Best Albums of 2011

It's been a long, boring year for music or has it? I tend to think so but when I look at the year's best albums and songs it looks like it was okay.
2011 ' best albums
Gimme' Some  by Peter Bjorn and John
Watch the Throne by Kanye West and Jay-Z
Valley Heart by She Wants Revenge
Wasting Light by The Foo Fighters
Degeneration Street by The Dears

These are just albums you need to go hear, sorry no samples. Maybe I am boring

Weekly Mix #82

There's some new music worth listening to on this mix as well as some older gems that I needed to have on here for whatever reason was so crucial at that time. This almost seems like a party mix with a couple exceptions
go and find these songs and listen to 'em

1. I Wanna Be Adored by The Stone Roses

Some songs should have been used already like this one. I love it to death in all of it's Madchesterness!

2. So Far by Buckcherry

This is actually the same type of song as above but it sounds nothing like it. These sleazy Hollywood boys were supposed to bring back the glory days of the Sunset Strip but it just never happened.

3. White Limo by Foo Fighters

Welcome back boys! going on and going strong.

4.Make Some Noise by Beastie Boys

Still funky after all these years! This is the best song they've released in over a decade and one of the best songs of the year. the video is funny too.

5.Blow by Ke$ha

This is a party jam and it is dumb but what can you do.

6.Hold Back the Rain by Duran Duran

So funky, so English. I love the classic Duran Duran a little too much

7. Yeah Yeah Yeah by The Sounds

I love their keyboard sound and their Blondie look

8. Lies of the Beautiful People by Sixx A.M.
Nicky Sixx' other band
9. Beatles and Stones by Beady Eye
Not the song by the House of Love
10.Dance The Night Away by Van Halen
I don't usually think about dancing when I think of Van Halen
11.Degeneration Street by The Dears

I have no clue if this is parallel or crosses Fascination Street or Desolation Boulevard.

12.Needle In The Hay by Elliott Smith

and then he killed himself

12.For 12 by Other Lives
This s dream rock . . . I think.
13.Poison Ivy by Faster Pussycat
Sucky Glam Rock but I get into it
14.The Boy looked at Johnny by The Libertines
Back when this band was the buzz, back when people though they mattered

15.Tomorrow Has To Wait by Peter Bjorn and John
Love these guys, beards and all.
16.You're So Right by The Strokes
Another song from their 2011 album
17.Be Your Bro by Those Darlins
This is just a funny song about wanting to be friends with a boy

18.Tiny Dancer by Elton John
This is a very famous song! Not just Almost Famous
19.Rave On by Buddy Holly
I think this is my favorite song by him
20.Going Out In Style by Dropkick Murphys
In love with Boston? Well, here's the band for you!

Weekly Mix #81

On this mix I got a little retro blues stretch going which can either be really enjoyable or really dull depending where you are and what you are doing.  There are new songs and old song, there's music from Scotland, Australia, Spain, New Zealand, the U.S. and Canada so you can enjoy some "world" music.

Mix # 81 from Solidpants on 8tracks.

1. Party Poison by My Chemical Romance
If anything it seemed like the right song to start the mix off with
2. I Want You Back by Hoodoo Gurus

What good song that has been lost in time because they were Australian. This isn't even my favorite song by them as Miss Freelove '69 is a little more fun.

3.There Is a Light That Never Goes out by Dum Dum Girls

The gall to cover the smiths! Dum Dum Girls do a great job o joke, they maintain that nice melody and never seem to get worked up about it. Which way us better to be hit by a double decker bus or a ten ton truck?

4. Sometimes by My Bloody Valentine

There are people believe modern rock started and ended with their album Loveless, I'm not one of them. I get it, I do, the fuzzy guitars and layers and all that is great.

5. When I'm With You by Best Coast
This song grew on me slowly but when I heard this iTunes studio version I was smitten by it! Granted it is an indie rock piece of ear candy but when I hear it I always hear a Phil Spector girl group. I shoved this song down my friend's throats for two weeks trying to make them submit and love the song the way I do. Who cares if they're hipsters?

6. The Roller by Beady Eye

What is it that lacks from this music, is it Noel Gallagher?

7. Around My Head by Cage the Elephant
I heard this song and suddenly it was clear that bands were still being influenced by the Pixies. Think Dig For Fire.
8. Ana by The Pixies

This is one of my favorite Pixies songs even if it is about an alien. Without the Pixies there would be no Nirvana as we know it.

