It's pretty rare that I get
emails/packages that have more than a couple of songs that I can share with
you guys, but yesterday I got sent a message about a mixtape that was
meant to be distributed to the masses. The name of the compilation
is Cross-Pollination: The Mixtape Volume 1 and it contains some great
unreleased material from a lot of well known artists like: My Brightest
Diamond, Cloud Cult, The Lloyds and Kevin Divine. I didn't post
up the entire thing, just the highlights, so I highly recommend jumping
here so that you check out the rest of the
finely put together comp from the snazzy folks over at Liberated Matter.
Enjoy.
:My Brightest Diamond - Hello, Remember Me:
The words slow, beautiful and haunting sufficiently describe this gem from
Shara. She is so incredible that I just can't help but to sit in
amazement throughout the entire track, especially when the well placed hand
claps kick in around the lyric: "I hit the wall so hard I had to talk to
Jesus." I don't know where this song came from, but I have no doubt in
my mind that it should have been on Bring Me The Workhorse.
:Cloud Cult - Pretty Eyes:
Technically this is not unreleased since it does actually appear on the
band's latest album, The Meaning Of 8, under the title of Pretty
Voice. I'm guessing that this is some sort of demo or an alternate
take. Anyway, all I know is that I actually like it a lot more than
the album version. There is something about hearing this track broken
down and done with acoustic guitars that make it even more beautiful.
:Kevin Divine - You'll Only End Up Joining Them
(Acoustic):
It's too bad that Kevin got cut from Capital Records because this is an
acoustic gem. The light plucking of the guitar gives it an intimate
sound and the vocal work feels as if it should be done to slow motion shots
of a dance floor that has all sorts of somber looking teenagers. Who doesn't
need a good guilty pleasure track to take them back to the awkward times of
high school?
:Jeffrey Lewis - Tell It To Your Heart (Lou Reed
Cover):
I'm a sucker for slick cover songs and this acoustic version by Jeffrey is
really nicely done. He brings some playfulness to it with his slightly
casual vocal style that sounds like he is hanging out somewhere and going
through the lyrics off the top of his head. It's nice to hear
something acoustic that doesn't necessarily make you want to look for
someone to hug.
:Casey Shea - Quinzy Housing:
I don't know who Casey Shea is but this song sounds like a long lost Beatles
track. It's not as pop as something the former British sensations
would do, but the sweeping arrangement and the vocal style could easily be
considered a modern take on their work. I think I'm going to have to
do some homework on Mr. Shea to see if the rest of his work is this good.
-
John Laird -
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