MP3 Low - "When I Go Deaf"
After a few dancible tracks & the crash that closes out "My Friend Dario", I felt it was time to slow things down a bit. And if you want slow, then you probably want Duluth MN's Low. The slowcore veteran trio had a tumultuous year, beginning with the band's first Sub Pop release & sold out dates at Mpls' famed First Avenue, and ending with the departure of bassist Zak Sally. Along the way, Low toured the heck out of The Great Destroyer, this past winter's well-received new album & the band's loudest to date. "When I Go Deaf" comes in like a lamb, but roars out like a lion, as Music For Robots' Blair noted back in January:

This is the new Low, the louder, harder more dissonant Low. The song certainly starts off all quiet, with soft guitar-strums & Low's signature harmonized vocals, but just past the halfway point in the song, its just turns into these gigantic washes of feedback & guitar noise - it is this crushingly beautiful kind of song, that makes my spine tingle & raises the hair on the back of my neck.

Producer David Fridmann helped Low find their edge, turning up the volume & letting the guitars wail while retaining the band's signature minimalist melodies. I debated whether I should include "Silver Rider" (another abfab song) off The Great Destroyer instead of this track, but in the end decided to go ahead with "When I Go Deaf" because if its pure, simplistic beauty.





MP3 Gogol Bordello - "Undestructable"
My adoration for NYC gypsy punks Gogol Bordello has been established on several occasions. The first time I saw them was my favorite show of 2004, and this summer's gig at the Fine Line wasn't not too shabby either. But instead of picking a typical wild Gogol Bordello track from Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike ("Dogs Are Barking" or "Sally" for example) for Mix '05, I went with this slower, more calculated track instead. Much like the Low song that preceeds it, "Undestructable" begins slowly but builds in intensity, gaining power along the way until you can't help but join in on the "UN-DES-TRU-CTA-BLE!" chanting chorus. It feels almost church-like, with Hutz passionately giving his sermon about the healing powers of music that saved his life & set him free. I'll join your congregation, Eugene.



DISC ONE
Track 01: The Constantines - "Draw Us Lines"
Track 02: Spoon - "The Beast & Dragon, Adored"
Track 03: The Russian Futurists - "Our Pen's Out of Ink"
Track 04: Broken Social Scene - "7/4 (Shoreline)"
Track 05: Bunky - "Chuy"
Track 06: The New Pornographers - "The Bleeding Heart Show"
Track 07: Stars - "Ageless Beauty"
Track 08: Danger Doom f/Cee-Lo - "Benzie Box"
Track 09: Legendary K.O. - "GWB Doesn't Care About Black People"
Track 10: M.I.A. - "10 Dollar"
Track 11: Soulwax vs Lipps Inc. - "NY Lipps (Kazasaki Dub)"
Track 12: Vitalic - "My Friend Dario"

In other news (or whatever), Randi Rhodes pointed me toward two great articles on Iraq & the ramifications of a U.S. pullout by retired General William Odom that are definitely worth a read IMO. In other Air America happenings, Janeane Garofalo, on leave from her West Wing duties, will be back in studio for tonite's Majority Report, with guest Marc Maron on the eve of the final Morning Sedition. As always, you can find mp3's of just about every past Air America show at the Air America Place audi archives.



Finally, my congrats go out to my cousin Mickey, who apparently got a wink-wink-nudge-nudge from the early admit folks at NYU, where he'll be joining the dramatic writing program in fall 2006. I couldn't be happier for the guy. I'm even putting my personal grudge against a particular local private school for a while, since it undoubtably helped you get in. Way to go, kid. You're gonna have an incredible four years out in NYC. Yes, I'm jealous.

This entry was posted by mr gilbert at 12/15/2005 10:00:00 AM.