California X - Mummy (Demo)
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“Mummy (Demo)” by California X // TBD - The Sounds of Sweet Nothing Records (2012)
It’s refreshing to hear something so stripped back and raw as this demo from Amherst, MA band, California X. They’ve recently signed with excellent up and coming label The Sounds of Sweet Nothing (Au Palais, Tashaki Miyaki) to release they’re debut single. In the meantime, you can check out their demo set at Bandcamp, which includes this indie rock throwback gem. Think of the years when the term “indie rock” meant something, and you’ll be getting close to what this sounds like. Definitely for fans of early Guided By Voices, early Built to Spill, and The Replacements.
(stream) The Demos of California X (via Bandcamp)
FAVORITE SONGS OF 2001 (as written in 2001)
- “New Slang” by The Shins
- “Njosnavelin” by Sigur Ros
- “The Weather” by Built to Spill
- “Sit & Listen to the Rain” by Whiskeytown
- “Fear of Fireflies” by Calla
* listen to my Favorite Tracks of 2001 on Spotify via P|M|W Playlist!
This is actually still pretty solid for me. For all of the Garden State backlash that was whipped upon The Shins, they wrote a brilliant album and the center piece of that album is “New Slang“‘s heartbreaking trip through sounds and feelings of the past. It’s throwback, retro pop sound helped it feel timeless and it still does. It’s a perfect pop song. Score one for 2001 version of me.
The rest is pretty much dead on as well. I remember having chose “Njosnavelin” by Sigur Ros because that band was my muse at that point in my life and I they soundtracked every creative move I made for a while. That song hadn’t been released yet (The album “( )” wouldn’t be released for almost another year), but Cameron Crowe had featured a live version of it through the closing scene of Vanilla Sky, and the band played it on Craig Kilborn’s late night show around the same time. I was absolutely in awe of that sound. Still am, really. As for the rest of that list, I think the only adjustment I would have made would be to add “Don’t Be Sad” to the Whiskeytown selection. That entire album is brilliant, but those two songs still get listened to regularly. The song by Calla might be a new one for some, but I remember hearing that song for the first time and thinking - “Holy Shit, these guys are going to be big!” but it never really happened. Post-punk wouldn’t make a strong comeback for another year or two. Oh, and that Built to Spill song is just Doug Martsch writing a damn near perfect indie rock ballad. I used that on plenty a mixtapes back then.
Notable exclusions were fairly obvious. The notes in my music journal had 42 songs listed in my favorites that year and those had been whittled down to a top fifteen, which I remember making into a mixtape for my then girlfriend. I am a bit surprised that I didn’t squeeze Cursive’s “Fairytales Tell Tales” or Now It’s Overhead’s “A Skeleton on Display” into the top five (they were six and seven, respectively), but in a year with that much great breakthrough music, I could spend hours arguing with younger me as to why not include any of the brilliant Radiohead b-sides from Amnesiac or a song from The Strokes , but it’s all good and well. Truth be told, If i were to pick a top five of 2001 today, It would be radically different, but probably still picking from the same well of songs. So i’m not too embarrassed by these selections.
Built to Spill - You Are
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“You Are” by Built to Spill // Ancient Melodies of the Future (2001)
It’s really hard to beat a Built to Spill ballad. Doug Martsch is a wizard at that sort of thing. The slow, somber waltz into the guitar explosion. He fucking kills it everytime. I haven’t listened to much Built to Spill in the past year, but the past couple of days has found me digging out the old goods and holy shit they’re just so damn good. They absolutely still hold up completely. I can listen to this forever.
Doug Martsch - Heart (Things Never Shared)
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doug martsch - HEART (THINGS NEVER SHARED)
Here is a song that is without a doubt on my list of favorite songs ever. It’s from the frontman for Built to Spill. It appeared on his one solo album and i was absolutely batshit insane over it from the word “go”. The beautiful melody, the guitar work, the production. Everything about it. It’s a lovely song that would have done so much better had it appeared on a Built To Spill record, but as it stands it feels like one of those special little treats when you find it.
It’s a MUST-LISTEN. It’s a wonderful song.
Built To Spill - Twin Falls
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built to spill - TWIN FALLS
One of my all time favorite songs is this little two minute masterpiece about adolescent love lost. Ben Folds Five did a pretty solid cover of it later on.
(mp3) Twin Falls (right click to save)
The Electronic Anthology Project - At The Where
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the electronic anthology project - AT THE WHERE (mp3)
Doug Martsch and Brett Nelson of Built to Spill decided to cover their own songs in an electro-pop manner. Here is their cover of my favorite BTS song, “The Weather”.
