Halloween Mixtape

This past week I compiled a Halloween mixtape with commentary for Death and Taxes. It is quite a ghoulish romp and I know you will all love to death. Happy Halloween!

Sufjan Stevens - "(You Are The) Rake"

Sufjan Stevens has an interesting career. His first solo album A Sun Came was released in 2000. A mixed bag of lo-fi indie rock, folk, and world music, it was not an easily digestible record. Whatever small grouping of fans he might have gained with his debut must have ran for the hills when he released his second record, Enjoy Your Rabbit, an instrumental, electronic song cycle based on the Chinese Zodiac. It was then that he announced his ambition to release 50 albums, each one dedicated to a US state (a concept that has gotten Stevens a lot of notoriety even if he has no plans to continue it further than his landmark Illinoise record).

Getting back to A Sun Came - a reissue of said record hit stores in 2004, containing two newly recorded bonus tracks. One of them was a redo of the proper album's "Rake", a version that Stevens recorded presumably during the Seven Swans sessions given it's plucky sound and Meghan Smith's backing vocal. Both versions are great but the remake is the real winner. The original is purposely tinny, sounding like a transistor radio with a special broadcast just for you. While it's inspiring, it's also self contained and melancholic. "You Are The Rake" is the complete inverse. All of the sounds are clear with immaculate acoustics (a common trait for all the songs on Seven Swans). Rather than the somewhat destitute nature of the original, the remake is uplifting and a great way to end the lengthy sprawl of the album.

sufjan stevens - You Are The Rake by spacechef

John Lennon - Double Fantasy (Stripped Down)

On the occasion of what would have been John Lennon's 70th birthday, the majority of the late Beatle's solo back catalogue was reissued (yet again), both as individual albums, and in one large boxset encompassing nearly everything. Two 'best of' collections were also released: Power To The People, a more traditional greatest hits package, and Gimme Some Truth, a four disc box set for lazy "Lennon fans", who don't have time to listen to everything, but would like to hear a few hours of his music sorted into lyrical categories. For whatever reason, Lennon's swan song collaboration with wife Yoko Ono, Double Fantasy, was reissued with a second disc containing all of the album's tracks, sans overdubs. Aside from the peculiar singling out of that album, the idea of releasing embryonic Lennon material is kind of odd. In the years following his death, the release of demos and outtakes from the Lennon vaults has become so frequent, that the general public image of him seems to be of a man playing acoustic guitar alone in a room. Those familiar with Lennon's living discography, know that the man was a big fan of production. Phil Spector, known for his lush recording techniques, worked on several records with Lennon, including a controversial set of orchestral overdubs and tweaking to The Beatles' Let It Be, an album that's original concept was for a bare bones, "warts and all" live performance record.

The point here is that Lennon would most likely not approve of this somewhat frivolous bonus disc, not to mention all of the previously released anthology recordings released since the mid 90's (The Beatles Anthology can be excused for majority rule). For starters, one of Lennon's trademarks was his doubletracked voice, which is the first noticeable difference heard on Double Fantasy Stripped Down. Lennon notoriously hated his own voice and looked for various ways to distort and experiment with it in order to achieve a sound he was comfortable with. Taking his vocal overdubs off is like tearing off the top of the casket. Secondly is the lack of gated reverb, a style that would come into full swing popularity wise in the 1980's. Gated reverb is a technique that has been greatly criticized since the aftermath of its heyday. Lennon, however, had been using it for years at this point with great effect ("I Don't Want To Be A Soldier Mama" comes to mind when thinking of 80's production in the 70's). Double Fantasy continued the progression of Lennon's use of heavily reverbed production, handled by Imagine engineer, Jack Douglas. The final product was an album both Lennon and Ono were very proud of and excited about. Ultimately, the bonus disc here is like a director's cut for a director who supervised every aspect of the film.

The appreciation of Lennon's work will always be skewed by his death.  Double Fantasy was initially panned upon its November 1980 release, but soon after Lennon's shooting on December 8th, the public grew to appreciate the record, and it has gone on to be hailed as one of the best records of the 1980's. Personally, I like the album, and I feel like the initial distaste for it was more of a resentment towards Lennon for cutting another record with his wife, whose songs are no where near as bad as everyone wants to believe. "Kiss Kiss Kiss" and "I'm Moving On" are particularly great early examples of avant-pop. The release of a 'stripped down' version though just seems pointless, and not in Lennon's legacy's best interest.

Surfin' Bird

The song is a classic from 60's surf rockers The Trashmen, but which late 70's cover is better - The Ramones or The Cramps?

Nico - "The Fairest Of The Seasons"

As far as I'm concerned, this is the saddest song ever. I've never sat down and read the lyrics but Nico's vocal is quite clear, and Jackson's Browne's words have a bittersweet reflection to them that is so clearly resigned, that you don't need to really find a narrative. The performance of this particular song that opens up Nico's debut solo album, Chelsea Girl, is what makes it so memorable in its mournfulness. The tone of the guitar, the drip of the strings, and of course, that voice. It's possible I'm being blind sighted by its use in Wes Anderson's The Royal Tenenbaums, where it's used as the backdrop for a montage that shows all the characters moving on with their lives. Even though they all had improved since the beginning of the film, it felt so morose to me because ultimately, the adventure was over. Everyone had to move on for better or for worse. What has been most bothersome though is that "The Fairest Of The Seasons" closes out the soundtrack which is a very arresting way to go close a set of songs -  enough to make you not want to leave the house, or maybe even get out of bed. The movie itself at least had the upbeat "Everyone" by Van Morrison as its exit music. The best method for listening to this song though is in the context of the original record, as it's immediately followed by its mirror image, "These Days", which switches from minor to major with a briskness that seems hopefully in its maturity ("These Days" is also featured in Tenenbaums when Margo exits the bus with Richie waiting for her).

Beck & Bat For Lashes - "Let's Get Lost"

For someone who hasn't seen any of the Twilight movies, I sure am on a twisted kick of the films' soundtracks (must be the fall). Last week, I spoke of the haunting Lykke Li track, "Possibility" featured in New Moon. This week I find myself stricken from the Beck/Bat For Lashes collaboration from Eclipse. Natasha Khan enters the song with the line "Touch me I'm cold", her voice cascading across a humming synth and cool atmosphere. Khan's voice always sounds shivering as if from the depths of a cave - this performance might be her most affecting with that aesthetic. The second verse is taken by Beck, using plenty of reverb as has become his usual calling card for his 00's balladry. The instrumentation remains sparse throughout, yet powerful, focusing mainly on a mood that is unsure but hopeful. The song has a feel to it that would make it right at home in a climactic scene from an 80's teen drama, as the protagonist and the girl he loves finally work through their differences. The fact that it's connected to a saga about vampires is a little disappointing because the tone of the song feels a lot more real than that. Perhaps the movies are more human than I realize, and should maybe go see what I'm missing. Until then, this song shall suffice.