As we surround ourselves in September, let's flex a little mid-decade indie rock muscle. Last decade, that is, smack dab in the middle of my college stint. That small fact could suggest I'm biased when I say the '00s were the most creatively expansive decade for popular music since the '60s, but I'm stickin' to it. It doesn't hurt that they came right after the '90s, ten years of revivalism and canned shit (OK, with the exception of hip-hop, when it came of age). No offense, '90s - I'm still nostalgic for you, I guess. But the '00s musical atmosphere was bigger, more roomy. It felt as if anything went. The concept of what popular music might be widened it's umbrella a little, and lines smudged a bit. It was different; exciting and electric.
There are reasons for this creative leg-stretching, including the internet smacking the industry in the face, but I digress. This mix isn't trying to prove any points, and it doesn't further the argument above. "Then why bring it up," you ask, incredulous. Don't ask me, I just work here. In fact, these songs are fairly homogeneous. This is rock and roll - with, perhaps, a post-millennial attitude. Guitars, drum, bass, and shouts of "1,2,3,4!" whenever you care to shout. But there is a drive to these songs. They possess an anxious insistence that I think speaks to their time.
If this mix were on an actual cassette tape, as the title of this blog inaccurately purports, there would be a clear side A, ending after "Energy of Death", and side B, starting with "50's Parking" and ending after "Bacteria". The last two songs occupy some sort of meta-physical side C. Side A are the heavy hitters. Some of these bands were/are legitimately popular, on a scale larger than "some people I know have heard of them" but smaller than Top 40 radio. At the very least they are successful musicians, selling out shows and making a living. "I'll Believe in Anything", "The Rat", and "Maps" I count among the best songs of the last ten years, no lie. Side B are the minor league-ers. Many of these bands were referred to as "blogrock" when they came out, a diminutive term to describe unsigned bands or small potatoes who saw sudden success through the internet and saw it retreat just as quickly. But I don't like that kind of talk. It's holier-than-thou and dismissive of some great music. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah couldn't quite repeat it, but their debut album is one of my favorites going back a long way, despite their stupid band name. So, side B is a little less dense and a little more "Woo!", if you're picking up what I'm putting down. We round the whole thing off with the illusive side C, a couple of slow-burners to even your keel. Good listenin'.
P.S. Hope you like what I've done with the place.
Broken Social Scene - Stars and Sons
French Kicks - Abandon
Xiu Xiu - I Luv the Valley OH!
Wolf Parade - I'll Believe in Anything
The Walkmen - The Rat
Arcade Fire - Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Maps
The Constantines - Young Lions
Spoon - Paper Tiger
Apostle of Hustle - Energy of Death
Tapes 'n Tapes - 50's Parking
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth
Oxford Collapse - Please Visit Your National Parks
The Thermals - A Pillar of Salt
Bound Stems - Western Biographic
Figurines - The Wonder
The Hot Springs - Bacteria
Modest Mouse - Night on the Sun
Liars - The Other Side of Mt. Heart Attack
September '12 mix.zip
thank you
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