Tracks like ‘Chat Room Messages’ and ‘Ice Cream Run’ are anthems for bedroom kids of our generation, finding solace not in vast soundscapes or grand adventure, but rather TV and the internet. Which isn’t to say the whole thing isn’t beautiful―the half-paced, blissed-out ‘Swept’ is like lying in the bathtub and imagining you’re bobbing down some lukewarm river, and the pastel-coloured heart-ache of ‘Dating Game 3000’ and ‘Contestant’ provide some much needed comfort for your worried mind.

 To celebrate the release, the band kindly agreed to take part in our Mystery Mix series―where we give them a series of random prompts they must use to create a mini playlist. Tackled as a quartet, the result is as interesting and wide ranging a selection of songs you are likely to see, and potentially the only time Smash Mouth will grace the Various Small Flames page.

Teamwork (Makes the Dream Work)

by Sundae Crush

Song with animal in the name

Battles – Inchworm

Izzi: A friend of mine said this whole album sounds like unicorns doin’ it, which I think is totally accurate. This song makes me feel simultaneously like skipping merrily down the lane, and aggressively breaking shit. It’s perfect.

Song that reminds you of your favourite book

Vashti Bunyan – Some Things Just Stick in Your Mind

Jena: My favorite book is Things I’ve Learned in My Life So Far by Stefan Sagmiester and I feel like this is a good song to sum it all up.

Song with a name in it

The Allman Brothers – Jessica

Jesse: Although there are no lyrics to this song you can almost picture who The Allman Brothers are describing through the instrumentation. This is also the name of my childhood crush. I taught myself how to play the main guitar riff on my bass and it has turned into my favorite song to play during sound check.

Song that reminds you of being somewhere awful

Smash Mouth – I’m a Believer

Izzi: When Jena and I were driving from Texas to Washington, we were in the middle of nowhere southern California in the summer during the draught. We drove through the desert for what seemed like a thousand hours. It was so hot and hellish and we were starting to go insane so we covered this song using a portable amp, an omnichord, and a maraca while I was driving. For sanity’s sake, and because we desperately wanted to believe that we were eventually gonna hit the coast, this was a good song choice at the time.

Jena: I totally back this. Also… this was totally a Monkees song first and I love them. But I was def thinking of Smash Mouth when we did this in the car.

Favorite live experience

Thundercat – Friend Zone

Jesse: There are way too many shows that I’ve been too and I cannot pinpoint my favorite one, but the most recent show I’ve been to is when I saw Thundercat a couple weeks back. Thundercat is a major influence on my song writing and bass playing. This was my favorite song from his set that night.

Song for the apocalypse

In Down Bad by Lil B. // REM – It’s the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)

Alex: In an apocalypse we might listen to In Down Bad by Lil B. “Shots at the court like basketball”. Or maybe we could listen to REM – It’s the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)

Song for the sunniest day of the year

Soak Up the Sun – Sheryl Crow

We talk about this song a lot, so this was an automatic pick.

Remember, Crushed is out now via The United Worker’s Party, U.S.A., and you can snag a copy on CD and cassette from Bandcamp. Once you’ve done that, you can find the previous entries in the Mystery Mini Mix series here, and browse our Mixtapes section to find a playlist for every occasion.

Artwork by Ariel Davis

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Since releasing their debut album, In My Dreams I Am A Sailor, back in 2012, Brooklyn three-piece Vassals have remained relatively quiet, popping back only to put out the snappy, sarcastic festive EP Here We Come A Vassaling in 2015. 2017 will see that change, with the band set to release a brand new EP, Halogen Days on Post Fun. The release, which came into being as the “dark half” of a “dichotomous project”, is an altogether more serious effort, with the press release promising “four songs of bleak beauty, chaotic minimalism and conflicted rage… frantic but muted, morose but unpredictable… drift[ing] effortlessly from slacker-rock ambivalence to post-punk cynicism to huge walls of fuzzing noise and heartbreaking harmonies.”

Sound good? Well lead single ‘SoHo’ certainly backs up the slacker-rock ambivalence side of the description, a bummed-out, off-kilter slice of garage rock that simmers with frustration and anger without ever quite managing to fully break through the spiritless numb. The result is like a face screwing and scrunching behind a blank mask, perhaps even screaming silently, all in the hope that someone on the outside might recognise the strife and intervene.

“I wanna feel alright.
I’m faded, dematerialized
Swimming in a sea of light,
I’m swimming in a sea of light
I’m floating on an awful high”

Song with a colour in the title

Metallica – Blackened

This was the first thing that came to mind. There are certainly many way better songs involving colors, but I fucking love Metallica* and I don’t care who knows it. Plus it’s sorta funny choosing the absence of color.

