Bro, I made you a mixtape for the bustrip to the swamp

As I rode the bus down to Corkscrew Swamp for a college field trip, I imagined I was making a playlist for my class peers. Decked out in their backwards caps and Reef sandals, I tried to decide what my ipod had to offer them - what would they appreciate?

At 7:45AM the busload needed a load of uptempo jams, some old standbys. We needed Bruce Springsteen. We needed folk and pop, some grimey vocals, and complex drum fills.

I was also inspired by the ruggedness of my surroundings. I saw a gator.

This playlist is for the gator. And for you.



Use Somebody - Kings of Leon
We Are Not the Football Team - Minus the Bear
Born in the USA - Bruce Springsteen
No More Sorry Songs - Greenland is Melting
Boomboxes and Dictionaries - The Gaslight Anthem
Manhattan - Kings of Leon
Track 2 - Let's Go Exploring!
The Entertainer - Billy Joel
Heaven - Health
Even Cowgirls Get The Blues - The Gaslight Anthem
Chelsea (This Year's Model) - Elvis Costello
No Place Like You - Small Brown Bike
Do Better - Say Anything
Last Caress - The Misfits
Bus Song - Casiotone for the Painfully Alone

Download "Bro, I made you a mixtape" and it will be like you were there with me this morning.

Benefit For Haiti With Surfer Blood

This is pretty straight forward. Some of the best South Florida bands playing at one venue to support a really epic and awesome cause. I'll be there in full swing. If you don't know of any of these bands they are all really good.

Surfer Blood has been making all kinds of head way and have pretty much by now toured all over the place.

I'm not too familiar with John Ralston, but one listen to the tracks on his page and I'm pretty excited to hear him live.

Sweet Bronco is going to be awesome, and I'm actually pretty excited to see them.

Kill Now?! is probably one of my favorite bands right now. It's my buddy Oz's band and I swear if they don't play Fest this year I'm going to throw a beer bottle at a carney.

Anyway be there, and enjoy this remix I found of Surfer Blood's single, "Swim."

Surfer Blood - Swim (Alpaca Remix by Allen Blickle of Baroness)

The Return of Jeff Mangum

My week has been pretty amazing, and it keeps getting better. Today I happen to have watched a cover of Neutral Milk Hotel's "Two Headed Boy" by local band turned prepubescent superstars, Surfer Blood and thought, what is Jeff Mangum up to this days. Turns out today was my lucky day! For only a few hours ago was news posted on Strangeglue that Jeff Mangum would be releasing one track. Sadly (but not sad) it's a cover he's putting out for a friends, (Chris Knox, of the Tall Dwarfs), charity album Stroke: Songs for Chris Knox. It's a cover of the Tall Dwarfs song called, "Sign The Dotted Line." Just hearing Mangum's voice again is just comforting to the soul. If you wish to purchase the album to support the cause head over to Merge Records website for a digital copy. If you want the physical you are going to have to wait till February!

Could you make it 'Choi' tea?... Ghost of a 7 Inch

Download the free split from Gettysburg and Jason Choi and listen to it before bed and when you wake up. Let it turn down your covers and bring you tea with lemon. A fifteen minute address fit for your daily routine.

Ghost of a 7 inch FREE DOWNLOAD



John Ross and Jason Choi coordinate themes and affections; ghosts and acoustic guitars.

Upon first listens of Jason Choi, I fall for his clarity and rhythm. Though a well matched split, he provides a fantastic contrast to Ross as the vocal delivery and structure are quite different. Two songs leave me unsatisfied and I can't wait to hear more from Jason.

I have always loved the song "Living With Ghosts" by Gettysburg and I had the pleasure of seeing it performed in Tallahassee, Florida last year. Sometimes I find myself lost in his murmur but always tune in to the lyric, "...in the land where I first fell in love with a girl/with hair so dark it blacked out all the sun. I drained her blood in the bathtub/I pulled out all her teeth/I cut off her hands and feet, they never positively I.D.ed/ her naked decomposed body." From the gore 'Ghosts' expands with a faint beat and piano and you have to hear it.

All you need is one track

Ever wonder what cassette tape guts sound like taped together?

Download my One-Track Mixtape.

Complete with an early version of Buddy Holly by Weezer, Yip Yip, a little Hot Chip and comedy transitions between songs. No need to skip songs - this baby plays through like media of old.

Enjoy, and let me know what you think! But mostly, enjoy.

Gimme More GIM - Now on Paper + Plastick!

Lucky Gainesville gatorboys of Greenland is Melting released Our Hearts are Gold, Are Grass is Blue on Paper + Plastick last month!



Download it from Paper + Plastick for FREE!
It is difficult for me to chose a favorite song from 'Hearts are Gold', but I think it is "No More Sorry Songs" for the fact that I was not sure that I liked it when I first heard it, but now I always press repeat. In the opening it reminded me a little of a Barenaked Ladies song, but then when it gets to the lines, "I keep a box in my room filled with everything that you ever gave me or anything that reminds me of you, I keep it lock out of sight with hopes that one day I might pluck up the courage to sit down and write this letter to you" it gets so raw and so pretty. I love the production of the album because it did not sacrifice any detail - vocal layering, counting into songs, and that damn suitcase kickdrum.
I love it, guys.

There is something about this video of Greenland is Melting performing 'Jaundiced Eye'. Even though the quality is not the best, I love the bright energy of the music in the hookah bar setting, not to mention singer Shaun Pereira's voice is so prominent and clear that it is like another instrument of the string ensemble.



They add fresh flavor to that Gainesville swamp stew and keep me coming back for seconds. You owe it to yourself to give Our Hearts are Gold, Are Grass is Blue a spin or two!

The Exquisite Death of Saxon Shore

Hopefully by now you are familiar with the amazing Saxon Shore - that is of course if you don't listen to any sort of experimental post-rock. But just incase you didn't know who Saxon Shore is, they are an experimental rock band in the same vein as Explosions in the Sky, and God is an Astronaut. A band that is spread out all over America only really coming together to be Saxon Shore. They have amazingly "heavy" and complex instrumental songs. Who needs words when your instruments can do all the talking for you?

They have had five albums since they formed eight years ago, as well as one EP. Their latest offering, It Doesn't Matter is probably one of their best to date. It's hard to depict the exact differences between this and their last effort, other then the obvious use of amazing dreamy vocals. This is an over all more mature sound, and I'm happy to have it in my library.

Here are two of my favorites off their new album. First is a beautiful track with the above mentioned vocals on it, courtesy of the wonderful Caroline.

Saxon Shore - This Place

The second is a 7+ minute long adventure that has hints of waiting in Airport terminals. Japanese Airport terminals.

 Saxon Shore - Tokyo 412am