July Mix - 15. Bob Dylan - Subterranean Homesick Blues

For the final song of the Album Opener Mix I had to go with what I know best. Dylan does album openers better than anyone - he always has great songs at track #1. "Blowin' in the Wind," "The Times They Are A-Changin'," "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35" to name a few were all album openers. Hell, Rolling Stone magazine's #1 song of all-time "Like a Rolling Stone" was one of Dylan's A1's. I picked this one, "Subterranean Homesick Blues" because it's an all-time favorite of mine and also because it's a nice compact, upbeat number perfectly suited for the mix tape format. Check out the seminal video for this song from D.A. Pennebaker's doc "Don't Look Back":

This concludes our July Mix. Expect a download link as soon as I get moved into my new place and compile all the songs...

July Mix - 14. Arcade Fire - Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)

There isn't a lot to say about this song because it's an obvious pick for the mix. When I heard this album before all of the hype, this was by far the stand out track to me. A classic beginning to what has become a classic album already. I'm not a big fan of their latest effort, but this record will go down as one of the best of the 00's. This will be a good lead in to our last song. Tune in tomorrow for the official final July tracklist. Here's the music video for it:

New Weakerthans Song!

I'm kind of surprised to see this band getting some music blog love. I've appreciated The Weakerthans since high school but their brand of poppy alt. country rock can teeter into whiny territory and thus attract the haters. This song, "Night Windows" is the first leak from their upcoming release Reunion Tour on Epitaph Records. It sounds like the good ol' Weakerthan sound and I'm glad for it. Pretty slow and shiny, the band waits until the end of the song to release the hook and the title lyric. Definitely worth a listen (or two.) Reunion Tour due out 9/25.

Joanna Newsome Playing LA With Orchestra

Joanna Newsom appears to be next in line for the latest fad in indie music - going orchestral. So far the harpist has 4 U.S. orchestral dates scheduled including one at L.A.'s Walt Disney Music Hall. According to Pitchfork she is touring with a 28 piece ensemble (I'm assuming she will not be using the L.A. Phil like Decemberists and Bright Eyes.) The show is slated for November 9th. Her sound lends itself to this sort of spectacle and you can bet I'll be in attendance. In the meantime check out this video of her solo performance of (my favorite of her songs) "Sadie." It's funny to hear such an uproarious reception to such a soft and pretty song. The last verse of this song is to die for...