Wow.  I've gotten a deluge of CDs lately, and I'm already behind.  Here's my review of The Gov's.

A Life without Lychees (Hans Reichel)
This song is exactly the kind of song that I love.  Catchy, quirky, not too repetitive, different, fun.  You can also throw in groovy and snazzy.  (Why not?)  Ithe mosquito solo in the middle might've gone on just a tad long, but overall I love it.

Play with Me (Extreme)
I'm not normally a fan of this kind of classic-rock sounding stuff, but this song (as the title implies) avoided the cheese of it all.  I noticed a lot of the tracks on this CD relied on the lyrics to make the song.  In this case, the lyrics made the song!  And made it good.

Missed Me (Dresden Dolls)
I'm glad to finally hear something else from the Dresden Dolls.  This song, also, didn't have much to it without the lyrics, although in the end (once I payed more attention to them) it grew on me.

Sinnerman (Nina Simone)
Wow!  This version of Sinner Man blew me away.  I've always liked Nina Simone's faster stuff, although usually you hear the slow "smoky voiced" stuff.  But this is great.  A jazzed up version of a classic -- what?  hymn?  Americana?  Whatever it is, integrating the gosepel-sounding call/response in the middle was genius.  Love this track.

Sex Education Ghetto Style (Gil Scott-Heron)
Kind of amusing in the words and the beatnik-ness, but not something you can listen to over and over again.

It's Still Rock and Roll to Me (Billy Joel)
Yes, I like Billy Joel.  Always have.  My dad had a bunch of his tapes when I was growing up and I always liked him.  (Him and the Pointer Sisters).  And this is my favorite song of his.  I don't know how you found that out.

Happiness (Goldfrapp)
This is a good background song, but its does get too repetitive for me to, say, select it on purpose for a listen.

Objection! (Noriyuki Iwadare)
Aaron Copeland (of the "Beef Is What's for Dinner Song" fame) meets anime BGM.  Well, maybe not anime BGM, just any ol' BGM, but his name is Japanese so we'll say anime BGM.  Anyway, not my thing.  Most 20th century music that aims at "classical" sounds like it's trying too hard, in my opinion.

The Village Green Preservation Society (The Kinks)
This is another one that grew on me once I started paying attention to the lyrics.  There's not much to the music, but now I really enjoy listening to it.

Someplace Simple (James Yorkston)
It seemed like this track also wanted to rely on the lyrics to carry it, but I just couldn't stay interested in it long enough to follow where the lyrics were going.

Little Secrets (Neil Cowley Trio)
When people ask me "what kind of music do you like?" I normally answer, "It's easier to tell you what kind of music I DON'T like," and jazz trios (or quartets or quintets, etc.) are on the top of my list.  It might be a great track, but it's not my bag.

Serendipty Doodah (William D Drake)
This one, however, IS my bag.  I liked it a lot.  William Drake might not have the most melodious voice, but it's good enough and it fits the song well.  It also reminds me a bit of The Fiery Furnaces.

Duplexes of the Dead (The Fiery Furnaces)
As different as The Fiery Furnaces sound, a lot of their own songs all sound the same.  This one reminded me of a lot of their other stuff.  I do enjoy it, and a mix CD is a perfect place for The Firey Furnaces.

Landed (Ben Folds)
This one sort of surprised me.  There are other songs on the CD I don't like, but this is the only one that was just boring.

Switch (Amon Tobin)
Now this is the kind of Jazz I can dig on (as opposed to "Little Secrets").  Very "aw yeah" smooth and continuous.  Like a good scotch.  Actually, I could drink scotch while listening to this.

Everybody's Free (to Wear Sunscreen) (Baz Luhrmann)
This one started out amusing, but it kind of got old.  Another one whose beatnik-ness tried to carry it, but in this case it tried for too long.

Where Do You Go To (My Lovely) (Peter Sarstedt)
Points to this one for all the French words pronounced better than I can do, and the French accordion to complete the mood.  But again, this one relied on the lyrics, and I just can't get into the "you, beautiful woman, are hot shit now but I know where you came from" type of song.  The guy should just get the hell over it already.

Marconi's Radio (The Secret Machines)
This is a great song... in certain circumstances.  I listened to it in the car, which totally didn't work.  This song would work best in a live concert or -- again -- sitting in the dark with a drink.

