Mix #12: 8/12/11

Click here to listen to most of the playlist.

1. Cock Pushups – Tenacious D
2. O My Heart – Mother Mother
3. The Infinite Pet – Spoon
4. Thee Most Exalted Potentate of Love – The Cramps
5. Don’t Mug Yourself – The Streets
6. Look Out Below – One Block Radius
7. We Lost Sight – Dalek
8. Girl Like You – Edwyn Collins
9. Powerpill (Pac Man) – Aphex Twin
10. Electric Sweat – Mooney Suzuki
11. Frontier Psychiatrist – The Avalanches
12. Window Blues – Lykke Li
13. Dy-na-mi-tee – Ms. Dynamite
14. Hey Ya! – Outkast
15. Only the Lonely – HEADS *
16. Nebraska’s Valentine – Les Georges Leningrad *
17. Pop Goes the Weasel – 3rd Bass
18. 50,000 Unstoppable Watts – Clutch
19. Two Tears – Fireball Ministry
20. Cowboy Love – Reverend Horton Heat
21. Wet My Bed – Stone Temple Pilots
22. Hi There – Killdozer
23. They Live – Evil Nine
24. Spin Spin Sugar – Sneaker Pimps

* = video not found

Tenacious D: Cock Pushups

An oft-forgotten winning Mixtape tactic is to throw in a brief spoken piece here or there to set or divert the tone.

Mother Mother: O My Heart

I liked this band so much more before I knew what the lead singer looked like.

The Infinite Pet: Spoon

My boss stopped me in the hallway to go over some new procedures I was learning. The problem was, we were standing right outside the men’s room, and some poor sap was in there ripping the loudest ass I’ve ever heard in a public setting, over and over again. Me and my boss decided to pretend we weren’t hearing it. It gave me the same feeling you get when you swallow a large burp and can’t get it out again. How are you supposed to handle something like this?

The Cramps: Thee Most Exalted Potentate of Love

What are you going to be for Halloween? If I wasn't going to dress up in drag, I'd consider going as The Cramps.

The Streets: Don't Mug Yourself

I had heard and studied this song long enough where I should have been able to take its advice, and yet I blew it time and time again. IS ENTHUSIASM SO WRONG?

One Block Radius: Look Out Below

Classic example of a random song by a random group I know nothing about that managed to claw its way to the top of my iTunes Top 25 Most Played playlist.

Dalek: We Lost Sight

I’m not the type to use psychedelic drugs, but if I WAS, I’m sure I’d have a tough time if this was the album I decided to listen to three times in a row coming down from an evening spent in the company of LSD.

Edwyn Collins: Girl Like You

Here’s a song that always divides a room. I can’t figure out why so many people hate this one. It's like having hatred for uhhhh Fleetwood Mac. I know my friend whose last name is Collins enjoys Edwyn more than most.

Aphex Twin: Powerpill (Pac Man)

If you're really lucky, we’ll get the Tetris theme song in here soon enough.

Mooney Suzuki: Electric Sweat

One time in my earlier years, I played this song for a young lady I was dating, and I clearly remember her saying “What the HELL is this song?” Almost ten years later, I can’t figure out what she meant by that comment. Like, “Wow this is great”? Or, “Wow, I can’t believe you like this”? I was never the greatest communicator when it came to the ladies.

The Avalanches: Frontier Psychiatrist

That same girl from the previous song, I remember one time we were making out and listening to music and something not appropriate came on and I stopped the making out so I could change it, and I put on this Avalanches album. I got into bed all satisfied for having picked a superb makeout album, but she was so upset that I had been paying at least some attention to the music and not all the attention to her, that I was promptly scolded and the session ended.

Lykke Li: Window Blues

I don’t know how to pronounce this woman’s name and neither do the guys on the radio. I’ll say it “Licky” because that makes me smile.

Ms. Dynamite: Dy-na-mi-tee

I remember going into a chatroom once on a music site, and the chatroom was for a genre of music called “Grime.” I was all like, “Grime, what the hell is that? It sounds like something I might be interested in!” The other guy in the chatroom said, “Kid, you ain’t ready.” I told him I thought it was possible that I WAS ready, and this was one of the songs he gave me.

Outkast: Hey Ya!

I worked at a record store called Newbury Comics once, and this kid who worked with me, whenever this song came on, would go, “Shake it shake it! Shake it like a 6 week old baby! Hey ya!” Not a great lyric to repeat in mixed company, although I keep trying.

HEADS: Only the Lonely

Once David Byrne left the Talking Heads, the remainder of the group put out an album with different guest singers on each song. The album was called “No Talking Just Head.” Not quite as successful as the original incarnation.

Les Georges Leningrad: Nebraska's Valentine

It’s probably better that you can’t find this video on the internet. This is a tender song from an abrasive but goofy band. The most frequent reaction I get when trying to play this band for somebody is, “I’m not into it.”

3rd Bass: Pop Goes the Weasel

A lot of people want to know what I’d ask Henry Rollins (check his cameo in this video) if I met him and he wasn’t grumpy and I could only ask one question. I think I’d ask if he still hates cops.

Clutch: 50,000 Unstoppable Watts

It’s also not too soon to start thinking about winter and how, fellas, you should start growing out your Clutch beards.

Fireball Ministry: Two Tears

Here’s an example of how you can learn still things running a mixtape blog that examines the mixbag you supposedly know inside and out. I thought this song was by Queens of the Stone Age, although I’m not sure where I originally came across it. I assumed it was a cover song. When I whent looking for the video, the QOTSA version wasn’t there, but the Fireball Ministry version was, so I checked it out to at least see what the original sounded like. It sounded like exactly the same as what I had in my iTunes. A little research turns up Fireball Ministry as another stoner rock act. And now I have a new band to investigate.