status as pseudo party boy, indie darling, cred-craving, cliche Brooklyn-based fucksticks (trust me, it’s no secret). However, telling us that Minneapolis will always feel like home isn’t going to mean you’re gonna wake up with James Murphy’s number deleted from your iPhone. We don’t ask for much.

13. Swollen Members - Go To Sleep

My man Jesse burned a copy of Swollen Member’s Black Magic album. It’s a very good album, but not unlike a lot of indie rap posse albums, it’s just too damn long. I had to go 16 songs into the 21 song album to find the best track. Posse’s, listen, find an editor. I know you’ve all got hot verses to get out. Believe me, we want to hear them, but putting out an album over 15 tracks long is just too much to digest. No matter how good the songs are, they’ll just blend together unless you’re a superfan.

14. Alkaline Trio - Old School Reasons

Every 18 months or so I go on a serious Alkaline Trio kick. Unlike so many of the punk bands I liked when I was younger, when I sing along to their records, I never have this sense that I should’ve grow out of them (as opposed to the way I’ll only sing along to The Get Up Kids if the road is empty).

Dancing Sidenote: When I’m dancing in my dairy cooler it’s almost always to hip hop or some dancy indie stuff (Passion Pit, Daft Punk, etc…). However, I got busted twice in the same day dancing to the Alkaline Trio back there. For whatever reason, Alkaline Trio makes me want to dance. It’s quite possible that I’m the whitest person that ever lived.

15. Sage Francis - Best Of Times

“It was beautiful

It was brutal

It was cruel

It was business as usual…”