Chocolate Grinder Mix 17
"Hatching Under the Belly of the Flowering Cerebellum"
I can't help but feel like an ass for plucking some of these songs from their original contexts. Several tracks -- like Mount Eerie's "(something)," John Wiese's "Mystical Finland," and especially Kreng's "Meisje In Auto" (which you should seek out ASAP) -- hinge heavily on the flow intended by the artist. My concern, though, would put into question a whole host of things -- not only mix tapes, but sampling and radio, musique-concrète and iPods. Besides, the idea of The Album as something sacred, something untouchable is silly. Am I not allowed to bend symbols at my will? Am I supposed to sit passively and consume music only under conditions laid out by the artists? Of course not. But I still feel like an ass sometimes.
01. Eric Copeland - "Al Anon" (Alien in a Garbage Dump)
- Start time: 0:00; Links: Paw Tracks
02. Bird Names - "Taxicabs And Bicycles" (Sings the Browns)
- Start time: 3:57; Links: Upset the Rhythm - Bird Names
03. Julian Lynch - "Two Babes in the Woods" (Lefse Records Compilation)
- Start time: 6:49; Links: Lefse - Julian Lynch
04. Mount Eerie - "(something)" (Wind's Poem)
- Start time: 8:59; Links: P.W. Elverum & Sun
05. Kurt Vile - "Overnite Religion" (Childish Prodigy)
- Start time: 11:13; Links: Matador - Kurt Vile
06. Circulatory System - "I You We" (Signal Morning)
- Start time: 16:25; Links: Cloud - Circulatory System
07. John Wiese - "Mystical Finland (excerpt)" (Circle Snare)
- Start time: 17:54; Links: No Fun
08. Evangelista - "The Slayer (promo)" (Prince of Truth)
- Start time: 19:50; Links: Constellation - Evangelista
09. Ourself Beside Me - "Improvisation I" (Ourself Beside Me)
- Start time: 25:48; Links: Maybe Marsl - Ourself Beside Me
10. Kreng - "Meisje In Auto (naar Prelude No. 20 In C Minor Van F. Chopin)" (L'Autopsie Phénoménale De Dieu)
- Start time: 26:52; Links: Miasmah - Kreng
Chocolate Grinder Mix 16
“I Can See Through Time”
Every year since I started writing reviews, I have heard at least one fellow critic say words to the effect of "this has been a slow year for [insert genre] or music in general." Well, from where I'm sitting, music looks like it's doing pretty damn good for itself. Independent music is rife with exuberant brilliance waiting to be discovered and appreciated, regardless of its surrounding hype or lack thereof. If you think music's offerings have been feeble lately, you need to branch out and listen to more of it. Take a chance on something you may know little or nothing about. Granted, it's an often underwhelming process, but every so often, you will find one album that will unquestionably make it all worth the effort. These mixes are the result of my journey through sound, and I hope they inspire you to tread different paths of your own. This is the most exciting and dynamic time we could ever hope to be alive.
01. Longwalkshortdock - "Born At Night" (Casual Tea)
- Start time: 0:00; Links: Self-Released - Longwalkshortdock
02. The Lava Children - "Particles" (The Lava Children EP)
- Start time: 6:33; Links: Graveface - The Lava Children
03. Battlehooch - "Take The L Train" (Piecechow)
- Start time: 10:17; Links: Terrorbird - Battlehooch
04. The Gaslamp Killer - "Anything Worse" (My Troubled Mind)
- Start time: 13:39; Links: Alpha Pup - The Gaslamp Killer
05. Damian Lazarus - "Come And Play" (Smoke The Monster Out)
- Start time: 17:53; Links: Get Physical - Damian Lazarus
06. DJ Food - "Tricky Little Ears (The Cheech Wizard Pays Respect To All Living Creatures Who Inhabit Dark Places)" (One Man's Weird Is Another Man's World EP)
- Start time: 21:43; Links: Ninja Tune - DJ Food
07. Ochre - "Napolese" (Like Dust Of The Balance)
- Start time: 28:50; Links: Benbecula - Ochre
08. Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra - "Radioactive People" (Takes Off!)
