Wang: I think maybe Devil's Haircut, for Beck.

I think Jesus, Etc. would be a good Wilco track for an old man.

I might down-grade to a less electronic Lips song. I don't really know, though.

Built to Spill! That's a band I totally forgot. I will DEFINITELY find a way to get a BtS track on there. GBV might be a little too odd and lo-fi, but I'll definitely consider it.



Devil's Haircut is one of the first songs I thought of. I might pick something from "Mutations" or "Sea Change" or even "Midnite Vultures." There are 1,000,000,000,000 (one trillion) Beck songs, all of which would be perfectly acceptable. Devil's Haircut was my first instinct, though, so I'll probably do that.

As far as The Flaming Lips go, I'm not really sure what else to pick. "Waitin' for a Superman" is the classic "listener-friendly" track, but I don't really want to use that. Maybe "Fight Test"?

Jesus, Etc. is a good idea, but I think I'd rather find something a little more Solid-Wilco-Rock from their catalogue. If he likes whatever Wilco track I pick, I'll give him "Summerteeth" and if he likes that I'll make him listen to YHF.


Thanks, guys. Keep them coming.


EDIT- On second thought, I think I'll just skip the Flaming Lips. They're just too weird. No point in including them, really.

Fight Test and Race for the Prize were what I was thinking.

Are we doing hip-hop? If yes, maybe 3030, by Del.

I think he might/could dig Unless it Kicks, off that Okkervil record from earlier this year.

Also, two bands a few of you may have heard of:

The Strokes (This is It, maybe?)

The White Stripes (Hello Operator, or maybe something off White Blood Cells)

Also, what about Yo La Tengo?

I still haven't gotten around to listening to any Okkervil music. I think I'm saving them. Dunno.

As far as rap/hip-hop goes, I don't think he's ready for that. I mean, New Pornographers -- standard good guitar power-pop -- might be a system shock. Del rapping about aliens and shit would kill him.

I think he'll really dig The Clientele, because they sound British, nonthreatening, poppy, and a LOT like the Beatles. Maybe I'll just pick 4 or 5 bands (Let's say: The Clientele, New Pornographers, Wilco, Spoon, and Sufjan Stevens for example) and fill the CD with some Best Of work. That way he'd get to hear fewer bands, but get a clearer picture of their vibe.

He actually likes The White Stripes already, and listens to them from time-to-time. I thought about The Strokes, too, and never wrote it down. Good idea. I'm worried Julian Casablanbas's distorted vocals might bother him, however.




Good call. Song ideas? For some reason I looked at them and immediately dismissed them, but that might be a little rash.

You know what would be terrible? If I just put 3 songs from Kid A, 2 songs from Loveless, 4 songs from Sung Tongs, and then "Daft Punk is Playing at My House" on the CD. There would probably be a 2% chance he'd actually die.

I'd probably go with some songs from I Can Hear the Heart..., I'm thinking something like Autumn Sweater.

What about something less weird from Neutral Milk Hotel.

Also, for some reason Love, Love Love, really more of an intro than an opener, from Akron/Family, keep popping into my head for this. I don't know.

If I had to pick a Yo La Tengo song for him, it'd definitely be between "Autumn Sweater" and "Stockhold Syndrome." Those seem like the easiest songs. You know what song I wouldn't pick? "Spec Bebop." Death for dad.

Also, I Think if you're going with Arcade Fire (and you should), maybe something from Bible be more familiar. Maybe Keep the Car Running.

I actually have a similar situation. My dad always asks me for music and he ALWAYS hates what I give him. Eventually I just got annoyed that he even bothered asking me anymore so I put together a mix consisting of Aphex Twin, Clipse, Dizzee Rascal, M.I.A., Sigur Ros, and "Dead Flag Blues" by Godspeed.

Haha, like what? I remember the first time I listened to Aeroplane Over the Sea I thought it was weird as FUCK, and I'm into that kinda music. Going from "Daytripper" to a refrain of "...semen stains the mountaintops" would be waaaay too much.

Man, my dad would disown me. (Said in Hank Hill accent, which is nothing like my father would ever sound like) "What the fuck is that foreign cunt squealing about? Did she just say she refuses to surrender like the PLO? This is the shit you listen to?"

What Radiohead song/songs would you include?

I'm going to bed, but keep any and all suggestions flowing. Thanks, guys. This is actually quite helpful.

I'll definitely give you each a credit in the liner notes, which I always make for any CD I burn, because I'm the biggest nerd ever.

Lyrically I see your point. I think Aeroplane is the first slightly weird record I liked, right away. I remember last summer, listening to that and Soft Bulletin, over and over, I realized that I was probably never going to spin another CCR record.

I guess if he's a conservative person, a record about Ann(e?) Frank and incest and semen isn't going to win him over, but some of those tracks, musically, are pretty straight-forward; just a guy with an acoustic guitar.

Radiohead I would definitely stick with stuff from The Bends and OK Computer. I'm thinking like High and Dry, Black Star, Let Down, Karma Police, or Lucky; it's hard to narrow it down this much though.

