B Sides To Die For: Bringing The Mix Tape Back

Digital music downloads, i-Tunes, mp3 files, 20 years ago such language would have fallen on deaf ears. Welcome to the new music industry, where audiophiles can click ’n’ download data in mere minutes, drag that data into neat little virtual folders, and transfer it all to a portable listening device with a 10,000 song capacity. With a boundless catalogue of music at our fingertips, technology has given listeners free reign to discover new genres, artists and discographies throughout the ages. But does the immediacy and convenience of digital downloads affect the actual absorption of the music?

Hearing and listening, the difference between the two is palpable. In your lifetime, you will hear an endless barrage of Billboard hits, one-hit wonders and catchy endorsement songs for The Gap. But count the times you’ve stopped, adjusted your oversized headphones and listened. That thump-thump-thumping in the center of your chest when you discover that song, that album, that band that is the soundtrack to your life. The words and music suddenly have meaning, have a message. You are all but positive that message is meant solely for you. Almost immediately you want to share this wonderful feeling. And if you are true to your hipster roots, there is only one thing to do: document your findings. Compile all of the personal mementos of music you’ve found and pass it on to another. In short, make a mix tape.

Author/producer/ and music pioneer, Thurston Moore has penned, “In the future, when social scientists study the mix tape phenomenon, they will conclude – in fancy language – that the mix tape was a form of ‘speech’ particular to the late twentieth century, soon to be replaced by the play list.” However, a play list cannot convey the same message as a mix tape. From developing a theme and a track list, to the execution of every minute-by-minute recording, the mix tape is a medium like no other. The tangibility of the mix tape speaks volumes. Now, your average naysayer may naysay, “But, Jackie, cassettes have fallen into the black hole of technological obsolescence. Why not just burn yourself a nice compact disc?” Not a terrible idea, but, in my opinion, a mix CD simply cannot capture the same emotion of the audiocassette. Mix tapes, in their very nature are stories looped around a central theme; chapters that, from track to track, take the listener on a journey down the beaten path of the tape’s creator. The design of the cassette is to listen-start to finish-without skipping any pages of the proverbial story. And like any story, it has a beginning, a middle and an end, with just enough of that nostalgic analog hiss in between.

A mix tape has become, in short, the story heard ‘round the hipster campfire. It’s shared by many and appreciated for what it is: an exchange of ideas, a meeting of the minds, and of course, the chance to impress your friends with your vast musical knowledge. And as the fictional indie icon, Rob Gordon of High Fidelity argues, “The making of a good compilation tape is a very subtle art. Many do’s and don’ts. First of all, you’re using someone else’s poetry to express how you feel. This is a delicate thing.”

So let’s discuss the makings of a good mix. Presuming you have the essential equipment, i.e.: A stereo system with CD and tape deck function and blank cassettes, the next step is the decision of what to include on the tape. The message of mix tapes changes with regards to circumstance and recipient. However, one thing should remain a constant: an overarching theme that ties it all together. I’ve given many mix tapes over the years, ranging in themes from “I Love You But This is One Fucking Complicated Mess” and “Music as Medicine: Please, Stop Snorting Crack,” to an academically acclaimed mix tape documenting the sounds of “Essentials in Women’s Studies.” In all of these mix tapes, the common denominator is a theme, a concrete idea that keeps your emotions in check and your choices of song at optimum potential.

As for your song choices, the instrumentation and the lyrics are the two key components. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different genres or styles, so long as flow and continuity aren’t compromised. The transition from track-to-track should seem almost effortless. It basically boils down to revealing a message blended in each track, one that you believe could be inferred by the intended listener, literal or metaphorical, subtle references or blatant admissions. You could also consider point-of-view, or perspective when choosing tracks. Using lyrics as a first-person narrative can get tiresome. Try choosing a few songs that involve your theme in a roundabout way, ones that don’t necessarily imply you as the speaker of the lyrics, but a passerby merely observing the situation from a distance. It’s a difficult thing to explain, but an astute listener just knows how to use lyrical wordplay to his or her advantage. Leaving the listeners with enough variations of material to strike intrigue but not so much as to bombard them with your eclecticism, will have them transfixed to the tape deck.

___

When given the opportunity to publish my penchant for mix tapes on Hipsters Eat for Free, I thought, what better an occasion such as this, to share a timely mix for all those embracing the stronghold of digitally downloaded music? Since I can’t conceivably dub mix tapes for all of you listeners out there, I offer you the opportunity to do so yourself. With this in mind, I have made a cross-technological track list of sorts. By all means, download these songs, listen and enjoy, but consider the possibilities of surrender to the aesthetic and the allure of the mix tape…especially when the mix is an epic sci-fi/horror battle between robots and zombies. Side A, Robots. Side B, Zombies (as in, b-movies… Sorry, I couldn’t resist.)

Just remember, a mix tape is, in short, an audibly formatted chronicle of life’s little ups and downs. It’s the soundtrack to your life. It’s the mundane and the insane. It’s a drama. It’s a horror. It’s a romantic fucking comedy. And it’s yours to share, to absorb, to interpret. So with that said, I present to you, Robots vs. Zombies: a Hipster Halloween Mix.

