This mix reflects a quest to find new stuff that rung my bell., I have to say - it was hard to find. Is it the pandemic? Is it the quality of the music in the queue? Is it the state of music in general? I think the "Mixer Formerly Known as Andy" expressed a similar opinion recently. I'm not sure i have the answer, but I looked high and low for new tunes by new artists. With the exception of John Moreland (Saunders), Sufjan (Joe) and Blitzen Trapper (me), these are all artists new to Burnmix. At least according to ITunes, the genres fall into ten categories. I don't know if that's good or bad or otherwise, but there is a quixotic variety to the tunes on 124. It starts hard and ends soft. I suppose, in the end, this mix is no more than songs that piqued my ears/brain and seemed to stand the test of time and repeated listenings. It's not much more than that.....and I hope you enjoy.
And let me say this about the cover. I know that Noah had a Northern Lights theme and photo for Burnmix 106 last year. But I asked my friend, Steve Upton, to design this cover and requested a photo from his northern lights trip last year. Steve and I worked together for over two decades with Mike Kittredge/Yankee Candle. In his retirement he has become a most excellent photopgrapher. While his focus is wildlife photography, this shot was taken in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories - north of Alberta and just a few hundred miles south of the Arctic Circle. Steve travels the globe in search of subject matter, and flew to this area of Canada to capture the northern lights......and, of course, to provide a cover for Burnmix 124.
Check out his stuff here.....
https://steveuptonphotography.com
Thanks, Steve.
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Brothers Osbourne / Hatin' Somebody
This tune either needed to be first or not at all. It's such a barnburner. Two brothers from Maryland by way of Nashville. It may not be to everyone's taste, but after waffling on it for weeks, it maintained it's #1 position. Aside from being a great down home message the playing and singing are stellar. I love "chit chit" as a rhythm and the slide guitar reminds me of Sonny Landreth. And I so dig the outro. Fast forward if not your cup of tea.
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Iration / Coastin'
I'm finding the younger generation is beginning to have an influence on my mixes. You? If almost 5 and 8 year-olds love this song, I figure the fortyish crowd might appreciate it as well. Just a happy breezy infectious song. The chorus chord (A) at 1:23 and 2:34 is soaring and inspiring. Hawaiian reggae?
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There are multiple artists/bands with the name Iration: (1) Iration is a rock/reggae band originally from Hawaii but have since relocated to Santa Barbara, CA, US. In 2007, they recorded and released their first full length album "No Time for Rest" at Castaway 7 Studios in Ventura, Ca, which featured one of the last recorded performances by reggae legend Mikey Dread. Their single “Cookie Jar” reached number one in Hawaii on 93.9 DaBeat and was featured on Fuel TV’s Triple Crown of Surfing recap. Read more on Last.fm more...
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Cult With No Name / Blind Dogs for the Guides
Gotta get dark and broody after the first two tunes. This was sitting in the lead-off spot for quite some time, but slid down so to start off with some more up-lifting tunes. I love the ticka-ticka synth riff that kicks in at .35 and keeps reappearing. There are a few too many "blind dogs" at the end - we know the dogs are blind by that point - but love the sinister synthian sound of this song.
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‘Post-punk electronic balladeers’ Cult With No Name, comprise the East London duo of Erik Stein and Jon Boux. Having been the first international signing to LA label Trakwerx in 2007 (founded by Jackson Del Rey of Californian punk legends Savage Republic), CWNN’s first two studio albums – ‘Paper Wraps Rock’ and ‘Careful What You Wish For’ – have been met with considerable critical acclaim. Leading UK music journalist Mick Mercer Read more on Last.fm more...
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Marcus King / Sweet Mariona
Short and sweet. Listen to this voice and tell me that's a 24 year-old. This youngster began playing the guitar at 4, started his band in Greenville, SC at 17, and had this song and the album it is from produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys. Not bad.
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Marcus King is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He also fronts The Marcus King Band. Read more on Last.fm more...
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Bruce Hornsby (feat. Leon Russell) / Anything Can Happen
New cut from Bruce's upcoming album. Great story about this song. After becoming friends in the late 80s - Hornsby helped Leon Russell get a record deal with Virgin Records. Leon asked Bruce to write him a "Barry White" kind of song for his first album in over ten years. This song was the result and the title track of Leon's 1994 album of the same name. Fast forward 26 years and Bruce has re-recorded the song, impersonating Leon's distinctive vocal style - and with Leon singing on the chorus. Love the story almost as much as the song. The stand-up bass is key.
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Bruce Randall Hornsby (born November 23, 1954 in Williamsburg, Virginia) is an American singer, virtuoso pianist, accordion player, and songwriter. He is probably best known for his 1980s signature song "The Way It Is" and the top five hits "Mandolin Rain," and "The Valley Road", all recorded as Bruce Hornsby & The Range, and for his long association with the Grateful Dead. In some of his solo albums (from 1993) he moved in a less commercial, more musically-challenging direction. Read more on Last.fm more...
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Blitzen Trapper / Magical Thinking
A very unique chord progression and sparkling harmonies really solidify this tune.
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Blitzen Trapper is an experimental rock/folk sextet which formed in Portland, Oregon, United States in 2000. The band consists of Eric Earley (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Erik Menteer (guitar, keyboards), Marty Marquis (guitar, keyboards, vocals), Michael Van Pelt (bass), Drew Laughery (keyboards) and Brian Koch (drums, vocals). In various combinations and guises, the group had already played a long time together before the "crystalization event" in July 2000 on the slopes of the famous volcano Mt. Read more on Last.fm more...
