"The Fall"

September 2005
for: cowfields

1. Scarecrow - Beck
2. The Same Boy You've Always Known - The White Stripes
3. Details of the War - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
4. Bells - Electrelane
5. No, Not Now - Hot Hot Heat
6. An Earlier Autumn - The Field Mice
7. Damage - Yo La Tengo
8. Wanderlust - The Delays
9. Little Black Ache - Bishop Allen
10. TV Movie - Pulp
11. Monsters - Sons and Daughters
12. Sweetest Decline - Beth Orton
13. Motor Away - Guided By Voices
14. Ugly Love - Eels
15. Rebound - Charlie Rich
16. The View - Modest Mouse
17. Digital - Joy Division
18. Shame - PJ Harvey
19. Let it Die - Feist
20. My Man's Gone Now - Nina Simone
21. Untitled - Stellastarr
22. These Seven Notes - The Russian Futurists
23. Ticket Man - The Kills

Comments on the mix: First mix sent to the UK! Aside from that milestone... Let me just say that I conceived this blog as just a place to post my mixes with my own comments. The original comments (from the mixees) can all be found at FTOTZ. However, when dealing with someone like cowfields, I feel the need to make an exception. cowfields hasn't kept up with the Club, unfortunately, but his comments on tracklistings were consistently lengthy, well thought out, and very opinionated. That might have made me a little nervous about making his mix, but the results were extremely rewarding. I wish more people commented like this. (My own mix comments tend to be stuff like "Awesome" and "Love it!" It's kind of pathetic.)

[Note: In the Club, bolding a song on a tracklisting is the most common way to indicate your favorites. Although there are often declarations of "Consider the whole thing bolded!" or "I'm not really in a bolding mood."]

cowfields' Comments
Posted on: September 18, 2005 09:08 am

Here is my wonderful mix from Cassie. I really enjoyed this. It flowed well as a set of songs, they worked together and complimented each other - and that's an artform in itself. Again, my feedback goes on a bit, but it was written as I listened. Just indulge me for a few moments, folks...

