See You On an Eventual Flipside

Some of you loyal readers may have noticed both my rather spotty posting record last year and my two month absence this year before finally revealing the Day of 200 Songs. I apologize, something I’ve been doing for a long time now. Soon after the Christmas holidays, I came to a difficult decision: I’m going to take an indefinite break from CTRR.

There were several factors, including my workload with my full-time job and with the couple of freelance gigs I’ve picked up. There was also the rather frightening breakdown over the holidays, which saw my regular depression slide into a pit I nearly couldn’t scramble out of. It made me take a step back from myself and take a re-think about what I was doing and what I wanted to do. I tried not to have too close a look because I’m still too fast to take that test.

It’s been two lovely years of writing about music with varying degrees of success. I very obviously still love music and will continue seeking out new sounds, attending shows, and reading music-related books, but I really need to take a break from writing about them. A break from trying to find words to make meaning of them. I’m hoping that this hiatus will allow me to write that novel I so desperately want to. I hope that something fulfilling will come out of the temporary loss of this outpost in cyberspace. Perhaps knowing that this is waiting for me when I finish will be the motivation I need to push through the prose building up inside my brain and on various scraps of paper in my bedroom. There are critics and there are artists; some people can manage to be both simultaneously, some cannot. I need to relinquish the former role to attempt to be the latter.

It all seems very serious. Perhaps I often take this blog too seriously, worrying over content and trying to keep to some impossible plan. I’ve always had ridiculously high expectations of myself, which often leave me frustrated and well…depressed. I suppose it would be easier if I just acknowledged that I’m not a polymath, nor will I ever be one. I’ve got to go looking for my sense of humour. My wit (if I ever had one) went out with the rest of them some time ago.

I don’t want to end this blog, but I also can’t push posts out for the sake of it. It’s not fair to anyone. I need to write properly or not at all. Everyone has their own purposes for blogging, including MP3 blogging. Mine really had mostly to do with writing. And in the process, my inner life leaked out onto other people’s screens despite never making an effort actually to write about my life. Probably because music is such a massive part of my life to begin with. And that will likely be the reason I return here again.

I’ve been reading a biography of Peter Mark Roget, who had a family history of severe mental illness. To stave off madness himself, he turned to creating lists, of course, eventually producing the first thesaurus. He constantly organized his world and found a way to preserve his sanity. I used music (probably have done for a sizable portion of my life) as a conduit to escape and to community, the best way I knew how to keep mad thoughts at bay.

Thank you to those of you who have followed me this far and said such supportive things. I think the Day of 200 Songs was a high note to leave for this hiatus because it demonstrates something beyond my selfish agendas. It’s proof that I was able to reach outside of my inner world and make some valuable connections. It’s evidence that sometimes this was more than a public forum for my personality quirks and grandiose yet insecure (rather Warholian) pathologies.

There will be a flipside. I’m just not sure when.

Thank You For the Ride – Mary Goes Round

I Know It’s Gonna Happen Someday – Morrissey

William’s Last Words – Manic Street Preachers

The Day of 200 Songs

It’s finally here. The Day of 200 Songs held in honour of my 200th post, which happened way back in April of last year. A brief recap for those who don’t know the whole story: to celebrate my 200th post, I decided to try a little community-building project. I wanted to get 200 people who read this blog (or perhaps those who even only read that 200th post) or friends they know to submit their favourite songs so that I could then compile them into 10 mixes for everyone to share. While I received several submissions, I didn’t receive many, so I put out a second call in June. At that point, I decided that I would settle for 100 songs from other people and 100 from my own collection. I put out one final call in October, and here we are. I ended up having to add 96 songs from my own collection since a couple more people sent me songs at the eleventh hour.

I learned that my readership is indeed diverse and passionate about music. I also found that some music fans are actually quite consistent, a fact that appeared when I created the mixes; despite mixing them blindly, many people’s tracks ended up in the same mix, some even coming consecutively. There were evidently also areas in which I did the most bolstering culminating with Mix #5 being nearly all me.

You will find 10 Audio Grab Bag Mixes below. The contributor’s name for each track is in parentheses beside it – obviously the ones without are my choices. Though I never solicited explanations for favourite tracks, many of you included them; I decided to include little blurbs from some of the contributors to acknowledge the diversity and beauty of fandom. Thanks again to all who contributed – you should all be applauded. I hope I did your choices justice. And I hope you all discover a new favourite artist.

