MoonSongs said:

I want to start with the songs going backward, one by one.

This song is probably my favorite on the whole mix. I love nearly everything you included here Nikki, but this song just does something to me. It was my favorite Bjork song for the longest time until "Unison" came along and knocked everything out of its path, including everything else by every other artist as well.

The organ work on here is fucking insane! There are parts that remind me of some of the impressionistic work going on at the turn of the century by the likes of Claude Debussy where things are arranged into 3 or 4 parts, with the left and right hand sometimes playing 2 parts at a time. I was never able to master that technique, but I know Scott was. It's a wonder to watch and even more insane to listen to. There are sections near the end of this song that I have no idea how they created unless there's some major overdubbing going on. And that pedal work! It reminds me of my girl Diane Bish, who can rock a pipe organ like nobody's business.

Here she is:



And I would love to see Bjork perform this song and re-arrange others for organ somewhere like this:



Can you imagine? Makes me long to hear what Medulla would've been like when it was still called Organcries and featured organ as the primary instrument. It'd probably end up like To Bring You My Love times a bazillion.

I think this song really improves on the first version we heard in "Sweet Intuition" on the Army of Me single. I love that one too, but The Black Dog's production ties it more into the Post sound. Sweet Sweet launches it into another world altogether. This has to be one of her all time most haunting vocals too. When she gets into the "...and sweet intuition, honey", I just melt. Those 'honey's get me every time.

Anyway, wonderful inclusion. For fans of Bjork that don't know this song, make a special place for it. It's one of her most beautiful and soul searching pieces. Perfect way to close out your mix and drive the message home. Love, love, love it!
[Edited 9/12/08 18:26pm]

'Euro Zero Zero' by Massive Attack

funny that this a b-side for 'Teardrop', it is clearly an older cut, probably from around '95's 'Protection'. Massive Attack made it a habit to 'borrow' lyrics from other songs from their pal who were also from the Wild Bunch (Tricky a.o.). This song has some 'Eurochild' in it, as well as lyrics from 'Karmacoma', which was also used in Tricky's overcome.

abierman said:

Massive Attack is not afraid of generously borrow other people's stuff; just compare the Mezzanine's Exchange to Isaac Hayes Our Day Wil Come.
[Edited 9/12/08 23:20pm]

...

Just got back in town, so I'm trying to backtrack on these....


I Really love this set!!!!

Of course, I'm a big fan of Sylvian and Sakamoto, so that stuff's already close to my heart...

...and Meshell and Keb Mo's "My Soul Don't Dream" was also a favorite..But I'd never heard the Bowie, , the Bjork or the Fraser...very nice....

... I first became intrigued with Dead Can Dance when I came across their "Toward The Within" video a few years back---
"Sanvean" is another reminder to investigate more of their material!!




...
[Edited 9/17/08 8:34am]

Wow. This mix was so very cool. It's incredible how the songs flow seamlessly from Bowie's funk rock to the minimalist serenity of Björk. I can tell a lot of thought went into the track order.

sextonseven said:

I like that too when there's a subtle shift from track to track. Sometimes the end result is radically different from where you started out, yet it all makes sense together and there are no rough bumps along the way. Great selection of songs here. I wouldn't change a thing.

paligap said:

Thank you!
I'm so happy you found some things that were new. I was worried that the Bjork would be so well known but it is such an amazing song it had to be included. I took off the a couple of the more extreme (and scary) songs during the final edits.

TRON said:

You don't even realize how far you've gone until you play the first track right after the last. The journey was so smooth.

With the beginning of my semester, I'll have to forgo title-by-title reviews of each mix from hereon, but I'm definitely gonna stay up to date in listening. This has proven to be a really fun project!

I really appreciate the intimacy of this mix. Given your writeup, Nikki, I truly feel I may better know you for having heard these titles.

Standouts for me include Keb' Mo' and Meshell's "My Soul Don't Dream." As much as I love Meshell, I think it's Keb' who shines brightest on this track. Perhaps given my familiarity with the frequently dark nature of Meshell's solo work, I am here slightly fatigued at her lament. But Keb's weariness is fresh to me and utterly convicting somehow -- and his guitar work is just sick! Toward the end of the song, the tempo breaks and Meshell slips almost exclusively into her spoken-word style. She's best here, and I only wish that 1) she'd have launched into a full-on verse; and 2) the song were long enough to accommodate her doing so. I didn't want it to end! Also, while you don't seem to include this track as part of your thematic "descent," I think it cleverly suggests what spiritual ground we may cover by the end of your mix...

