Foggy Ruins Of Time Best of 2008-Top 50 Songs TOP TEN MIX

I think some people may have been confused about the top 50 songs list. It is in alphabetical order. I know some of you may hate that, but hey that’s how I roll.

However, I realize fifty songs is a lot to track down. So to meet you dedicated readers halfway here is my TOP TEN songs of 2008 IN ORDER to d/l and enjoy as a mix.

You better enjoy it.

1. “Thus Always Horses”-Tinyfolk
2. “Can’t Believe it (Feat. Lil Wayne)”-T-Pain
3. “Anywhere I Lay My Head”-Scarlett Johansson
4. “Cocaine”-Gang Of Virgins
5. “Pygmalion”-Withershins
6. “A Wonderful Year”-Let's Whisper
7. “Let Me Love You”-Candle
8. “Shower”-Watercolor Paintings
9. “I'm On a Talk Show”-Chris Zabriskie
10. “Now Thats What I Call a Circuitous Conversation”-Jaw-Zizzle

Link:
Top 50 songs of 2008

MIX FIVE: Mp3 of the Week, Catching Up!

As this site has progressed over the year or so I am disappointed that some of the weekly smaller segments have completely dropped off. That’s why in the midst of everything I need to do I bring to you all, this “catch up” mix of some of the single songs that have caught my ear in the last month or two.

Tinyfolk-“Bubble Guns”
A cover of a Hello Shark song, this song kind of picks up for Sic Semper Equis left off. It’s marvelous and downtrodden; the darkest techno song ever. I used it in a short film I made over the summer.

Jon Crocker-“Lap Dog”
I’ve had the pleasure of spending more time with Jon Crocker as of late and I think I understand his music a lot more. On this tune from the recent The Dust Will Settle the cynicism strangely fits the style and this soaring sing along has just enough vitriol to almost taste sweet.

Jellybean!-“Love In This Club”
Featuring a bit of auto-tune vocals and keyboard on this Usher cover, Kelly adds a touch of melancholy to make this silly song into something romantic.

Pomona City Rydaz-“T.R.U.E. Crimes (Ft. Tray-Dee)”
A slightly unknown rap group featured in the True Crime: Streets Of LA videogame soundtrack, the MCs here display unique forms of flow that are downright astonishing. Straight up gangsta.

They Might Be Giants-“They’ll Need A Crane”
I’m kind of embarrassed for just discovering They Might Be Giants, but on Lincoln, this song continually floors me over and over again. The video is hilariously sad as well. John Linell’s hair and dance moves reinforce the sort of awkward confidence on display here.

Withershins-“Pygmalion”
More Smashing Pumpkins than The Smittens, J Isaac Gadient (formally the man behind Lo-Fi Twee sensation Blanketarms) has started a new, more rocking band. This is just an acoustic demo, but it tears me apart inside. It’s a downer in the best possible sense.

Dustin And The Furniture-“Falling Apart”
This song is a rerecorded version, sparser and more intimate, on Dustin’s new album No Living In The Living Room. I suggest you buy a hard copy because the album comes with a book featuring commentary, footnotes and all kinds of important information and resources on how to prepare for the paradigm shift in our world that’s coming sooner than you think.

The Bad Spellers-“The Ungrateful Sojourn Of Nomadic Follicles”
The keyboard line, handclaps and the earnest vocals kill me every time. This album, Keep On Shining, was the house music for a show I played in Hachoji City, Japan and I desperately needed to find a copy. I suggest you track it down too.

Watercolor Paintings-“Shower”
A solo number by Rebecca, the lyrics are boldly frank but equally mysterious. More than anything the effect is more than the sum of its parts. The ending is quite sweet, but really sad and over before you want to be.

M.I.A.-“Paper Planes”
I discovered Kala in a vacuum and immediately became fixated on this startling song. I had no idea how popular it was until I heard it blaring from the frat house across the street a week or two ago. It doesn’t matter; this song is too good to let them have it.