*forgetting everything that happened after 1990

Song that reminds you of someone special

The Allman Brothers – Blue Sky

Anytime I hear this song it makes me think of my dad, who’s probably the sole reason I started playing music in the first place. The Allmans are pure joy and Southern Rock at it’s finest.

Song that reminds you of your favourite video game

Primus – Jerry Was A Racecar Driver

This song will forever and ever remind me of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater. Primus kinda rules. They were the first truly weird band I got into. Plus, bass playing bandleaders are much too scarce.

Song to soundtrack your Hollywood biopic

Foe Destroyer – Strut

Appropriately named, to me this song feels perfect for walking around the city and just taking it all in. I think it’s really just the bouncy-ness of the guitar part and general playful vibes. For some reason any song that I can blast while cruising in the car or walking around in the city feels soundtrack-worthy and this one is my current go-to.

Song from at least ten years ago

The Beatles – Yer Blues

I figured The Beatles had to make it onto this list at some point. This is one of the very few songs we’ve ever attempted to cover and it’s super fun to play. The recording has always been a treat, you can hear John’s original vocal bleeding into the drum mics but it’s masked just enough by the overdubbed version to make it an easter egg of sorts. Plus the overall darkness of this song pairs well with our new EP.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoKXCtkBufQ

Quietest song you know

Leapling – Crooked

Maybe not the quietest but I’ve always liked the feeling of intimacy of this track and album in general. Leapling’s recordings do a great job of feeling really close and immediate while still maintaining a “band” sound. Runner up: The Can’t Tells – Lonely Guy.

Song that makes you want to smash things up

Converge – Dark Horse

Man, this was a toss up. Since I already used Metallica on another question, I had to go with my other heavy music favorite, Converge. What can I say? I’m originally from Boston, where there’s a long standing tradition of aggression.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9wZDd_GgPs

Halogen Days is due for release on the 7th April via Post Fun and you can pre-order it now from the Vassals Bandcamp page.

The post Mystery Mini Mix: Vassals appeared first on Various Small Flames.

We’ve covered the music of Mark Timmins several time here at WTD, most recently ‘Vulnerable‘, a song from a new project based around old maps which we called

“as sincere as it is self-aware, trying to live a better, simpler life of candour while bemoaning the current habits of pride and shame”.

Mark was kind/brave enough to take on our Mystery Mini Mix challenge, so scroll on down to hear the songs our prompts kicked up.

Song from who you consider the most overrated band of all-time

Bob Dylan – Girl from the North Country

Perhaps this is an odd choice for this category, as Bob Dylan is not a band, and technically speaking he is not overrated, in that the praise and accolades lavished upon him are indeed justified. He is a brilliant songwriter who has had a lasting influence on countless musicians. But the quality of his music has often been obscured for me by the excessive amount of bullshit spoken about him. I’ve had too many infuriating conversations with misty-eyed romantics who say they want to talk about music, but actually just want to spit out meaningless, hyperbolic, sound-bite style cliches about “Dylan, man, Dylan.” But behind all the poorly expressed adoration of the blind devotees, the music is still there, speaking inexorably, and with such captivating poignance, about all the things that make the human experience seem worthwhile. This song is one of my favourites.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeMa7cQyJPc
Song that sounds like the bottom of the ocean

Emma Ruth Rundle – Oslo, Part 1

I’m a huge fan of Emma Ruth Rundle’s solo work. It’s dark and brooding, heavy and earthy in a comforting way, like curling up and covering yourself from head to foot with a thick woollen blanket. I’m not totally sure why I thought of this song when thinking of the bottom of the ocean. Maybe it’s something about the hypnotic, repetitive guitar riffs that constantly fold back in on themselves that speak to me of deep ocean currents. Or maybe it’s the fact that the song is absolutely drenched in reverb and delay, like all of Rundle’s solo work, that gives it that watery feeling. It could also be the power of association that draws a connection for me between the sea and Rundle’s music (her debut solo LP was titled “Some heavy ocean” after all). Whatever the case this is a beautiful song, and the perfect soundtrack for any deep sea expeditions you may be taking in the near future.

Song that brings out your inner cowboy

Corb Lund – Hair in My Eyes Like a Highland Steer

I really enjoy a lot of country music, often a lot of the more melancholic style, where the songwriting focuses on the minutiae of everyday life in a way that tends to reveal bigger mysteries than the content might at first suggest. But when it comes to leg-slapping, yee-haw screaming cowboy fantasies it’s got to be Corb Lund every time. I’ve seen him live once, and it was one of the best shows I’ve ever been to. His band, The Hurtin’ Albertans, are incredibly tight and the music came across with blistering energy. When they played this song I danced with such ferocity that my cowboy thigh-slapping move resulted in bruises the next day.

