Logo design for senatorial candidate Robert Marshall of Illinois

92209mixtape

I came across a cool new site: imeem.com. They have cut deals with many record companies and you can share playlists you make on their site for free (however, some songs only allow 30 sec previews).

Here’s a brief of the artists and songs I’ve included:

Dead Can Dance are an Australian group of multi-instrumentalists that draw a lot from folk and world music. Many of their songs are in foreign and even ancient languages. This is the former band of Lisa Gerrard, the dramatic solo vocalist featured on many epic soundtracks such as Gladiator, Whale Rider, etc.

Blonde Redhead is a Japanese female-fronted alt band that I just think has interesting chord progressions and great drumming.

Shearwater is a project by a guy with a haunting voice, that isn’t always suitable for everyday listening. Apparently he named the band after a type of birds, because he is a birdwatcher.

Amon Tobin made a whole album using very strange high quality samples of natural events: bees, running water, lions, etc.

Clifford Brown, I just like nice smooth tunes like this, which are way too cool for elevators.

The Colour of Spring by Mark Hollis is very minimal, but sometimes those are the hardest things to do correctly. Slow, mellow, but nice piano.

Siouxsie and the Banshees are a kinda far-out, dark rock band of the 80s and 90s. She makes some pretty dramatic phrasing choices which always makes me interested.

Wes Montgomery “Watch What Happens” and listen as well. I like the stereo panning in this one, and it is just one of those songs that you don’t really pay full attention to and then it finally catches you and you smile and say “What is this? I like it.”