Mixed Tape Track 6 - Lucky Soul

It's been a bit of a harrowing week. There has been a lot of sadness and indecision in the world of the gypsy, and with the arrival of the weekend (and the sun), things have certainly gotten better, but traces of the week's melancholy remain. This sombre mood has of course resulted in a solemn playlist. And so, a sad addition to our mixed tape...

Baby, I'm broke - Lucky Soul

This track comes from my latest obsession, Lucky Soul. A London band, I was fortunate to catch the launch of their second album at Cargo in April. I was properly impressed. A polished performance by a band that still retained a sense of wonder at having some of the crowd sing along with them. Lead singer Ali Howard has an abundance of charm to go with her little girls voice, and was somewhat Debbie Harry's debutante sister - Debutante Harry if you will.

Generally their music is pretty upbeat and cheerful, so the plaintive Baby I'm Broke might not be the best introduction to Lucky Soul, and I will attempt to post a few more of my favourites when a little cheerier, but for now...

"Baby I'm broke,

Nothing to lose,

I want you to help but, baby, you're cruel.

And talking to you,

I might as well just throw my head back and howl at the moon.

Yeah, for all the good it will do...

But baby, you're strange,

You're heart's all a flutter

You head's in the sky, but your mind's in the gutter."

Mixed Tape - Extreme Edition

I nicked this idea from fellow blogger, Rhianna. I am using it as a bit of a spin on my usual Mixed Tape vibe. As my iPhone pretty much is one big mixed tape I think you will agree it works. Basically you put your iPod or whatever you are listening to on Shuffle, for each question you press the next button to get your answer... You will note that mine has a lot of Florence and the Machine (greatness - more on them soon, as I am seeing them live in May) and ABBA - it's another guilty pleasure, don't judge me!

So here are the questions, and my answer is linked in the cases were I could find a YouTube link for it. Underneath in some cases have posted some clarifying lyrics, or just a comment...

If someone asks 'Are you okay?' you say...

One of Us - ABBA

(lyrics: 'one of us is crying, one of us is dying...' Not great really)

How would you describe yourself?

Rabbit Heart - Florence and the Machine

(lyrics: 'Midas is King, he holds me so tight, turns me to gold in the sunlight...' )

What do you like in a guy/girl?

Cosmic Love - Florence and the Machine

(lyrics: 'I took the stars from my eyes, and then I made a map, I knew that somehow, I could find my way back, Then I heard your heart beating, you were in the darkness too, so I stayed in the darkness with you)

How do you feel today?

Up the Spout - Mateo Messina (Juno OST)

(hmm, rather alarming - hopefully it's pregnant with possibility...)

What is your life's purpose?

Kiss with a Fist - Florence and the Machine

(I don't know about this one either - maybe it means I am here to give the tough love? Or domestic abuse...hmmm)

What is your motto?

Drive (orchestral version) - Incubus

(I dig it)

What do your friends think of you?

Fires - Band of Skulls

(lyrics 'Let us bathe you in our heart, 'cause we are fires in the night...')

What do your parents think of you?

The Winner Takes It All - ABBA

What do you think about very often?

I coulda been a contender - The Gaslight Anthem

What do you think of your best friend?

Hard to Explain - The Strokes

What do you think of the person you like?

Everyone's the Same Age - Hockey

What is your life story?

Dearest - Buddy Holly

What do you want to do when you grow up?

Work - Hockey

What do you think of when you see the person you like?

Heaven Knows I'm miserable now - The Smiths

(That's my favourite - couldn't have planned it better really, ha ha)

What will you dance to at your wedding?

Catch my Disease - Ben Lee

(Oh charming! Ha ha, not sure about that at all!)

What will they play at your funeral?

Curse this City - Hockey

(Looks like I'm coming back to haunt you bitches!)

What is your hobby/interest?

Be Somebody - Kings of Leon

(Note the link attached to this one - I was at that gig, so yes, that is my interest! Wow, it was amazing - still makes my heart beat a little faster!)

What is your biggest fear?

Trying your luck - The Strokes

What is your biggest secret?

Hurricane Drunk - Florence and the Machine

(I wish it was a secret that I am a natural disaster, an act of God, when I am drunk)

What do you think of your friends?

Major Tom - David Bowie

(Ha ha - they are all floating in a most peculiar way, and the stars look very different today...)

So those are mine...Play the game too, and if you have any hilarious ones I would love to hear about them.

Mixed Tape Track 5 -The songs you picked are dreamy

I seem to be experiencing a bit of bloggers block this week. I have scraps of paper with stubs of prose all over the place, and yet I am unable to complete any of them. My mind is filled with a myriad of half baked thoughts, none of which are capable of producing a coherent idea it seems - well, at least not worthy of you dear readers.

The last few months seem to have been lived at break neck speed, turning my life into an avalanche of experience and emotion, and it seems I found it easy to pluck subject matter out of that toss and tumble. As the everday comes into clearer focus, however, it seems it is losing its dreamy haze and once more looking a little too much like real life. Unfortunately, I have always performed better under pressure (serial procrastinator), and apparently this is also true of my leisure pursuits. So you better hope things get more interesting quickly over here - might pick up the quality here guys.