Song without words

Carlo Domeniconi – Koyunbaba Op.19

Before I really got into singing and writing my own music I studied and played classical guitar pretty intensely for a number of years. This is a piece that I always wanted to learn but just never got around to. This is a very beautiful interpretation of it.

Song from your hometown

#1 Dads – Camberwell

I come from a very small town in rural Australia … it’s not known for producing a whole lot of music. I know a couple of people from my town doing some interesting musical things, but as far as I know none of it has resulted in a finished product made openly available to the world yet. So for this category I’m going to cheat a little bit and provide a song from my home country (hometown, home country … close enough right?) that really reminds me of home. My Dad discovered this song and recommended it to me, and from the very first listen I was totally captivated. The song has this lovely, languid resignation to it, like being driven around half-hungover in the back seat of an old car on a brutally hot Australian summer day. The triumphant saxophone solo at the end is so unexpected and joyous, it leaves a big smile on my face every time I listen to it.

Song you’d play upon reaching the summit of Everest

John Cage – 4’33”

Music is a wonderful companion, capable of enriching the experience of being alive in infinite ways. But I also believe there are times when there is nothing more appropriate to do than simply be and experience the moment in which we find ourselves in its unadulterated entirety. If I should ever find myself on the summit of Mount Everest, I want to know what it sounds like to be on the summit of Mount Everest. Thus, for this category I have chosen John Cage’s 4’33”. The piece calls for respect for silence and the rich world of sound that constantly exists around us if we take the time to stop and listen to it. From what I’ve seen though of the dangerous overcrowding of inexperienced expeditions on Everest, I would be very surprised if anybody managed to get a full four minutes and thirty three seconds to truly enjoy the sounds of the mountain, sky and wind.

And for those of you who are too lazy to click individual links, here’s a Playmoss mix that requires a single tap:

Check out the Mark Timmins Bandcamp and Soundcloud pages to explore his music, and be sure to give him a follow on Facebook to keep up-to-date with future releases/thigh bruises (maybe).

The post Mystery Mini Mix: Mark Timmins appeared first on Various Small Flames.

Magana is the haunted alternative pop project of Brooklyn resident Jeni Magana. She is soon to release her debut EP, Golden Tongue, with our pals at Audio Antihero, who describe the record as “brittle and erratic guitar pop… delivered with both anger and acceptance”. Our review will be posted closer to release, but in the meantime Magana kindly agreed to play our little game and make us a Mini Mystery Mix.

Life and Love and Growing Up

Song with a colour in the title

Lianne La Havas – Green & Gold

What a lovely young lady.  Everything about her is appealing.  This song is celebrating her unique heritage.  I feel like it’s about growing up and learning to love yourself and where you came from.  Green and gold are representing the Jamaican flag.  Neat.

Song with a name in the title

Dolly Parton – Jolene

Dolly Parton is the best and this song is such a classic.  Super simple and catchy but a unique perspective of a relationship that might fall apart.  It puts responsibility on the other woman, but not even in anger.  I feel like her husband is actually just her pet in this song and it makes me laugh.

Song from at least 50 years ago

Johnny Cash – Ring of Fire

I’ve been listening to this song constantly since my childhood.  I can’t believe it’s more than 50 years old.  Released in 1963.  Time moves too fast sometimes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6ViaGyzfAk

Song that reminds you of school

Ryan Adams – Why Do They Leave?

I listened to this record a ton when I was in college, but I chose this song specifically because one time my friend Luke drank too much and missed a flight the next day and so my friends made a cover of this song called “Luke, why do you drink?” and it was pretty amazing.  I’m sure it exists on the internet somewhere but I can’t find it anymore.

Song in a different language to your native tongue

Yael Naim – Selcha

I went to college in Boston and after college I moved to NYC, which is about a 4 hour drive.  For a while, I played bass for my friend Gina who also moved to NYC, but the rest of her band still lived in Boston.  This meant her and I took a lot of long drives and I got to know her CD collection way too well.  This was one of the CDs that we could agree on and so for a while this was one we played all the time.  Eventually I broke down and listened to Taylor Swift the whole time like she wanted to, but this song is still beautiful.  Yael Naim is Israeli-French and that is super cool.

Quietest song you know

Keaton Henson – You

I first heard this dude on Tiny Desk, and the description of the set was that he basically whispered the whole time and people had to crowd super close to him just to hear what he was saying.  The recording has a bit more instrumentation, but you can tell that he’s still basically whispering into a microphone.  I’m so into quiet music; I feel like it can be so emotional and it’s often overlooked because people think of loud wailing and yelling etc to be the emotional stuff.

Here’s the entire ‘EP’ as one thing, if you want to kick back and listen:

Magana is releasing Golden Tongue EP on the 28th of October on Audio Antihero. Pre-order it now via Bandcamp. And if you’re in New York, head to The Studio at Webster Hall on the 26th of October to catch the EP’s release show.