My mother is a speech therapist and had a stroke patient who they called “Mr. Goddamn Right” because all he said was “You’re Goddamn Right!”. I can’t help hearing Mr. E’s Beautiful Blues without making the association. – Mark

Audio Grab Bag #1 (Download)

Heroes – The Magnetic Fields (Mike)
Alpha Beta Parking Lot – Cake (Mickenzy)
Mr. E’s Beautiful Blues – Eels (Mark)
On the Bus Mall – The Decemberists (Chesh)
No You – Paul Kelly (Aria)
The Shy Retirer – Arab Strap (JC)
The Boyfriend Song – Gentleman Reg
Our Time Has Passed – The Pernice Brothers (Dave)
One Red Thread – Blind Pilot (Daniel)
Day Glo – Brazos (Katy)
Lay Your Head Down – Keren Ann (Julien)
Sometimes Lukewarm – Andrew Spice
Ampersand – Amanda Palmer
Fitzcarraldo (Live) – The Frames (Sam)
Alcohol, Jesus and Death – Gee as in Jesus (Andrew)
Elephant Serenade – Andrea Liuzza
Do Not Be Alarmed – Official Secrets Act (Dominik)
We Dreamt of Houses – The Awkward Stage (Charlie)
Just Like Heaven – The Watson Twins (Mike)
Place to Be – Nick Drake

The song I’d like to add is not my favourite or really representative of what i like (I guess bonny by Prefab Sprout would win that one) but it is one of those songs that i stop what I’m doing to just listen when ever is comes on the mp3 player.

Thomas dolby – the flat earth

god knows what sounds are going on but for someone who is best known for a couple of almost novelty records this is beautiful – David

Audio Grab Bag #2 (Download)

Girls in the Back – White Rose Movement (Chloe)
On the Road – Midfield General featuring Robots in Disguise
Kino – The Knife
Rollergirl – Apoptygma Bezerk
Destination Overdrive – Chromeo
Ce Jeu (Twelves Remix) – Yelle (Charlie)
Answer (Disco Mix) – The Retrosexuals
Nothing Good About This Goodbye – Rachel Stevens (Jess)
Rocket – Goldfrapp
The Village – New Order
Slick – Chew Lips
Counterpoint – Delphic
True Love 1980 – Ash
Something Good (10” Mix) – Paul Haig (JC)
Lips Like Sugar – Echo & the Bunnymen (Steve)
Dare – The Mary Onettes
Please Stand Up – British Sea Power (Lee)
Dreaming of You – War Tapes (Charlie)
Bedsitter – Soft Cell
The Flat Earth – Thomas Dolby (David)

There’s a difference between the all time faves and those I particularly like right now, and as a rummage through my harddrives it’s actually very hard to pin down the essence of what my favourites are the more I think about it… so I’ll stop right there at roughly 40 songs. :-) – Eve

Audio Grab Bag #3 (Download)

Please – Nine Inch Nails (Eve)
Boy Soprano – Xiu Xiu (Chesh)
Comfort You – Eskimo Joe (Oli)
Escape – Mind in a Box (Mickenzy)
Mirror’s Image – The Horrors (Sophie)
Lacrymosa – Evanescence (Stuart)
Fulford – Warren Suicide
Machine Gun – Portishead
We Want War – These New Puritans
Must Be Dreaming – Frou Frou
Caramel – Cluster
Saracen – Xeno and Oaklander
Primitive Painters – Felt (Joao)
La Nuit Des Fees – Indochine (Wanda)
In Deinem Garten – Chapeau Claque (Eve)
Dead Things – Emiliana Torrini (Eve)
Her Steps Lay Hold – Heilige Lance
The New Black – Roll the Dice
Darkly Mix – A Scanner Darkly Soundtrack (Roland)
How Do – Sneaker Pimps (Eve)

Audio Grab Bag #4 (Download)

Under Pressure – Queen and David Bowie (Eve)
Future Perfect Tense – Sweet Billy Pilgrim
Southernmost – The Lucksmiths (Dave)
The Hazelwood – Patrick Wolf
Hurt Yrself On Chocolate – Sue and the Unicorn
It Has to Be You – Max Eider (Dave)
I’d Rather Go Blind – Man Man (Mary)
Wichita Lineman – Glen Campbell (Aria)
Prélude and Epilogue – Flotilla
From the Shorelines of Venus – The Scaremongers (Rol)
While We Were Dreaming – The Pink Mountaintops (Brandur)
April Come She Will – Simon & Garfunkel (Max)
Sweet William – The Pearlfishers
Glitterball – Daniel Land and the Modern Painters
Wild-Eyed Soul – Mayonnaise
Shirtless Sky – The Guild League (Dave)
Music For Pleasure – Tim Keegan & Departure Lounge (Dave)
Surf – Roddy Frame (Dave)
No More Affairs – Tindersticks (Julien)
Alice – Tom Waits (Sean)