For inspiration I am turning to my Mixed Tape track. In her track Last Time I Saw Richard Joni Mitchell manages to capture the dream like quality of things remembered, and the resonance of final conversations and confrontations. She paints a mudane picture, and yet at its heart manages to establish a truth about herself and Richard. Amazing. Her lyrics so effectively conjure her scene that I feel like I was there, and combined with her dreamy, dissapearing voice these words will take you away...

Last Time I Saw Richard - Joni Mitchell

"Last time I saw Richard it was Detroit in '68,

And he told me, all Romantics meet the same fate,

They end up cynical, and drunk, and boring someone in some dark cafe.

You laugh, he said, you think you're immune,

Go look at your eyes they're full of moons,

They like roses and kisses and little boys to tell you all those pretty lies."

"He put a quarter in the wurlitzer,

And he pushed two buttons and the thing began to whirl,

And a barmaid came by in fishnet stockings and a bowtie,

And said drink up now its getting on time for closing."

"Richard, you haven't really changed I said,

It's just that now you're romanticising some pain that's in your head.

You got blues in your eyes but the songs you picked are dreamy,

They sing of love so sweet, love can be so sweet."

** I cannot find an original version of this song :( - if anyone else can please post the link in comments **

Mixed Tape Track 4 - 'I think you know the answer to your question'

I love a ballad, especially when the singer is sombre and there is a slight desperation to it. Emily's Heart ticks all of these boxes. I wouldn't consider myself a fan usually, and Jamie's colloquial, plaintive whinge shouldn't be pleasing to the ear, yet the lyrics are sung with such earnest and honesty, and suprisingly with little regret but much empathy for Emily, despite her crime.

Jamie urges us not to meddle with Emily's heart, and yet sadly, he meddled with his original to release it as a single. And so the link I am providing is for the longer original...Enjoy.

Emily's Heart - Jamie T

"Bruised and bloody, I'm lying on the ground,

And I am aware that I let the poor girl down,

Now I'm dying, as a message to the town,

This what happens, if you fuck around,

So meddle if you want trouble, trouble then you should meddle,

But don't ever meddle with Emily's heart…"

Mixed Tape Track 3 - 'And she probably lives in Tahiti'

It seems I have a little movie theme going here with the Mixed Tape. It might be a coincidence, or it could be my media addiction, either way today's track is taken from Stranger than Fiction. There are moments in that movie that make me amazingly happy in my heart - Its something to do with the combination of Emma Thompon's voice, the peculiarity of the story, and the offbeat romance of Will Ferrel and Maggie Gyllanhal. It's the perfect Sunday afternoon movie, when you want something that warms the cockles of your heart, but without giving you that 'Oh god, I just ate too much chocolate and now I need to yack' feeling. One of my favourite scenes is the one with this song...

Whole Wide World - Wreckless Eric

"When I was a young boy

My mama said to me
There's only one girl in the world for you
And she probably lives in Tahiti

I'd go the whole wide world
I'd go the whole wide world
Just to find her"

Mixed Tape track 2 - There is a light that never goes out...

My mixed tape entry is a bit of a throwback this time! It was recently resurrected in 500 Days of Summer. I fell completely back in love with it after watching Zooey Deschanel somewhat butcher it in a lift. Morrissey is in a league of his own when it comes to arrogance but I have never been able to shake my devotion to The Smiths, and so today my nominated number is...

Track 2

The Smiths - There is a Light that Never Goes Out

This song to me is, in so many ways, and adolescent cliche. It's all angsty, and 'you and me against the world' and yet when you hear that dark, humorous declaration of a chorus,

"And if a double-decker bus

Crashes into us

To die by your side

Is such a heavenly way to die

And if a ten-ton truck

Kills the both of us

To die by your side

Well the pleasure, the privilege, is mine"

you just forgive them for being those whiny, typical post adolescents, because those sweetly sung satirical lines are just the right blend of romance and impertinence. I say long live the obscure declaration of love, and down with meaningless banal platitudes! Morrissey, you can write me a love song any time!

Mixed Tape

I feel so privileged to have been born in an era with Mixed Tapes. With the more modern conveniences of CD burners and i-pod play lists the making of perfect music mixes has become incredibly simple and easy. It is no longer requires the hours of dedication and perfect timing that was so necessary in the long gone days of the mixed tape.

In the early days of adolescence, as my musical tastes began to sharpen and my Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan tapes got ever more stretched I began to make mixed tapes. I remember pulling our huge beanbag over to a rather archaic HiFi and sitting for hours trying to figure out how to get from Jewel to Nirvana on one side of the tape. There was also the frustration of attempting to make the compilation just the right length – no giant expanse of crackling noise, or cut off songs. Having to wait for each of the songs to play out meant that the creation of the perfect tape could take most of an afternoon, and meant that when finished it was well loved and played until you knew all the words and each syllable of the song went on for a couple of seconds. And so the creation of a mixed tape was a labour of love, especially when it was for another…

So here I am creating a Mixed Tape of sorts – a labour of love. I am going to make it an ongoing feature so watch thus space…

Track 1

Florence and the Machine – I’m Not Calling You a Liar

Florence and the Machine are the most interesting band I have come across in ages. Their blending of instruments along with Florence’s strong but somewhat desperate voice can only be described as haunting. The fanciful, yet somewhat gothic nature of their lyrics is so appealing. Its somewhat like reading a fantasy novel or something. When I pop my headphones in my ears on the tube in the mornings, I feel as though I float through the Underground and to work. I find myself bopping up the escalator, and am honestly at the point where I can’t bare the thought of a morning without them.