Thursday, January 15

HANDS UP, DON'T SHOOT

Left-click [HERE] or [HERE] to download the HANDS UP, DON'T SHOOT mix.

TRACKLIST ---

01 WORKING CLASS JACKET my favorite
02 LOVE RECORD BREAKER the smittens
03 THIS GRAVE IS MY BED TONIGHT johnny aries
04 PENNY misun
05 A ROAD uniform motion
06 BREAK THE RULES charli xcx
07 CAVALRY CAPTAIN the decemberists
08 SPIN-O-RAMA the primitives
09 LET ME LOVE YOU jack ladder & the dreamlanders
10 SPITFIRE c.a.r.
11 TOO LATE delorentos
12 IF YOU EVER CHANGE YOUR MIND the popguns
13 NOBODY’S EMPIRE belle and sebastian
14 ALL OR NOTHING we are twin
15 WE GO ON the luxembourg signal
16 SPARKS the dø
17 MIRAGE the vagary
18 IRON BOAT planes on paper
19 TAKE ME ON THE FLOOR the veronicas
20 HOME part-time friends
21 ANGEL EYES the czars

Thursday, January 1

BEST OF 2014 (PART 1)

Of the 371 songs that appeared on the 18 "regular" P of A mixes of 2014, here follow the 38 that most successfully insinuated themselves into my oft-soporific, oft-sentimental, oft-sodden, too-oft-id-driven subconscious.  That they appeared here once suggests that they succeeded in tickling my fickle fancy on first listen; that they appear here twice is evidence that that initial tickle has since transformed into a maddening-yet-irresistible, under-the-skin itch -- the type that is oh-so-satisfying to scratch, resultant bloody rash be damned.  

So, if you should feel the "itch" to revisit some of this site's more recent and resonant tracks, don't hesitate to scratch.  Blood dries.  Rashes fade.  But great songs not only stand the test of time; they gain.  Like a 50-year-old Bordeaux; a 70-year-old Glenlivet; or an 80-year-old Leonard Cohen.

[Oh, and... just to be clear... neither the songs nor the mixes appearing here are listed in order of preference, merely arranged in what I hope will make for a smooth-yet-varied listening experience.  Finally, technically-speaking, not all of the tracks were released in the year 2014.  My mixes would sooner include a cut by Kanye than be confined by calendars.]

Left-click [HERE] or [HERE] or [HERE] to download the BEST OF 2014 (PART 1) mix.

TRACKLIST ---

01 HEY HO hello saferide
02 TRAP DOOR stars
03 MOTHER & FATHER broods
04 GOD FORSAKEN SHORE native roses
05 THERE’S A GLOW no
06 AFTER THE STORM shovels & rope
07 MIRACLE (HUMAN ERROR) sivu
08 SMALL THINGS nerina pallot
09 TOO YOUNG TO KNOW moto boy
10 THE SONG THAT BREAKS MY HEART the forest & the trees
11 NEW YORK KISS spoon
12 DESERT ISLAND QUESTIONNAIRE conor oberst
13 FAR FROM ANY ROAD the handsome family
14 RADIO HEARTTHROB sugar stems
15 JENNY JONES neighbors
16 TARIFA sharon van etten
17 NEVER HAVE ENOUGH carnival youth
18 THE COLD exitmusic
19 YOU GOT ME SINGING leonard cohen

(Go [HERE] to access the BEST OF 2010 -> 2013 mixes.)

BEST OF 2014 (PART 2)

Left-click [HERE] or [HERE] or [HERE] to download the BEST OF 2014 (PART 2) mix.

TRACKLIST ---

01 BLEARY-EYE-D BLUE margot & the nuclear so and so’s

02 REX customs
03 MY SILVER LINING first aid kit
04 ETRE HEUREUX skip the use
05 SPARKS sleep thieves
06 TELL THOSE FUCKERS red kite
07 PATTON’S FINAL MARCH hook moon
08 LATE BLOOMER jenny lewis
09 NOT THE END OF THE WORLD faded paper figures
10 YOU’RE THE ONE THAT I WANT lo-fang
11 NYE missy higgins
12 DEAN & ME jj
13 GRACELESS the national
14 WARPAINT manicanparty
15 CRABAPPLES IN THE CENTURY’S STORM frontier ruckus
16 THE BRAE yumi zouma
17 LIBERTY (IS WHERE WE’LL BE) gruff rhys
18 CRICKETS IN THE RAIN allo darlin’
19 REMINDERS radical face

2014: 34 ALBUMS

Yet another year flies by... and yet again I beg your indulgence by dumping some of my most beloved albums from that past year upon you. For that, you have my sympathies. My apologies. My gratitude.

This time 'round, because I'm listing so many, I've decided to save some space on the site and link the albums to my alternate blog. Therefore, you may locate the list by left-clicking
 [HERE].

[Please understand:  The albums are not available for download. Too much risk for too little reward, I'm afraid to say. But there are links to each of the artists, and you may just stumble upon something that rubs you the right way (musically-speaking). Also:  You will notice that the albums are not listed in order of preference, but alphabetically by artist.]

Whether or not you choose to click on the link: May all of your New Year's resolutions come true. And may any lingering, head-splitting, stomach-stirring hangovers prove mercifully short-lived....