"THE FALL"
.01 Scarecrow - Beck
Not bad, but I really don't see the Beck appeal, it's something that everyone loves but it's just lost on me
.02 The Same Boy You've Always Known - The White Stripes
I already own this so it feels funny bolding it, but I've fallen out of love with the stripes but this is still really rather good, and reminded me why I liked them in the first place. So I think you've caused me a bit of a revival and a desire to revisit them.
.03 Details of the War - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Spookily you added this when someone else I know was trying to introduce me to them, so I've briefly heard the album. I'm liking it a lot, I like the slightly wailing voice, and how it builds. Beautiful
.04 Bells - Electrelane
Almost a not bold, the vocals put me off slightly, but I love the almost hypnotic rhythm. Towards the end, the manic one-chord repetition reminds me a lot of Stereolab which can only be a good thing in my book. Almost hypnotic, had my head bobbing
.05 No, Not Now - Hot Hot Heat
Not totally bad but it's got a hard job living up to what's just come before.
.06 An Earlier Autumn - The Field Mice
Almost a bold, I quite enjoyed this but I don't think it really stuck with me.
.07 Damage - Yo La Tengo
bold, but again, feels cheating when you already own it. I love this and didn't even realize I was singing the "aahaaa ahh aaa" along with it. I love "I can feel the heart beating as one" it's a perfect album. One thing to say, is this fitted the moment on the mix well. Like I say, a flowing mix is an artform and I really enjoyed the moment this was a welcome addition.
.08 Wanderlust - The Delays
Ooh steel drums! You know people don't use steel drums in pop and rock as much as you'd think, because they have such an enchanting sound. I think they (or whatever sounds like steel drums) make this song really work and give it a real sense of place. Dare I say it without the steel drums it'd sound a bit MOR but on a sunday afternoon it's working quite nicely. Makes me think of Cocteau Twins actually
.09 Little Black Ache - Bishop Allen
Ooh this came out of nowhere compared to the last one, don't have much to say for this one.
.10 Tv Movie - Pulp
It's almost not a bold simply because this makes me think of "the fall of pulp" (but then that's fitting with the theme, right? This is Hardcore had quite a few rubbish songs amongst a few good ones. This wasn't bad, but when you think of the sheer work of art and perfection that was "His n Hers" it takes it down a peg. Pulp raised their own bar too high with His N Hers, and Different Class was still good, but the album that followed was certainly not "hardcore" and don't even get me started on "we love life". This is more a bold for a band than the song, then
.11 Monsters - Sons and Daughters
Not sure what I think of this. Half of me loves it and the other half is getting annoyed. Can't decide which half is winning the fight. I want to hear more by them; when the song gets going it's quite good but the verse grates a little. Plus it feels like they've nicked the melody from loads of other places
.12 Sweetest Decline - Beth Orton
I was going to bold it but I've bolded a few already and think that a few bolds are yet to come, so I'll hold this to higher standards. It's nice to hear some more from Beth Orton though because I've only heard a couple of songs. Maybe I should try out an album. Care to recommend one to start with? I don't know if I'll be into it but I don't know till I try, of course
.13 Motor Away - Guided By Voices
Another band I want to hear more of, I've heard this on Alien Lanes which is a funny old album. Some moments that go on too long, and some moments that are so painfully short but so good you wish you had more, and sounds like it had a recording budget of tuppence. Anyway, this was one of the good moments on the album. It has a raw instant feel to the way it sounds and a tight melody, so it's a bold.
.14 Ugly Love - Eels
I like the eels and have a couple of albums but not this song, which was very nice. Not much else to say, it's just a nice song. He has a distinctive unmistakable voice, which always helps. Good lyrics, too.
.15 Rebound - Charlie Rich
I just don't have much like this so it's bold because it's nice to hear stuff that I might have been missing and just doesn't get played to me
.16 The View - Modest Mouse
Oh another bold and I know the Joy Division track is a bold already. Plus PJ and Nina are yet to come, and chances of them being bolded: High. I think I have heard the name but not the band, so it's always useful putting a sound to the name. I like the production and arrangement, just the right amount of synth. I'll be checking out more I think
.17 Digital - Joy Division
Somehow this is one of my favourite Joy Division songs, I think it's just the way Ian Curtis builds up aggression, you can really 'feel' that almost epileptic dance that he did through this music, more than the other songs. It's a good song to clear your head of shit with
.18 Shame - PJ Harvey
I told you it'd be bold. I don't really listen to enough PJ Harvey even though I think my sister has pretty much all of her albums now. But it's really really good, she's got her own sound, and she's a bit scary looking.
.19 Let it Die - Feist
I tried to be harsh because there's been a few bolds and not bold this, but really it's got its hooks in. Barbed ones that won't come out. It's piqued my interest and I want to hear more by whoever this "Fiest" is. Lovely use of instruments, doesn't outstay its welcome, one of my favourites on the CD
.20 My Man's Gone Now - Nina Simone
Bolded before I even heard it. Recently went from only ever hearing the songs that get used on car adverts and the like, from falling in love with a greatest hits CD. This wasn't on it, so it's very welcome, because I feel like my experience of her music is only just getting started. Maaan it's great. It's her voice. You can really believe whatever she sings about because of the way she sings it. How could anyone not bold this?
.21 Untitled - Stellastarr
By this time you've set a high standard for my response to these songs so as a result this isn't getting a bold. I think the spacey sounds in the intro are nice, so much so I was almost disappointed when the guy started singing, but I might be being a bit hard on him there.
.22 These Seven Notes - The Russian Futurists
Heh, well it's sort of interesting but I didn't really like this. It's like a bad dream. Like going to a children's theme park when off your tits on every drug you could get your hands on.
.23 Ticket Man - The Kills
I'm guessing the extreme echoey-distortion was intentional because it's so very very bad. I'm not sure why they chose to do this to the song, it feels like there's a decent song underneath it but that distortion is so nasty it ruins it. Seems like a real shame, they went out of their way to ruin it.

So there we have it. Apologies for going on as per usual, but maybe you're getting used to it by now. Many many thanks to Cassie because I had a lot of fun listening and there are some acts I want more more more of, so thumbs up.

Comments on the comments! I definitely had some ringers here: Yo La Tengo, Joy Division, Pulp (although I hadn't realized that post-"Different Class" Pulp was not OK). Nina Simone I generally consider a Club-wide ringer. I was pleased that my prediction that cowfields would like Electrelane because he like Stereolab played out. I also had a few stretches: Charlie Rich was a surprise hit but The Russian Futurists crashed and burned. I think the problems on "Ticket Man" might have been the result of actual problems with the CD. This was the first mix I made after switching over to OSX and burning my mixes in iTunes. I think the mix was a little too long and that created weird issues on the last track. (I've learned from this mistake). But perhaps not. Lastly, I am a little disappointed that my favorite Beth Orton song evah, "Sweetest Decline," didn't get its sweet reward, a bolding.