This requires a little explanation. For the last couple years, I’ve been making playlists based on places and the people going there. When Nick and Ken went to South Africa, I made “lions/africa;” when Nick and Grady went to Austria, I made “snitzel/austria;” etc. Today a friend, Laura Kunst, is off learning about Jesus in New Zealand. Thus, we have sheep/new zealand (13).
Laura, may your trip be illuminating.
With every song there is a story. Here is the list and the story.
1. Grizzly Bear’s “Foreground.” I had heard a few songs off “Veckatamist” before Nick bought the CD. Songs like “Two Weeks” and “While You Wait For The Others.” It’s taken me a bit to gain a relationship with this album, partly because it got a lot of hype on the internet, so it was difficult not to go in expecting grandeur. “Foreground” is the last song on the album, but for some reason, it just worked better as the first one here. It’s pretty great.
2. Gold Panda’s “Quitters Raga” I found on Pitchfork.com’s “Forkast,” the part of the website where they have new songs to listen to. The first time I heard it, my mind exploded. It starts off with this great tune, and then just goes bizurk. Insane. By the middle, it almost becomes too much. It’s a blessing it’s only 2:00. I don’t think you could take much more. Still, pretty awesome.
3. Animal Collective is a great band. They put out their album “Merriweather Post Pavillion” last year, and “My Girls” was the first song I heard from it. I’m actually surprised it didn’t end up on a whistlehum episode before this. Just a great song all around. Great tune, great lyrics, even if it is a bit repetative. I would encourage looking into them more.
4. The first time I heard about Dead Man’s Bones, I knew I would like them. One of my favorite actors, Ryan Gosling, makes a band with a former girlfriend’s brother (or something like that) based on their love spookiness, and Langley Schools Music Project, of all things. My mom bought the Langley Schools Music Project CD on a whim many years ago. I didn’t think much of it until I went on a road trip in 2008 and found it in a record store in Seattle with a quote from David Bowie on the cover. It’s a children’s choir from our hometown singing pop songs from the 60′s and the 70′s, and it’s awesome.
The song “Pa Pa Power” makes me want to write music.
5. “Valentine” just seemed like an appropriate name for a song in February. Plus it sounds great. Justice knows how to lay the beat.
6. “Long Distance Call” by Phoenix. Get it? Because you’re away from home, you’ll be making a lot of “long distance calls?” Plus I assumed you had heard new Phoenix and I wanted to show some great older stuff from them. Great band.
7. Peter Bjorn & John’s “Paris 2004″ was named after a place far away. New Zealand is also far away. That’s about it for that one.
8. Bon Iver was my music in 2009. I love that guy. This song is the last one on the album, “For Emma, Forever Ago.” Amazing. Go buy it. “Re: Stacks” is such a devastating song. The guy was so in love. You just want to give him a big hug and say, “Everything is going to be okay.”
9. Aretha Franklin’s “Respect.” No explanation necessary.
10. I thought you would like “Cheap Like Sebastien,” by Apostle of Hustle because it is a great song. The rythmn really worked with the other songs, too. I really like the part with the girl singing, “La, la, la, la.”
11. I just bought Spoon’s new album “Transference,” along with the Dead Man’s Bones album, on Saturday. I like it a lot, and this song fits with everything the best, I thought. The echo on the guitar is sweet.
12. The Brunettes are actually from New Zealand. I saw them on that road trip I spoke of a few songs back, when they opened for the band Beirut. They sounded great, so I bought their CD, “Structure and Cosmetics.” This song is from it and it’s called “Hairagami Set.” They have a new album that just came out. I haven’t heard it yet.
13. “Sweet Song” is by Blur, the band who sings the “Woohoo,” song you’ve heard at hockey games and on beer commercials. I’m actually not a huge fan, but this is a nice song.
14. Belle & Sebastian are one of Nick’s and my favorite bands. This song, “We Are The Sleepyheads,” is off their album, “The Life Pursuit.” Great song, great album, yeah.
15. Ray LaMontagne is an example of manhood to me. He has owns a farm, he writes great music, including glorious songs like “Jolene;” one of the more powerful songs you will ever hear. Ray is one of those people that just knows how to put things. You could listen to this song over and over again, if you’d like. We here in Squamish put it on repeat every now and then.
16. “Gold,” by Interference, is from the movie “Once,” which I know you’ve seen. It’s the only song that isn’t from one of the main characters specifically, although I’m pretty sure that’s Glenn Hansard on back-up vocals. If I think of the landscape New Zealand is known for, this song goes along with that pretty well. Epic and grandiose.
Anyway, enjoy Capernray. Come home safe.