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Zero 7 (feat. Jem Cooke) / Swimmers
Love the parallel voices on this - one octave apart - Jem Cooke softening the delivery.
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Zero 7 is a London, UK downtempo duo, founded in , by Henry Binns & Sam Hardaker. They began as studio engineers at Mickie Most's RAK recording studio in London, engineering music for British groups like the Pet Shop Boys, Young Disciples, and Robert Plant. In 1997 they were asked by a college friend, Nigel Godrich (who was busy producing 'OK Computer'), to remix Radiohead's "Climbing Up the Walls". They called the mix "the Zero 7 Mix" which stuck. Read more on Last.fm more...
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Summer Walker & Usher / Come Thru
This tune was on and off this mix for the past month. I needed a little punch mid-point and it made the cut. I'm not usually a fan of the auto-tuner on vocals, but she uses it to great effect. I find this song infectious and sexy.
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In a swiftly growing city full of newcomers, Atlanta native Summer Walker emerges with the raw, soulful energy that RnB devotees live for. The singer/writer/musician explores new melodies providing her instrumentalist input in production, showcasing her influence from greats such as Amy Winehouse, Erykah Badu and Jimi Hendrix. Summer shares her moody vibes through piano and guitar along with her captivating vocal execution. Read more on Last.fm more...
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Phoebe Bridgers / Garden Song
This song starts with such a murky presentation, then Phoebe's clear-as-a-bell voice comes in to cut through the morass. As the song develops it's like the her voice is swallowed into the fuzzy undertones of the mix. Beautiful imagery in her lyrics. "And when your skinhead neighbor goes missing, I'll plant a garden in the yard." Indeed.
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Phoebe Bridgers (born August 17, 1994) is an American indie musician from Los Angeles, California. Known for her work as a solo singer-songwriter, she is also part of Boygenius (with Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus), and Better Oblivion Community Center (with Conor Oberst). Bridgers' evocative lyrics and commanding voice have drawn comparisons to artists like Julien Baker, Conor Oberst and Julia Jacklin. A graduate of the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, Bridgers released her debut 7", "Killer", in 2015. Read more on Last.fm more...
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John Moreland / Harder Dreams
First time Jeanie heard this tune she turned to me and asked, "Bruce?" Nope. My favorite part of this song is the percussion. It tickles around the first verse, teases in the chorus and drops with the bass at 1:23. Just stellar drumming throughout.
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John Moreland (born 22June 1985) is an American singer-songwriter from Tulsa, Oklahoma. Moreland first debuted his name as a part of the Black Gold Band from 2006-2010, with a 2006 full-band demo, 2008's Endless Oklahoma Sky, and 2009's solo demo session falling in that time span before he decided to retire the Black Gold Band name. John continues to write and record music, and in 2010 will release Things I Can't Control under his own name. Black Gold Band guitarist Wayne Wedge has returned to perform secondary guitar duties Read more on Last.fm more...
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Sufjan Stevens / Video Games
Synth pop.
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Sufjan Stevens (Born July 1, 1975) is an American musician, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist from Petoskey, Michigan. He is known for his lyrically focused and instrumentally rich songs that often relate to faith and family. He has enjoyed wide critical success in the United States. He is considered part of the folk revival through indie pop, but his influences are very broad, including experimental electronic music, the jazz of Vince Guaraldi, and the academic minimalism of Steve Reich and Philip Glass. Read more on Last.fm more...
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Ben Harper & Rhiannon Giddens / Black Eyed Dog
Something so raw about this song - the unbalanced harmonies on top of a droning understory of Giddens on banjo and Harper on lap steel guitar - plus a wailing fiddle The harmonies on this American roots tune - a remake of a Nick Drake tune recorded just before his death in 1974 - are unique and stirring.
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Ben Harper (born in Pomona, CA, on 28 October 1969) is an American Grammy-winning singer and songwriter. As well as solo albums, he has recorded as Ben Harper and Tom Freund, Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals, Ben Harper And The Blind Boys Of Alabama, Ben Harper and Relentless7, Ben Harper & Charlie Musselwhite, and Ben & Ellen Harper. Harper grew up listening to blues, folk, soul, RnB, and reggae. Harper's blend of groove-laden funky soul and Read more on Last.fm more...
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Emily King / See Me
This was a most recent find and happy last minute addition to #124. A 35 year-old artist from NYC, she wrote this song in support of the BLM movement. The sparseness of the mix - just a strumming acoustic guitar - accentuates the beauty of her voice and presentation.
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King was born Emily Cowings to an international jazz duo, Marion Cowings and Kim Kalesti. Emily and her brother were always exposed to music, especially jazz and classical sounds during their childhood. "It was an amazing experience," she says. "It was very challenging. We went from the fanciest hotels one day, to the dirtiest motels the next day -- you know, just living off a musicians paycheck. Also, being around so much incredible music. We were in the jazz world so I was with Dizzy Gillespie one day to Clark Terry the next day. Read more on Last.fm more...
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Hawktail / Padiddle
I wanted this mix to end on a positive note - and this instrumental from a quartet - guitar, fiddle, mandolin, stand-up bass - totally fit the bill. The composition is complex and fluid - some great changes as they transition between instrumental leads. But, the tour de force is how they slow down at 3:12 and build back up to a frantic and rip-roaring fiddle finish that is absolutely mind-blowing. Nothing could follow this....so the mix ended. Thanks.....
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Hawktail is an American band of acoustic instrumentalists comprising Brittany Haas, Jordan Tice, Paul Kowert, and Dominick Leslie. Read more on Last.fm more...