I don't know much of Tricky's work, but your use of his song "Taxi" here is really smart. It does, in fact, deliver the full aesthetic merely hinted at in the prior two tracks. Great progression. And I find your description of Tricky's work in comparison to Tori Amos' absolutely correct! He leads you into this track with the brash declaration "I'm'o get me a white girl!" ...but you soon find yourself utterly lost -- along with him -- in a hazy stream of consciousness. That uncharted feel is captivating...

"Sanvean" - What can I say? I totally expected DCD to show up somewhere on your mix, and you picked the perfect track! Lisa's voice floats here like some barge that carries you away into a dream. This is wonderfully placed in your mix, too... and you were wise to edit the final applause ...

Finally, there's not much insightful comment I feel I can add about "Sweet Sweet Intuition" after Tron's statements wonderful observations. But, as with him, this song is probably my favorite track on your mix. Bjork's presence here is strong enough, but I agree the organ work is just sublime. I've long been a casual fan of pipe organ, but it's absolutely taken possession of me in the past couple years or so. Before I listened to your mixtape, I'd been mulling over attending Montreal's annual Orgue et couleurs fall festival, Oct. 3-5. You've cinched my decision to go with this track! I've so much to learn with regard to this instrument's repertoire, and it's wonderful to see it enjoying increasing respect beyond the classical genres! Thanks for this!
[Edited 9/22/08 21:04pm]

Moonsongs!
Okay, I'm finally ready for your deep, down and dark musical journey!

1. "Sister Midnight" by David Bowie (taken from the live DVD A Reality Tour, 2004)

I'm not really a Bowie fan. So, the song itself isn't for me. I can understand why you choose it, the title, grabbing of attention, but it is kinda the oddball in the mix.

2. "My Soul Don’t Dream" by Me'Shell Ndegéocello & Keb Mo (included on the soundtrack to the film Down in the Delta, 1998)

Be-Au-Ti-Ful!!! Two great artists in one song, and it's a great one at that! It could have gone all kinds of wrong, but it worked very well. I expected Me'shell to take the spotlight, but as Lammastide pointed out, Keb Mo shines brightest on this track. It shows (again!) that Me'Shell could be a terrific bassplayer in a band, just locking down the bottom of the song.

3. "Sweet Butterfly" by Charles Webster featuring Del St. Joseph (on his album Born on the 24th of July, 2001)

Gear-shift #1. Leaning towards the triphop side, but actually bridging the gap between Me'Shell and the next tracks. Like the outro/ending.

4. "Euro Zero Zero" by Massive Attack (B-Side of the single Teardrop, 1998)
5. "Taxi (white boy)" by Tricky & Martina Topley-Bird (available on the Japanese import and vinyl versions of Angels with Dirty Faces)

I kinda liked the triphop movement. I wanted to like both massive attack and tricky, but it's always hit or miss with them. Of course, 'teardrop' and moreso 'sly' are very big hits for me, but most of the time there is something about a track that makes it a miss for me.
Nice to hear Tricky is approachable and willing to accept a gift from you!

6. "Tears of the World (Lacrimae Mundi)" by Angels Of Venice (from their self-titled album, 1999)

Gear shift #2. I think this is great! I just don't know what to do with music like this:
-make a movie to accompany it;
-add quotes from movies on top;
-have poetry read over it;
-played in a dark room, maybe some lit candles (and some that are just extinguished, possibly by the draft from opening the door), incense burning...



7. "Song to the Siren" by Elizabeth Fraser (from the collective This Mortal Coil's It'll End In Tears, 1984)
8. "Sanvean" by Dead Can Dance (available first on their live album "Toward The Within", 1993)

You say side b. But I can understand these tracks to follow-up on Angels of Venice. This Elizabeth Fraser does appear on other org-compilations. Based on this track I wouldn't really venture into her back-catalogue, though. I put these track together since they both have the same vibe (ethereal, as you said). Instrumentally I could appreciate them, but with vocals I find them a bit too much, eh, dramatic? Self-aware?

9. "Thoroughly Lost to Logic (Little One Poem)" by David Sylvian & Ryuichi Sakamoto (from Sakamoto's album "Discord", 1998)
10. "Atom and Cell" by Nine Horses (on their lone album Snow Borne Sorrow, 2005)

The poem is a nice interlude! Gear shift #3. Ryuichi! David Silvian! Love the strings in the poem. The song itself: Thank you for showing me another band with David singing. (I didn't know about Japan, no. Now shoot me! )

11. "Sweet Sweet Intuition" by Björk featuring Guy Sigsworth (B-Side of the single It's Oh So Quiet, 1995)

Extraordinary. This could make it along my fave Bjork songs. Wonderful!

