One of my favorite things about coworkers is the sharing of music. In fact, given my misanthropic tendencies I’m going to go out on a limb and say that it’s the only thing I like about coworkers.
The last time that I called Baltimore home, I had coworkers who encouraged me to try out Pete Yorn and Queens of the Stone Age. I also had one coworker, Vickie, who made me three dope-ass mixes which I’ve still got to this day.
During my time in the “702,” I had coworkers who tried to sell me on U2 and Lil Wayne with a single mix offered to me by my closest friend out there. U2 and Lil Wayne. Does my move back to Baltimore make any more sense now?
Currently I have this coworker who is, like, completely awesome. We can talk about stuff like music and movies and she not only appreciates my quirk but she gets it.
Plus she’s already given me two mixes.
Unfortunately the first mix came without a track list. And I’m still waiting for that track list. I know it had David Byrne, Sufjan Stevens and Nico, but that’s all I could place off the top of my head.
On the other hand, the second mix came with a track list, so I’m able to share it with you and offer up my thoughts on the mixed dubbed Amathen Rock (you see what she did there? I told you she was awesome.)
“Selmanaire Rock” – Selmanairres
Not the most powerful opening track. It’s got an extended intro which kept me waiting and kinda bored me. I was like, “when are the lyrics going to start? Are there even lyrics to this song?” The hushed vocals aren’t my fave, but the song grows on me.
“Lines in a Suit” – Spoon
Spoon is one of those bands that I’ve always said I was going to get into one day. They’re right up there with Bright Eyes and Wilco. But this song may have sold me on them. I dig the melody. I dig the vocals. It’s really a catchy song. Easily one of the best discoveries on this mix.
“Bela Lugosi’s Dead” – Nouvelle Vague
The bells at the beginning instantly reminded me of Daft Punk, which had me playing that song in my head. It’s kind of a haunting song and rather dense to get into. It completely kills the kinda peppy vibe that Spoon set up. And for that I sort of resent it, despite it not being a bad song.
“Jumping Someone Else’s Train” – The Cure
I mean, really, can you go wrong with The Cure? Honest answer; yes. But not with this song.
“You’re Speaking My Language” – Juliette & The Licks
I wanted to hate this song because (a) I don’t like actors who try to rock and (b) I find Scientologists just a little more crazy than ordinary religious folks. But then I’m reminded that Beck is a Scientologist, and Modern Guilt slayed me. In the end, I like the song because it’s brief and it’s not trying to be a piece of art; it’s just trying to rock hard and it pretty much accomplishes that.
“I am Pentagon” – Make Up
I love this song. Now to be fair, geometry is when I decided that math wasn’t for me, but this song is just pure genius. I like Tool as much as the next guy, but this is some Math Rock that I can get behind; I really like how passionate the vocals are. This guy is like Ghostface when it comes to emoting.
“Deceptacon” – Le Tigre
I never really thought I could get into Le Tigre. It was one of those groups that I figured just wasn’t for me. But man, this song is pure goodness. It made me want to dance. But not just any sort of dance, I wanted to do an ’80s-new-wave spastic dance to this thing. This song is like 10 years old—why wasn’t it #1 for a month straight?
“Like Eating Glass” – Bloc Party
I dig Bloc Party and this is one of my favorite songs. Nothing new here, but good to see (a) we’ve got similar taste or (b) she knows what I like.
“Bouncers” – Arctic Monkeys
This is a band that I’d written off as “unable to live up to the hype.” But this song is really quite good. I don’t mind being wrong when it involves a delightful romp like this. Again, she may have opened my ears to something new here.
“Miami” – Against Me!
And at this point we have the first real misstep. Wait, misstep is wrong. I mean, it’s not like she had a task with parameters; she made the mix according to what she wanted to share. Anyway, this is the first song that I don’t dig. I think it’s because it’s a tad too aggressive. I just doesn’t do anything for me.
“Talk Show Host” – Radiohead
Now this is awesome. This is the song that convinced me to jump headfirst into Radiohead, and it’s the Radiohead song she decides to share. Talk about a direct hit.
“Bros” – Panda Bear
I can remember years ago, when I was still in Vegas; my friend out here was telling me about Animal Collective. He was trying to explain it to me over the phone and I wasn’t quite getting it. Regardless, this is my first real taste of the group (or one of the members), and I dig it. It’s got that whole ’60s echo-y/Byrds thing going on, which I’m a sucker for. It’s long, but it’s so mellow that I’ve no beef with the length.
“Zombie Noise” – The Meteors
I’ve got a zombie bias. But it’s a quick track and closes things out nicely. Plus it’s fast paced which really jostles you awake after the Panda Bear track.
And there you have it. This is a mix that my coworker made especially for me—I’m touched and honored. I’ve found new artists that I’m probably going to be trying out in the near future, but more importantly I’ve found someone with good taste in music.
