play it loud - a reply

Play It Loud-a-mix 

It took a while to travel a long way, I’d had a preview of the content, but no details. So when the CD marked “Play It Loud” arrived I was already tense with anticipation. Tension increased when I looked at the track listing. There’s at least one old favourite, but the rest were either artists I’d heard of but never really listened to or artists who were completely new to me.

Hello There – Cheap Trick

“Are You Ready to Rock”, “Are You Ready or Not”? This is a great start, perfect choice for a CD labelled “Play It Loud”. Definitely got me in the mood, although I can’t help thinking now, after several plays, of an aged rocker who’s voice has been strained by too much hard living! Anyway first up a hit, good start.

Oddly enough, there are two wizened-old-rockers in Cheap Trick and neither of them are singing! It is one of the pretty-boys. 

Diamonds and Guns – Transplants

Didn’t like this at first, but it’s grown slowly on me. 

Which sums up The Transplants brilliantly - they grow on you, like a fungus or athlete's foot. On first hearing their songs are awful, really awful, not helped by the fact that Tim Armstrong can't sing. However, by the fourth or fifth listening, you're hooked. Unfortunately for Tim, who is a living leg-end in the nu-punx world (I kid you not), I find his songs bubble-gum-pop (or pap), and tend to laugh all the way through them. This is helped by the fact that I permenantly mis-hear lyrics. And face it, what better slogan could you shout than: Be IKEA! Which turns out to really be: Be keyed-up! Me, I'd rather "Be IKEA!"

This is How You Remind Me – Nickleback

This reminds me of many miles run on a treadmill in the gym. Mainly because this is where I remember hearing this most, with it being a regular track played on the gyms music channel. It’s not a favourite of mine, but it is good to run to! Has a good beat to keep pace to, without ending in heart attack! A hit.

Are you having fun yet?

Beat It – Fall Out Boy Ft. John Mayer

Jacko eat your heart out, this a way better cover than your original. Much more up tempo. Great for driving to, although you have to watch your speed there. Another hit.

See if you can get a copy of Alien Ant Farm's cover of Smooth Criminal. I know that there is a lot to dislike about Mr. Jackson but, his music, isn't half bad (you know it) when it's played another way.

Such Great Heights – Postal Service

“I have to speculate that god himself did make us into corresponding shapes like puzzle pieces formed from clay.”

I love this song. Have I told you that? Well I love this song. It is by far and a way, my favourite on the whole CD. Every time I listen I hear something new. A new lyric, a tune, rift, whatever. It reminds me of several other tracks that I would probably list in my “all time favourite top how-ever-many we are listing this week” list. Not because it sounds the same, has similar lyrics, just because it makes it into that all time list. I’m going see if I can track down the rest of the album. Hit, hit, hit. 

The lead singer of Postal Service is Ben Gibbard. He is also the lead singer for Death Cab For Cutie. If I get round to it - and you know how good I am at getting round to stuff - I'll send you some more Postal Srvice and some Death Cab. I'm nice that way!

Ava Adore – Smashing Pumkins

I had heard of the Smashing Pumkins before but never really listened to any of their music. This however is one of those tracks that you overhear on a hot summer, when you’re queued at traffic lights and it’s playing on someone else’s car stereo, and then have to try and track down (only ‘coz I’d be too embarrassed to lean out of the car window, and ask the person in the car where the music is playing as to what the track is)! Fortunately Will was kind enough to provide this information on the track listing! Another hit!

Glad you liked it. I'm late to the Smashing Pumpkins party, late in the way that I'd heard none of their stuff until I arrived here. I have since been educated and am in love with the band.

Breakerfall – Pearl Jam

I’m sorry this is the first miss. Pearl Jam? Nah I can take ‘em or leave ‘em. It just doesn’t do it for me I’m afraid. Hit skip and move on.

Pearl Jam was also a group that I hadn't really heard much of, living in England. It was always (or seemed to me) a choice between Nirvana or Pearl Jam, and I took the Nivarna road. However, that was then, this is now. Now I'm a Pearl Jam man. Sorry you didn't like it but...

No One Knows – Queens of the Stone Age

Not heard of these guys (or girls, they sound like guys though) before. It has one of those beats that are catchy and soon has you throwing yourself about the room. This point is one that is a little difficult to achieve if you are driving in the car however! A hit.

They are guys and (bonus geek info) Dave Grohl is the drummer on this track. Dave Grohl you ask? Ex-Nivana drummer, present lead of the Foo Fighters. And I love the Foos! So, this was my attempt to sneak two Dave Grohl tracks on to one CD - and it worked. Yeah me. If you liked this, try the whole album: Songs For The Deaf.

El Matador – Los Fabulosos Cadillacs

I have no idea what the lyrics are to this because they’re all in Spanish (I think), but it has a great tune.

This is just sheer brilliance. I love this song. Neil h. might well notice that it was on the compilation I sent to him too. I've no idea what the lyrics mean either (Maria has just translated them and sent them to you) and, to be honest, I don't care. I play this loud, really loud, and then watch my latin-american wife demonstrate what hips are - you know, those things that this white-middle-class-anglo doesn't have.

Paper Planes – M.I.A.

I never want to meet these ladies. They’re scary and have guns; but they do have a rather catchy tune! Whilst the lyrics really irritated me for what they stood for, I have to say they “pack and deliver like UPS trucks”. Hit.

