So, as anybody who reads my posts on this forum or talks to me at all in any capacity knows that my 2010 has been defined by the fact that I am travelling around North America with my lady, Sam. And a big part of that has been defined by all of the driving we have done, about 14,000 kms or nearly 9,000 miles. That means we listened to a lot of music on the way. This mix is a collection of some of the most vivid memories I have of listening to music, while driving, while sitting in a hostel room, on a bus, in a Tim Horton's bathroom, on the very couch I'm sitting on right now in Canmore, Alberta. In the early afternoon in upstate NY with cornfields and wind generators stretching out in front of us, in the wee hours of the night on endless, poorly lit highways somewhere in South Carolina (or Georgia, or Alabama, or Kansas), or on winding backroads, watching for deer and the soft shoulder. In the twilight, catching our first glimpse of the Rocky Mountains, and in the morning, watching the sun rise over Manhattan and across the Hudson River.
It was compiled as one mix, but had to be uploaded in two parts. Each part shakes out at roughly fifty minutes. Take it as you will.
Part 1: New York-New Orleanshttp://www.mediafire.com/?5wnqknvmok7womh01-
Home by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes: The Edward Sharpe record
Up From Below was the first album we listened to as we drove in our Jeep Cherokee from New York to St. Catharines, Ontario, as we got out into upstate NY and lost reception on the local radio stations. It's also broadly indicative of what I want and what I'm getting out of this trip. Home Is Wherever I'm With You. I think at least part of this whole thing is me "auditioning" new places to live, whenever it is I decide I want to settle down.
02-
Toorali by Eleventh He Reaches London: A selection from a local Perth band, we listened to their 2009 album
Hollow Be My Name while we waited for two and a half hours to cross the US/Canada border at Niagara Falls, finally making it across at 3am. We never did get to see the falls in daylight.
03-
I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts by Merv Griffin: The incredibly silly third choice comes from Toronto. I couldn't think of anything to listen to, and Sam suggested I listen to this. For some reason, I actually did have it on my iPod, and I danced down the Toronto sidewalks and subway stations singing this song, much to Sam's chagrin. I still do it on occasion. HARMONYYYY!
04-
Ready to Start by Arcade Fire: The new Arcade Fire album came out while we were staying in Toronto, so every radio was playing something from it the entire time we were there. We listened to this record as we were leaving Toronto on the way to Timmins, Ontario, and as cliché as it seems,
The Suburbs really does feel right while driving through a bucolic, leafy suburb in a big family car in the sunshine.
05-
Up On Cripple Creek by The Band: Driving back down from Timmins to Barrie, Ontario, minus our Jeep Cherokee, salvaged, illegal to register or drive in Ontario, sold for scrap at a $7000 loss (taking into account money spent getting the car inspected etc.), catching a ride with some of Sam's friends so we can then get on a Greyhound to Ottawa and start all over again. Tim Horton's bathroom, middle of nowhere, this song playing. Feeling better. I love The Band.
06-
Solitude by Black Sabbath: On that Greyhound to Ottawa,
Master of Reality as the sun went down with my face pressed against the window and uncertainty in my heart.
07-
Goliath by Karnivool: Another Perth act, the first thing we listened to in Hugo, our Subaru Liberty, who has been with us ever since. Making some strange sounds, smoking profusely, but never once stopping.
08-
Revolve by Melvins: Driving into the grounds of Kutsher's Country Club, Monticello, NY for the All Tomorrow's Party Festival.
09-
Raw Power by Iggy and the Stooges: Seeing The Stooges at ATP, pogoing and spazzing out beneath the orange light. Iggy's got me in the palm of his hand.
10-
The Kill by Fugazi: Driving home from that first night of ATP, back to our campground, up the backstreets with no lights, just waiting to roll or hit some large mammal or just plain miss a turn. Dehydrated and sore and running on pure adrenaline.
11-
Go Tell the Women by Grinderman: 2am on a highway with no street lights somewhere in South Carolina. Why the hell don't those things even have reflectors or something? Jesus.
Part 2- New Orleans- Canmorehttp://www.mediafire.com/?bs3bc50vh2xb47b12-
How a Resurrection Really Feels by The Hold Steady: Saw The Hold Steady live at The Republic in New Orleans, blitzed on daiquiris and beer and tequila and stinking of cigars, they played this one last or second last or something. One of the many points in the night when they reached that pseudo-spiritual level that they're consciously attempting to evoke most of the time.
13-
Tightrope by Janelle Monae feat. Big Boi: Sam's probably listened to this album more times in the past 4 months than I've listened to any album, ever. It's lucky that it's pretty spectacular then. In particular I remember listening to this on another late night drive, this time from NOLA through Alabama and Arkansas to Memphis, searching for somewhere to eat and settling (sadly) on KFC.
14-
Graceland by Paul Simon: I didn't do many hamfisted music/activity connections in this trip (certainly less than I planned on), but as we set off to see Graceland the place one hot Memphis morning, putting this on just seemed right.
15-
(What a) Wonderful World by Sam Cooke: from Memphis through Oklahoma, heading towards an overnight stay in a Wal-Mart car park somewhere in Kansas, watching the sun set over seemingly endless fields of corn and wheat. I put Cooke's greatest hits on whenever I'm feeling especially sentimental.
16-
Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen: Springsteen's 1975 album is something I can listen to no matter what mood I'm in, and it's another one of those songs/albums that feels broadly indicative of a lot of what this time in my life is about. Another song for long drives across flat, straight roads in the middle of a continent.
17-
Carbon Monoxide by Regina Spektor: Driving down the side of a mountain in Yellowstone, losing my mind over the most beautiful place on the planet.
18-
I Need A Dollar by Aloe Blacc: Swerving down mountain roads in Banff National Park, across to British Columbia. Stopping the car to touch the ice on top of mirror-top lakes, frozen over for the first time the previous night.
19-
Double Order by The Ex: Obsesses with this song in Vancouver, playing it over and over in our hostel room, looking out the window and watching everybody down on Granville St. A mechanically precise tune for a clockwork city.
20-
Escape From Death by Black Breath: Driving back from Vancouver, pitch black (blacker than the blackest black), pissing down with rain, on unlit mountain roads, surrounded on all sides by semi-trailers driven by suicidal psychopaths. Struggling to stay awake, Black Breath are lifesavers.
21-
Romans 10:9 by The Mountain Goats: Second day of snow all season. Walking up and down the streets of Canmore, dropping resumes off to anyone and everyone who'll accept it, small strip of eyes + cheeks peeking out from beneath hat and above jacket.
22-
Roots by Silkworm: Last weekend, Sam took a Greyhound out to Kamloops to see friends. I sat on the couch in our basement room in Canmore and listened to the entire Silkworm/Bottomless Pit discography. Just like I did on the plane to New York.
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Topic: You Know What, Let's Do an End-of-Year Mix Blowout Thing (Read 11410 times)