- Start time: 34:17; Links: Alien Transistor - Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra
09. Speech Debelle - "Bad Boy" (Speech Therapy)
- Start time: 41:20; Links: Big Dada - Speech Debelle
10. Throw Me The Statue - "The Outer Folds" (Creaturesque)
- Start time: 45:36; Links: Secretly Canadian - Throw Me The Statue
Chocolate Grinder Mix 15
“Plain #7 with no pickles or onions”
"I would believe only in a God that knows how to dance," said Friedrich Nietzsche. "We're fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance," states a Japanese proverb. "Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room," said Kurt Vonnegut. "Dancers are the athletes of God," said Albert Einstein. "Any problem in the world can be solved by dancing," said James Brown. "To shake your rump is to be environmentally aware," said David Byrne. "Never trust spiritual leader who cannot dance," said Mr. Miyagi.
01. Bachelorette - "Mindwarp" (My Electric Family)
- Start time: 0:00; Links: Drag City - Bachelorette
02. Anti-Pop Consortium - "Apparently" (Fluorescent Black)
- Start time: 3:28; Links: Big Dada - Anti-Pop Consortium
03. The Herbaliser Band - "Geddim!" (Session 2)
- Start time: 5:56; Links: !K7 - The Herbaliser Band
04. Giant Cookie Monster - "Orange Bat theme" (Orange Bat)
- Start time: 10:54; Links: Giant Cookie Monster
05. Neon Indian - "Terminally Chill" (Psychic Chasms)
- Start time: 15:05; Links: Lefse - Neon Indian
06. Mos Def - "Auditorium [ft. Slick Rick]" (The Ecstatic)
- Start time: 18:33; Links: Downtown - Mos Def
07. Black Lips - "The Drop I Hold [ft. GZA]" (The Drop I Hold EP)
- Start time: 23:00; Links: Vice - Black Lips
08. Miss Kittin & The Hacker - "Electronic City" (TWO)
- Start time: 26:24; Links: Nobody's Bizzness - Miss Kitten & The Hacker
09. Jónsi & Alex - "Boy 1904" (Riceboy Sleeps)
- Start time: 31:09; Links: XL - Jónsi & Alex
10. YACHT - "Psychic City" (See Mystery Lights)
- Start time: 36:14; Links: DFA - YACHT
Chocolate Grinder Mix 14
“Palin/Gingrich 2012”
How many of you feel disillusioned with the Obama administration thus far? I know, in hindsight it seems foolish to think idealism might have railroaded policy through Congress, even with the fuckin' deck stacked. Either America was built to run on slow, incremental progress, or the two parties are becoming absurdly centrist. It must be the former, 'cause I could have sworn Obama was a raging atheist; he seemed smart with big ideas, but even a guy like him remains a whore to our political process? I guess I've known for a while that a new President couldn't veer that far from their predecessor's path, but, oh god... Bush vs. Obama? It's in your face this time. This mix is full of songs that I thought had a vaguely 1970s feeling. They're all filled with life and, except for Bat For Lashes, some form of joy. It's too easy to make sad songs; I like songs that fill more vague emotional places -- if you're feeling bittersweet, then a happy song can be sad as hell, but rarely the other way around.
01. Yuksek - "I Could Never Be A Dancer" (Away From The Sea)
- Start time: 0:00; Links: Yuksek
02. Shogun Kunitoki - "Riddarholmen" (Vinonaamakasio)
- Start time: 3:14; Links: [Fonal->www.fonal.com/] - [Shogun Kunitoki->www.shogunkunitoki.com/]
03. What's Up? - "Seasoning's Greeting" (Content Imagination)
- Start time: 6:32; Links: [Obey Your Brain->www.obeyyourbrain.com/] - [What's Up?->www.myspace.com/whatsupwhatsupwhatsup]
04. Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - "Can't Hear My Eyes" (Can't Hear My Eyes 7")
- Start time: 11:43; Links: Mexican Summer - Ariel Pink
05. Bat For Lashes - "The Big Sleep" (Two Suns)
- Start time: 14:54; Links: [Bat For Lashes->www.batforlashes.com/]
06. Zu - "Erinys" (Carboniferous)
- Start time: 17:45; Links: Ipecac - [Zu->www.myspace.com/zuband]
07. Aavikko - "Specto Supernus" (Novo Atlantis)
- Start time: 21:28; Links: 9pm - [Aavikko->www.aavikko.net/]
08. Cheer-Accident - "And Then You Realize You Haven't Left Yet" (Fear Draws Misfortune)
- Start time: 26:03; Links: [Cuneiform->www.cuneiformrecords.com/] - [Cheer-Accident->www.cheer-accident.com/]
09. Blank Dogs - "No Compass" (Under And Under)
- Start time: 27:34; Links: [In The Red->www.intheredrecords.com/] - [Blank Dogs->www.myspace.com/blankdogtime]
10. Javelin - "Vibrationz" (Jamz n Jemz)
- Start time: 30:13; Links: [Javelin->www.myspace.com/hotjamzofjavelin]
Chocolate Grinder Mix 13
“The Man Who Made A Beast Of Himself”
I love variety, and for this mix I've selected the spaciest hip-hop, the creepiest electronica, and the freakiest folk, making it the perfect concoction to soundtrack the depths of your next ether binge. Through the latest bloopy gifts from Alpha Pup, an epic progressive selection from prodigy Nathan Fake, and bizarre indie electronic hybrids from Niobe and Joan Of Arc, Chocolate Grinder is proud to bring you some of the most spectacular mutants of the year, too weird to live, too rare to die. Unusual for the series, recent re-releases have placed tracks from Young MC's 1989 debut (no, I didn't pick "Bust A Move") and the 70s recordings of the gloriously absurd Kath Bloom in the CG range. As a TMT reader, you get used to things like seeing your dead grandmother crawling up your leg with a knife in her teeth, but nobody should be asked to handle this trip.