Also with my dad our conversations usually go like this:

Me- "So Dad, how did you like it?"

Dad- "It was alright, I don't know if it's my type of music though"

Me- "Uh, ok, how so?"

Dad- "Well I mean, that one guy is a good song-writer, but he's no Pete Townshend"

Me- "Oh ok Dad, I didn't realize I was supposed to be presenting to you the second coming of one of the greatest songwriters ever."

Dad- "It's ok, just do better next time."

As a graduate of TB's (I'd just call you Wang, but I never pass up a good tuberculous reference) Pablo Honey to Kid A easement program, I think it's really a matter of how many slots you're giving them. If it's a few, I think maybe Bones, The Bends and Karma Police, and maybe like Elecroneering. If it's just one or two, keep the OK Computer stuff.

I think I mentioned a long time ago that my father has a Myspace, and his song is an old Animal Collective song. I'm never going to even ask him about it.

New topic: Me.

I've become pretty familiar with a chunk of popular and underground hip-hop from about '93 to date, but I've always had a sort of stigma againt like Run-DMC and the older stuff. Starting with the best Run albums, can someone with a good sense of taste and history run me down a list of the best '80s and very early '90s stuff?

In case you're wondering, someone mentioned Krush Groove a few pages back, and I'd been meaning to watch it (as it was written by Busdriver's father), so I did, which sparked this interest.

Beck suggestion > New Pollution
Radiohead suggestion > My Iron Lung

Wang:

For the Beck I would definitely go with something from Sea Change
For Modest Mouse I would go with "Never Ending Math Equation", "Dramamine", or "Sleepwalkin'"
I agree with Mushaboom for Feist or Anti-Pioneer if you have that...
Wolf Parade - You Are A Runner And I Am My Fathers Son, or I'll Believe In Anything. shouldn't be anything else, unless you're really feeling Sons and Daughters of Hungry Ghosts.
Radiohead - Paranoid Android

I've always found Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots, Pt. 1 to be a very comforting song, but they are pretty weird to the unexpecting ear.

That might've been in the In Rainbows thread. Shake posted a picture from Krush Groove of one of the Fat Boys with a boombox. Krush Groove is such an essential film.

I have a hard time narrowing down Run DMC CDs. You could go with a best-of, which would cover a lot of ground, or the albums I would suggest: Run-DMC, Raising Hell, Tougher Than Leather, King of Rock. I'm pretty sure that's all of them with the exception of Crown Royal, their "comeback" CD. Ugh.

I'd also suggest some KRS-One/Boogie Down Productions. From BDP, I'd suggest Criminal Minded and By All Means Necessary. From KRS solo, I'd suggest Return of the Boom Bap.

EPMD - Strictly Business is always a good choice.

Eric B & Rakim's Paid In Full and Follow The Leader are must-have in this particular genre, IMO.

LL Cool J was great in the 80's/early 90's. Radio is a good one.

Dutch,

Slick Rick- The Great Adventures of Slick Rick is essential

Rad. My old man has very similar taste, and I share music with him all the time. He's obv more receptive to Dad-rock type stuff like old Radiohead, Coldplay and Travis (both bands which I like a lot, for the record), but I sometimes throw a wrench in there just to keep him on his toes.

For Beck, I would go with any of the following over "Devil's Haircut": "Jack-Ass", "Lord Only Knows", "Cold Brains", or "Girl".

For Wilco, "Kamera", hands down.

For Radiohead, I'd definitely start him with something off The Bends if he hasn't heard that yet. "Karma Police", "Let Down" and "Lucky" are all safe choices as well. Also, my Dad fuggin LOVES "Go To Sleep". He was totally obsessed with that song for at least a month. Every time I'd swing by my parents' house he'd start singing, "We don't want the loonies takiiiiiiin overrrrrrr." Too funny.

Other stuff that I'd consider (not sure if you personally are into all this stuff, but I'll assume): Interpol, Supergrass, Phantom Planet, M. Ward, Sneaker Pimps, The Shins, Elliott Smith, The Strokes, etc.

I really want to know what the **** is going on here. If you don't want to investigate, give me the pertinent information, and I'll do it. Which Animal Collective song is it? Is your father Asian? Why does your Asian Father like Animal Collective? How did he even come by a random Animal Collective song? Is it from Sung Tongs, or from further back, like from Here Comes the Indian? What? Is? Going? On?




The Shins and Elliot Smith are both great ideas, especially since I'm certain my dad is at least passingly familiar with each. He's a big fan of Scrubs, and therefore anything Zach Braff does, so he's seen Garden State and definitely heard the Shins songs on the soundtrack. And Elliot Smith gets lots of play in movies (like Good Will Hunting, for example), so I'm sure he'd be tickled pink to recognize a few of the songs I included. It'd make him feel cooler, probably.

"Kamera" was something I considered for Wilco at first, and I think it's a great choice (along with "Heavy Metal Drummer" also from YHF), but if he DOES enjoy "Shot in the Arm" or "How to Fight Loneliness" (good suggestion IVpro), then I'll probably eventually make him listen to YHF in its entirety.

