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MIX NOTES

Dissolving Clouds (intro) – some brief ambient tones from Norway’s Geir Jenssen, a staple of the ambient music scene since the mid 80s

Green Grass – a truly beautiful song written in the voice of a dead man wishing to be remembered. From his 2004 “Real Gone” LP.

MS Dub – Some moody almost dub reggae that sounds half classical / half bluegrass dirge. Andy Benz is a nerdy Danish composer and double bass player who makes his own weird electronica. Can we even use that word anymore?

Think I’m In Love – the last time I was in LA Spiritualized was playing a reunion gig at the theater in the Ace Hotel where I was staying. People were speaking of them like Jesus himself had returned. I decided to see what ll the fuss was about. Not bad.

Like The Morning Dew – I feel like we all collectively secretly wished for a black Bjork and Laura Mvula appeared. Amazing song with some vocal harmonics few in 2014 would bother to construct. Made for headphones, for sure.

Alladin Sane – This was chosen for the wonderfully bizarre piano solo by American pianist Mike Garson, who played in the Ziggy Stardust touring band. He has since said that this one solo has gotten more attention and acclaim than everything he ’s ever done in his career before or since.

Brown Oxford – these are some experimental NY kids who sit on couches at Brooklyn loft parties making loops on laptops and playing violins. I’ve seen it firsthand and it’s boring as shit to watch, but it sounds great.

Love Will tear Us Apart – this Swedish cat makes some nice acoustic covers. I saw him a few years back in NY and I had forgotten that guitar playing dudes can still get bitches’ panties wet. It was like Tom Jones himself had arrived.

Vökuró – some acapella enchantments from the wicked witch beyond the wall. From her 2004 “Medulla” LP.

Brothers / Nothing Out There – Something about his slide guitar seemed perfect for the Black Rock desert. These two short tracks I stitched together are from the soundtrack to Wim Wender’s 1984 masterpiece “Paris, Texas”, with Harry Dean Stanton.

Everybody Daylight – these guys are some back-to-the-land hippies who claim inspiration from Leonard Peltier, Ram Dass, and Henry David Thoreau. I don’t really know WTF that means, but somebody put a beat under one of their druggy tracks and I can dig it.

Already There – the third beautiful and bubbling track from this year’s “Early Riser” LP, which is fucking DOPE. I feel like people are gonna look back on this current era of folks like Robert Glasper and Thundercat as the beginnings of the renaissance of a new black Jazz movement. I highly recommend paying attention right now. Where the fuck is TAC when you need him?

Loaded – this is some random experimental shit that has a vocal line very appropriately describing a morning at Burning Man.

Oh Comely – Jeff Mangum was relatively unknown to me until I witnessed a solo show of his 3 years ago at a music festival. Being among a crowd of his most die hard fans who screamed every word in unison, it felt like a religious revival. I have since been struck with the spirit and realized yes, he is almost the fucking Bob Dylan of our time (albeit even more cryptic and not political). This is from the flawless 1998 “In the Aeroplane Over The Sea” LP, which is simultaneously about Anne Frank and also about a set of conjoined twins – one of whom dies in the womb and is absorbed in the other only to be reincarnated later. I think