Links:
Tinyfolk on Myspace!
Jon Crocker on Myspace!
Jellybean! on Myspace!
Pomona City Rydaz on Myspace!
They Might Be Giants on Myspace!
Withershins on Myspace!
The Bad Spellers on Myspace!
Watercolor Paintings on Myspace!
M.I.A. on Myspace!
Until The Very Last Moment: Ground Zero featuring "Bubble Guns"

Mp3 of the Week: “So Many Stars” by Watercolor Paintings

Over the past year Watercolor Paintings output is admittedly less prolific than her early days, but every month or so when she releases a new song I have to listen. “So Many Stars” is the newest one and I think may be one of my favorite songs of hers in recent memory. Mostly acapella, it reminds me of when I first met Rebecca. We were freshman and she would record songs onto cassette using headphones as the mic. She is inventive and has a keen ear for wondrous melodies and “So Many Stars” is a culmination of the things I like a lot about Watercolor Paintings. It bounces along the edge of sweet and melancholy à la the early version of “Happyships” or “Get Out of the Way or a Whale Will Swallow You.” The difference here is that there is an incredible sense of ambiguity and wonder that’ll have you scratching your head at first, but humming along in no time.

Mp3:
Watercolor Paintings-"So Many Stars"

Link:
Watercolor Paintings on myspace

The Mutineers, The Lonesome Architects, and Watercolor Paintings at Muddy Waters

I always enjoy the shows at Muddy Waters down on Haley Street, but yesterday was special. I saw The Lonesome Architects in February and I was blown away. Finally after much delay they came back to Santa Barbara. Due to some pulled wisdom teeth, Thousand Oaks’ own Hell-Kite could not make it to the show so several random audience members (including me) played a song or two to warm things up for the main bands.



The Mutineers played first and brought everyone into their enjoyable form of folk-rock. They played a song every young twenty something who’s looking for a job and likes to get wasted on coffee can relate too. She definitely could relate. The end of the set concluded with a wonderful ode to country music and a great tribute to death metal (On two acoustic guitars and a tambourine mind you).



Next up was The Lonesome Architects. This time around they had an expanded set with the addition of a keyboard. Comprised of Josh and Martin, they trade vocals, guitars, and all the other random instruments they use (melodica, harmonica, and keyboard). The opened with “Echolocation,” one of my personal favorites and played a bunch of songs off their new EP (My review is here). They put new live spins on “Julie Vignon” and a really old song that I heard back in February, “Anna’s Hands.” Overall their set was as great if not better than the first time I saw them (I also helped them move a table. How often can you say you’ve done that with Bright Eyes?). More time on the road has made them better musicians and the new keyboard works so well with the songs. This was the last night of their tour for now, but if they come around to your area do not miss them.




Next up was the always enchanting Watercolor Paintings comprised of Rebecca Redman and her older brother (king of all beards) Josh Hoshwa Redman. I have seen them play about two dozen times and in various incarnations (the drum phase, the Rian James phase, etc.), but I really dig what they are doing at this moment. The set nowadays always involves her harp, a baritone ukulele, a soprano ukulele, and a classical guitar. She played such classics as “Happy Ships,” “Gold,” “Hello Out There,” “Smile,” and “Tender Loving Care”. She also played a song called “Sailboat” that she has yet to make a releasable recording of (It’s really sweet). Watercolor Paintings is touring soon and if you want to see the sweetest vegan punks play, you should definitely check them out. I’ll post the tentative dates and locations soon.

Muddy Waters is a great little coffee shop that is welcoming to all kinds of wonderful local and touring bands. Last night was another fun and enlightening time for “little music made by people with big hearts.”

Mp3s:
The Mutineers-"Coffee Mug"
The Lonesome Architects-"Echolocation"
Watercolor Paintings-"Happy Ships"

Links:
Muddy Waters
The Mutineers' Myspace
The Lonesome Architects' Myspace
Watercolor Paintings' Myspace

MIX ONE: Instrumental Music

It is time to do my first mix so I thought long and hard about what I should do first. I don’t know if it’s been done, but even if it has I put together a ten song mix of amazing instrumentals. I think songs can be powerful, emotional, intelligent and thought provoking without having to say a single word. The music can carry its own weight and on these ten tracks, the music really gets into some great places.