 

Overall, I thought this was a great CD.  It's almost like my own tastes with a jazz twist.  I'll be listening to this one a lot.  Thanks, Gov.

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"Old" is the old new.

Cheers for the review Sycess, glad you liked it. Ive got your compilation on my Ipod at the moment (I like to go over a cd a few times before I comment, but a review is forthcoming), in the meantime I'll give you all some notes about my own.

 

A Life without Lychees (Hans Reichel)

When I found this I absolutely loved it, then I played it to death and hated it, then left it a while and its again one of my favourites, and will be the opening track to the movie on my life. If you're interested in seeing something rather cool by the composer visit http://www.daxo.de, you won't be disappointed, though it'll probably start to freak you out after a while.

Play with Me (Extreme)

Ahh, Play with me, Always liked this track, cheesy 80s rock, but with talent. I included it as a tribute to George Carlin (as it was taken off the Bill and Ted soundtrack), wasn't sure if it would work on the cd, but I think I sandwiched it well.

Missed Me (Dresden Dolls)

This one has all the theatrics that I love about the dolls, Amanda Palmers voice never grows old. I saw her perform sneakily at Glastonbury (she did a couple of numbers with Ben Folds), but Sycess is right, this ones all about the lyric.

Sinnerman (Nina Simone)

Discarded this one last time when I took my soundtracks compilation orchestral only, but I felt I had to include it this time regardless.

Sex Education Ghetto Style (Gil Scott-Heron)
This one was simply a breather to get over Nina really.

It's Still Rock and Roll to Me (Billy Joel)
When I was young and impressionable in the late 80s "We didn't start the fire" was one of the first vinyl 7inch singles I ever bought (with my own pocket money no less), even though I had no clue who Billy Joel was. I have to confess in the 20 or so years since, I still hadn't delved into his back catalogue until now, and this song just struck a chord with me. Its the sort of song I like playing aswell.

Happiness (Goldfrapp)

Saw her at Glastonbury, Id sort of given up on her after Supernature, which I felt went a little bit too plastic pop commercial sell out ordinary (if that makes any sense) compared to her previous records, though I reckon she's sort of back on track with her latest album. On reflection however this one is still a little bit too samey, though I remember really digging it when I was at the festival (though that could have been the copious amounts of pear cider). It does have a beatlesque quality though.

Objection! (Noriyuki Iwadare)

This ones an oddity on the compilation. Its sort of like a secret shame of mine that I like collecting music like this. What I will say is that its an orchestral version of what it was originally used for, and while a quick google may yield the answer, I wonder if any of the 'Twelve' know where the original came from? I will say the thing in question took up a lot of my time last month. Banana in the post to the person with the correct answer.

The Village Green Preservation Society (The Kinks)

This one's going to become the English national anthem when the Taffs n Jocks finish their separation process.

Someplace Simple (James Yorkston)
This one is the only track I have of his, admittedly I think it bores after a while, but I saw him live a few years back, and it was one of the highlights of that particular festival, and Ive wanted to include something of his on a cd for a while. 

Little Secrets (Neil Cowley Trio)
Have to disagree with you Sycess, when people ask me what music I like, Jazz trio's are up there with psychedelic punk and biscuits, that said, Ive seen a lot of bad jazz trios and quartets in my time so I know what you mean, but these struck a chord with me and I really enjoyed them at Glastonbury.

Serendipty Doodah (William D Drake)

My favourite song on the compilation, I saw him play in a smokey little bar in Soho a few years back, and he was once part of another favourite band of mine, Cardiacs. Its his piano playing that gets me usually, but the lyrics on this one stood out for me.

Duplexes of the Dead (The Fiery Furnaces)

The trouble with selecting a Fiery Furnaces song has always been for me; how weird do you want to go? A lot of their work is highly stylised and gels well with the rest of that particular album but can sound really bad if taken out of context, but Ive always tried to strike a fine line between accessibility and their uniqueness, as they can be a hard band to listen to. Their latest album ‘Widow City’ is one of their more accessible records however.

Landed (Ben Folds)

Included this one because Ive started getting back into his work (and there was me thinking it was just a college thing I grew out of). Saw him at Glastonbury, and a few days earlier in a bar in Newcastle, both gigs I came away with a smile. This song strikes a chord with me for some reason. Lost loves n all that jazz no doubt.

