11:53 am Dec. 20, 20101
Welcome to Cut Time! It's a monthly music mix carefully beat-matched for Capital readers' listening pleasure.
Today Brooklyn D.J. Chris Hires helps us out with a mix for the Mingle portion of a party, or for smoothing down the rough edges on the way to the in-laws.
DECEMBER TENDS TO BE A PARTICULARLY STRESSFUL MONTH, especially for New Yorkers. So for the first edition of Cut Time, I decided to keep things simple. I took a few of my all-time favorites, sandwiched them in between some of my favorite songs from 2010, and then I sprinkled a couple of Christmas songs in there to make it seasonally appropriate. Perfect as background music for a low-key holiday gathering, or for those of you who like your Christmas cheer in small doses.
Listen below, and download the free mp3 here (right click and save).
The Arcade Fire - "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)"
This is probably my favorite song that came out this year. I love the way Regine's voice is suited to this '80s disco/new wave sound, and I find the lyrics to be particularly poignant. I think that anyone who has ever moved to New York to do something creative can probably relate.
Twin Shadow - "When We’re Dancing"
Really nice pop track with some '80s new wave sounds woven in (you may notice a theme developing here). Twin Shadow, aka George Lewis Jr., resides in Brooklyn and, according to interviews, listens to The-Dream a lot (that makes two things we have in common). This song is taken from the debut LP he released this year and if you’re a new wave fan you owe it to yourself to check that one out.
Wham! - "Last Christmas"
I’m a pretty unabashed fan of all things George Michael-related, so this one was pretty much a no-brainer. There are about a billion cover versions out there (including a notable version by Jimmy Eat World, and one by Taylor Swift that's pretty awful), but, as usual, nothing really tops the original.
Matthew Wilder - "Break My Stride"
Classic bit of synth pop, included here because I felt like the synthesizer line in the beginning of the song line up pretty well with the instrumentation in “Last Christmas.” I also included it because it’s a great tune, but you knew that part already.
Paul Simon - "Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes"
I spent a lot of time listening to Graceland this year, so I was happy to have an opportunity to include this one in the mix. I think it makes for a nice little breather before we jump into…
Hall & Oates – "Say It Isn’t So"
Possibly my favorite Hall & Oates song. Maybe. That question is actually pretty difficult to answer, but all I know is that I can never sit still when I hear this song. There's something about the background vocals that really grabs me as well.
The Waitresses - "Christmas Wrapping"
Also a no-brainer, given how '80s-laden this mix is. I didn't want to get too sentimental, so this was the perfect way to work in some holiday cheer without overdoing it. Plus, that horn part is catchy as hell.
Talking Heads - "This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)"
Yet another absolute classic. I've never met anyone who doesn’t like this song, and I hope I never do.
Fleetwood Mac - "Everywhere"
People are always expressing love for Rumors or Tusk (both are great), but I consider myself to be firmly in the Tango In The Night camp. Like the song that precedes it, "Everywhere" is one of those songs I play almost every time I DJ.
LCD Soundsystem - "I Can Change"
This is my favorite song from Mr. Murphy’s excellent LP This Is Happening, released this past summer. The Gary Numan-esque instrumentation and the just-sappy-enough lyrics are both way up my alley.
Porcelain Raft - "Tip Of Your Tongue"
Porcelain Raft was kind of a dark horse for me this year, but I saw him perform at a CMJ showcase and I've been happy to have this song stuck in my head ever since. He hasn’t put out an official full-length yet (though you can find plenty of self-released material on his website), but I'm looking very forward to hearing more from him in 2011.
You know, there are days when I also feel like it really just doesn't get better than "Gypsy." But then there's others when that song is "Little Lies" or "Big Love" or "Seven Wonders." That's part of the fun, though.