Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Black Flag - The Last Four Years



It was definitely a line in the sand. It was sort of an intelligence test - if you could handle the changes of Black Flag, you weren't an idiot. And if you thought they were just selling out, then you were an idiot - Mark Arm, Mudhoney

This is one of those mixes that I always tell people I'm going to make them. I usually make this promise in the midst of a heated argument over Black Flag and whether or not they are worth listening to post Damaged (I know some people don't think they're worth listening to after Henry joined the band).

Black Flag was always Greg Ginn's band and he always took it upon himself to write songs that challenged the band and challenged the audience. There was a huge backlash when the band came back from their legal issue forced 3 year hiatus with long hair and Dio era Black Sabbath influenced punk/metal/rock/whatever. It's great stuff in my opinion. I'm pretty sure my words won't change your mind but hopefully if you give the tunes a listen with an open mind you'll see just how influential the post Damaged era Flag was on some of your favorite bands.

Black Flag - The Last Four Years
  1. Can't Decide
  2. Black Coffee
  3. Loose Nut
  4. Drinking And Driving
  5. Wound Up
  6. Modern Man
  7. My War
  8. Annihilate This Week
  9. In My Head
  10. Best One Yet
  11. I Love You
  12. Slip It In

Friday, February 12, 2010

Andrea's Soundtrack for Spring, April 2002

Special Guest Post!
Let's mix it up a little bit. Andrea is an awesome crafty lady and a dear friend of mine. She's a mixtape aficionado and recently found one she made a while back. I asked if she'd like to share it here and she agreed. She picked some awesome tunes on this tape and I'm honored to have her here. Take it away Andrea!

Spring is always the most inspiring season for me. It smells right and sounds right and feels right. There is nothing like those first real days of springtime.

The spring of 2002 was a good one. It was a couple of years before my sweet children were even a possibility in my mind and while I still had a car with a cassette tape player. Life was pretty laidback in Madison, Wisconsin. I was planning a road trip to Memphis with my husband that April and this mixtape was made for the trip. I'm not sure why I repeated artists as that's not something I typically did on mix tapes. I guess I just thought it flowed well.

This may have been one of the last years I actually made a mix TAPE. Can you believe I held out that long?

Although this mix may be a little more mellow than something Mario would make, I know he secretly loves the wuss rock (secretly? - Mario.) and would at least approve of the Beach Boys.

I think this soundtrack for spring is as relevant now as it was eight years ago. I hope it sparks a little inspiration and captures springtime for you!

_________________


soundtrack for spring. april 2002.
  1. blake babies: baby gets high
  2. the promise ring: scenes from parisian life
  3. teenage fanclub: happiness
  4. pete yorn: ez
  5. the beach boys: feel flows
  6. matthew sweet: come to love
  7. mike felumlee: sleepwalking
  8. the jesus & mary chain: she
  9. duvall: the game is up
  10. teenage fanclub: dumb dumb dumb
  11. simon & garfunkel: america
  12. superchunk: driveway to driveway
  13. smoking popes: paul
  14. moods for moderns: you're the one
  15. blake babies: nothing ever happens
  16. reggie & the full effect: what's wrong
  17. mega super ultra: silly waste of time
  18. matthew sweet: i've been waiting
  19. the figgs: favorite shirt
  20. elvis costello: alison
  21. smoking popes: off my mind
  22. white stripes: hotel yorba
  23. badfinger: no matter what
  24. the velvet crush: hold me up
  25. moods for moderns: only on a saturday night
  26. dashboard confessional: age six racer
  27. superchunk: detroit has a skyline

While you're at it:
Andrea's Blog:
Craft Therapy
Andrea's Etsy Store: Space Oddities

Have a great weekend!