Audio Grab Bag #5 (Download)

Thorazine Shuffle – The Paper Cranes
Falling – McAlmont & Butler
Tonight the Streets Are Ours – Richard Hawley
Out of This Control – Cubismo Grafico
Daily! Happy!! Splash!!! – Roboshop Mania
Requiem For O.M.M.2 – of Montreal
Ohio – The Melting Ice Caps
Europop – The Divine Comedy
Sebastian Said (Montauk Remix) – The Sonnets
Mandy Goes to Med School – The Dresden Dolls (Wanda)
Baby – King of Luxembourg
Four Words – Parenthetical Girls
Oh Heartland, Up Yours! – Owen Pallett
Dwarf Documentary – Simon Bookish
Filthy Names – Jack
Heaven Will Be Boring – Tom Rosenthal
Lucky Like St. Sebastian – Momus
Happily Unhappy – Orlando
Sad Song – Lou Reed
Walk Real Slow – Lady & Bird

As I am from germany, I send you one of a german band. It is Blumfeld and their song is “Verstaerker”, which means Amplifier. As modern rock music was not to be played on german radio stations during the eighties. They only began to play it in the late hours in the beginning of the 90’s. So in germany we had to listen to BFBS and John Peel’s radio show. When Blumfeld arrived it was like an explosion to the german scene, as during a few months suddenly every week dozens of new bands were released. Maybe like late seventies and early eighties when punk and new wave came across in britain.Of course you will hear all the british influences on this song, but for me it was like: you can sing this songs in german, too. – Billy

Audio Grab Bag #6 (Download)

Candyskin – Fire Engines (JC)
Upwards and Onwards – Orange Juice
The Man Who Took On Love (And Won) (Vic Galloway Session) – Malcolm Ross and the Low Miffs
Once and Never Again – The Long Blondes (Peter)
Puzzle Pieces – Tiger Trap
Letters From a Voyage to Sweden – Cats on Fire (JC)
Bemused, Confused and Bedraggled – The Orchids
Human Nature in Hollywood – Black Umbrella
I’ve Seen Everything – The Trash Can Sinatras
Laid – James (Joao)
Nothing Like You – Frightened Rabbit
The Münchhausen in Me – Northern Portrait
I Can Try – Sambassadeur
Everything You Touch Turns to Time – The Triffids
Verstaerker – Blumfeld (Billy)
Just Like Honey – The Jesus and Mary Chain (Brian)
Boys Who Rape (Should All Be Destroyed) – The Raveonettes
Right as Rain – Mr. Beasley
Sonic – Leonardo’s Bride (Oli)
A Dance to Half Death – Second Hand Marching Band

This one’s one of the B-sides to Refugees, the first single from The Tears (Brett Anderson and Bernard Butler). I followed them around on tour and bought everything. It was a pretty bad year for me, and I ended up dropping out of uni for a year before finishing off and coming over here for grad school. But following them was fun, and not something I’ve tried before. In traditional Suede fashion, I reckon this b-side is better than a lot of the album stuff. – Sarah

Audio Grab Bag #7 (Download)

Throw It On a Fire – Bell Orchestre
La Boulange – Yann Tiersen
Maison de Réflexion – Efterklang
Etoile Polaire (Gigamesh Remix) – Philip Glass
Ramparts – John Frusciante (Roland)
Sarajevo 2 – The Notwist
Patternicity – The Most Serene Republic
No Man is an Archipelago – British Sea Power
Kindelsberg – Hauschka
Haxan II – Bardi Johannsson
Friend on the Motorway – Uphill Racer
The Lady Vanishes – The Rest
Forst – Black to Comm
Pause and Clause – Sharks Keep Moving (Roland)
Lady Stardust (Piano Version) – David Bowie (Mark)
The Sheltering Sky – Ryuichi Sakamoto
L’Autre – Mylene Farmer (Wanda)
Ever Fallen in Love – Thea Gilmore (Sarah)
The Origin of Love – Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Corin)
Southern Rain – The Tears (Sarah)