Moonsongs said:

Aah, Moonsongs, that was beautiful! If I may, I'd like to give you a similar mental picture:

Little Bjork had to walk about a half an hour to get to her school. A little girl walking through icy mountains and green valleys, while her mind began to wonder. Looking at her surroundings she started singing and without another soul in sight, she gave it her all. Little Bjorky singing and screaming at the top of her lungs in a desolated area.



Thanks for the dreams! It was a trip!

Other than that, the following:
-You mentioned your animals. Since you live 'out there', I'm wondering what kind of animals you keep near!
-The journey within this mix, it shows a lot of soundscapes, yet they flow nicely from one to the other. Very well done. I mentioned gears shifted, that don't mean that they're unexpected, it's a very natural progression, like say, the gears of a car...
-Love the fact that whilst I know many of the names in your mix, the songs are completely unknown to me! In line with the spirit of this little expedition!
-My fave: Nine Horses!!!

sextonseven said:

I've done that a couple times and it's a bit startling to hear Bowie slammin in after you've been in a dream state ~ especially driving along the Lake Huron shore in the pitch dark with only a bit of moon to light the way. So happy you liked it.

TRON said:

There just are no words, Nathan. I still remember how mesmerized we were (and drunk tired) at the Chicago House of Blues ~ THEN we got to meet her and give her gifts. She was like a small child ~ filled with wonderment and confusion that we weren't wanting anything from her but wanted to give her gifts. How could we have wanted any more than she had already given? I'll never forget that night.

MoonSongs said:

I LOVED it. I'll get to writing individual song reviews in the next few days. Work and preparing for this week's concerts are taking up a lot of my time. My Bloody Valentine almost blew out my eardrums last night.

Lammastide said:

Thank you so much for taking the time to listen and for your beuatiful write up. It was an emotional journey and I nearly backed out (I'm quite private and these songs were so important to me) but it's friendly fire here, right? The edits of sound and taking the applause out were Trons help. I haven't at all mastered those skills yet. I agree with you about the MeShell track and will be seeking out more music by the brilliant Keb' Mo'. I knew the Lisa Gerrard would connect with you. Have you yet heard Immortal Memory?

1. "Sister Midnight" by David Bowie (taken from the live DVD A Reality Tour, 2004)
At first I thought this was a bit out of place but after listening to this mix a couple of times, I think it's the perfect setup! By the end of the song the guitars set my ears on fire. Very powerful tune! It actually gets me nervous in anticipation of the rest.


2. "My Soul Don’t Dream" by Me'Shell Ndegéocello & Keb Mo (included on the soundtrack to the film Down in the Delta, 1998)

Never heard this one before. Me'Shell seems to show up in the oddest places. Not really a Keb Mo' fan, but i like his chemistry with Me'Shell. this tune is nice and dirty soul. wonderful!

3. "Sweet Butterfly" by Charles Webster featuring Del St. Joseph (on his album Born on the 24th of July, 2001)

Whoah, this song is so electric! Goes through the ears down to my pinky toes.

4. "Euro Zero Zero" by Massive Attack (B-Side of the single Teardrop, 1998)

I stopped following them after Blue Lines. This tune makes me want to play catchup.

5. "Taxi (white boy)" by Tricky & Martina Topley-Bird (available on the Japanese import and vinyl versions of Angels with Dirty Faces)

Cool track. I have no idea what the hell he's talking about though.

6. "Tears of the World (Lacrimae Mundi)" by Angels Of Venice (from their self-titled album, 1999)

Reminds me of something else, can't put my finger on it. It does have a Alex Vollenweider feel to it.

7. "Song to the Siren" by Elizabeth Fraser (from the collective This Mortal Coil's It'll End In Tears, 1984)

I'm almost crying whenever I listen to this tune.

8. "Sanvean" by Dead Can Dance (available first on their live album "Toward The Within", 1993)

This was a tough one for me. Though Song of siren flowed perfectly into this one, I couldn't take all of the vibrato. The backing music is nice.

9. "Thoroughly Lost to Logic (Little One Poem)" by David Sylvian & Ryuichi Sakamoto (from Sakamoto's album "Discord", 1998)

Wow. You really snuck this in, didn't you. interesting.

10. "Atom and Cell" by Nine Horses (on their lone album Snow Borne Sorrow, 2005)

This song is wonderful! Love Sylvian, need to hear more of his stuff. Last album I heard was bees on a birthday cake or something like that.


