Soundtrack2

Archive for April, 2009

Posies, Crash City Saints, Teenage Fanclub, Dirty on Purpose, Revolver & more

What has chiming guitars, glorious choruses, and two- or three-part harmonies?

The Jonas Brothers? Er….maybe.

But also – the blistering, power pop episode of Soundtrack2. Inspired by the Posies’ upcoming reunion show, we’ve mixed 60 minutes of tracks by bands that might not normally be featured here.

Whether you like or hate power pop, you’re encouraged to listen to the mix and let us know what you think!

Check out Soundtrack2 Audiocast11 here.

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1. Teenage Fanclub – Star Sign

The mighty Scots kick things off in style with a track from their Bandwagonesque classic.

2. Revolver – I Wear Your Chain

Often mentioned in the same breath as Ride, this poppy band also has the bedroom britpop thing going on. Didn’t realize until now that the bassist went on to found Death in Vegas, featured in Audiocast1!

3. Curtain Society – Marigold Girl

Tight, snappy number from the New England trio’s Volume, Tone, Tempo record.

4. Ash – A Little Less Ordinary

Ok, “Girl From Mars” is awesome but didn’t fit here. Instead, we went for this one off Nu-Clear Sounds.

5. Velocity Girl – Forgotten Favorite

Taking their name from a Primal Scream b-side, most of their music…well…didn’t sound much like Primal Scream. Love the drive and chorus on this track though.

6. Dirty on Purpose – All New Friends

Brooklyn band demonstrates on this fine track that indie (indy?) rock is alive and well.

7. The Spinanes – Valency

“Collared vampire what is it at night” sounds like a line from Twilight, not the opening line to this classic power pop track. Props to Chris for turning me on to this band.

8. The Posies – Solar Sister

This shimmering ball of energy comes off the brilliant Frosting on the Beater, to be performed in its entirety this June in Brooklyn. If you like this track, buy all their albums.

9. The Apples In Stereo – Beautiful Machine, Pts. 1 & 2

Upbeat, effervescent pop from Robert Schneider’s consistently great band. They tore it up with Sloan at Toronto’s Church at Berkeley a few years ago. Free mp3 if you sign up for their mailing list at the link above!

10. Phoenix – 1901

Great garage-pop track off forthcoming Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix album (I know, I know…) album, due out May 25.

11. The National – Apartment Story

Love the noisy melody and poppy beat. These guys remind me of Spoon on downers.

12. Felt – Textile Ranch

Bring on the funky bassline, high-shine guitar, snare and throw in an organ! If you like mellow dream pop soul, also see Felt’s “Primitive Painters.”

13. The Magnetic Fields – Famous

Their new-ish Distortion record is good, but this track was Soundtrack2 material.

14. Amps - Pacer

Chiming slacker anthem from Kim Deal of Breeders/Pixies fame.

15. Crash City Saints – We Came To Dance

“Rock and roll’s a joke, it’s a fashion show.” Nice New Zealand-style power pop with a layer of distortion.

16. Darling Buds – If I Said

Pummeling paisley psych pop – if that makes any sense whatsoever – off the fantastic CD-86 compilation.

17. Wild Poppies – Canon Over A Grey Sea

Speaking of NZ pop, those that like Bats/Clean/Chills with some added fuzz guitar will love this.  Not to be confused with Brooklyn band of same name. Head nod to the Doledrums.

Really dig this Daedelus track and video. If you can’t see the embedded video, click here to view.

Warlocks, Silversun Pickups, Mazzy Star, Cocteau Twins, Skywave & more

This week’s mix – yes, we’re now actually able to pull this together weekly – goes from stoner rock to dream pop and beyond. You’ll notice some new tracks and surprises along the way.

Cool to think that at ten mixes in, we’re just now dropping names like Cocteau, Mazzy, and Love and Rockets. Now back to us moaning about missing Coachella…

Check out Soundtrack2 Audiocast10 here.

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1.   Love and Rockets – I Feel Speed

Druggy bolero from ex-Bauhaus members Daniel Ash, David J and Kevin Haskins. If you like this, check out Tones on Tail.

2.   Volta Sound – Right Up To You

Spacemen 3-influenced drone rock off the superb My All American Girl album.

3.    Warlocks – Baby Blue

“Wasting my time with you” and the L.A. stoner rock outfit.

4.    Mazzy Star – Happy

Audiocast9 alluded to the singer of this band, so we went ahead and dropped “Happy” this time round. Beautiful.

5.   Stratford 4 – Where The Ocean Meets The Eye

Love this epic anthem from this San Francisco-based band. This is the kind of track that you never want to end.

6.   Manhattan Love Suicides - Up Too High

Who says you can’t cover Jesus & Mary Chain? Lastest track off the JAMC covers project, aptly described as an “adrenaline-fuelled injection of noise and menace.”

7.   A Faulty Chromosome – Anomie’s the Enemie

If the famous C-86 compilation could have a sequel, this offbeat pop tune would be on it.

8.   Skywave – Got That Feeling

U.S. band indebted (in a good way) to the above on this killer track. Love the nervy bass energy.

9.    Pia Fraus – After Summer

Great blissed-out rock and roll from this Estonian troupe.

10.  Asteroid #4 – Car Thief Millennia

If hip hoppers dug shoegaze, hands would go in the air as the band drops the first pedal at :30. Or is that just the tremolo? Either way, heavy as hell.

11.  Cocteau Twins – Pitch the Baby

My buddy Audix summed up this band perfectly – dreamy pop funk. No one’s been able to follow them. This one’s off the seminal Heaven or Las Vegas.

12.  Screen Vinyl Image – Roaming Spirit Freedom

Too Much Future was originally going to be the name of this podcast, but then we found out about a German movie of the same name. If one song could embody the title Too Much Future, it would be this one.