A song that I wanted to hate the minute I heard it - and failed miserably to do so. It's a grower. The biggest downfall is that I wanted no-one else to find it. I wanted it to be just mine. Problem is, it is a great track, good enough to be all over the radio at the moment - which worried me that you'd have heard it before and would be bored with it.

The Kill – 30 Seconds From Mars

A slight change of pace just over midway through the disc, great ‘coz I need a breather. A bit reminiscent of Nickleback though, and the feeling that I am back on that damn treadmill. An OK track but not one that stands out to me, although I did like the lyrics.

Jared Leto's band. You don't know Jared Leto? You mean you never watched "My So Called Life"? Bet your gf did :^)

Song 2 – Blur

I never liked Blur (or Oasis for that matter). This however is one of their songs that has that catchy woohoo, but I can’t bring myself to break my deep-seated dislike for them. A miss I am afraid.

Eh? You don't like Blur? You don't like Oasis? But, but, but if anything, this song is the least Blur-ry song they did and, and, and...ok, I'll take the miss.

Oxford Comma – Vampire Weekend

Never heard of them before. Not a hit or a miss, but I find it difficult to write much about it though. Some nice lyrics and good backing track, but I can’t see that I’ll be following up with anymore of their songs.

I've never heard of them before either. It was a track that came out of nowhere. Not sure if I like the rest of the album, I need to sit and listen to it a bit more, but this track stuck out, and I thought, why not. I tried, you tried, no-one died in the process. Let's move on.

Bleed American – Jimmy Eat World

A live track this one, but I am sorry it was just noise to me. Hit skip again.

Damn! This is one of my all-time-top-300-tracks (or something like that). I wasn't sure about the live version but I was going for "energy". In retrospect, the studio version is great as well...but not for you? Fair enough. It's good to talk.

The Chronicles of Life and Death – Good Charlotte
Heard of, but never really listened to before. I like the lyrics, and it fits well with the music. I also sense that there are better tracks than this one to find, so I will be following up on this. 

I'm always a bit disappointed with Good Charlotte. I really, really like a couple of their tracks and then discover that the rest of the album is a bit meh! Oops, this isn't the idea of Mixclub is it? Will I get kicked out the club? Here I am, just sending tracks, I'm supposed to be encouraging you to listen to the whole album. Follow it up!!!

Paradise City - Guns n’ Roses

An old favourite of mine, and no CD requiring extreme volume would be complete without some Guns n’ Roses. A definite no-brainer of a hit. 

I cheated here. I knew there would be some stuff you hadn't heard of/didn't like. I just went for the brownie points. You've mentioned before, on here, that you like G'n'R, so I went for the no-brainer. Did you spot it? Oh!

King of the Kerb – Echobelly

Hit again. Another group that I’ve heard of but never listened to, and on the strength of this track will be following up for more.

When the whole "Brit-pop" thing happened, many bands appeared and disappeared under the weight of Blur/Oasis/Pulp. In some cases, this was good news. In the case of Echobelly, it was bad news. Great music and a brilliant vocalist. Me, I like Echobelly.

Everybody Get Dangerous – Wheezer

Never heard of Wheezer, but think I have heard the track before (possibly on a film score). Reminds me a bit of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, who I like, so I’ll be following up here too. Another hit. Everybody get dangerous!

Hahahahahahahahaha! That'll learn me! This is the most un-Weezer-ish track ever. The plan was to make you think it was a mistake in the track listing. You are supposed to have known Weezer and thought I'd made this up. But, it is Weezer. It is from their newest album, which includes "Pork and Beans" - a much more Weezer-ish track - , but also has some tracks on it that just had me thinking: Wahay! This is awesome! Follow it up - but go for the newest album, cunningly entitled: Weezer

The Rat – The Walkmen

Hey Walkmen on my Walkman, how cool is that (sorry couldn’t resist). Again never heard of them, just struck me that the lyrics were a deep and over my head or maybe I was reading too much into them.

And that is where we differ. I don't really listen to lyrics - I just like the sound! I'd never heard of them either (have we been here before) but, in my desperate attempt to be "hip-to-be-un-square", I occasionally come across tracks from new bands that make me go "Yay". (Actually, I normally come home and Maria blasts something out saying: You'll like this. And she's right.) It was loud, it was room-filling, it fulfilled the requirements of the CD's title. I burnt it and you heard it. It didn't work but, hopefully, no-one died in the process.

All My Life – Foo Fighters

Heard of, never listened to before, but had heard great things of. Enjoyed this track, not the best on the album, but enough to follow up and see if I like more of their stuff. A hit.

Confession time. This was the track playing on my MP3 player as I walked (ran) down the steps towards Maria at the airport. I had just left England, never to return. Now, listen to the first four lines again:

All my life I've been searching for somethin
Somethin never comes, never leads to nuthin
Nothin satisfies, but I'm gettin close
Closer to the prize at the end of the rope

Yep, I'm the bloke that doesn't listen to lyrics! However, The Foos are just the bestest. Please track them down. Oh, hang on, I promised you some Postal Service and some Death Cab....maybe I should stick some Foos on there as well!

So overall a most excellent ratio of hits to misses. This CD lives in my car at the moment, just so I can play it often, and loud! It has introduced some new music to me and I will be following up on quite a few tracks over the coming months. Thanks Will.

Pleasure. And it was. I enjoy doing this. After I'd been such a bad Mix-Club-ee, I had toyed with missing out the next round. But, honestly, I enjoy this too much. I'm glad you enjoyed the CD, hoping that the next recipient enjoys the next CD. And will try to be a bit more punctual next time!