Switch (Amon Tobin)

Tobin’s work is an odd one for me, as I find a lot of his stuff hard to listen to, but I do enjoy this. Taken from Permutation, which is a dark chilled out jazz album which occasionally veers towards drum n bass.

 

Everybody's Free (to Wear Sunscreen) (Baz Luhrmann)

Another nostalgia trip from my uni days, I actually can’t remember why I included this, though not sad I did.

Where Do You Go To (My Lovely) (Peter Sarstedt)

A late entry on the compilation, I watched Darjeeling Limited recently and Sycess sums up the scene this comes from perfectly.

Marconi's Radio (The Secret Machines)

I was looking for a bookend so to speak, but nothing lived up to the weirdness of Reichel. In the end I went for this track because it’s the kind of slow build, sinister, end of days, type sound that Ive always aspired to myself. My friend tried to get me into Secret Machines a couple of years back, but its taken till now for me to really dig their groove.

Hope you guys like it (or at least some of it)

A Life without Lychees (Hans Reichel)

When this song started, I thought I was going to absolutely hate it.  It sounded like something out of Sesame Street, but then once it took off, I started to enjoy it.  It's catchy instrumental nonsense.

Play with Me (Extreme)

You're right that this is cheesy 80's rock and while I often like the stinkiest cheeses best, I don't really care for this one.

Missed Me (Dresden Dolls)

Theatric was a good way to describe Dresden Dolls--they're like modern caberet music.

Sinnerman (Nina Simone)

I like the urgency of this song.  Not many musicians can sustain energy like this for 10 minutes and keep interest.  I had to look up to see what soundtracks it appears on; it sounds like something Tarantino would use (although he never would now since it appeared in such art films as Oceans 12 and Miami Vice).

Sex Education Ghetto Style (Gil Scott-Heron)

I've always enjoyed Gil Scott-Heron and included one of his songs on a previous swap. 

It's Still Rock and Roll to Me (Billy Joel)

Ugh.  I suppose I can forgive you for subjecting me to this since you explained that you hadn't heard him much growing up.  Meanwhile, I had an older sister who played Billy Joel albums quite a bit and in 7th grade, this was one of the songs our music teacher made us sing to prove she was hip.

[Click to view comic: 'You Oughta Know By Now']

Happiness (Goldfrapp)

This is a nice, airy, happy pop song.  Nice 60's influence.  It could appear in some hippy movie from that era.

Objection! (Noriyuki Iwadare)

I googled the answer--never heard of it.  I have no objection to this song.

The Village Green Preservation Society (The Kinks)

I haven't heard this song since the 80's.  I have to admit, I only know the Kink's greatest hits but this song makes me believe there their forgotten catalog is better than their well-known songs.

Someplace Simple (James Yorkston)

I'll agree with you on the boring assessment.

Little Secrets (Neil Cowley Trio)

I'll gladly add this to my jazz collection.  

Serendipty Doodah (William D Drake)

This song is okay--I really didn't have a strong opinion of it one way or another.

Duplexes of the Dead (The Fiery Furnaces)

Too much over the top gimickry in music and vocals for me.

Landed (Ben Folds)

I've always liked Ben Folds.  I saw him at Coachella one year and it was a horrible venue for him (I think the Hives were playing at a larger stage at the same time and were drowning him out), so I'm glad you liked him at Glastonbury.  If I ever see him again, it will be in a more intimate venue.  This song was used in a commercial last year and every time it came on, I thought, "I need to get that Ben Folds song."  I have no idea what product was being advertised.

Switch (Amon Tobin)

I'm a HUGE fan of Amon Tobin, but I had never heard of this album.  I'm glad you included this--I now have listen to the whole album now.

Everybody's Free (to Wear Sunscreen) (Baz Luhrmann)

I learned something new today.  Back when this was flying around the internets, the text was ascribed to Kurt Vonnegut.  I wiki'ed this and found out it wasn't.

Where Do You Go To (My Lovely) (Peter Sarstedt)

This was my favorite part of Darjeeling Limited.  I usually like Wes Anderson movies, but I pretty much disliked that one.  This reminds me of Leonard Cohen.

Marconi's Radio (The Secret Machines)

Wow, a 5 minute intro.  It sounded like someone took the last 30 seconds of Chemical Brothers' Pioneer Skies and slowed it down to a crawl. 