9. Tambourine Girl by Ringo Deathstarr

Is their name awesome of awful? The song isn't bad between guitar surges, there's actually a catchy tune here. It has a certain 80s underground vibe a band that I can't quite recall.

10.April Skies by The Jesus & Mary Chain

There are people who are so crazy for this band it's funny. I like them and do understand that their influence reaches beyond the bands who don't know they're copying them. Scottish rock doesn't get much better, or does it?

11.Young Blood by Naked and Famous

This is what the US gets from New Zealand in the way of music. I like them but I couldn't tell you why.

12.Stick w/Me Kid by The Dears

Do I really wish this band was as big as they deserve to be? They sound like they shold have hits but it just never happened, did it? Oh, Canada!

13. Girl, You Have No Faith In Medicine by The White Stripes

Let's get electric bluesy and such

14.Wail by The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion

A band that I assume influenced Jack and Meg. They always seemed to never quite live up to what I expected from them but this song is alright.

15.Stray Cat Strut by The Stray Cats
"Gettin' my dinner from a garbage can" Brian Stetzer has come years since this 1982 song even though you wouldn't always know it. In comparison to all the New Wave that was going on this song was a blast of sort of sweatiness that seemed far more genuine despite the reality of it. After all The Stray Cats were a retro rock band.
16.Boogie de la Muerte by Guadalupe Plata

Spanish retro rock in the rockabilly style sounds just as good as when the Americans were doing it in the fifties and again in the eighties. I'll say this for them, they seem to be having more fun than anybody else.

17.She's Long Gone by The Black Keyes
It all fits together if you hear these songs back to back. These guys get real into a groovy sound here but man do the rip off the White Stripes  Ball and Biscuit.
18. Runaway by Del Shannon

Is this the real deal? He was a man of a good voice RIP Del.

19.We Are Everlasting by Standing Shadows

Alright, we're back with some 2011music that frankly is not that great.

20.Baby's Arms by Kurt Vile
A dreamy little sweet song for the lovers.
21.House of Pain by Van Halen
I was so down with this song for like a three week period that I drove myself crazy. This bad boy is from the bands last album, 1984. Hagar does not count! By the way this starts another linear part of the mix, are you smart enough to get it?
22.Superhuman by Velvet Revolver

Abrasive at first and then it gets going into the mind of Scott Weiland. So are they still a band or what?

23.Cocaine Chest Pain by Kopek
I heard this song and thought the band would be awesome but they were not, this was the best they had to offer on this album. They're named after a breed of dog, so that's cool.

Weekly Mix #80

I don't know how I feel about this mix. There's a lot of stuff on here that may be forgotten in the near future. I'm partial to great music butu when nobody cares about it . . .
Anyway go listen to these songs and enjoy the exploration of new music!

Mix # 80 from Solidpants on 8tracks.

1. Ezekiel 25-17 film dialogue from Pulp Fiction
Sam Jackson at his best. When I used to make mixes on cassette it was a lot easier to copy film dialogue but I'm not invested enough anymore to do that sort of thing digitally.
2. Highway To Hell by AC/DC

It's definitely one of AC/DC's best songs and the premise is classic rock stuff. They Say when Bon Scott died he was getting his in order but when you choke on your own vomit in your car in front of your house it seems a bit unlikely.

RIP Bon Scott

3. Crackerman by Stone Temple Pilots

Here's a song I never really listened to until 2010; I just ignored it. From STP's debut, Core it kicks a little ass.

4. Standing Still by Eat Sugar

This is a great little rock/pop song by a band that I don't think I'll ever hear of again, I loves those drums!

5. Second Chance by Peter, Bjorn and John

I'm so glad this band came out with more than one good new song.

6. Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before by The Smiths
 One of the greatest 80s bands to never make it big in the states. Too good I guess.
7. Blood by The Dears

One of the best modern Canadian bands to never get anywhere in the states

8. Post Break-Up Sex by The Vaccines
Great band name and almost a great song but to sort of tries too hard to sound like something besides a good pop song.
9. I Got You (I Feel Good) by James Brown

The hardest working man in show business, the godfather of soul! Refusing this song is like refusing incredible awesome stuff.

RIP Mr. Brown

10.Come On Get It by Lenny Kravitz

Promises and teases, that's what Lenny's career in music has turned into. This isn't so bad as it almost delivers awesome.

