MUSIC REVIEW: SPINNER - THE OFFICIAL 2011 CMJ MIXTAPE

Something for the Weekend: 78 Track Primer Spanning The Spectrum of Today's College Radio

By: Seth Shellhouse

October 21, 2011

(Spinner.com) In honor of New York's annual CMJ conference, which is happening this week on the East Coast, AOL's Spinner has compiled an epic free downloadable playlist consisting of seventy-eight (yes, 78 -- I even wrote it out so you would know that it wasn't a typo) tracks from some of this year's participating artists. I'm not even gonna lie to you, I just discovered this playlist today, and I haven't quite listened to every track multiple times. I have, however, listened to ALMOST every track, and I can definitely recommend you download it...I mean...there are seventy-eight tracks...from nearly as many artists. If you can't find anything you like in this mix, you should retire, dude.

Rather than attempt to review this mix as a whole, which would be insane, I'll just tell you about a few of the tracks that stand out in my mind. We good?

One of the first tracks on this mix is Army Navy's "My Thin Sides." Army Navy made their name here in LA during the early/mid-2000s garage revival, which was fueled (for the most part) by far, far more talented acts than the acts fueling the current garage resurgence. Army Navy is a great example of how that music should sound. Rather than being entirely retro like the current wave of garage acts, they sound more like The Libertines or The Strokes.

I don't think I've ever actually used the word cheeky, but I can't think of a better description for the band Cheeseburger, so here goes. Cheeky New York rockers and Adult Swim veterans Cheeseburger also contribute a really fun track to this mix.  It's called "Goodtime Charlie" and, well, it's a good time.

This mix introduced me to Australia's Clubfeet. Their bad-pun name alone makes them one of the most fun bands on this tape, and the comical "Teenage Suicide" is a breath of fresh air. It is the same brand of retro synthpop that ever so many current bands are delivering, but without the veil of seriousness or music snobbery. I can totally see this song being performed by Sparkle Motion.

Norwegian electro duo/band Datarock's "True Stories" (which I'm sure appears in some video games and commercials by now) is also included on this tape. I actually saw Datarock live for the first time a couple weeks ago, and I must say they really hold it together live. If you get the chance, see their show: They will rock your socks.  

EMA track "The Grey Ship" is another standout. EMA is American, so I'm not sure why it isn't "The Gray Ship." And I'm not sure why the color gray is different that the colour grey, but that is irrelevant. I have to admit, I haven't listened to EMA's solo album yet, but this single is very good, so now I will have to. It's super simple and droney, but more vocally focused that Gowns, which highlights the fact that she sounds a good deal like PJ Harvey. And sounding like PJ Harvey is never a bad thing.

"Rio," by Hey Marseilles, is another standout. Hey Marseilles is as vocally and lyrically sincere as Colin Meloy and is as well-crafted and virtuosic as his band, and they do the Pacific Northwest just as proud. This is an all-around great song, and it has one of the best and most unexpected bridges I've heard in a while. Oh, and there's Capoeira in the music video.  Double-score.

This collection also sports two very excellent Jay Mascis cuts. Do I really need to write anything about my personal guitar hero?

Also, if you just got your hands on some MDMA and you can't wait for the next Daft Punk album, there's "Days Don't Fade" from Brooklyn's Lindbergh Palace. This is a great electro-pop track, and I expect to hear a lot more from this group. They're based out of New York, but I feel like they'll hit pretty hard in LA.

Netherfriends -- a one-man loop pedal band who we recently reviewed right here at Buzzine -- also appears in this mix. The track "Tac Tac" incorporates an (I think synth) accordian, rich percussion, a dark, immensely layered chorus, and a dissonant outro that reminds me of the recent Felice Brothers record. This is a great track, and I'd love to see it done live.

Finally (making me possibly happier than happy), Shonen Knife's "Supergroup" is also included on this tape. Seriously, if you've never seen Shonen Knife and never gotten into them, you need to know that it's never too late. They even put out an excellent album of Ramones covers earlier this year, so you could buy that and totally know all the songs already and feel way comfortable with the band. And if your friends are around, you could even put it on and sing along as if you've been into Shonen Knife for...like...ever. 

And, on that note, I'll leave you with this: Did you know that, in Japan, all of the musicians are ultra-virtuosic and way better than most American musicians, and yet they still play tons of punk rock just because it's awesome? True fact.

Stand-Out Tracks: Shonen Knife, Netherfriends, Lindbergh Palace, Hey Marseilles, EMA, Datarock, Clubfeet, Army Navy, Cheeseburger

For Fans Of: College Radio from sea to shining sea