Once again I present a new mix, as promised.
This mix had a more interesting process of concoction than the last. At first it was simply a mix of songs I had either acquired recently or had decided I wanted to spread around to my friends but as it formed I noticed a pattern. The songs either bubbled over with hope or were as hopeless as can be about our generation. The most important track, the one that made me come to the realization, is “Nobody Would Riot for Less” by Bright Eyes, but more on that one later.
Let’s get going already:
This mix had a more interesting process of concoction than the last. At first it was simply a mix of songs I had either acquired recently or had decided I wanted to spread around to my friends but as it formed I noticed a pattern. The songs either bubbled over with hope or were as hopeless as can be about our generation. The most important track, the one that made me come to the realization, is “Nobody Would Riot for Less” by Bright Eyes, but more on that one later.
Let’s get going already:
Hope(ful/less) : Tales of Western Modernity
Hope in the Prison of Despair by Evelyn De Morgan
(Gotta love those Pre-Raphaelites)
- Invasion - Eisley (Combinations)
-I completely adore the sound of this band. The harmonious voices of the DuPree sisters, paired with an indie rock sound that’s just a bit less than sweet, is the combination that makes this band work. I must admit, though I fell for them through their album Room Noises, I did enjoy the earlier takes of some of the tracks on their various EP’s much more. Tracks on the polished LP lacked the “punch” that the EP versions held. However, I am excited to report that Eisley is back on top and in great form. “Invasion” is wonderful. The lyrics are based on [Invasion of] the Body Snatchers but for purposes of the mix I took it as the disastrous effects the constant social conformity that exists in this culture. (I think the story of the novel is to be taken that way, too.) [Note: Eisley’s name comes from the Mos Eisely spaceport on Tatooine. It’s quite fun that they’re writing about aliens.] [Another note: It’s also interesting that this song has been released in the eve of The Invasion starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig.] - T
onight I Have To Leave It - Shout Out Louds (Our Ill Wills)
- I think what causes us most hope and misery is love and the lack of it. This song is about giving love and never finding reciprocation. It is semi-sad, yet hopeful, because the narrator decides to leave and (I’m guessing) look for real love elsewhere. I really enjoy the sound of this song, it reminds me some of The Cure. It’s a great and enjoyable listen. Sometimes I feel the song is much too short, but I think the concise nature of the three minute song is something hard to master… and Shout Out Louds have done it. - Wraith Pinned To The Mist & Other Games - Of Montreal (The Sunlandic Twins)
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Now, here’s a song that is packed with meaning that might be pretty elusive to the casual listener. This song is about (like the grander theme of the mix) finding hope in someone else when disappointed in the world: “Let’s pretend we don’t exist, Let’s pretend we’re in Antarctica.”It might sound really dumb and excessively jolly but once you listen closely to the lyrics, you can tell that the band didn’t simply write a catchy song. It was thought through. Lines alluding to classic literature might tip you off [”We’ll play Tristan and Isolde, but make sure I see white sails”] and I think it’s great. The constant need we feel to escape or, I’m sorry, ‘vacation’ with the ones we love is presented here. - Breakfast in America - Supertramp (Breakfast In America)
-Ah, Supertramp. I know, the song was written thirty years ago, but I think it is very interesting even today. I’ve given it some more thought since my post on it. Hodges wrote the song long before he had ever visited America, so the vision he presents is an idealised one, and yet, it is in a slightly mocking tone. He talks about America as kind of a promised land, and in ways it is (because of its wealth) but as many have found, there’s not much soul. - We Used To Vacation - Cold War Kids (Robbers & Cowards)
- And here’s the perfect example of the soullessness. People in the United States know how very lucky they are and still live awful lives with addictions that are harmful to a whole family, like alcoholism. This song deals with the difference between intent and action through the eyes of an alcoholic father. The sound of the song is great. The discordant guitar is greatly symbolic of the disorienting affects of alcohol. What’s wonderful about the structure of the song is the musical intensity of the verses contrasted with the key change of the “sober” chorus. - Icky Thump - The White Stripes (Icky Thump)
