A Higher Ugliness

One of the new web applications that has created a lot of buzz in the music blogs has been MuxTape, where you can upload a bunch of MP3's and create a virtual mixtape from it. Mixtapes are getting the vinyl treatment: music lovers feel nostalgic about the tape. The way you used to do a lot of effort to create that very special mix, frequently made for someone you felt special about - see High Fidelity for an excellent example there - was cumbersome and required a lot of effort. Finding the right tracks was just the beginning: you had to pause the tape when the song was finished and then start the next track, hopefully with the right amount of silence in between the tracks and not too many disturbing clicks.

Luckily these virtual interfaces are a lot easier to use. There are rumors that iTunes would finally go for a subscription based service. As a side effect I hope to see a lot more applications like these where you could legally make mixtapes or podcasts based on an iTunes playlist. For now we'll have to do with these web applications that are trying to keep on the right side of the law by exploiting loopholes in American legislation. Which could fire back at us I guess.

I decided to have some fun with Mixwit, a similar web application that doesn't require uploading your own MP3's and create a little mixtape for you all based on my punky mood of late. Here you go, enjoy:

Some background information on the playlist:

• Part Time Punks - Television Personalities: Television Personalities made my favorite record of the year 2006 and I still stand by that. This song is from an older record of theirs that I still don't own but that I would love to have in my collection.
  Fun fact: Part Time Punks is the name of parties held in Echo Park, where Maura lives. She's also a bit Television Personalities fan.
• Jeffrey Lewis - I Ain't Thick It's Just a Trick: I'm loving this at the moment and this is from his album of Crass covers.
• Moldy Peaches - Lucky Number Nine: They seem to still exist but have been put on hold. However, I discovered they have done a show only in December in The Smell, in L.A. where I saw some other concerts last time I was over. Life is full of funny little coincidences if you start to take note. They seem to have sort of a hit at the moment because of their being featured on the soundtrack of Juno. I should see that film.
• Chanson des Chats - If You Rescue Me: I don't know why this didn't become a hit. Or why Science of Sleep hasn't created more Michael Gondry lovers. I can't help but loving it. The song and the movie.
• The Modern Lovers - Pablo Picasso: Why haven't I been told about Modern Lovers? Yes, there was this reference to The Modern Lovers in that brilliant LCD Soundsystem track but there were so many references in there. Maybe I should check the others too?
• The Undertones - Teenage Kicks: I heard it on the radio just yesterday and I think John Peel might have been right in claiming that this was the best pop track ever. And it's kind of punky.
• Be Your Own Pet - The Kelly Affair: My favourite teenagers of the moment. If only all those other teenage punk bands were half as good as this one. Be sure to check out their videos on youtube too!
• Dead Kennedys - Kill The Poor: When making this mixtape I was trying to think of punk bands away from the obvious Sex Pistols or Iggy or The Clash. Kill The Poor always sticked with me because of that scene in that Monty Python film where the Romans are debating in senate and somebody says "Have we reached agreement then?" and all the other senators shout "Yes! Kill the poor!".
• The Pixies - Hey: I wish I had seen The Breeders yesterday. This is maybe my favorite Pixies song, just to compensate.
• Crass - Punk Is Dead: Jeffrey Lewis claims all Crass songs would make brilliant folk songs, or jazz songs, or whatever songs. Maybe so.
• The Soft Pink Truth - Do They Owe us A Living?: The Soft Pink Truth is connected to Matmos, which are connected to Bjork. The Soft Pink Truth covered this Crass song as well. Do They Owe Us A Living? Of course they do! Somehow I don't see a lot of people agreeing with that anymore nowadays, not even left wing politicians.
• Siglo XX - Individuality: I remember discussing the issue of whether this was punk or new wave when I was 17. There was a punker in school that hated our electro and new wave music because it was too strict. And we hated his punk music because it was too basic. Somehow Siglo XX is where our tastes met and we respected each other ever after.
• Joy Division - Decades: Ian Curtis was more of a poet and less of a punk but I wanted this in because I just recently realised how close Siglo XX and Joy Division were in sound and atmosphere.
• Fugazi - Waiting Room: Fugazi was really punk. Their heart in the right place and their money where their mouth was. I'm so sad I never saw them live.
• The Velvet Underground - Venus In Furs: This was punk before people called it punk. I love it.
• Urbanus - Madammen Met Een Bontjas: Urbanus was a punk! Now he's grown a bit cynical. I guess that happens when you grow old. I think it was Freek De Jonge that said once that if you're sixteen and you aren't left you don't have a heart and if you're sixty and you aren't right you don't have a brain. Luckily I'm still sixteen. Long live Urbanus!