What's up burnmixers! I know I haven't done my part but in an effort to stir it up a little I'm going to invoke a new rule...please state one track from my mix (excluding Endless Rain) that deserves the boot (because it sucks or you feel that it doesn't fit) and also a song that you think would've fit better.
So Shi-Boo-Ya! I spent nearly four weeks in Japan for work. It's just a fascinating country and a life experience that I wanted to capture with this mix. Knowing that my burnmix month was around the corner I tried to watch a lot of Japanese Mtv but it was almost all J-pop - too much even for me. The record stores were also no help because everything except the American stuff was in Japanese. So I started with the few bands with Japan in their name and carried on from there. This mix went all over the place and at different times deserved to be called Shi-blue-ya and at others Shi-BOO-Yah! It ended up somewhere in the middle - hope you guys enjoy it and hopefully we'll get to meet up soon.
Shout out to my subaru - it went 243,000 strong.
Download all songs-
Kavinsky and Lovefoxxx / Nightcall
The perfect leading track for Shi-Boo-Ya. Synthy, a little eerie, with sketchy deep vocals. From the movie Drive - one of my favorites. Lovefoxxx is part Japanese.
More Info from Last.FM
Kavinsky, also known as Vincent Belorgey, is an electro house artist from Paris, France, and has released EPs on the Record Makers label and another one with Fool's Gold label. He has worked with several prominent electro artists including Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and SebastiAn. OutRun, his first studio album, was released in 2013. Kavinsky has toured alongside Daft Punk, The Rapture, Justice, and SebastiAn in 2007. In addition to his music career he has also appeared in several films including Steak, directed by longtime friend Mr. Read more on Last.fm more...
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Twin Shadow / Five Seconds
Just a refreshing album and inspired by a motorcycle crash that occurred in Boston.
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George Lewis Jr. (born March 30, 1983), better known by his stage name Twin Shadow, is a Dominican-American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor based out of Los Angeles, California. He has written a novel, scripted TV series and released four albums: Forget (2010), Confess (2012), Eclipse (2015), and Caer (2018) http://twinshadow.net/ Read more on Last.fm more...
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The Japanese Popstars / Shells of Silver
These guys are generally straight up house music but this track stands alone and leaves me wishing there was more like it.
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The Japanese Popstars are ravenous. Since they first tasted success in 2006 with their first two releases on a small indie dance label, their career has been one smooth, upward curve. But now that line is about to take a sharp rise vertically. Three lads from Northern Ireland who have spent the last two years racking up the air miles as they’ve taken their coruscating live show to all four corners of the globe… and still found time to make the record of their lives with their second album, ‘Controlling Your Allegiance’. Read more on Last.fm more...
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Japan / Ghosts
Wrestled with removing this track a handful of times. At one point I had centered the entire mix around it but the mix sounded too slow and depressing. In the end, it needed to stay, if not just for their name - but I think it fits here.
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British art rock band Japan was formed in 1974 in Lewisham, South London, England with original members David Sylvian (vocals, guitar), Mick Karn (bass guitar, saxophone), Richard Barbieri (keyboards), Rob Dean (guitar), and Steve Jansen (percussion). Dean left the band in 1981, before the recording of Japan's final album, Tin Drum. Japan began playing glam rock, influenced by David Bowie, The New York Dolls and Motown. Japan debuted on record with 1978's Adolescent Sex and subsequently Obscure Alternatives Read more on Last.fm more...
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Japandroids / Evil's Sway
Question: Who do these guys sound like? One of their album covers has a picture of Jesus with his arms stretched out and a blindfold over his eyes - white background I think. This has been driving me nuts for weeks.
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Japandroids is a Canadian rock duo from Vancouver, British Columbia formed in 2006. The group consists of Brian King (guitar, vocals) and David Prowse (drums, vocals). After self-releasing 2007's All Lies and 2008's Lullaby Death Jams EPs to little attention, the band was effectively broken up by the end of 2008. In January 2009, Japandroids signed to Unfamiliar Records for the release of their debut LP Post-Nothing, deciding to continue on temporarily. Read more on Last.fm more...
