Carry Away the Summer

Here at Carry You Away, we like mixes. Now that I have a car with a CD player, I really like putting together a collection of songs to fit a particular driving style or mood that I find myself in, and go from there. Recently, I got to thinking about movie soundtracks and how a lot of the hipster, indie films often have this sort of attitude - a mix-tape is generally just as good when it comes to a film.

I guess that works, although I have to say that the only really good film soundtrack collection that I've come across recently seems to have been a model for a lot of the other films - Garden State. For me, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist and Juno (and an upcoming one called Adam) can't hold a candle to this album, which still holds up nicely for me. I'm not entirely sure why the other two have really not held up beyond a single listen for me - I think that the artists are too new, the collection is just too pretentious to really gain any sort of mainstream following that the GS soundtrack has. Garden State was a fun film, and I suspect that there will be those who will label it as a defining film of our generation, along with the sountrack.

With artists like Simon and Garfunkle to the Shins, I think what really made the soundtrack work well is its variety of songs that are on it. There are several genres represented, from indie to acoustic to oldie, with a couple of artists that were just well known enough to a couple that were just obscure enough, but with enough material out there (in most cases) to keep people interested. I'd argue that the movie was a big success for people like The Shins, Cary Brothers, Zero 7, Iron & Wine and helped to get Nick Drake back on the radar. The album doesn't come off as pretentious, but honest, and it worked extremely well with the movie. Not having seen Juno or Infinite Playlist, I'm not sure how well those tracks meshed with the film, but it's not something that I'm losing sleep over.

While thinking about this, I think I found the formula that really made Garden State shine, and to put it to the test, I've put together a summer-ish sort of mix based on the criteria:

European/UK Band, Alt-Rock, Male

Indie Band, fairly obscure, complex lyrics

Electronica, easy listening, female vocals

Indie Band, same as #2

Acoutic Folk, Male, Soft

Alt-Folk/Rock, Male

Alf-Folk/Rock, Male

Acoustic Folk

Indian Electronica, no vocals

Oldie, Folkish, Male, duet

Folk-Cover of Techno/Electronica song, Male

Electronica/Female Vocals, Soft

Female Acoustic, Folk/Rock

Bonus: Alt-Rock (Used for Commercial)

Let's compare this to Garden State's Soundtrack:

Don't Panic - Coldplay

Caring is Creepy - The Shins

In the Waiting Line - Zero 7

New Slang - The Shins

I Just Don't Think I'll Ever Get Over You - Colin Hay

Blue Eyes - Cary Brothers

Fair - Remy Zero

One Of These Things First - Nick Drake

Lebanese Blonde - Thievery Corporation

The Only Living Boy in New York - Simon & Garfunkel

Such Great Heights (The Postal Service) - Iron & Wine

Let Go - Frou Frou

Winding Road - Bonnie Sumerville

Writing to Reach You - Travis (Commercial/Trailer)

And now, applying the same sort of formula , and this is what I've come up with, Carry You Away's Summer mix. How does it line up?

Bad Skin Day - Bell X1

Interior Of A Dutch House - Beirut

Hayling - FC/Kahuna

Postcards From Italy - Beirut

Re: Stacks - Bon Iver

Her Morning Elegance - Oren Lavie

When The Pain Dies Down - Chris Stills

At Your Door - Alexi Murdoch

The Khaleegi Stomp - Transglobal Underground

A Summer Song - Chad & Jeremy

Heartbeats (The Knife) - José González

What's Wrong With Me (Nouvelle Vague Remix) - Skye

Dreaming - Sara Wheeler

5:19 - Matt Wertz

Full

Hype - Buy - Support

Duet - A Sunday Smile

I didn't like Beirut's Balkan style at first listen, but they've grown on me. Since then, I've been trying to find some other types of music that's similar, and came across Kocani Orkestar, the real deal over there. So, imagine my happiness when I found that the two did a duet, of Beirut's A Sunday Smile recently. It's a fantastic listen.

A Sunday Smile - Beirut feat. Kocani Orkestar

Hype - Buy

Carry You Away's Best Songs of 2007

It was difficult to narrow down just ten songs out of everything that I've heard this year. But, here are the songs that I feel are the best that I've heard or enjoyed.

10 - Rangers, A Fine Frenzy

From A Fine Fenzy's debut album One Cell in the Sea, this song has a really good sound to it, with a pace and energy that really matches her tone. The chorus is a really good one, followed up with some fantastic lyrics. Everything really comes together nicely here for this tune. This song really turned me onto A Fine Frenzy, and will keep me listening for years to come.

9 - Heart Made of Sound, The Softlightes

The video for this song really got me hooked here, and brought me back time and time again for listen after listen. This song gives me the same feeling that I had on my best summers here in Vermont - sounds weird, but for some reason, I connect this song to walking around Burlington Vermont on a sunny summer afternoon. The sound here is bright, energetic and just fantastic. Even when I'm in a horrible mood, I'll listen to this and it'll bring me right back up.