The post Mystery Mini Mix: Magana appeared first on Various Small Flames.

The Album Wall is a one-man blog run by Joel Dear, who writes all sorts of great things like this recent piece on CHUCK’s masterpiece and this not so recent piece on the legends that are Okkervil River, plus shares super controversial opinions like this semi-insinuation that Hospice isn’t the one of best albums ever committed to tape (though his original review used the word ‘essential’, so it’s all cool).

If You’re Beautiful

by Joel Dear

Song from a different continent to your own

Caetano Veloso – O Estrangeiro

Caetano Veloso is a Brazilian musician whom I was lucky enough to see live at the Primavera Sound festival in Porto a couple of years ago. I bought his Definitive Collection CD from one of the merch stalls while I was there, and while this track isn’t particularly typical of the compilation as a whole, I do enjoy the way it sounds a bit like Nine Inch Nails so here it is.

Song for the coldest day of the year

Sharon Van Etten – Tarifa

Few songs warm me up like ‘Tarifa’. When Sharon Van Etten recorded this track, she created a sort of audiowomb that almost envelopes you as you listen to it – perfect for simulating that warm ‘n’ toasty feeling on cold days.

Sure, it’s a pretty melancholy song. But it’s a cosy kind of melancholy, y’know?

Favourite song from this year

Mothers – Nesting Behaviour

There are currently a fair few tracks in contention for my personal ‘Song of 2016’ award (and obviously there are several exciting new releases still to come this year), but ‘Nesting Behaviour’ is certainly among the front-runners right now. Its sparing arrangement is a masterclass in not overdoing things, and the way Kristine Leschper’s voice swoops and wavers before soaring up to hit those last few high notes (“Reminding me not to bloom…”) gives me the trembles every time. Stunning.

Song that reminds you of someone awful

John Grant – Jesus Hates Faggots

When I was in sixth form – about eight or nine years ago now – I spent more time than I would have liked in the company of a truly awful person whose name I won’t disclose here. Let’s just call him James.

There was lots to dislike about James. He was irritating. He was lecherous. He was not very bright. He had more money than everyone else. He seemed to have no concept of personal space or boundaries; once, upon noticing my larger-than-average Adam’s apple, he literally reached across the table to try and touch it, the absolute freak.

Worst of all, though, were his religious beliefs. James was – if I remember correctly – a Baptist, and he genuinely held some of those scary beliefs that you don’t really expect to encounter nowadays outside certain parts of the USA. Most notably, he had very little tolerance for gay people; in fact, he once informed me that, if he encountered any “gays”, he would chain them to the back of his car and drag them around behind him as he drove. (Ironically, his favourite musician was Elton John, so either his homophobia was very selective or he missed a memo somewhere down the line.)

Frustratingly, most of the other people in my year seemed to think that James, for all his foibles, was a great laugh and a fun person to have around. For my part, I hated being around him – I think he’s still the closest thing I’ve ever met to the biblical bigots that John Grant imitates in this song’s choruses.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDFg7kuX97U

Song that reminds you of your favourite book

The Magnetic Fields – Asleep and Dreaming

My all-time favourite book is The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, which means that the obvious choice here would have been Paranoid Android from Radiohead’s OK Computer (named for Marvin the Paranoid Android, a character from Hitchhiker’s Guide who isn’t actually paranoid so much as clinically depressed).

However, I didn’t want to take the obvious choice, so I instead turned to one of my very favourite albums, the titanic three-disc pop odyssey that is 69 Love Songs by The Magnetic Fields. The beautiful Asleep and Dreaming is track number 42 of 69, and the number 42 – according to The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – is The Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything.

There aren’t really any parallels beyond that. I just like this song a lot and I’m kind of a sucker for number stuff.

Here’s the entire ‘EP’ as one thing, if that sounds like something you might prefer:

Be sure to add The Album Wall to your list of sites to check on Mondays/Wednesdays/Fridays, and follow his Twitter and Facebook pages as a reminder.

Artwork by Vicky, Joel’s girlfriend (he can’t remember why she drew this)

The post Mystery Mini Mix: The Album Wall appeared first on Various Small Flames.

Today we welcome Fredrick Arnold, the face behind Future Oak Records, a producer of some of the most careful, well-crafted releases you’ll ever care to see. As the ‘About’ page on their website reads: “Future Oak is wood panelled, it smells like a dry attic. The world is a brief and unfathomable experience and thus is our music. Swaddled in art, printed by hand and born of a moment. Limited releases, lathecuts, and hand printed ephemera”.

In addition, and while we only get to see it via intermittent guest post, Fredrick also has a way with words and an array of stories to tell. I think you’ll agree he has taken the Mystery Mix to a whole new level, not least thanks to the fantastic artwork.