01. Ras G - "Earthly Matters" (Brotha From Anotha Planet)
- Start time: 0:00; Links: Alpha Pup - Ras G
02. Nosaj Thing - "Us" (Drift)
- Start time: 4:51; Links: Alpha Pup - Nosaj Thing
03. Serengeti & Polyphonic - "My Patriotism" (Terradactyl)
- Start time: 7:55; Links: Anticon - Serengeti & Polyphonic
04. Young MC - "Non Stop" (Stone Cold Rhymin')
- Start time: 10:53; Links: Delicious Vinyl
05. Voodeux - "3rd Floor" (The Paranormal)
- Start time: 14:16; Links: Mothership - Voodeux
06. Nathan Fake - "Castle Rising" (Hard Islands)
- Start time: 18:49; Links: Border Community - Nathan Fake
07. Kath Bloom - "The Breeze/My Baby Cries" (Love Takes This Course)
- Start time: 27:46; Links: Chapter - Kath Bloom
08. Fink - "Six Weeks" (Sort Of Revolution)
- Start time: 31:57; Links: Ninja Tune - Fink
09. Joan Of Arc - "Flowers" (Flowers)
- Start time: 34:59; Links: Polyvinyl - Joan Of Arc
10. Niobe - "Lovely Day" (Blackbird's Echo)
- Start time: 41:36; Links: Tomlab - Niobe
Chocolate Grinder Mix 12
“The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even”
I titled this mix after Marcel Duchamp's The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even (a.k.a. The Large Glass), an artwork from which the title Chocolate Grinder derives its name. For an artist who (in)famously submitted a toilet to an art show, I thought it appropriate to cobble together a mix of tunes that hinge more heavily on context for "understanding." (Not that you can't go in blind, if that's your thing.) My last mix was about as rock as I get, so this time I primarily emphasized songs that were either more overtly fluid (Mountains, Andrew Broder) or so grippingly visceral (Talibam!, John Wiese) that you can't help but reexamine our heftiest mythologies. I also included an older track, "His Mister's Pet Whistles," from the forthcoming reissue of the criminally overlooked Major Organ release. Sit tight and you'll get some consonance toward the end.
01. Nice at Home - "Never Use a Condom More Than Once" (Visitor)
- Start time: 0:00; Links: Nice at Home
02. Pink Mountain - "Thee Red Lion" (Pink Mountain)
- Start time: 1:17; Links: Sickroom - Pink Mountain
03. Sore Eros - "Below It Begins" (Second Chants)
- Start time: 6:18; Links: SHDWPLY - Sore Eros
04. Major Organ and the Adding Machine - "His Mister's Pet Whistles" (Major Organ and the Adding Machine)
- Start time: 8:28; Links: Orange Twin - Major Organ Wikipedia
05. Andrew Broder - "Where The Guy Gets Killed" (Spiraling)
- Start time: 10:48; Links: Andrew Broder
06. Talibam! - "Entertaining The After Beast" (Boogie In The Breeze Blocks)
- Start time: 15:45; Links: ESP-Disk - Talibam!
07. Oneida - "What's Up, Jackal" (Rated O)
- Start time: 21:04; Links: Jagjaguwar - Oneida
08. John Wiese - "Circle Snare (Second Part)" (Circle Snare)
- Start time: 24:08; Links: No Fun - John Wiese
09. Mountains - "Choral" (Choral)
- Start time: 29:11; Links: Thrill Jockey - Mountains
10. James Blackshaw - "Cross" (The Glass Bead Game)
- Start time: 41:57; Links: Young God - James Blackshaw