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Metric / Dreams So Real
Have a thing for Emily Haines.
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Metric is an indie rock/New Wave band formed in 1998 in Toronto, Canada. The band members are Emily Haines (vocals, synths, guitar, tambourine), James Shaw (guitar, synths, theremin, backing vocals), Josh Winstead (bass, synths, backing vocals) and Joules Scott-Key (drums). The band name was inspired after a sound called "Metric" that was programmed by Shaw on his keyboard. They were based at various times at Toronto, Montreal, London, NYC and LA. Read more on Last.fm more...
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Yeah Yeah Yeahs / Down Boy
And Ms. O.
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Yeah Yeah Yeahs are an American rock band formed in New York City in 2000. The group is composed of vocalist Karen O, guitarist Nick Zinner, and drummer Brian Chase. The band has recorded four studio albums; originally signed to independent Touch and Go Records they have released all albums on major record label Interscope. The first, Fever to Tell, was released in 2003. The second, Show Your Bones, was released in 2006 and was named the second best album of the year by NME. Read more on Last.fm more...
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M83 / We Own The Sky
Hearing Midnight City on Noah's mix made me pull out this album again. One of my favorites.
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M83 is a French-American electronic music project formed in Antibes, Alpes-Maritimes in 2001 and currently based in Los Angeles, United States. The band's primary member is vocalist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer Anthony Gonzalez. The band was initially formed as a duo also with Nicolas Fromageau; it has released eight albums and two soundtracks, including the Grammy Award-nominated Hurry Up, We're Dreaming. Gonzalez and Fromageau parted ways shortly after touring their second album Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts. Read more on Last.fm more...
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Beach House / Myth
I'm curious to hear how you guys feel about this album? I've never listened to a pre-released track more than this one and I may have ruined the album for myself. Needless to say, I was happy to see that it didn't show up on Noah's mix.
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Beach House is a dream pop group that formed in 2005 in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. The group consists of Victoria Legrand (vocals, organ) and Alex Scally (guitar, keyboards). Legrand is the niece of French composer Michel Legrand. The group has released seven albums: Beach House (2006), Devotion (2008), Teen Dream (2010), Bloom (2012), Depression Cherry (2015), Thank Your Lucky Stars (2015) and 7 (2018) Within a year of formation, the group charmed indie music enthusiasts across the blogosphere with their languid songcraft Read more on Last.fm more...
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Missing Persons / Walking in L.A.
I heard this track two separate times during my stay in Japan. I thought it was a new Yeah Yeah Yeahs track but was surprised to find out that it's an oldy. Japan and Missing Persons both impress me with how progressive they sound.
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Missing Persons is a new wave band that formed in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1980. The band originally consisted of Dale Bozzio (vocals), Warren Cuccurullo (guitar), Patrick O'Hearn (bass, vocals), Chuck Wild (keyboards) and Terry Bozzio (drums). Cuccurullo and The Bozzios were previously members of Frank Zappa's backing band. The band released three albums: "Spring Session M" (1982), "Rhyme & Reason" (1984) and "Color in Your Life" (1986). Read more on Last.fm more...
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Sleigh Bells / End Of The Line
These guys are be bit hot or cold. I believe Kristin had Rill Rill on one of her mixes which is an awesome track.
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Sleigh Bells is an electronic and noise pop duo formed in 2008 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. The band members are Alexis Krauss (vocalist, lyricist) and Derek E. Miller (songwriter, guitarist, producer). Miller was formerly the guitarist for the hardcore band Poison the Well, and Krauss was a member of the teen pop group RubyBlue. In 2008, Miller was waiting tables at a neighborhood Brazilian restaurant, Miss Favela, where he encountered Alexis and her mother. Read more on Last.fm more...
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The Republic Tigers / Made Concrete
Almost made it into my previous mix but glad I saved it because I think it fits here.
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Kansas City's The Republic Tigers started as Kenn Jankowski's (The Golden Republic) side project. With that band now defunct, The Republic Tigers have gone on to tour with Nada Surf and have their song Buildings & Mountains featured on ABC's hit show Grey's Anatomy. The Republic Tigers' first full-length album Keep Color was released in March of 2008, crafting a blend of Rogue Wave-esque swooning indie rock with quirky touches of psychedelia reminiscent of The Flaming Lips. Read more on Last.fm more...
