Shooflypie

I haven't put up a mix since early April, though I have been accumulating songs since that time. This one covers songs I liked from 2014, excluding ones from bands I already used on that earlier mix. It ballooned to 30 songs. Oops. Anyway, I hope you enjoy... 1. Goshen '97/Strand of Oaks - This great slice of rock is the lead track from HEAL . It's about Tom Showalter's musical beginnings and features J Mascis on lead guitar. For those who don't know, Goshen is in Indiana. 2. Turtles All the Way Down/Sturgill Simpson - I don't listen to much country music and have no idea what the popular songs of the genre are these days. This, though, reminds me of the country I listened to back in the early 80s. It's got a great little groove. 3. Don't Wanna Lose/Ex Hex - This is the only exception to leaving off bands that were on the You Gotta Get Back Out There mix; that one included Ex Hex's "Hot and Cold." This band rocks so much and has go...

This mix mostly traffics in songs from the first three months of the year, though there are a few holdovers from last year (plus, a track from 1996). I think 2014 has been strong so far and am looking forward to a handful of April albums in the immediate (Split Single, The Both, Afghan Whigs, and Old 97s for starters). 1. It's Your Choice/Brendan Benson - Benson's latest album came out in early December and it's full of his brand of power pop, of which I'm a big fan. This is the lead track from his album and seemed perfect to open this mix as well. 2. Shit Shots Count/Drive-By Truckers - It's been a few years since the DBTs put out a new album and this is the first of a new era - they are back to just two songwriters, Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley. I'm really liking this album, which is balanced between the two songwriters. This many Cooley songs is unprecedented and this blast of Rolling Stones rock with a horn section and his typical wit is just great. ...

My title this time out is ironic, because I published the last mix over 4 months ago...so long ago, in fact, that I'm no longer going to call this series The Monthly Mix. From here on out, it will simply be known as The Mix and then I can put or new one up in a week or three months or whatever. Since it's been a while, I've upped this one to 20 songs instead of the usual 15. As always, just find me on Spotify to play along (or follow my Facebook or Twitter links)... 1. You Can Stay But You Gotta Go/Quasi - I've know of Quasi for a long time but I've never listened to a whole album. This duo is Sam Coomes (who was in Heatmiser with Elliott Smith back in the 90s) and Janet Weiss (who was in Sleater-Kinney and Malkmus and the Jicks and is currently a member of Wild Flag). This track comes from their recent album, Mole City , and is full of fuzzy guitar and the stellar drum work of Weiss. 2. Me & You & Jackie Mittoo/Superchunk - Superchunk came roaring bac...

I realize that June has been gone for almost two weeks at this point but I didn't quite figure out if I wanted this to be a summer theme or just a collection of music again...and then I went on vacation. So, here I am with the June mix on July 12 and it's a cross between summer and a collection and also contains songs I discovered while on vacation. Whatever. In the end, it's a great group of songs and that's all that matters. As usual, the title comes from lyrics in one of the songs...a choice that may have been influenced by last night's Twitter explosion over Sharknado . I hope you listen (remember that it's on Spotify under my name) and enjoy... 1. Demon Dance/Surfer Blood - This is the lead track from their new album, Pythons , and is the perfect lead track for this mix. Pop rock and screaming guitars, what more could you want in the summer? 2. Swim and Sleep/Unknown Mortal Orchestra - I've heard this song here and there over the past few months an...

Here is my May mix, filled with songs I could not get out of my head...and didn't want to... 1. Cannonball/The Breeders - Last Splash is 20 years old and just got reissued in a deluxe edition, which means I've had this song lodged in my head once again. It's still an oddball of a tune but all those elements come together to form a super-catchy song. 2. Breakers/Local Natives - This is off their new album, Hummingbird . I heard it on KEXP a few times and fell for it. The soaring "ooo"s are really hard to beat, aren't they? I have as yet to explore the rest of the album, so I don't know if this is a band I like or just a song. Well, I do like the song already, don't I? Hope it catches your ear too. 3. Sea of Love/The National - A few songs were released ahead of the new album but this was the first that truly caught my attention (and not just for the video). It's got that surging, pounding drumbeat with the bass locked in step and the...

Like all serious music fans, I love making mixes. I started with tapes, of course, and then moved on to CDs. These days, you can use Spotify to work the same kind of magic and I'm recommitting to the art of the mix. I plan on putting one together a month. For April, I assembled songs that I loved listening to (that will probably be my default mode but we'll see). I published this out on Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr and few days ago but I've since renamed it and will now annotate it. I hope you give it a listen... 1. Wakin on a Pretty Day/Kurt Vile - This is the sorta title track to Vile's new album and it is so easy to get lost in the shifting guitars and sections of this nine-and-a-half minute tune. The thing is, it doesn't feel like it's that long. This is an album I've listened to a few times and I like it lot, so much that I think I might buy it in mp3 form. It's always great to find a new artist to like. 2. Wolves/Josh Ritter - My plan was to...