- This song hits some important issues in the US today, not just emotional and social, but political as well. The heated topic of Mexican-American Immigration is touched on in this song, but it is not as an immature claim (like Linkin Park’s new album) but simply part of the human interactions within the song. That’s what makes the claim effective. And here’s the twist: this song is on the Hopeful side of the mix. Take a read: “Handcuffed to a bunk/ Robbed blind/Looked around / And there was nobody else / Left alone / I hit myself with a stone / Went home and learned how / To clean up after myself. ” It’s about picking yourself up after a stupid mistake. The brilliance lies in that the message is not only an individual “picking up”, either. - Mama - My Chemical Romance featuring Liza Minnelli (The Black Parade)
-Another tale of a broken family. As I said before, at the core of hope there is love. That’s definitely lacking here. This hopeless song shows the detached belief of the whole of humanity being damned for our terrible lives and our wars (not only in the literal sense, either). The sound of this song is semi-Eastern European and I think that since it held such modern Western themes and was penned by an American band, it was essential to the mix. Also, Liza Minnelli’s performance as “Mama” is incredible. - Boring - The Pierces (Thirteen Tales of Love and Revenge)
-Speaking of essential, this song must be about Paris Hilton and her entourage. It’s brilliant and, sadly, so, so true. “Nothing thrills us anymore/ No one kills us anymore / Life is such a chore when it’s boring.” I think captures exactly what is wrong with so many Americans. We’re bored. We want to be entertained constantly and it’s an incredibly gluttonous idea. I really enjoy the sound of this song; the way the sisters drag their voices is magnificent in relation to the lyrics of the song. - Shaken - Shiny Toy Guns (We Are Pilots)
- This is a very intriguing song. The lyrics seem to promote resistance to something, but what it is never made explicit. It could be to conformity, or a woman, but that’s the beauty of music and lyrics. Like I have said before,”Shaken” takes a while to pick up, but when it does it is a memorable track with numerous throwbacks to 80s power-ballads. - Wonderful Life - Gwen Stefani (The Sweet Escape)
- Don’t let the sound of the song fool you and don’t let Ms. Hollabackgurl repel you: give this song a listen. Granted, it’s not brilliant, but the story behind it gives it good weight. Stefani wrote this song about her first “love” who ultimately committed suicide, the lyrics tell the story of the hopeless youth and the woman he left behind who has found wonder in her life. This song remained in the mix because of the near-epidemic of depression in the alleged “paradise” that is the United States. The song is very hopeful in the face of much sadness, which could be said for all the “hopeful” tracks on the mix. - Littlest Things - Lily Allen (Alright, Still)
-Lily Allen is surprising. Unlike most British import artists, she lives up to the hype. The constant sampling paired with smart, snarky, and witty lyrics, accompanied by a sweet voice make her a very diversified artist to digest. She settles well. “Littlest Things” is Ms. Allen’s take on a love song and it’s more real than some with the best lyricism. It is a sweet song that doesn’t eat those real moments, “I know it sounds lame but it’s so true.” - All My Love - Led Zeppelin (In Through the Out Door)
-Again, I know this song was written the late 1970s, but it is such a primal sentiment (lyrically) that makes it classic. Robert Plant wrote this song as a tribute to his son who died at the age of 5. And, not to sound all J.K. Rowling, love is at the core of hope. “Yours is the cloth, mine is the hand that sews time/his is the force that lies within/Ours is the fire, all the warmth we can find/He is a feather in the wind.” It holds such a sacramental view of sex and the sacred nature of family that, frankly, I am surprised (and glad) that the public likes this band. (I only wish people would actually delve into the music.) The beautiful representation of the familial bond is what made this song crucial to the mix, it is something we do not cherish enough in our western civilizations. I love the late 70s sound of this song and of course the key change near the end makes me joyful. - Fiery Crash -Andrew Bird (Armchair Apocrypha)
- Andrew Bird’s lyrics are so full of meaning I could write an extremely long post about these lyrics alone. Then I might have to devote another to his incredible musical composition. The song talks about (literally) taking a flight without flippancy. We have such a way of taking things in life the fast-food American way, everything on the go. “It’s just a formality/why must I explain?/just a nod to mortality/before you get on a plane”. Brilliant, Monsieur Bird. - Umbrella - Scott Simons
