There’s nothing I like more than a good mix tape, and longtime Mission Creek friend/library scientist/cool-last-name-having Sarah Dorpinghaus has gone and made us all one (actually, two as of now), via her new podcast, birthstones. The monthly all-music mp3s lean toward the new and experimental, featuring labels like Siltbreeze and Slumberland, who both made huge waves in 2008 with releases from Sic Alps and Crystal Stilts, respectively. The podcast also goes much deeper than that, though, digging into out-music from Iowa City’s own Night People label, found sound/world music offerings from Sublime Frequencies, classic gems by Suicide, and unreleased cuts from some hidden place in Sarah’s record collection. I mean, she’s an archivist, and these tracks belong on your hard drive for listening pleasure as well as for posterity.
Every year around the holidays our dear friends at Cokemachineglow release their wonderful Fantasy Covers Podcast. The mix features current bands covering their favorite songs of the past year, in this case 2008. This year’s podcast is likely the best one yet, featuring some beautiful music from the likes of Wye Oak, Pale Young Gentlemen, Roommate and many many more. Among those covered include M.I.A., Kanye West, Beck, and MGMT. Head on over to Cokemachineglow and plug into this killer mixtape for the new year.
The more New Year’s Eve parties I experience the more I’m learning that the best approach is to keep drama and expectations to a minimum. I often have the most fun just finding a nice little bar, getting their early with some friends, drinking some beers and letting the night unfold in a natural way. Case in point: Fellow Mission Freaker Craig Eley and I rolled into an East Village bar last year with our buddy Gavin Black (of the Blacks). We showed up mad-early, there was no one else there and we had a lion’s share of drinks. By 11PM, the place was packed, we were talking to people, we’d never met, and toasting champagne glasses while the DJ spun an excellent mix of rock, soul, and rare groove. Perhaps such pedestrian gatherings aren’t your cup of tea. Maybe you wanna do a bunch of E and go see Justice or drink a bottle of Makers and rock out with the Drive-By Truckers or candy-flip and kick it Paul Oakenfold and Groove Armada. Maybe I’m just geting older. All of this to say that our pick for a killer New Year’s Eve party tonight is to swing by the Picador a bit early, find yourself a seat and let the beers start to flow. By 11PM, the place will be jumping and you’ll be sucking face with that girl / guy you’ve been crushing on in the Java House for the past three weeks. For a mere $5 you can kick it at the Picador all night. For you electronica heads, there will be a handful of DJs led by the very talented Nate Unique (from Chicago). For you rockers: there will also be live music from the aforementioned
Since the inception of Tuesday Night Social Club there’ve been some seriously awesome shows made that much more awesome by the complete lack of a cover, but I think this one takes the cake (and the pie, and whatever else you got to take).
We made it. The end of our list, the end of 2008.
I’m sorry to interrupt all these year-end festivities, but wouldn’t you know it, music keeps on going despite our best and ongoing attempts to encapsulate it. And thank whatever power (if any) that’s the case.
Usually the album that tops my year-end list is not actually the album that I listened to the most in that calendar year.