The Mixtape 5/29/09

Perhaps it's by virtue of the Mixtape's headquarters being in sunny (it is right now) Portland, OR that so much of the local music seems to find its way on this here list of songs. That explanation, however, minimizes the fact that the Rose City is home to some of the best music in the country. Four new entries this week include three Portland-based acts, Sonic Youth (39) being the lone exception.

One of Portland's best and most prolific bands, Modest Mouse, (35) have the highest debut with the lead single, "Satellite Skin," from its forthcoming EP, No One's First & You're Next. Portland husband and wife Kevin and Anita Robinson -aka Viva Voce - return to the 'Tape with "Devotion," the first Mixtape entry from the band's just-released album, Rose City. How appropriate of a title is that? Finally, Portland dance act (and member of the DFA roster) YACHT return this week with "Psychic City." This one snuck in at 40, but should see upward movement in the following weeks.

Modest Mouse, Viva Voce, and YACHT join fellow Portland acts The Thermals (26) and The Gossip (29) in reppin' Stumptown on the Mixtape this week. It's been a good year for Portland music on the 'Tape - The Thermals, The Decemberists, and Blitzen Trapper have all hit the Mistape's top ten.

In non-Portland band news, Silversun Pickups make it nine weeks in a row to no great surprise. Camera Obscura (2) switches places with Woods (3) and SP's "It's Nice To Know You Work Alone" (4) does the same with Tinted Windows (5), thus keeping the same songs in the top five for the second week. Grizzly Bear, who last week looked set to break into the top five with "Cheerleader," (7) back down a spot but still own #6 with their second Veckatimest single, "Two Weeks," which jumps up from #19 last week.

Animal Collective's "My Girls" finally falls off the 'Tape after a 20-week stay that included three weeks at #1. The band's latest, "Summertime Clothes," (19) looks like it will return AC to the upper reaches of the Mixtape as it springs up 14 spots this week.

Have a great weekend and enjoy the sun if you got some. We here in Portland do. Cheers!

1. Panic Switch / Silversun Pickups (9 weeks @ #1) iTunes MySpace
2. French Navy/ Camera Obscura iTunes MySpace
3. Rain On/ Woods iTunes MySpace
4. It's Nice to Know You Work Alone / Silversun Pickups iTunes MySpace
5. Kind of a Girl / Tinted Windows iTunes MySpace
6. Two Weeks / Grizzly Bear iTunes MySpace
7. Cheerleader / Grizzly Bear iTunes MySpace
8. Borderline/ Flaming Lips iTunes MySpace
9. Chillin' / Wale ft. Lady Gaga iTunes MySpace
10. Catch and Release / Silversun Pickups iTunes MySpace
11. Houses / Great Northern iTunes MySpace
12. Zero / Yeah Yeah Yeahs iTunes MySpace
13. From the Hips / Cursive iTunes MySpace
14. 21st Century Breakdown/ Green Day iTunes MySpace
15. Statues / Clap Your Hands Say Yeah iTunes MySpace
16. Walking on a Dream / Empire of the Sun iTunes MySpace
17. Seaside / Kestrels iTunes MySpace
18. Buddy / Iran iTunes MySpace
19. Summertime Clothes / Animal Collective iTunes MySpace
20. Murder City / Green Day iTunes MySpace
21. Shimmer and Shine / Ben Harper & the Relentless 7 iTunes MySpace
22. Skeletons / Yeah Yeah Yeahs iTunes MySpace
23. Cemetery Songs / The Archibalds iTunes MySpace
24. Who's Asking? / Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band iTunes MySpace
25. Kinda Like a Big Deal / Clipse ft. Kanye West iTunes MySpace
26. Now We Can See / The Thermals iTunes MySpace
27. Night Lights / Golden Bear iTunes MySpace
28. I Want You to Know/ Dinosaur Jr. iTunes MySpace
29. Heavy Cross / The Gossip iTunes MySpace
30. Fire / Kasabian iTunes MySpace
31. Stay Wide Awake / Eminem iTunes MySpace
32. Crush On You / brakesbrakesbrakes iTunes MySpace
33. Pulling On a Line / Great Lake Swimmers iTunes MySpace
34. Satellite Skin / Modest Mouse (NEW) iTunes MySpace
35. Devotion / Viva Voce (NEW) iTunes MySpace
36. Now I'm a Fool / Eagles of Death Metal iTunes MySpace
37. Raindrops / Basement Jaxx iTunes MySpace
38. 100 Little Curses / Street Sweeper Social Club iTunes MySpace
39. Sacred Trickster / Sonic Youth (NEW) iTunes MySpace
40. Psychic City/ YACHT (NEW) iTunes MySpace

