Browsing Category Mixtape

Mixtape: Only After Dark

by on ·Bits & Pieces, Mixtape

Now I know that glam is well worn territory. You could spend a day just running down lists of essentials – each telling you that Marc Bolan’s glittery tears started it all and shuffling well worn cuts with a forgotten gem or two in the mix. I’m not going to even begin to claim to sweep up all the glam essentials, though there are certainly a few of the ten foot high stompers on here. This, is more about sweeping the listener up in a specific ’70s night: getting dumped, rallying with friends and losing yourself in the big, stupid beat until daybreak. Book-ended by a couple of power pop gems that act as sunset and sunrise, this is just a feelgood vision of hard drinking stupidity that slaps a smile on your face. Check out the tracklist and mix after the jump.

Continue Reading →
0 Comments

Mixtape: Tin Foil Chewing Gum

by on ·Bits & Pieces, Mixtape

Punk was always an expression of outsiderdom, but even within the confines of the genre there existed (and still exists) a thread that’s twitching on a wavelength that only the ardent insomniacs and agoraphobics fully appreciate. Cropping up among the Midwest’s endless sprawl of boredom and on the coasts couched in between the shut-ins and the art school dropouts, there existed a strain of caffeinated, bulging-veined punk that swiped at No Wave, sniffed at synth-punk and shirked New Wave’s more inviting corridors. Tin Foil Chewing Gum is for the freaks in the back row. It’s for the punks chewing glass and looking for another diner to share in the delight of the pain and the cathartic rush of blood. Check out the tracklist and stream below:

Continue Reading →
0 Comments

Mixtape: Shame About The Rain

by on ·Bits & Pieces, Mixtape

Heading into the third installment of the RSTB Mixtape series here and this one speaks to a crucial influence on the site. There’s been no shortage of jangle pop in the last couple of years, particularly because a current crop of Aussie and US bands seem enamored with the sounds of Creation, Sarah, September and Flying Nun. This mix is a tribute to the sound of English rain. It’s full of faraway looks, pining hearts and more than a few hooks. By no means a definitive overview but I have to say, not a shabby collection of janglers here. Check out the stream and tracklist below.

Continue Reading →
0 Comments

Mixtape: Pretty Please Me

by on ·Bits & Pieces, Mixtape

The second installment in RSTB’s mixtape series is here and this time, rather than go for a straight genre dig I’ve taken some inspiration from classic ’80s soundtracks like Valley Girl, Rock n Roll High School, Up The Academy or Pretty In Pink. The mix imagines the same kind of coming of age nerviness that fueled the best music directors at the time, finding a balance between power pop, punk, new wave and glam that doesn’t put any hard divisions between the camps. It’s just a bit of fun and a good excuse to have Sparks and The Flesh Eaters share space. Tracklist, stream and download after the jump.

Continue Reading →
1 Comment

Mixtape: Hurry Sundown

by on ·Bits & Pieces, Mixtape

I’m introducing another new feature today on the site, a series of archival mixtapes. I’ve always been a fan of the mixtape idea, as perhaps any child of the ’80s and ’90s might be, but rather than simply a playlist or rundown of current favorites I’ve decided to dig up some themes from the past. In Autumn, when the temperatures seem to be dipping and the weather’s a mix grey skies and copper sun streaks, I often go to the well of ’60s psych, though its not the fuzz guitars and bright pop I’m usually looking for. There are some songs from the psychedelic wave that touched a more bittersweet note, reveling in a sad, quietude that matches the changing seasons. The first mix is called Hurry Sundown (after the Bubble Puppy song, though Hawkwind’s “Hurry On Sundown” also captures the mood). Hopefully this hits you right and lets you in on a few excellent soft psych classics. Tracklist, stream and download after the jump.

Continue Reading →
3 Comments