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AIr France / No Excuses
Hearing the sample in Drake's Take Care made me want to dig up the original again. I also almost put The Motto on this mix.
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Air France was a band from Göteborg, Sweden. Their music has been described as "post-rave bliss", "beach foam pop" and "Balearic disco", although they refer to their music as "Disco Dub". Their No Way Down EP received favorable reviews. Air France announced their split-up on March 26th, 2012 on their Tumblr. Read more on Last.fm more...
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Frank Ocean / Bad Religion
[Shamefully, this is where the pitchfork poaching begins] Sounds like he's another former producer/songwriter that's better off writing hits for himself.
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Frank Ocean (born October 28, 1987) is an American singer/songwriter and member of the gleefully-hedonistic hip-hop collective OFWGKTA. He was born Christopher Edwin Cooksey (later legally changed to Breaux) in Long Beach, California, and moved to New Orleans with his family as a young child. He has helped pen tracks for Justin Bieber, John Legend, Brandy, and Beyoncé. In 2011, Ocean released his debut mixtape, Nostalgia, Ultra, for free via his Tumblr. Read more on Last.fm more...
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Santigold / Disparate Youth
Same here.
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Santigold (born Santi White on September 25, 1976) is a musician, songwriter and producer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA who formerly went under the stage name Santogold. She is perhaps best known for the song L.E.S. Artistes which became a hit in the UK and on American alternative radio. In February 2009, she officially changed her stage name to Santigold as a result of infomercial jeweller Santo Gold threatening legal action against White and her label Downtown Records. Read more on Last.fm more...
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Blur / Under The Westway
A bit unexciting but I'm a sucker for Blur.
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Blur is an alternative rock band which formed in Colchester, England in 1989. The band consists of Damon Albarn (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Graham Coxon (guitar, vocals), Alex James (bass) and Dave Rowntree (drums). Blur's debut album Leisure (1991) incorporated the sounds of Madchester and Shoegazing and spawned their first UK Top 10 single, There's No Other Way. Following a stylistic change in 1992 (influenced by English guitar groups such as The Kinks Read more on Last.fm more...
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Cat Power / Ruin
This track is almost what Myth was for me a few months back.
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Cat Power is American singer-songwriter, musician, occasional actress, and model Charlyn Marie Marshall (also known as Chan, pronounced "Shawn") (born in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. on 21 January 1972). Cat Power was originally the name of Marshall's first band, but has become her stage name as a solo artist. After dropping out of high school, Marshall started performing under the name Cat Power, while in Atlanta, backed by musicians Glen Thrasher, Mark Moore, and others. Read more on Last.fm more...
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The Walkmen / We Can't Be Beat
Strange to hear an upbeat Cat Power track and a pleasant/playful version of The Walkmen.
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The Walkmen are an American indie rock band, with members based in New York City and Philadelphia. The band formed in 2000 with three members from Jonathan Fire*Eater—Paul Maroon (guitar, piano), Walter Martin (organ/bass), and Matt Barrick (drums)—and two from The Recoys, Peter Matthew Bauer (bass/organ) and Hamilton Leithauser (vocals, guitar). All but Bauer attended St. Albans in Washington, D.C. The band are currently on hiatus, with Leithauser Read more on Last.fm more...
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X Japan / Endless Rain
My roommate's favorite band from freshman year. One of those heavy metal bands with a knack for power ballads. This is their most famous power ballad - Japan's answer to November Rain.
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X Japan is one of the most influential visual kei bands in the history of the Japanese music scene. Formed by childhood friends Yoshiki and Toshi in 1982 at Chiba, Japan, X was originally founded to play high energy rock music. Besides being one of the first Japanese acts to achieve mainstream success while on an independent label, the group is widely credited for pioneering the visual kei movement. Their early music was speed metal, but later on they acquired a more symphonic metal sound. Read more on Last.fm more...