The Mixtape 5/22/09

Surprise surprise. Silversun Pickups remain at the top for the eighth straight week. Camera Obscura's "French Navy" (moving up from 10 to 3) looks like the biggest threat to dislodge SP, but the band has backup in the form of this week's number 5 and 10 spots as well. Safe to call them a Mixtape favorite.

A couple of big movers this week: Green Day's title track to 21st Century Breakdown jumps from 30 to 16 in its second week on the 'tape and Grizzly Bear, not content watching "Cheerleader" slowly climb toward the top five, move from 39 to 19 with Veckatimest's second Mixtape appearance, "Two Weeks." And yes, that song has been on the 'tape only two weeks.

Green Day also chart their second single from ...Breakdown with this week's highest new entry, "Murder City" at 25. Other new entries this week include Animal Collective (33), Dinosaur Jr (34), Kasabian (38), and Rage Against The Machine axeman, Tom Morello's new project, Street Sweeper Social Club (40).

I hope you all have a great Memorial Day weekend. See you next Friday.

1. Panic Switch / Silversun Pickups (8 weeks @ #1) iTunes MySpace
2. Rain On/ Woods iTunes MySpace
3. French Navy/ Camera Obscura iTunes MySpace
4. Kind of a Girl / Tinted Windows iTunes MySpace
5. It's Nice to Know You Work Alone / Silversun Pickups iTunes MySpace
6. Cheerleader / Grizzly Bear iTunes MySpace
7. Houses / Great Northern iTunes MySpace
8. Zero / Yeah Yeah Yeahs iTunes MySpace
9. Chillin' / Wale ft. Lady Gaga iTunes MySpace
10. Catch and Release / Silversun Pickups iTunes MySpace
11. Shimmer and Shine / Ben Harper & the Relentless 7 iTunes MySpace
12. Borderline/ Flaming Lips iTunes MySpace
13. Statues / Clap Your Hands Say Yeah iTunes MySpace
14. From the Hips / Cursive iTunes MySpace
15. Buddy / Iran iTunes MySpace
16. 21st Century Breakdown/ Green Day iTunes MySpace
17. Walking on a Dream / Empire of the Sun iTunes MySpace
18. Seaside / Kestrels iTunes MySpace
19. Two Weeks / Grizzly Bear iTunes MySpace
20. Cemetery Songs / The Archibalds iTunes MySpace
21. Kinda Like a Big Deal / Clipse ft. Kanye West iTunes MySpace
22. Who's Asking? / Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band iTunes MySpace
23. Little Bribes / Death Cab For Cutie iTunes MySpace
24. Now We Can See / The Thermals iTunes MySpace
25. Murder City / Green Day (NEW) iTunes MySpace
26. Skeletons / Yeah Yeah Yeahs iTunes MySpace
27. Night Lights / Golden Bear iTunes MySpace
28. Crush On You / brakesbrakesbrakes iTunes MySpace
29. Pulling On a Line / Great Lake Swimmers iTunes MySpace
30. Heavy Cross / The Gossip iTunes MySpace
31. Now I'm a Fool / Eagles of Death Metal iTunes MySpace
32. I Was Once A Loyal Lover / Death Cab For Cutie iTunes MySpace
33. Summertime Clothes / Animal Collective (NEW) iTunes MySpace
34. I Want You to Know/ Dinosaur Jr. (NEW) iTunes MySpace
35. Stay Wide Awake / Eminem iTunes MySpace
36. When I Died / The Thermals iTunes MySpace
37. My Girls / Animal Collective iTunes MySpace
38. Fire / Kasabian (NEW) iTunes MySpace
39. Raindrops / Basement Jaxx (NEW) iTunes MySpace
40. 100 Little Curses / Street Sweeper Social Club (NEW) iTunes MySpace

The Mixtape 5/15/09

Green Day and Eminem are set to release big albums in the next couple weeks. Both entered the Mixtape with new songs from those albums this week along with new tunes from Grizzly Bear, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Basement Jaxx.