At this point, the Radiohead record that's in the lead is "Airbag," just because it's a great "Intro Track" for any mix CD. It's very drum heavy, features lots of guitar, and is also Radioheadmospheric, which is a plus. For some reason, I also think it's a good idea to inclue a song where Thom's vocals are (a) not-falsetto and ( totally audible. Other songs I'm considering (and I may include more than one) are "Subterranean Homesick Alien" (he'll enjoy seeing a Bob Dylan reference), "Lucky," "Street Spirit" and "How to Disappear Completely" (in order of likelihood). "Go to Sleep" is a good idea, too.

Interpol probably won't get a chance, since they're kinda darkish and I think that might turn him off.

I still really have NO idea what Beck song to use. That might be the toughest, given his myriad styles/phases.


Thanks a lot guys. I'm enjoying this discussion in the abstract, not to mention the pragmatic applications of your input. It's helpful, so if you're inclined, please continue. No suggestion will be ignored.

I don't know much BDP/KRS-One, but I do know that Love's Gonna Getcha (Material Love) is classic, str8 up awesome hip-hop.

http://www.tinymixtapes.com/Hyperdub-Sets-Release-Date-For

sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet

fully erect

It's taken me this long to get into it, but I REALLY dig a couple of the earlier tracks. I think it's about due for another front-to-back listen.

Listening to Jamie T's "Panic Prevention" again. This is quickly creeping up my list of favorite albums of this year.

Absolutely. I don't even know how to categorize Jamie; first time I heard it, I thought it was almost a hip-hop record, but now I'm sure it's not. People tell me he's like Arctic Monkeys, but I disagree.

What about for Beck you use Where It's At, this song had minor radio play back in the day, and if it's any help my dad actually really likes this song.

I usually tell people he's sort of like Mike Skinner meets Joe Strummer. I'm not terribly fond of that analogy, because Strummer is so iconic, but that's as close as I've been able to come.

Oh, and I'm going to see John Vanderslice and Bishop Allen tonight. Looking forward to it, even though the venue is poorly ventilated, which could lead to folks sweating more than Satan's ballsack.

I'm listening to:

The Clientele- Strange Geometry (Does anybody love this album as much as I do?)

Clor- Clor

Herbert- Scale

Maybe not as much, but a lot.

My father is Asian, he's about 55 years old, he's generally a pretty boring, conservative old American-Asian dude, but over the 15 months or so has become fairly unbalanced, and prior to this discovery, I didn't even know he listened to music at all, anymore.

I don't remember the song, and upon investigation, he's changed it to...ready?: Calling all Zones - Yin Yang Twins.

My little brother still lives with him, I'll do some prying.




Interesting Dutch fact: Martin Crandall is dating a person who's easily surpassed NP in terms of Dutch's obsessive celebrity crushes: Elyse Sewell. If I don't check her blog for updates threes times a day, I don't check it at all.

Long, lonely night of studying, fun fun

The Shins- Oh, Inverted World
The Avalanches- Since I Left You
Elliot Smith- XO

I just got back from a St. Vincent concert. I had always enjoyed the album, but I was totally blown away by the concert. It was amazing how one can translate, change, and adapt their music to a live scene. This is what concerts should all be about. One should get a better appreciation and a different understanding of an album through it's live interpretations. The songs were translated perfectly into a live show. Songs which on the album were beautiful but gentile poppy songs became hard rock, guitar thrashing anthems. I'm going to hear the songs in a whole new light from now on.

Also, I'm basically in love with Annie, the lead singer (or the whole band, or whatever she is). She definitely did some Yorkian head bobs and some body convulsions that seemed very familiar. She basically rocked out. I guess the best compliment that I can say about the whole thing was that I only thought about In Rainbows a few times (as compared to 100% of the time, which is normal for me).

umm the new flying lotus (reset) is blowing my mind right now.

and underground resistance get the cover of wire this month because their new record is hott as fuck.

Yeah, her look does it for me. Also, pretty much anyone who names their album after an Arrested Development reference is cool in my book.

WaSh BeTa,

you finish that album for your Paw? Post up the track listing.

If you're working on it then go with your first instinct on the whole Beck thing. As for the ending of the cd, I think The Bends would be a cool track to do that. Maybe you've filled up the Radiohead quota already. Or, this is possibly a terrible idea (From me? Never).



I'm still doing the whole In Rainbows thing over and over.

How gay is it that I'm kinda' (meaning fully) into The Blow?

ok so my friends and i are involved in a lot of musical projects, and we made a site that is kind of an online record label for hosting peoples albums in mp3 format and making them available for donation based downloads (like radiohead). but i need some other music content to put on the site. i wrote a few album recommendations, but im not a very good writer and dont feel like doing a lot of them. it would be cool to have something going on there like shimmering wang's music exchange thread, any other ideas? anyone want to write for the site for free?

the address is http://www.elcityrecords.com

Los Lobos > Don't Worry, Baby. Also, their cover of Politician (originally by Cream).