A L L   I S   L O S T

by Fredrick Arnold

Song you’d play during the apocalypse

Califone – 3 Legged Animals

December 20th, 2012. We had just recently moved to Pittsburgh, a brand new city with zero ties, zero history. It’s late, I’m walking to the 24 hour Sunoco gas station to buy a candy bar, contemplating the listless trajectory of my life. I pay the cashier, he says, from behind a sheet of plexiglass, “Call your mom when you get home, the world is going to end tonight”. You believe that, and this is where you’re spending your last hours? I think, curious as to why he even charged me for the King-Sized Nutrageous. The thought of surviving an apocalypse is the most horrifying thought; what a cruel joke — to toil around in the ruins of humanity with a bunch of gun-toting survivalists or mutated what-nots. No thanks. If I wake up to end days then I’m going to put on this Califone track and see to my end.

Song with an animal in the title

Bonnie Prince Billy – The Signifying Wolf

You know, when you look at an animal and they’re looking back at you with those primitive eyes that seem to look through your flesh and into your soul? I think Will Oldham sees the world with those eyes. The eyes of a wolf. He’s got some sort of primal wisdom that he croons to us, unenlightened civilization. There’s so much to be said for batting your paws in the dirt, burying your snout in wet leaves. You can see someone so much clearer when you see through them.

Song that reminds you of school

Blur – Caravan

School was essentially several long lifetimes ago. I’m old now, some sort of man. School wasn’t a good time for me, I don’t like thinking about it. Maybe it’s because I was a tortured and sensitive boy, or maybe because thinking back puts into clear focus the reality that I have failed, as an adult, to outgrow the faults of my youth. The best thing about school, though, is that Dave Quackenbush used to let me pick the music in homeroom. I would not have graduated if it wasn’t for him, for what it’s work I owe him for that piece of paper. At the time we were both really into this Blur record, so it was on heavy rotation.

Song with the most startling lyric(s)

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – Loverman

I’ve listened to Let Love In countless times, it’s a brilliant record. Maybe the best from an artist with a catalog of bests. From one end to the next it is a tangled mess of raw emotion. There are moments of tenderness and extended periods of rage, anger and lust. As a whole, it’s hard to pick apart any moment as being more deranged than any other, however, I was driving home the other day and Loveman came on over the eternal shuffle and it hit me like a poison dagger.

It doesn’t hurt that Cave’s voice could make a Madonna song sound sinister, or that it comes after the record’s most gentle track, Nobody’s Baby Now, but the unfettered evil of Loverman stands even when stripped of context and voice. It’s easy to read the lyrics of this song like a ransom note; a threat of impending sexual aggression. Demons, monsters — the most troubling aspect is that this song is unrelentingly human.

Song that reminds you of someone special

Mississippi John Hurt – You are my Sunshine

My little sister took guitar lessons with Arthur Elliot; an old man she befriended in the Corning Dunkin’ Donuts. In an instant he became a part of our family. He died before she learned the one song he was trying to teach her, but she was really just taking the lessons as an excuse to be near him. There was a moment right before he died when all of us were together. He asked for his guitar with a voice so faint he could have been a ghost and weakly picked out a couple of verses of You are my Sunshine. My sister cried in his kitchen afterwards; he never got to play that song at my mother’s wedding.

For those of you who would prefer to listen to the mix in its entirety, here’s just the thing:

Follow Future Oak Records on Facebook and Twitter, and keep an eye on their website for news. You can find all of the entries so far in the Mystery Mini Mix series here, and be sure to check back next week for the next instalment.

The post Mystery Mini Mix: Fredrick Arnold appeared first on Various Small Flames.

Today is the turn of Jamie Halliday, the man behind Audio Antihero and thus one of the main reasons we’ve been graced with great music from Frog, Benjamin Shaw and, most recently, CHUCK.

Welcome to Danger Town, Population: You

by Jamie Halliday

Song with a name in the title

Bruce Springsteen – Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)

This is THE song with a name in the title. Bruce Springsteen is always good, great, whatever but I like him most from ‘73-’78. These were the years of hope, doubt and desperation and in my mind that’s what music was made for. I love how he took what should probably have been 3-minutes of goofy fun and turned into a seven-minute party. Throw this baby on and within a few moments the whole world is in love with Rosie. Except me, I’m happily fucking married.

Song that reminds you of being somewhere awful

The Blue Nile – Tinseltown in the Rain

I hated my job. I hated it so much that I still kinda keep tabs on the people I worked with, so that I can hate them from afar. Hate is destructive and terrible, hate is the last thing 2016 needs more of. But I have some hate.