The new music influx continues to keep things interesting, but it's business as usual at the top as Silversun Pickups log their seventh straight week on top. SP holds at six with "It's Nice to Know You Work Alone" and move from 24 to 12 with "Catch and Release." They are the only band with three songs on the 'tape and are pretty much running things.

Camera Obscura flies into the top ten, moving from 35 to 10, with their second single from My Maudlin Career. The title track cracked the top ten earlier this year, staying one week at ten. It appears that "French Navy" will best that next week.

1. Panic Switch / Silversun Pickups (7 weeks @ #1) iTunes MySpace
2. Kind of a Girl / Tinted Windows iTunes MySpace
3. Rain On/ Woods iTunes MySpace
4. Buddy / Iran iTunes MySpace
5. Houses / Great Northern iTunes MySpace
6. It's Nice to Know You Work Alone / Silversun Pickups iTunes MySpace
7. Cheerleader / Grizzly Bear iTunes MySpace
8. Zero / Yeah Yeah Yeahs iTunes MySpace
9. Chillin' / Wale ft. Lady Gaga iTunes MySpace
10. French Navy/ Camera Obscura iTunes MySpace
11. Shimmer and Shine / Ben Harper & the Relentless 7 iTunes MySpace
12. Catch and Release / Silversun Pickups iTunes MySpace
13. Borderline/ Flaming Lips iTunes MySpace
14. Statues / Clap Your Hands Say Yeah iTunes MySpace
15. From the Hips / Cursive iTunes MySpace
16. Cemetery Songs / The Archibalds iTunes MySpace
17. Now We Can See / The Thermals iTunes MySpace
18. Seaside / Kestrels iTunes MySpace
19. Kinda Like a Big Deal / Clipse ft. Kanye West iTunes MySpace
20. Walking on a Dream / Empire of the Sun iTunes MySpace
21. Little Bribes / Death Cab For Cutie iTunes MySpace
22. Who's Asking? / Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band iTunes MySpace
23. Little Bribes / Death Cab For Cutie iTunes MySpace
24. Night Lights / Golden Bear iTunes MySpace
25. Pulling On a Line / Great Lake Swimmers iTunes MySpace
26. Now I'm a Fool / Eagles of Death Metal iTunes MySpace
27. When I Died / The Thermals iTunes MySpace
28. My Girls / Animal Collective iTunes MySpace
29. Mt. / Super Furry Animals iTunes MySpace
30. 21st Century Breakdown/ Green Day (NEW) iTunes MySpace
31. Pennies / The Cool Kids iTunes MySpace
32. Heavy Cross / The Gossip iTunes MySpace
33. The Rake's Song / The Decemberists iTunes MySpace
34. Ghetto Love / Spinnerette iTunes MySpace
35. Crush On You / brakesbrakesbrakes iTunes MySpace
36. Stay Wide Awake / Eminem (NEW) iTunes MySpace
37. Skeletons / Yeah Yeah Yeahs (NEW) iTunes MySpace
38. Talk To Me / Peaches iTunes MySpace
39. Two Weeks / Grizzly Bear (NEW) iTunes MySpace
40. Raindrops / Basement Jaxx (NEW) iTunes MySpace

The Mixtape 5/8/09: Cha-Cha-Changes

The onslaught of new music continues. Six new songs enter the Mixtape this week. Those six, plus the new entries of the previous two weeks brings the total to 20 debuts in the past three weeks, which means that half of the Mixtape consists of fresh music. This happens in waves throughout the year and often in the Spring. I'm positive there's a direct correlation between a change in weather and a change in the musical landscape.

Speaking of changes, Silversun Pickups don't do a lot to contribute to change at the top as "Panic Switch" remains #1 for a sixth straight week and "It's Nice To Know You Work Alone" inches up one spot to #6. SP's contribution to fluctuation comes down at #24 where they enter with the third Mixtape appearance from Swoon, "Catch and Release."

Now for real change. Tinted Windows runs into a brick wall called "Panic Switch" as the super-ish group moves from 19-2 in their second week on the 'Tape with "Kind Of a Girl." The Flaming Lips' cover of "Borderline" moves up 13 spots to #15 in its second week on the 'Tape while Cursive rounds out the week's big moves as "From the Hips" climbs from 24-17 in its third week on.