Overall, another successful mix.  You can be TheGovernor of my musical state any time.

I've been slacking. Have a little more musical knowledge under my belt now, so maybe that'll improve the general cred of my reviews. Now to get back to some of these.

A Life without Lyrics (Hans Reichel)

I live for the kind of stuff. The odd musical flourishes and irregular beat is charming while preserving that level of "really wierd" that I find incredibly fascinating in music. Reminds me a little of Skullmonkeys.

Play with Me (Extreme)

My dad is a music agent, and when I was younger he always used to give me these albums full of misplaced 80's "gnar shreds" that I didn't really appreciate. At the time. Now I view is as kind of a sideshow, less of a genre and more of a bearded fish-woman in a grimy tent. I could see myself driving over the speed limit to this while simultaneously ripping on it with unfortunate looking male friends.

Missed Me (Dresden Dolls)

The first time I heard this song I was sitting in a girl's bedroom while her best friend was taking her shirt off in front of me. I love the dolls, but Palmer's dramatic vocals have nothing to do with why I cherish this track.

Sinnerman (Nina Simone)

I seriously had to look up what gender Nina Simone was. When I found out that she was indeed a she, I got back to listening... and what a listen it was. You don't often get the kind of soulful reclamation that rolls along in the opening, followed by the crashing piano and eerily stirring repetition of "the power of the Lord." It sort of blindsided me. An excellent track.

Sex Education Ghetto Style (Gil Scott-Heron)
I half expected to hear "DY-NO-MITE."

It's Still Rock and Roll to Me (Billy Joel)
Billy Joel never lets me down. Hadn't heard this before, but I really like it. Upbeat, and references orange pants. You can't go wrong.

Happiness (Goldfrapp)

This is an insidious track that burrows deep into your skull and doesn't let go. It's something you can ignore in the background while you drive. Or at least that's what I thought, because fifteen minutes later I was browsing the psychadelic section of my local record store while humming Happiness to myself.

Objection! (Noriyuki Iwadare)

What's really funny was I immediately thought this was a Phoenix Wright track when I saw the title. Then it was a Phoenix Wright track. You don't have to be ashamed, I have the live orchestrated version of the Super Smash Bros. Melee soundtrack.

The Village Green Preservation Society (The Kinks)

I LOVE THIS SONG

DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH

Someplace Simple (James Yorkston)
There's enough melancholy twang in here to do something that would need a lot of melancholy twang. I'm actually a sucker for it as long as the song doesn't divert into some weird tangent, which this does not. Great track.

Little Secrets (Neil Cowley Trio)
I'm not sure how much I like jazz. I like Stan Getz, so I guess that means more than nothing. This is nice, but a little vanilla for me.

Serendipty Doodah (William D Drake)

I have fallen so in love with this track it's not even funny. I put it on mixes for other people I know, play it all the time in my car, sing it quietly to myself before work... it's great. Vocals, lyrics, instruments, beat... ugh. So good.

Duplexes of the Dead (The Fiery Furnaces)

I like this song, but from the looks of things Humpenstein likes it was more than I ever could. Which is saying a lot, because it's rock with a lot of style: something that I, again, really dig.

Landed (Ben Folds)

At the beginning of the High Fidelity movie Barry says something about "sad bastard music." I guarantee this is the kind of thing he was referring to (it wasn't, but this is sad bastard music). Don't take me wrong, there are some things that Folds does that I really like, Get Your Hands Off of my Woman in particular, but this track is not one of those things.

Switch (Amon Tobin)

Alright, THIS is the kind of jazz I can get into.

Everybody's Free (to Wear Sunscreen) (Baz Luhrmann)

My dad hates Baz Luhrmann. I'm not sure why. I like this track, though it's not too good for multiple listens in close proximity.

Where Do You Go To (My Lovely) (Peter Sarstedt)

Love. I too am a fan of Darjeeling Limited.

Marconi's Radio (The Secret Machines)

Whoah, that was a five minute intro. Pretty ballsy. I like the song tacked on the end, but I'm not too keen on the metallic clanging and buzzsaw noises that build up to the lyrical portion.

 

I really like this mix. It's a good medly of music, most of which I'm really stoked on. Kudos!

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the kid's getting old, the kid's getting old