- What would a Summer 2007 mix be without Rihanna’s “Umbrella-ella-ella”? Don’t change the track just yet, though. The good Mr. Simons has covered the song masterfully with a Postal Service air to the song that I would have never imagined to work. And it does. I really like this song now. The song is, surprisingly, quite lyrically interesting and the umbrella metaphor is unique and not terrible. The song is about committment through thick and thin. Tired? I think not! Give this song a listen, it really redefines the mega radio sensation. - Ventura Highway - America (Homecoming)
-Growing up in Omaha, Nebraska, vocalist Dewey Bunnell imagined getting out of town to better his life, the American dream. In his hit, the place he imagines is Ventura Highway. [The Californian freeway is situated along the coast, which makes the drive gorgeous.] This is a reminiscent feeling of the song earlier in the mix, “Breakfast In America”. There is, however, a difference between the songs because here you find an honest longing for beauty not found in Supertramp’s hit. In “Ventura Highway”, there is hope for a better life in such a beautiful place, though it might not actually be there. Mixing of this track is spectacular; the song, recorded in 1972, was not produced by Beatles mega-producer George Martin (like a great amount of their later tracks were) yet it still sounds fresh and fantastic. - I Want to Know Your Plans - Say Anything (...Is A Real Boy)
- This song falls under the “love is hope” category. It’s a very modern song with a man singing to a twenty-first century woman in a long-distance relationship. It is very hopeful, though. The chorus of the song is what made me decide to keep this in mix: “You’re what keeps me believing/the world’s not gone dead”. It captures the love/hope relationship quite well. This is a song that Say Anything had written long before most of the songs in their major-label debut, …Is A Real Boy. Since I am not personally a fan of their new material, (I don’t think songs about phone-sex promote truth or beauty and are therefore bad.) I welcomed the more polished version of the track presented here because it is still part of the time the band kept up with good songwriting. - Song For Clay (Disappear Here) - Bloc Party (A Weekend In the City)
-This track and the next are the reasons the theme of the mix came to be. Initially, I had planned to place these songs together simply because they flowed into each other well. I quickly realized that they had similar themes but different outcomes. In “Song for Clay”, the lyrics have the narrator “disappear” in the terrible events surrounding him and those he takes part in. With no hope, he delves into this lifestyle never to sober. [For more on this song, read my post about it.] - No One Would Riot For Less - Bright Eyes (Cassadaga)
-Conor Oberst is seldom-if-ever cheerful in his music. It is quite interesting to find him present his depressing and honest interpretation of life but end the song such a - I daresay-happy manner (for Oberst, at least). This is the most important track of the mix. The dichotomy of a hopeful person in an abysmal setting (Oberst’s “hell”) gave birth to the idea of the name of the mix: Hope (ful/less) <- Feel free to circle one. It promotes the idea of making the choice to have hope. Conor sees that “hell is here” but instead of accepting it like the narrator in “Song for Clay”, he doesn’t “disappear [t]here”; he decides to “leave this place” and only take the proverbial “you”. (Now, somebody might argue that this song is about a Romeo & Juliet-esque suicide-pact thing, but I feel that such a notion is simply ludicrous.) I think that, in relation to this mix, this song is about leaving an idea of despair about the world’s condition (”this place”) to adopt a hopeful one with love at it’s core. “There’s nothing I plan to take, just you.” - Black Is the Color - Espers (The Weed Tree)
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To be sure that I ended on an even mushier note, I added classic folk song “Black Is The Color” as reinterpreted by the band Espers. (The good thing is it is not too saccharine.) I think that this song is a folk classic because of its truly beautiful lyrics about giving oneself completely, something that is timeless. And not to drill the whole hope/love thing into your head, but… enough said.
It might be apparent that I fell under the Hopeful side.
*Because of the cohesive nature of this mix, I have decided to only make the songs available together in a .zip file, which you can download here. Please download it. You won’t be sorry.
Here’s the link, just in case: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=01RCJ4R4
Enjoy!
What side do you fall under? Please leave me a comment with your opinion about the mix.
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