8 - Seed of Wonder, Jesca Hoop

This song sounds really different, with some absolutely fantastic guitar work and vocals from Hoop. It's unconventional, with influences from Hip-Hop and alternative rock. It's got a lazy beat that's incredibly catchy.

7 - Hard Sun, Eddie Vedder and Everybody Knows, Ryan Adams (Tie)

This is a tie for me, because both songs remind me of the other. Hard Sun is a good, solid rock song, one that reminds me of driving on a highway, while Everybody Knows brings out the same feeling - both have a good beat behind it backed by lyrics and a sound that just works, really well.

6 - Vermont Avenue, Ferraby Lionheart

I didn't take to this song at first, but it grew on me quite a bit as time went on. Lionheart's voice is like gold here, lazy and seductive, with lyrics that match that. The guitar and drum work is wonderful, and I like this song more and more as time goes on.

5 - In the Mausoleum, Beirut

Beruit's back with more of a fantastic Balkan sound. This song starts off with a fantastic beat and sinks in with some fantastic vocals and lyrics. What's really catchy is the use of other instruments, such as their distinctive use of a trumpet and stringed instruments. This song floats along wonderfully through the entire three minutes.

4 - Time Is A Runaway, The Alternate Routes and Who You Are, Cary Brothers (Tie)

This was another tie for me, between Time is a Runaway and Who You Are. Neither song really stands out on a technical level, but both songs really grabbed me for their sound and lyrics. Who You Are has a wonderful LA sound to it with a fantastic beat and energy, while Time is a Runaway has some fantastic lyrics coupled with their vocals and background instrumentation. Both are songs to relax to.

3 - Horse Soldier! Horse Soldier!, Corb Lund and the Hurtin' Albertans

Corb Lund and the Hurtin' Albanians come forth with this fantastic ballad-like song that exhols the wonders of mounted cavelry, looking at their use through history. As a history person, this is just a wonderful song to pull apart line by line, and it's got such a fantastic song to go along with it.

2 - Ah, Mary, Grace Potter & The Nocturnals

I knew that my #2 song would be a Grace Potter song, but it took me a little while to figure out which one. I went with the first one that I heard, Ah Mary, a sort of protest song that pulls you in nicely with Grace's fantastic voice before cranking it up a notch exactly a minute in as it turns to something you'd expect from some of their idols, like Neil Young. Their studio version seems to be a little subdued - go see this live for the full effect.

1 - Boy With A Coin, Iron & Wine

And my number one song of the year - Iron & Wine's Boy With A Coin. Like Grace Potter's album, there were a bunch here that could take the #1 spot, but there's something here. Maybe because this song stands out so much from Sam Beam's other songs and typical sound, or maybe because it falls into a fantastic beat and rhythm, this song just completely blew me away when I first heard it.

There you have it, the top 10... er... 12 songs of the year. Here are the ones that didn't quite make it:

Dreamworld, Rilo Kiley
Sea Legs, The Shins
Down The Line, Jose Gonzalez
Rumors, Josh Ritter
The Pretender, Foo Fighters
Dashboard, Modest Mouse
Keep The Car Running, Arcade Fire
You Ain't Goin' Nowhere, Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova
Love Song, Sara Bareilles
Pressure Suit, Aqualung
Sci-Fi Kid, Blitzen Trapper
Eh Hee, Dave Matthews

There were others, but overall, fantastic year for music. Let's see what's next.

Hype - Buy

Weekend Mix - Home

So, I have a new apartment. I have to say, I lucked out completely here. a) The rent is fantastic. b) it's big, and I don't have a roommate. Bedroom's big, second bedroom is now a library/office, good sized kitchen as well as a living room. c) heat and water included and d) it's not far from where I work, and it's in a city (well, as close as you can get in Vermont).
Needless to say, I'm very pleased with this, especially since I'm no longer living at my parent's house. Not that I have anything against my parents, but it's nice not being the geek in the parent's house. I'm currently awaiting two more bookshelves from UPS, who apparently can't find my place. I also need to pick up a bunch of odds and ends, like a cutting board, pizza cutter and some pots.

Yeah... So, here's some songs about homes:

Home - Alexi Murdoch
Going Home With You - The Alternate Routes
Interior of a Dutch House - Beirut
Can't Find My Way Home - Blind Faith
Subterranean Homesick Blues - Bob Dylan
Home - Carbon Leaf
Home - Foo Fighters
On Your Porch - The Format
I'm Goin' Home - Hootie and the Blowfish
Home Life - John Mayer
Welcome Home - Peters and Lee
Homeward Bound - Simon & Garfunkel
Screen Door - Uncle Tupelo

Hype - Buy

New Music This Week

A couple of new albums were released this week, from two bands that I've listened to and enjoyed:

Beirut - Flying Cup Club

The followup to the fantastic Gulag Orkestar, their first album, Beirut is back with another cool album with their brilliant background music, trumpets and vocals.

Buy

Band of Horses - Cease to Begin

Band of Horses is also back with a followup sophtmore album, Cease To Begin. I've only listened to a handful of these guy's songs, but this one sounds pretty good.

Buy

Hype