New entries come from the aforementioned highest debut of the week, "Catch and Release," as well as Acrylics (40), Peaches ( 39), brakesbrakesbrakes (37), The Gossip (34), and Empire of the Sun (33).

Mastodon takes the biggest drop this week, falling from 21-38. Plushgun (36) Spinnerette (26), and The Decemberists (25) are the other free-fallers that potentially could be making room for even more new music next week. What might that be? La Roux's "In For the Kill," Crocodiles' "Summer of Hate," and Basement Jaxx's "Raindrops" lead the pack of Mixtape contenders. See you next Friday.

1. Panic Switch / Silversun Pickups (6 weeks @ #1) iTunes MySpace
2. Kind of a Girl / Tinted Windows iTunes MySpace
3. Buddy / Iran iTunes MySpace
4. Houses / Great Northern iTunes MySpace
5. Rain On/ Woods iTunes MySpace
6. It's Nice to Know You Work Alone / Silversun Pickups iTunes MySpace
7. Zero / Yeah Yeah Yeahs iTunes MySpace
8. Chillin' / Wale ft. Lady Gaga iTunes MySpace
9. Cheerleader / Grizzly Bear iTunes MySpace
10. Kinda Like a Big Deal / Clipse ft. Kanye West iTunes MySpace
11. Shimmer and Shine / Ben Harper & the Relentless 7 iTunes MySpace
12. Seaside / Kestrels iTunes MySpace
13. Now We Can See / The Thermals iTunes MySpace
14. Cemetery Songs / The Archibalds iTunes MySpace
15. Borderline/ Flaming Lips iTunes MySpace
16. Statues / Clap Your Hands Say Yeah iTunes MySpace
17. From the Hips / Cursive iTunes MySpace
18. Pulling On a Line / Great Lake Swimmers iTunes MySpace
19. Now I'm a Fool / Eagles of Death Metal iTunes MySpace
20. I Was Once a Loyal Lover / Death Cab For Cutie iTunes MySpace
21. Little Bribes / Death Cab For Cutie iTunes MySpace
22. Night Lights / Golden Bear iTunes MySpacegree
23. Who's Asking? / Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band iTunes MySpace
24. Catch and Release / Silversun Pickups (NEW iTunes MySpace
25. The Rake's Song / The Decemberists iTunes MySpace
26. Ghetto Love / Spinnerette iTunes MySpace
27. My Girls / Animal Collective iTunes MySpace
28. When I Died / The Thermals iTunes MySpace
29. On My Way / Billy Boy on Poison iTunes MySpace
30. Pennies / The Cool Kids iTunes MySpace
31. Mt. / Super Furry Animals iTunes MySpace
32. Know Your Enemy / Green Day iTunes MySpace
33. Walking on a Dream / Empire of the Sun (NEW) iTunes MySpace
34. Heavy Cross / The Gossip (NEW) iTunes MySpace
35. French Navy/ Camera Obscura iTunes MySpace
36. Just Impolite / Plushgun iTunes MySpace
37. Crush On You / brakesbrakesbrakes (NEW) iTunes MySpace
38. Oblivion / Mastodon iTunes MySpace
39. Talk To Me / Peaches (NEW) iTunes MySpace
40. Molly's Vertigo / Acrylics (NEW) iTunes MySpace

The Mixtape 5/1/09: Pop Goes the Mixtape

Take the singer of "Mmmbop," the guy who drummed on "I Want You To Want Me" and "Surrender" plus the dude who wrote "Stacy's Mom" and throw them together with an ex-Smashing Pumpkin guitarist and you have a love-it-or-hate-it crunchy pop experiment that will either soundtrack your spring and summer or drive you completely mad. We here at the Mixtape are all grins with Tinted Windows' self-titled debut. Lead track, "Kind Of a Girl" is the week's highest new entry at 19, just nine spots ahead of another piece of pop perfection - The Flaming Lips cover of Madonna's "Borderline."