The Blue Nile’s A Walk Across the Rooftops was a record that got played a lot in that office. By a guy I hated. I remember saying it sounded like Talking Heads without any melody or ideas. Not sure why. But it was a big time grower and I used it to faux-connect with my Scottish roots by dueting this bad boy with the other (and far more legit) Scot in the office. This song reminds me of trying to make the most of being in a bad place, which might be what the band intended.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTMyr9x6ZPU

Song for the sunniest day of the year

Afghan Whigs – John the Baptist

I used to be a goth, I don’t enjoy the sun. But when I was a wee bit better looking, I used to hit the streets (I.E walk to a train station, maybe go somewhere nice for lunch and a read) to the bright sounds of 1965 by The Afghan Whigs. So, I think this is a pretty good call. “John the Baptist” is comically sexy.

Song from at least ten years ago

Fear of Pop – In Love

This is my favourite song of all time. I try and sneak it into every playlist in the world. Listen to it once, listen to it one thousand times, you’ll keep finding new things to think about. On “In Love”, William Shatner represents every shitbag you’ve ever been and every shitbag you may still become. It’s a joke and it’s a warning. I’ve liked, loved and disliked Ben Folds but this is always my favourite thing. I don’t think many people like the records I release, but it’d be an okay consolation prize if I could get a few people to accidentally hear this song.

“So now you have me completely figured out. You feel sorry for me, I can’t express my feelings, I can’t tell the truth, We are all alike. At puberty I was sworn to secrecy by the international brotherhood of lying fickle males. I can’t tell you anything, and I can’t commit! You’re right, I can’t commit… to you! I will always treasure our time together. I don’t feel enough of anything to harbor the kind of disdain that you’ll maintain. You painted me into what you wanted to see and that’s fine…But you will never know me.”

Song that sounds like the bottom of the ocean

Bjork – Play Dead

I wanted to make a joke about how there’s some musicians I’d wanna put in the ocean but I’m trying to be less horrible about music I don’t like because who cares.

“Play Dead” is so good, powerful and wild that you could probably say that it sounds like anything. End of the world, glacier calving, moonlanding, Eleanor Roosevelt’s professional wrestling debut, whatever. Anything interesting or special, “Play Dead” could represent. I always felt like Bjork was inhumanly talented, like RJ MacReady may have something to say about it. If you didn’t know about The Sugarcubes, it probably wouldn’t be the most shocking thing if Bjork turned out to come from the greatest depths of the Ocean.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHiHZ35TPfM

Song without words

Benjamin Shaw – Johnny Come Home

Nobody is ever gonna tell that you that Benjamin Shaw isn’t a pain in the arse. He’s also my hero and the absolute best. This is from a largely instrumental record that he self-released back in 2010 that I can’t take any credit for but still kind of tried to. Oh, we were younger then. He gargles and it sounds nice.

Song in a different language to your native tongue

Mellow Man Ace – Mas Pingon

So, I married into a Cuban American family last year and have found that I have very different Cuban idols than my wife. She has Ricky Ricardo, I have Rocky Romero. She has Celia Cruz, I have Cypress Hill. Did you know Cypress Hill had a former member? Did you know Sen Dog had a brother? Both are true and the answer to both follow up questions is Mellow Man Ace. “Mas Pingon” is from his album ‘Escape from Havana’ and I guess it’s about his big dick but that doesn’t seem so bad when you can’t speak Spanish.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tF9KmHRCa94

Audio Antihero has a very neat Bandcamp page, so click on over and dip a toe into their discography. While we’re often beating the Frog/Shaw drum, rest assured that acts like Nosferatu D2 and Low Low Low La La La Love Love Love are equally unusual and incomparable and generally well worth your time.

Oh and check back next week for the next Mystery Mini Mix!

The post Mystery Mini Mix: Audio Antihero appeared first on Various Small Flames.

This week we hand things over to CHUCK, aka Charles Griffin Gibson, who recently put out My Band is My Computer, one of the most interesting and enjoyable albums of the year so far. You can read our review for a more in-depth analysis of the songs, but the concluding paragraph should indicate whether or not you’ll appreciate what CHUCK is all about:

“Playing like a collaboration between Owen Ashworth and Bret Easton Ellis… covering everything that’s terrible and everything that’s not about being a young adult in the twenty-first century, somehow managing to tap into the human kernel at the centre of our zombified lurch of nostalgia and regret”

I’ll Do It Better Than Anybody Else*

by CHUCK

Song that reminds you of your favourite video game

Ben Kweller ­- Falling

Oh man, this song is a real blast from the past. As you can tell I haven’t played video games in a long time. I used to listen to this record when I would play Tony Hawk back in High School though. Ben Kweller rules. I love the songs and production on this album. I really looked up to him as a teenager. Also, I’m just realizing that he sounds exactly like Rivers Cuomo.

