Pattern Interrupt

This may well be the best point in a holiday weekend: it’s Sunday, but you don’t have to act like it.  You can put all of your pre-week routine aside and serve up a second helping of Saturday.

To help with this pattern interrupt, I’m going to share two songs that are entirely unexpected.  As is the nature of surprising songs like this, I’m not yet sure what I think about them.  But there’s something about their off-kilter nature that seems perfect for this morning.

To begin, there’s Weezy, sounding like he’s hanging out on the steps of the student union strumming his guitar.  Wait, what?  Though this track’s juxtaposition may have you thinking it’s a mash-up, this is indeed the third track off of his forthcoming album.

How To Love, Lil’ Wayne

And then there’s Bon Iver, with a live cover of a song that you certainly won’t know by title but will recognize with a surprised smile about a minute in.

Your Love (The Outfield Cover), Bon Iver

Keep reading if you’re interested in new songs by both artists that are a bit more expected.

30 Words of Music, Day 24: New

If you’re looking for the mix of songs to kick off a new job or a new year, here are those that I’m going to use for both tomorrow.

As always, the first song link is to stream, the second is to download.

Let’s do this.

Fix Up, Look Sharp, Dizzee Rascal

The Day, The Roots

Railing, Roni Size

Run This Town, Lil’ Wayne Freestyle

Risk of Change, Holcombe Waller

Power [Remix] (Ft. Jay-Z & Swizz Beatz)

Walking Far From Home, Iron &  Wine

Grown Simba, J. Cole

This just in…

Is this 2011′s A Milli?

This Lil’ Wayne track just hit– so new the cough syrup hasn’t even dried yet.

If you didn’t get that joke, you probably won’t like this track.  But if you did, enjoy– it’s crazy hot.

6 Foot 7 Foot (feat Cory Gunz) (Dirty), Lil’ Wayne

Then, Now, Soon: Volume 1

After months of delay, here’s the most recent installment of the holiday mix series.

For the newcomers out there, I’ve been making mix CDs instead of holiday cards over the past several years.  It’s always a wide range of genres, with a focus on the unreleased, the re-mixed, and the under-appreciated.

For the old timers, you’re correct in pointing out that we’re a bit beyond Christmas, and this isn’t even a CD per se.  We’re going to give digital distribution a whirl, with one single track recording, and another version with rough track increments slotted in there.

I hope this mix brings some surprises, smiles, and artists that you’ll enjoy for months to come.

Feel free to drop comments in if you hear something you like.  Enjoy, y’all.

Here’s the link the the continuous mix.  It’ll take a while to download, no doubt.

01 Then, Now, Soon_ Volume 1

Here’s a jpg with the tracklist.  If I’ve done it right (?), you can print this and it should fold over for a CD insert.

The version of the mix that has track increments is coming soon, pending my crash course in compression software.

Remixes Ready for a Soundtrack

Some songs, by virtue of their lyrics or emotion or guy someone knows at the movie studio, find their way immediately into a soundtrack.  And then there are some songs that probably never will, but definitely should.

The following three songs are remixes that I’ve stumbled across lately that are perfect for soundtracks.  Interestingly, each is a modern take on a song from the 60′s.

While the movie that will use this Creedence Clearwater Revival remix has yet to be made, here’s the all-too-familiar visual that will accompany it.  

  Fortunate Son, Sleeper Counting Caveman Remix

If there had been more of a soundtrack for The Wire, this remix of The Animals would have been on it. 

  Lost and Found, Guru and Solar

I have yet to see this movie (nor heard its soundtrack), but I think a movie about an amazing public school in Chicago’s inner city would do well with this song.

Help, E-Train (featuring Lil’ Wayne and The Beatles)