Mixtape from Fred (aka Scholastics) and Ryan (aka Moon Citites)
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Our thoughts:
the opening salvo: Møljekalas by Bjørn Torske
It starts slowly and inauspiciously. It’s a mellow, unsophisticated track that has a lot of different threads that can be used to connect to varying styles of music. Plus it’s totally summery and out of left field.
For me, making mixtapes is all about the pursuit of the perfect segue, the moment in which the track transitions to the next song. It doesn’t have to be a seamless transition – sometimes hard starts can be just as satisfying as long fades. But I always have to remind myself not to let my obsession with segues get in the way of choosing the best songs, and I did so here. Ryan’s choice of a first track was a good one – I could have taken the mixtape in many different directions. But I think I plotted a course for summer with this perfect hazy sunshine jam.
oh, and the song is The Tough Alliance – Looking For Gold
The 3rd song is River by Akron/Family
With two songs, the easygoing summer funtimes vibe was just a connecting idea; with three, I think it officially becomes a trend. I love the way the elements come together in this song–the fela kuti guitar riff, the insistent whistles, the softouch horns. I’d like to use this song to firmly establish this mix as perfect outside evening music.
The 4th song is 2080 by Yeasayer
As far as I’m concerned, this song is essentially perfect. And that’s all I have to say about that.
The 5th song is Kid You’ll Move Mountains by Caribou
I wanted to keep the whole vibe of the Yeasayer song–propulsive beat, swirling background, etc., while driving the mixtape in a little different direction. I mean, this song is basically a triumphant backyard sunset, complete with barbecue and crickets.
The 6th song is Sent from Sandy Shores (featuring Saul Williams and Sacajawea) by Adventure Time
The great thing about living in Northern California is that you can make it from the mountains to the ocean in only a couple of hours, if traffic is favorable. The dangling, extended outro to the Caribou song gave me the opportunity to do it in a matter of seconds. This song is Honolulu from the late 60s, Disneyland’s Enchanted Tiki Room at twilight, all lilting strings and sleepy waves, only slightly subverted by Saul Williams’ spoken poetry.
The 7th song is Pagina Ocho by Prefuse 73 vs. the Books
This is such a calming song for me. Despite its fragmented sounds and stuttering beat, the lilting voices (School of Seven Bells‘ Deheza sisters) just give everything a gilded edge.
The 8th song is Herr Bar by Chris Clark
After Ryan walked away with the best segue award in his pocket after his completely natural, intuitive transition from Sandy Shores to Pagina Ocho, I’ll admit that I was somewhat as a loss as to what to do. But I thought the layered voices and process guitar loop made a perfect bed for the hammering drums and xylophone melody line that Herr Bar begins with, all the while taking the mixtape in a slightly different direction that the lazy summertime vibe of the songs before.
After Ryan walked away with the best segue award in his pocket after his completely natural, intuitive transition from Sandy Shores to Pagina Ocho, I’ll admit that I was somewhat as a loss as to what to do. But I thought the layered voices and process guitar loop made a perfect bed for the hammering drums and xylophone melody line that Herr Bar begins with, all the while taking the mixtape in a slightly different direction that the lazy summertime vibe of the songs before.
The 9th song is Hold On by Apparat
Perfectly glitchy and perfectly pop. So abstract yet so singable. I love the contrast.
The 10th song is Song for All Time by Joy Electric
I decided to break out of the summertime mirage, as delicious as that is, with this triumphant, unabashed pure pop jam courtesy of Ronnie Martin. Feel free to sing along if you know this one.
The 11th song is Hold Your Secrets to Your Heart by Miracle Fortress
Miracle Fortress brings the joy in droves. It’s no secret that Fred and I are big Joy Electric fans, so I felt like him throwing down that song was a risky move. It fit, but lacked the haze the rest of this mixtape has been propagating. I wanted to emphasize its starkness while still feeding on its glorious vibe.
The 12th song is All the First Pages by Anathallo
The whole song is a controlled crescendo, innocent but not naive, in its continual acceleration and the chorus that sounds like a school choir singalong (but is actually pretty difficult to actually sing along with), in keeping with the sun-soaked, windows down car ride of the last couple of songs.
The whole song is a controlled crescendo, innocent but not naive, in its continual acceleration and the chorus that sounds like a school choir singalong (but is actually pretty difficult to actually sing along with), in keeping with the sun-soaked, windows down car ride of the last couple of songs.
The 13th song is Seasun by Delorean
This is perhaps the song of the summer. Even my 18-month-old knows this song rocks.
The 14th song is My Girls by Animal Collective
If you’ve ever played organized sports, you probably remember your coach’s admonition that sometimes, the easy play is also the right play. I decided to heed that advice at the end of this mixtape, with the song that finally broke Animal Collective to the mainstream. Coach Alvarez, this segue is for you.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by rossyruppe and fredghansah. fredghansah said: It IS pretty killer. RT @ryanruppe: Download this new killer end-of-summer mixtape by @fredghansah and myself: http://bit.ly/2tWEiD [...]
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