13.  Uncut – Copilot

Killer track by popular Canadian band from a few years back. Love the noise overdrive halfway through. Check out Jake Fairley‘s Touch Not the Cat if you like this one.

14.  Lily Allen – The Fear

May be risking my cred with this one, but a review of Sonic Cathedral drew my attention to this cool futuristic pop track. Popstar aside, does it work in the mix?

15.  Goldfrapp – Time Out Of The World

Perfect opportunity to drop chilled track from Supernature, the last album before they went pastoral.

16.  Silversun Pickups - Growing Old Is Getting Old

New one off Swoon. Haven’t gotten my head around the whole album yet, but this one stands out. Love the atmosphere.

Mogwai, Smashing Orange, A Sea Of Leaves, Lenola, A Sunny Day In Glasgow & more

Our latest mix reminds me of Moonstarr‘s recent album, Instrumentals Forever. The music’s pretty different, but the inspiration – that music can sometimes speak louder without words – is the same.

Mainly curated by Chris, Audiocast9 features a number of chilled, mid-tempo vocal-free tracks with a few of thrown in by me to mix it up.

Checkout Soundtrack2 Audiocast9 here.

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1.   Mogwai – Folk Death 95

Mogwai plays Toronto’s Phoenix alongside The Twilight Sad on May 4th- we’re stoked.

Alison's Halo

2.   Alison’s Halo – Chalkboard James

Quintessential shoegaze swirl in the vein of Slowdive, Cranes and Cocteau Twins.

3.   Smashing Orange – My Deranged Heart

Cool, 60′s, psychedelic feel. It’s how Mazzy Star would sound if Hope Sandoval forgot to show up.

4.   Mew – An Envoy To  Open Fields

It could just be me, but despite the lack of distortion, Denmark’s Mew manages to completely disguise their lyrics.

5.   Team Sleep – Your Skull Is Red

Deftones side project involving Chino Moreno and a cast of musical heavyweights including Pinback‘s Rob Crow and Mary Timony.

6.   Nightblooms – Never Dream At All

I suppose there might be a time and place for this. It’s like a full-blown instrument tantrum being mediated by someone’s lilting, honey-voiced Mom. And in mono!

7.   Sennen – Hearsay

A bit late to the Sennen party but now that I’m here, I don’t want to leave. On tour right now in the UK…keep your fingers crossed for North American dates.

8.   Health – Die Slow

Crunching, noisy monster from L.A. no-wavers. Hats off to Gimme Tinnitis for the tip!

9.   A Sea Of Leaves – Permanent Wave

Brazilian band rock out to full effect.

10.  Lilys – Touch The Water

From the 2000 Selected EP (discovered in a used bin for $5). Two minutes and 10 seconds of face-slapping energy.

11.  Ecstasy Of Saint Teresa – Who’s

Stuttering drums + ringing guitars x cascading singing = classic track.

12.  A Sunny Day In Glasgow – 5:15 Train

The highlight from 2007′s Scribble Mural Comic Journal. Check out the equally atmospheric, warbling “Best Summer Ever.”

13.  Lenola – Shared a Route

Could easily be passed off as an My Bloody Valentine b-side.

14.  …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead – When We Begin To Steal

Gravenhurst

Still one of the best band names in history. Fiery, melodic track from their ’98 self-titled debut.

15.  Gravenhurst – The Western Lands

Proof that not every noise-pop, shoegaze-inspired band needs to sound like the soundtrack to an Edgar Allen Poe poem.

Film School, Thrushes, Pixies, Mercy Arms, Primal Scream and more.

We’ve had some great newish stuff on rotation here, so we’re digging into them this time around.

Check out Soundtrack2 Audiocast8 here.

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1.   Ultra Vivid Scene – It Happens Every Time

Kicking off this week’s mix is a poppy one from New York-via-London’s Kurt Ralske.

2.   Star – In Your Arsenal

Love this glammy track from a couple of years’ back. Definitely keep Star on your radar.

Greencoats

3.  Dylans – Mary Quant In Blue (De-Luxe Reverse Submarine Mix II)

90s band brings on the psychedelia, backwards percussion and haze.

4.   Greencoats - Honey

Kicking it into high gear with propulsive, glorious gem from this Swedish band’s Spring EP.

5.   Mercy Arms – Half Right

Australian band delivers three and half minutes of soaring bliss. The singer reminds of another well-known vocalist, but I can’t place who! Anyone?

6.   Latex Distortion and Gary West – Dopamine

Great indie rock track with bubbling distortion off Killed By A Fairy. Hard to find a good link to these guys so please add in a comment if you know one.

7.   Pixies - Alison

Short burst of seminal rock and roll energy before we head spaceward.

8.   Air - Dead Bodies

French band soundtracks a full-scale assault on Saturn. Taken from the Virgin Suicides OST.

9.   Boards of Canada – Dayvan Cowboy

BOC isn’t a huge favourite of ours, but this drifting, building track works great here.

10.  Film School - Ms. Connection

Brilliant mellow track from the Alwaysnever album.

11.  Flunk – Play

Anja ˆòyen Vister’s croons gently over Ulf Nygaard’s “soothing delight.” Very nice.

12.  Thrushes - Aidan Quinn

Why did this Baltimore noise pop band decide to pay tribute to 80s/90s actor Aidan Quinn? Don’t know, but love this track.

13.  Solar Powered People – Commercial Flight

I can’t stop listening to this song. File under perfect pop.

14.  Working for a Nuclear Free City – Troubled Son

Manchester band brings the evil shoegaze funk.

15.  Primal Scream – Shoot Speed/Kill Light

Off Xtrmntr, Bobby Gillespie’s crew take us out in psychedelic rock and roll style. Props to Chris on this one.