Iamb-“Alone”
Iamb comes from the mind of Ross Major and this is the first track off of I'll Stay Waiting. It’s quite haunting opener that starts off like a fire alarm before blending with a church-like grandeur that is the organ. A striking mandolin part rolls in at a certain point and it all leaves me feeling so small, yet infinite.
Bright Eyes-“The Invisible Gardener”
This cut is the first track off of Conor’s first real record as Bright Eyes, A Collection Of Songs Written & Recorded 1995-1997. It starts out with some messing about on a synth and a false start before jumping into a sweet little song with a sweet little melody that reminds me of being a kid.
Jonah the Thief-“Icelandic Noah”
I do not know who this guy is or what he is doing anymore. I discovered him about a year ago (He’s from the UK I know that), but his Myspace and all traces of him are gone. Do you all know that technique they use videos/films where the time is sped up and they show all the traffic and the sunsets/sunrises at ridiculous speeds? I always found that to be beautiful and this song feels like that.
Mike XVX-“Instrumental Music”
A wonderful friend of mine, I got a hold of this song from one of his demos on his birthday. He’s a thrash-folkie, but this track trades in the thrash for some wonderful mandolin work that’s pretty punk rock. It’s Simple, but wonderfully effective.
Led Zeppelin-“Bron-Yr-Aur”
What’s to say about Led Zeppelin? This little instrumental track is wedged in the middle of their 1975 massive album Physical Graffiti. It feels like the first night after a long journey. Calm reflection with a bit of dreams.
Watercolor Paintings-“Three Over Four”
Cutest little punk rocker if I ever knew one. This is one of the first tracks of hers that I heard (and eventually covered myself). Santa Barbara’s very own Rebecca Redman manages to bring back the feelings of 50s pop songs in a very efficient and wonderful forty-three seconds.
The Pillows-“Stalker Goes To Babylon”
Japan fuzz rockers most known for their work in the greatest anime ever, FLCL, really created a whole new level of pre-made music integration into a show (Many scenes were written with the music in mind). This track get’s used to the fullest effect in the show’s second episode and freaks me out sometimes. It’s pretty awesome.
SXEZSKOZ-“Balloon Ride (Ghostwalking)”
This was composed by the great Alfredo Barazza under the electronica/techno moniker SXEZSKOZ for a 2007 UCSB film called The Titan Sting. I wish this song would just loop over and over again everyday. It’s happy and melancholy and bittersweet. When I listen to this song I feel like my life flashes before my eyes.
RJD2-“Smoke & Mirrors”
Some may feel like I’m cheating by putting this track with a sample by hip hop/rock/electronica artist RJD2 (It samples Marion Black’s “Who Knows”). However, a great man once told me that the sampled voice is another instrument in a DJ’s repertoire. Plus its just an amazing and cool song.
Death in Vegas-“Girls”
To wrap it up I decided to put one of my favorite songs from the 2003 Sofia Coppola masterpiece that is Lost in Translation. My favorite (or second favorite) film of time, this song by electronica artists Death in Vegas uses lush female “ooos” and “ahhs”, guitars, synths and drums to create a dream-like landscape. It starts out slowly, but revs up in intensity reminding you of loneliness and beauty and industrial skylines that can still stir some feelings inside you.

So that’s it, Mix ONE is done! I hope everyone enjoys some or all these songs and please send me some feedback or advice on any future mixes or anything in general.

Iamb Myspace
Bright Eyes Myspace
Mike XVX Myspace
Led Zeppelin.com
Watercolor Paintings Myspace
The Pillows Myspace
SXEZSKOZ Myspace
RJD2 Myspace
Death in Vegas Myspace