Song from at least ten years ago

Heatmiser ­- Half Right

I heard this song for the first time the other day because someone posted it on Facebook. And I call myself a real Elliott Smith fan! I can’t believe I never heard this! This coulda been one of his hits man. His voice was such an unbelievable treasure. I’ve been trying to record and mix my acoustic guitars like him for years, but I’ll never figure it out. Something about how he combines the high and low end is so emotive to me.

Wildest song you know

Kanye West ­- Freestyle 4

I think Kanye West generally sucks at freestyling. That’s what makes this song so wild. He stumbles. He repeats things. There’s not really a rhyme scheme. It feels like, coupled with the beat, that he’s going insane with a furious desire to fuck, and to do it in public. It says a lot about his celebrity and his ego. But I also relate to it just as a man with a sex drive. Sometimes you get these potent sexual urges at random times. Like a little angry man freestyling in your head. It literally feels like this song. The beat is so Hitchcock too. Man I love this track.

Song that makes you want to change the world

TEEN ­- Better

TEEN is a really hard working band out of BK. This was the first song I heard by them. I think the lyrics obviously fit the prompt, but also something about the instrumentation and repetition of the melody pump me up. One time I was listening to this while biking over the Manhattan bridge and I ended up crashing with this guy who was coming in the opposite direction. It was pretty disorienting and we both sort of biked away mumbling insults at each other. I didn’t have any injuries or anything, but it still shook me up. I don’t think I’ve heard this song since that incident, but it immediately came to mind when I read the prompt. Enjoy!

Song that makes you want to dance around your bedroom

TOPS ­- Way To Be Loved

If you can stay still to this song you are dead. The guitarist in this band is really special. I love his riffs, melodically and rhythmically. The singer is also great. I have actually danced to this song in my bedroom. This should be played at every party.

Song without words

Vincent Gallo ­- Was

I had a dream I met Vincent Gallo the other night. I used to be obsessed with him. I haven’t thought of him in many years though. I was digging around for a song for this, and saw his name, and remembered how much of an impression his music made on me as a teenager. I love its crudeness. It feels amateur, dirty and timeless. I really look up to him, because he’s done so much. Acting, writing, directing, music, modelling, dancing, etc. I’m not much compared to him, but I also feel compelled to wear many different hats. I remember, in the early internet days, he was selling his own semen on his website. I think it was like $100,000 and had a note that said “you can receive the semen however you want.” Man, I wonder what he’s up to now. He was so funny. I gotta watch Buffalo ‘66 again.

Here’s a Playmoss playlist that collects all the tracks, for those of you who prefer to go with the flow:

* Title decided by Jon

My Band is My Computer is out now and available via Audio Antihero/Old Money Records. Grab your copy from the CHUCK Bandcamp page.

Photo by Joseph Talman

The post Mystery Mini Mix: CHUCK appeared first on Various Small Flames.

This week we welcome Lauren Rearick of The Grey Estates. If you need something by way of introduction, our review of her recent compilation, Sugar Rush, is probably a good place to start. Also, Lauren runs a podcast with her friend Noah that you should listen/subscribe to right now.

Choices Without Reason

by Lauren Rearick

Song you’d play during the apocalypse

Phantom Planet – Big Brat

If the world was going to end in a fiery explosion or whatever and I was left to watch, I’d wanna go out in style. I’m kind of obsessed with Phantom Planet, as they soundtracked my high school years and adult years. I feel like this would be appropriate to play as you got to watch all of the “Big Brat”s disappear. I also wouldn’t wanna play a sad song because I don’t know what’s beyond and maybe it’s pretty cool.

Song for the sunniest day of the year

Thee Oh Sees – AA Warm Breeze

Thee Oh Sees are basically the hardest working, best garage/punk/badass rockers out there and their entire catalog is made for sunshine. There are two versions of “AA Warm Breeze” out there and I prefer this more reckless one. It’s a little longer than the one that appears on Castlemania and gets you ready for an adventure in the sunshine.

Song that reminds you of someone awful

Yo La Tengo – Autumn Sweater

I pretended to like this song and band for the longest time because a then boyfriend was all about them but I hate it. A lot. It’s sad and mopey like him.

(Jon: Lauren asked me to add a second song here, “Because I feel like as much as we think we need to depend on someone else, there are times when it’s perfectly okay to be alone”).

Song with a city in the title

Cayetana – South Philly

Cayetana is poetry, endless relatable poetry that pours forth from the deepest parts of their heart. I was in Philly once for a millisecond and their music always feels like you’re in some dingy basement somewhere watching them make musical magic.

Song that makes you want to dance around your bedroom

The Coathangers – Squeeki Tiki

I literally do dance around in my bedroom to this song. The Coathangers are my inspiration for life and embracing being a bad ass female. They also use a dog toy for this song. A DOG TOY!