I decided I’ll go with Electronic, Bernard Sumner (of New Order) and Johnny Marr (of being Fucking Awesome)’s erstwhile band. This song is SO awesome and even if Bernard Sumner’s lyrics disappoint me sometimes on account of their being Sort Of Crap, this song’s got good enough ones that I can thoroughly enjoy it. And Johnny Marr’s guitar playing goes without saying. I love Johnny Marr so much. I attended a Modest Mouse concert last June in Council Bluffs, Iowa, the same night a really shitty thunder/hailstorm hit. The concert was in an open field. The band had to delay 2 hours while the audience was pelted with hail and the valley flooded near the stage, so we were all huddling under tarps and wading through ankle-to-knee-deep water. But at the end of it, drenched and exhausted, I dragged myself back to the foot of the stage and stood 10 feet from Johnny Marr and yelled his name over and over until he looked confusedly my way between songs and I waved like a retard. He was fucking brilliant and I loved everything he added to Modest Mouse’s songs. – Jess

Audio Grab Bag #8 (Download)

Acquiesce – Oasis (Tali)
I Found This Song in the Road – Art Brut
Camilo (The Magician) – Said the Whale (Kyle)
Peacock Suit – Paul Weller (Carl)
The Last Ride – Johnny Marr & the Healers (Jess)
You Can’t Have Me – Big Star
All Hell For a Basement – Big Sugar (Mickenzy)
Haze – Electronic (Jess)
Glorious – Andreas Johnson (Stuart)
Honeydrip – Ian McCulloch
No One Knows Us – Mansun (Chesh)
Pristina – Faith No More
Hit The City – Mark Lanegan (Brandon)
Bittersweet Me – REM (Eve)
Kurt Russell – Ultrasound (Rol)
A Thousand Trees – Stereophonics (Tali)
Let It Loose – The Rolling Stones (Max)
Sweet Thing – Van Morrison (Max)
Where Have You Been – Manchester Orchestra (Charlie)
Roses – Deus (Julien)

I’m sending you “Tatty Seaside Town”, by The Membranes. I associate this song not only to the period I started attending gigs, in Lisbon, but, if I remember correctly, it was the first non-Portuguese band I saw on stage (maybe there was some hardcore band before, but I can’t even remember its name, anyway…). When Membranes came to play in Lisbon, I went to the theatre quite soon, as I was afraid of not finding a ticket (you had to buy the tickets at the door, by then…). After all, the theatre was only half full (or just half empty). It was quite a gig! – Joao

Audio Grab Bag #9 (Download)

The Light Pours Out of Me – Magazine (JC)
Bloodsport – Killing Joke
Mongoloid – Devo
Mercy – Wire
Living is a Problem Because Everything Dies – Biffy Clyro (Peter)
T.V. Addict – The Doll (Raven)
Why Do You Love Me – Garbage (Richard)
Dyskrasia – Kidneythieves (Anonymous)
Loneliness of the Outdoor Smoker – The Rakes
Tatty Seaside Town – The Membranes (Joao)
Born to Kill – The Damned
My Perfect Cousin – The Undertones (Joao)
Black and Blue – The So So Glos (Charlie)
Richard II – Titus Andronicus
Outdoors – Tactics
Sexualized – Relaxed Muscle
Open Your Eyes – Lords of the New Church (Mike)
This Town’s Religion – The Delays (Christina H)
Cadavres Exquis (Howard Song) – Little Nemo
My Iron Lung – Radiohead (Peter)

It’s “Serial Killer Status” by Algernon Cadwallader, off their self-titled CD. Every time this comes up on my iPod, I start to dance a bit and sing under my breath. I love everything about it, the lyrics, the jangly guitars, the out-of-control sing/screaming. LOVE IT. :D – Austin

Audio Grab Bag #10 (Download)

Dancing on the Motorway – Stroszek
Sister Midnight – Iggy Pop
We Made Our Way We Amtrakked – Pas/Cal (Charlie)
Lay It Down – Peter, Bjorn and John (Christina K)
Dreaming of Injured Popstars – Chris T-T (Rol)
Mogadishu – Baader Meinhof
Bonny – Prefab Sprout (Matt)
The Queen of Eyes – The Soft Boys (Richard P)
I’m 9 Today – Mum (Mykael)
My Name is Carnival – Erland and the Carnival (Richard P)
Serial Killer Status – Algernon Cadwallader (Austin)
The Grey Estates – Wolf Parade (Charlie)
Empty House – Paper Route (Charlie)
Polkadot Blues – Hudson Mohawke
Imagine It (Daytrotter Session) – Dirty Projectors (Miles)
I Am Not a Robot – Marina and the Diamonds
Lacuna – Carina Round (Sarah)
The Fat Lady of Limbourg – Brian Eno
Underwear – Pulp (Aria)
Radio 4 – PiL(Mike)

There will be an important post coming up very soon.