11.Born To Lose by Motörhead

Born to lose, live to win. That's Lemmy's tattoo.

12.Sheena Is a Punk Rocker by Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Evergetic and more poppy than the original Ramones version but still good.

13.Man of Misery by Beady Eye

Liam Gallagher's new band? Goodbye Oasis until 2020 when they reunite.

14.Garbage Truck by Sex Bob-Omb

This one sounds like the previous song, don't it? I don't know which I like better

15.Intro (Dream Sequence) by Alice In Chains

It's loud, short and scary, not really a song.

16.Family Man by Hall and Oates

Hookers were very prevalent on their H2O album ie. Man Eater

17.Before the Rain bu Duran Duran

Don't Hold back the Rain, that was an old song and this is a new song, just as good too.

18.My Kinda Lover by Billy Squier

Before he decided to do weird Flashdance moves in his videos, Mr. Squier had some really good rock/pop songs like this one.

19.Buick MacKane (Big Dumb Sex) by Guns N' Roses

Some people hate The Spaghetti Incident but not me. This is a mix of a Soundgarden song and a Nazareth song and it works.

20.Lost In Hollywood by System of a Down
"All maggots smoking fags on Santa Monica Boulevard" this is a chilly distopian view of Hollywood show business. Angry, angry song.
21.You Showed Me by The Watson Twins

Haunting vocals and stark, lovely.

22.Blood by My Chemical Romance

I have a friend who heard this song and thought this was what the band sounded like, he was not pleased when he heard more of their music. This is indeed a funny little show tune but it's a joke and more of a fun sing along for their concerts than anything else.

23.Get Some by Lykke Li
I heard this song played on the radio once, once. That's too bad, it's a good song.
24.Woo Hoo by The 5.6.7.8's

Japanese retro music made famous in Kill Bill and Vonage adds

25.Loser by Beck
It took this long to get on a mix and I don't know why.

Weekly Mix #79

Oh Boy! 2011 is here for the mixes which means there aren't very many to go. Much of this mix was made after one of the best weeks in music release memory where it seemed like everything good came out!

1. In a Big Country  by Big Country

Bagpipes! 80s rock! It didn't get any bigger for these Scottish dudes. The singer killed himself a few years back from what I hear.

2. Under Cover of Darkness by The Strokes

The Strokes are back!!! In my mix world they've been around forever but in the real world this was the first album in years and the single is delightfully Strokestacular!

3. Breaker, Breaker by Peter, Bjorn and John
This is the best thing the boys of PB&J have done since they blessed us with the ubiquitous ,Young Folks. Worth the wait, maybe.
4. 1,000,000 by R.E.M.

Their first single ever which nobody heard outside of Atlanta for years, you gotta love that 1980s indie rock!

5. Sing by My Chemical Romance

They got lots of play from this song, especially on some add for some TV show.

6. Being Followed by Duran Duran

I love it, I love their come back album!

7. Everybody Have Fun Tonight by Wang Chung

Stupid but fun. Wang Chung will make another appearance with us in the not too distant future.

8. Twenty Yards behind by Dr. Feelgood

Ska! Ska! Ska!

9. Let England Shake by PJ Harvy

It has been a long time between PJ Harvy listens for me but I'm glad I listened to this new song.

10.S and M by Rihanna

Club Music!

11.Communication by The Power Station

This was their third single and it was damn catchy for dorks like me.

12.Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away) by Mötley Crüe

Better words have rarely been spoken

13.Guilty Girls by BuffaloTom

Back from the dead, Buffalo Tom get really catchy and good!

14.Kiss Me On The Bus by The Replacements

Feel good indie rock 1985 style! For me R.E.M and The Matts will always be linked by that college radio of the 80s thing

15.Silver Lining by Rilo Kiley

they'll never get better than Portions for Foxes but they will make some decent tunes.

16.U Should Know Better by Robyn & Snoop Dogg

weird duo but it works and it works well in the Euro disco way

17.Wrong by Depeche Mode

Not a good song to listen to in the middle of the night even though I can't think of any other time I'd want to hear it.

18.Thrones by The Dears

Canadian Rock's best band currently. Arcade Fire and eat a dick straight up.

19.The Crystal Ship by The Doors

Crooning must continue. What is the Crystal Ship anyway?