Both tracks uphold the pop aesthetic that seems to be, for the most part, missing a mainstream music scene obsessed with by-the-numbers hip-hop shlock and Disney twee-turds. "Kind Of a Girl" doesn't reinvent the wheel, just clean it up so nice and shinythat you can see your reflection singing "oh whoa whoa" right along with Taylor Hanson. The song strives to be a three-minute blast of ear candy ala 70's power pop luminaries Sweet, Cheap Trick and Badfinger and it succeeds by not taking itself too seriously. This semi-super group has one goal only - to put smiles on your faces. Ok, maybe they're in it for the money - greedy bastards - but I'd like to think it's about filling a niche sorely missing in the contemporary music landscape with catchy melodies and choruses that will be stuck on repeat in your head for days to come.

The Lips, on the other hand, are totally reinventing a classic (yes, Madonna is now classic pop) song as they twist guitar and hi-hats around each other in a jammed-out sound collage that amazingly keeps Madonna's original melody intact. Wayne Coyne's falsetto fits their take perfectly, infusing a vulnerability into a song that spends its first minute in a sea of blips and bloops - Coyne's own twisted take on an elongated intro. The song builds nicely as falsetto and synths make room for pulsating bass beats and cymbal crashes before the whole thing devolves into an orgy of noise; a sweet sweet orgy of noise. Why can't all cover songs be this good?

Silversun Pickups keep the top spot for a fifth week with "Panic Switch" as their other top-ten single, "It's Nice to Know You Work Alone" moves up to #7. Ben Harper moves up from 24-15 in his second week on the 'tape while Cursive jumps from 35-24 in their second week. The biggest moves come from the hip-hoppers though. Wale flies up from 30-11 and Clipse crack the top-ten at #9, up from last week's debut at 20.

1. Panic Switch / Silversun Pickups (5 weeks @ #1) iTunes MySpace
2. Buddy / Iran iTunes MySpace
3. Seaside / Kestrels iTunes MySpace
4. Houses / Great Northern iTunes MySpace
5. Zero / Yeah Yeah Yeahs iTunes MySpace
6. Rain On/ Woods iTunes MySpace
7. It's Nice to Know You Work Alone / Silversun Pickups iTunes MySpace
8. Now We Can See / The Thermals iTunes MySpace
9. Kinda Like a Big Deal / Clipse ft. Kanye West iTunes MySpace
10. Cheerleader / Grizzly Bear iTunes MySpace
11. Chillin' / Wale ft. Lady Gaga iTunes MySpace
12. Now I'm a Fool / Eagles of Death Metal iTunes MySpace
13. Cemetery Songs / The Archibalds iTunes MySpace
14. Pulling On a Line / Great Lake Swimmers iTunes MySpace
15. Shimmer and Shine / Ben Harper & the Relentless 7 iTunes MySpace
16. Night Lights / Golden Bear iTunes MySpace
17. Statues / Clap Your Hands Say Yeah iTunes MySpace
18. The Rake's Song / The Decemberists iTunes MySpace
19. Kind of a Girl / Tinted Windows (NEW) iTunes MySpace
    
20. I Was Once a Loyal Lover / Death Cab For Cutie iTunes MySpace
21. Oblivion / Mastodon iTunes MySpace
22. Little Bribes / Death Cab For Cutie iTunes MySpace
23. Ghetto Love / Spinnerette iTunes MySpace
24. From the Hips / Cursive iTunes MySpace
25. Who's Asking? / Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band iTunes MySpace
26. My Maudlin Career / Camera Obscura iTunes MySpace
27. My Girls / Animal Collective iTunes MySpace
28. Borderline/ Flaming Lips (NEW) iTunes MySpace
    
29. When I Died / The Thermals iTunes MySpace
30. On My Way / Billy Boy on Poison iTunes MySpace
31. Pennies / The Cool Kids iTunes MySpace
32. Just Impolite / Plushgun iTunes MySpace
33. Perfect Games / The Broken West iTunes MySpace
34. Mt. / Super Furry Animals iTunes MySpace
35. The Box / The 1990s iTunes MySpace
36. Know Your Enemy / Green Day iTunes MySpace
37. Providence, RI / Nickel Eye iTunes MySpace
38. Whorses / Tweak Bird iTunes MySpace
39. French Navy/ Camera Obscura (NEW) iTunes MySpace
40. The Letter/ The Veils (NEW) iTunes MySpace