Song you’d like played in your funeral

Chastity Belt – Drone

The first time I heard “Drone” from Chastity Belt, I felt as if they had basically lifted a page from my diary. When you spend a lifetime trying to prove yourself to men or gain any sort of recognition in the field of music journalism as a female, this is the song you need to motivate you. It’s my anthem.

And here’s the mix as one handy Playmoss playlist for those of you that are too lazy to click play more than once:

Make sure you add The Grey Estates to your bookmarks (you people still use bookmarks, right?), and to pop back here next week for the next Mystery Mini Mix.

The post Mystery Mini Mix: Lauren Rearick appeared first on Various Small Flames.

Today we welcome the friendly human behind Very Small Album Review, the Twitter account that does what it says on the tin. If you prefer you new music in palatable doses without too many words or details, this is the place for you.

Small Albums Test Mix

by Small Albums

Song from a different continent

Architecture in Helsinki – Debbie

Architecture in Helsinki is not from Finland, but they are from Australia. I love Australia, and I have always loved this band. I chose the song “Debbie” because it’s a perfect song in my book. Every time I hear it I think of ostriches just going wild at a Giant Bird Party. The mix of synthesizers and horns is killer. But the greatest part of the song is the scream blurts at the end of some of the verses. I always imagine an ostrich swallowing magma and then just freaking out at those parts. Also the way the vocals literally sound worn out by the end of the song is so genuine and excellent. I love this song. Ride a bike and listen to this song. It’ll be the best bike ride ever. You might just do an E.T., and fly past the moon!

Loudest song you know

Dan Deacon – Wham City

So volume wise I could pick any song by The Chariot, or Test Icicles had some absolute scorchers, or those original Sleigh Bells demos that were so good and so ear splitting. (Wish they would have stayed on that path). But in using the term “loud” I thought of like when someone’s wearing a “loud” shirt, or a person is described as “loud.” So the “loudest” song i immediately thought of is Dan Deacon’s masterpiece, “Wham City.” The first time I heard this song in my car I couldn’t get over how thrilled I was that this piece of music is real. It is so long, so insane, so fun, so over the top! If this song was a shirt, I would wear it multiple times a week.

Song with food in the title

mewithoutYou – A Stick, A Carrot & String

To me this is a Christmas song. One of the best ever. It focuses on the glory of the birth of Jesus and who He TRULY is. His desire to bring a grace we cannot earn or buy and the relief he so peacefully showed up to extend to all of us. mewithoutYou is my ultimate favorite band, and this song just speaks the truth in love and gentleness. There’s also an electric lead at the end sprinkled above the song that sits so nicely. The part at the end about the snake is one of the most poignant pieces of writing I’ve ever heard. “And the snake who’d held the world, a stick, a carrot and a string was crushed beneath the Foot of Your not wanting anything.”

Song with a city in the title

Girls – Life in San Francisco

Girls is one of my all time fave bands. This B-Side from Album is like eating a Ghirardelli chocolate square, but the filling inside is a window with yellow sunlight pouring in over old flower patterned drapes on a drowsy Sunday afternoon.

Song you’d like played at your funeral

Sister Rosetta Tharpe – My Journey To The Sky

It would be rad if everyone that comes to my funeral made some jokes, did some stand up comedy, and then at the end, this incredible Sister Rosetta Tharpe song plays as everyone walks out and everyone sings really loudly along with it. Just completely focused on me going home to my friend Jesus. Then everyone goes outside and eats pizza and root beer floats and it’s a beautiful day.

Song to soundtrack the distant future

Q and Not U – Soft Pyramids

So the easy way out on this topic of the future is some sort of robotic, electronic jam. But this Q and Not U song has stuck with me for so long, and it’s what I hope the future looks like. In this future we speak in spelling and there’s weird quiet places in conversation rather than filling every second up with noise. The way this song ends is exactly what I hope for the future. I hope we go back to what would have been sitting around and listening to someone play a harmonica outside of a hand made house, but the harmonica of the future=the melodica, of course. This song was ahead of its time and in some ways still feels like it is. Future song.

Song from this year

Young Scum – If You Say That

This is Small Albums approved SONG OF THE SUMMER. It would go well in the opening scenes of a ‘90s teen comedy, but a smart one that deserves the depth and excellence of the songwriting Young Scum bring to their music. The thing about this song is the beginning is REALLY IMMEDIATELY GREAT, but the song only gets even better as it goes on. Definitely going to be one of our VERY fave songs of 2016.

And for those of you who like a bit of continuity in life, here are the songs collected into a Playmoss playlist ready for your listening pleasure.

Be sure to give Small Albums a follow on Twitter and Instagram, and check back next week for the next instalment of Mystery Mini Mix.

The post Mystery Mini Mix: Very Small Album Review appeared first on Various Small Flames.