20.Miss Misery by Elliott Smith
This song would make me kill myself too. This song should have won the Oscar for best song from a motion picture but Celine Dion got it with, My Heart Will Go On, lame. Honestly when you compare the two performances Celine should be embarrassed.

21.Hush by Kula Shaker

It's almost the same as Deep Purple's but is it better than when Charlatans UK did it in the late 80s?

22.Bad Medicine by Bon Jovi
More organ? Let's end on a high rocker!

Listen to it here!

Weekly Mix Tape Pt 37

There's not a lot of modern music on this mix even for the year it was made in 2005 but there is a lot of British music.

enjoy the exploration

1. Epic by Faith No More
Before the word "Epic" became synonymous with annoying exaggeration this song was nnown for wacked out it's video, this was one of the first rap/rock bands to make a splash in the mainstream.
2. Nuthin' But A "G" Thang by Dr. Dre feat. Snoop Dogg
Classic rap from a man who is becoming the Axl Rose of the hip hop world; it's been 17 years since this album came out.
3. Higher Ground by Red Hot Chili Peppers
This was the bands MTV breakthrough from 1989. Stevie Wonder's original never dreamed of big drums like these.
4. My Friend Goo by Sonic Youth
What is this song about? Some say it's a bout a the dumb poser girls who go to rock shows and some say it's about a bitter slut.
5. Boogie Shoes by K.C. & The Sunshine Band
Having just bought the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack used and cheap I began to revisit an album I listened to all the time when I was 5 years old; it still sounds good.
6. You Can Get It If you Really Want by Jimmy Cliff
Music from the 1972 film, The Harder They Come. I've never seen it.
7. Jive Talkin' by Bee Gees
This is one of the rare disco era Bee Gees that's more groovy than over the top disco; it;s also from Saturday Night Fever
8. No Wow by The Kills
Every song the Kills do sounds just like this. Alison Mosshart went on to be in The Dead Weather with Jack White.
9. Blue Orchid by The White Stripes
And speak of the devil, Jack White appears with his first band. Listening to the vocals I often wonder if this song is a joke. For the record this mix was made years before the Dead Weather existed which goes to prove that there is a cosmic unconsciousness.
10.Molly's Lips by Nirvana
Catchy, catchy, catchy grunge pop, change the music and it could be a song from the 60s
11.Sign Your Name by Terence Trent D'Arby
The ballad that followed the hit Wishing Well, Mr. D'Arby proves he has a heart.
12.Like Glue by Sean Paul
He will not play number two and that's all I can understand in this dance hall song.
13.We 'A' Rockers by Inner Circle
Continuing our Jamaican music we have the theme to Rockers  a movie I Know I saw in the theater in 1978 because people tell me I have. Rockers is the other reggae movie.
14.Alright by Supergrass
This band was third part of the Brit pop invasion of the mid 90s following Blur and Oasis
15.Main Offender by The Hives
More rock from the land of Thor and Odin. I wonder if these guys got beat up by the death metal guys?
16.Weirdo by The Charletons
Manchester, so much to answer for. This is from the sophomore album by the band that were second only to the Stone Roses . . . and maybe the Happy Mondays in that rock sub genre. The Charlatans  however made more records than all of them with a much longer career.
17.Lost In The Plot by The Dears
This song wants to be a Smith's song so bad. Canadian rock sometimes comes through but . . .
18.I Started Something I Couldn't Finish by The Smiths
there's nothing quite like the real thing. Off the bands final album, Morrissey croons the line, "Typical Me, Typical Me, Typical Me", it's funny.
19.There She Goes by The La's
This song was bigger than the band and that's why they never put out another album. I can think of at least two covers of this song but the original is still the best. I saw The La's play a free show at the Hatch Shell in Boston in 1991.
20.Porcupine by Mary's Danish
Grunge era rock that wasn't grunge but still encapsulated the early 90s angst and "irony".
21.Missing by Beck
Kind of a trippy Latin number but not quite; it's a weird one
22.Vasoline by Stone Temple Pilots
This song is better in retrospect than it was at the time, like most of STP. I mean that in a good way. When Velvet Revolver performed this song it rocked a bit harder than this which is awesome!



23.Rat Velvet by Lemonheads
Boston Punk from the mid 80s
24.Moonlight Drive by The Doors
A dark song and a pretty song that ends our mix smooth.