Robots (A)

1) Robotnicka: “Bidip-Dip Dip Bidip” from Spectre en Vue

2) Daft Punk: “Robot Rock” from Human After All

3) theStart: “Death Via Satellite” from the Death Via Satellite EP

4) Radiohead: “Paranoid Android” from OK Computer

5) Goldfrapp: “Strict Machine” from Black Cherry

6) Flight of the Conchords: “Robots” from Flight of the Conchords

7) Marnie Stern: “Transformer” from This is It and I Am It And You Are It So is That And He Is It And She Is It And It Is It And That Is That

8.) Ladytron: “Destroy Everything You Touch” from Witching Hour

9) Gorillaz: “Every Planet We Reach is Dead” from Demon Days

10) Ellen McLain & Jonathon Coulton: “Still Alive” from the end credits of Portal

11) The Flaming Lips: “All We Have Is Now” from Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robot

Zombies (B)

1) The Raveonettes: “Dead Sound” from Lust Lust Lust

2) The Zombies: “Time of the Season” from Odessey and Oracle

3) Blue Oyster Cult: “Don’t Fear the Reaper” from Agents of Fortune

4) Pixies: “I Bleed” from Doolittle

5) Belle & Sebastian: “Is it Wicked not to Care? From The Boy with the Arab Strap

6) Saudi Arabia: “Brains” from $200,000

7) Bjork: “Army of Me” from Post

8.) Kaki King: “Pull Me Out Alive” from Dreaming of Revenge

9) Johnny Cash & Bob Dylan: “You are my Sunshine” from The Dylan and Cash Sessions

10) She & Him: “This is Not a Test” from Volume One

11) Sean Lennon: “Dead Meat” from Friendly Fire

By Jackie Jardine

See The Saudis In Their PJ’s

FIRST PHILLY POP PUNK PAJAMA PARTY: What Else You Should Be Doing This Week.

It’s a Pajama Party!! Lots of great bands plus one of our very, very, very, favorites Saudi Arabia is playing at the Troc this Saturday night.

Doors open at 10:30. Tickets are only $6! Come dressed in PJ’s.

LIne up:

• TJ Kong and The Atomic Bomb
• Conversations with the Enemies
• Saudi Arabia
• Daniel Pujol and Some Beaus
• Denny and the Jets

See you there!

Saudi Arabia: The Unlikely Duo

You know how Batman and Robin have the same sense of style, same hatred of crime, and are always on the same page?  Well the indie band Saudi Arabia is nothing like that.  In the world of duos, Josh Pannepacker and Bob Bauers are an unlikely one.  Josh, a 26-year-old from Cherry Hill, NJ, and Bob, a (lets just say, old enough to be his father) have the super power to create music that can fill a room with just their two instruments.

At first glance you may just see an older man in a Hawaiian shirt and a subtly attractive young kid in a plain -T and jeans, but then again Bruce Wayne was not who he appeared to be either.  Under those disguises reside a drum master and a guitar hero, who together shatter the status quo image of indie rockers and spread awesomeness wherever they venture.

You might be wondering ‘How did this unlikely duo come to be?’  Well, it’s not a story of heroic proportions, but instead one of beer.

When their previous drummer left the band to pursue his own music career, or as Bob puts it “because he’s dumb,” Bob was the temporary replacement. Bob suggested that Josh find someone his own age to play with, instead of his dad’s best friend. However, the free beer and Bob’s flawless drumming proved too much to resist.

“He kept bringing a case of beer over and we never let him go,” says Josh.

Bob has been playing drums for way longer than Josh has been alive. In fact, he played in a band with Josh’s father before Josh was in diapers.  Bob’s unique style and complex beats perfectly complement Josh’s fanatical song styling.  When Bob is hitting the drums, it can be felt through the floor and resonates through your bones.

If Bob’s super power is wicked fast drumming then Josh’s powers are most certainly his soulful guitar playing, unsuspecting rock n’ roll vocals and angst-ridden, witty lyrics.  His calm and collected demeanor is shed when he steps up to the microphone.  Batman has his bat-mobile and Josh Pannepacker has his voice.

Saudi Arabia has its place not only in the Middle East, but also in the Philadelphia indie rock scene.

“The group America was already taken,” jokes Josh.

Pg-13, Saudi’s newest album, has a mixture of catchy songs, poppy riffs and dissonant instrumentation with satirical lyrics.  Pg-13, with only four tracks, covers a wide spectrum of rock ‘n roll as does the first album, $200,000.

Although Saudi Arabia is able to produce great sound with solely two instruments, they are always looking to expand their sound with new people and instruments.  ”… we’re very open to having more people come play with us in our band.  It doesn’t matter what they play: banjo, piano, weird instruments, or a keytar..well, it would be tough to convince us.”  Their eclectic sound and openness to experiment are what make Saudi Arabia one of the more exciting up-and-coming indie bands.  And rightfully so.

It is apparent, that like Batman’s six-pack, Saudi Arabia has strength and talent.  Their music is unlike anything out there today. Watching Bob the blacksmith, and Josh, a music production staff member, unmask their rock alter egos to become Saudi Arabia is quite a show indeed.

All photos by Steve Davis

Saudi Arabia News

*10.24 Trocadero Balcony w/TJ Kong and his atomic bomb/ Conversations with enemies/ Daniel Pujol

*Origivation Magazine interview in November issue

*Saudi Arabia will be working on recording new songs in November for an up-coming release!

–