11. "Sweet Sweet Intuition" by Björk featuring Guy Sigsworth (B-Side of the single It's Oh So Quiet, 1995)

Nice, never heard it before. Thanks!

Another spectacular mix! I wish I had some psilocybins while listening to this one.

Sweet Butterfly" by Charles Webster featuring Del St. Joseph




[Edited 9/24/08 13:58pm]

Hi baby, I will write something as soon as I can listen. I really don't want to listen at work and I haven't been able to put on my ipod yet! This will be my mission for the weekend

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

light some candles and open a bottle of wine.

magnificentsynthesizer said:

I think I'll light some candles and invoke!

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

definitely an otherworldly vibe going on. have fun!

Catching up on these right now!!

1. "Sister Midnight" by David Bowie - Funky track with nice guitar work. It's such a nice slow burn, I didn't know upon first listen that this would be the fastest song on the album.

2. "My Soul Don’t Dream" by Me'Shell Ndegéocello & Keb Mo - Interesting that you would consider this blues song "upbeat". Great guitar in this one. I only own one album by Me'Shell, but apparently it's very hard to categorize her. I bought the Down In The Delta soundtrack a few years ago for $1 for the Janet song and then sold it after getting that song on a Janet import album and never listened to the rest of the soundtrack!

3. "Sweet Butterfly" by Charles Webster featuring Del St. Joseph - Nice ethereal track here. I can see the link with the previous song a little in the guitar work.

4. "Euro Zero Zero" by Massive Attack - This song sounds best to me with the deeper vocals of the rap. I see how it can pull you in and not let go. The repetition at the end is hypnotic.

5. "Taxi (white boy)" by Tricky & Martina Topley-Bird - This one is strange. It's unnerving from the sinister groove to those weird lyrics. I love it.

6. "Tears of the World (Lacrimae Mundi)" by Angels Of Venice - I think I used to have an Angels Of Venice album years ago. I may have gotten rid of it because it was a little new age-y, but this track is really good. Makes me want to revisit their stuff.

7. "Song to the Siren" by Elizabeth Fraser - When I saw this in your mix, I knew it would be my favorite and after hearing all the other tracks a few times it still is. Absolutely beautiful. One day though I'll get around to hearing Tim Buckley's original.

8. "Sanvean" by Dead Can Dance - I'm not into Dead Can Dance as much as I should be as their later world music direction turned me off a little. But the earlier more classical-influenced material I think is great. Even though this track was recorded later in their career, it harkens back to that earlier sound I really like. It's time for me to start investing in those initial albums.

9. "Thoroughly Lost to Logic (Little One Poem)" by David Sylvian & Ryuichi Sakamoto - Nice interlude here. Not quite sure yet what the poem itself is about though at first glance it's darkly beautiful.

10. "Atom and Cell" by Nine Horses - This song reminds me of Prince during his Rainbow Children period. We're being taught a lesson here backed by keyboards and flutes with additional vocals accenting certain lines. I can so see Prince recording this song.

11. "Sweet Sweet Intuition" by Björk featuring Guy Sigsworth - What a beautiful closing song. Björk's vocals hover very nicely over the minimal instrumentation.

The way the whole mix deconstructs slowly to the end is really incredible. Of course the dark nature of it all really appeals to me. I'm sorry to hear though Nikki, that the darkness was a reflection of the turmoil that was going on in your life. However if that darkness can make you find beauty like this during those times then there was some light in there somewhere.

There is so much magic in this mix

I resisted listening to this mix until I knew I had the right moment. Certainly listening at work would not allow me to be in the space I knew I needed to be in. Put it on my ipod a few Friday's ago. On my way home on the train, I felt myself slipping into that space, one I'm sure you're familiar with.

There are certain things in life that are magical. Take Twilight for example. It's the marriage of today and yesterday, the blending of day and night, and the emergence of the future as the past fades away. You know how when you start to doze off and you are in that place where you are asleep and awake? Aware but unconcious? I felt myself slipping into that space and I played this mix as I drifted off.

It was perfect because I saw so many things. Before I lay out the vision I had of this mix, I wanted to revisit our first meeting. Talking that day on the beach, is something I will never forget. Not in this life or the next Thank you for your honesty and openness that day. It feels like it's not often that I can connect with fellow survivors. It almost seems that we are far and few between. Maybe it's in finding someone who will speak on it.

I am so very thankful that you allowed this part of you to be shown. Knowing you, and how vibrant and loving you are it's very hard to hear that you existed in that wasteland for so long. I was this close to doing a haunted mix. Literally, a mix full of songs that haunt my soul. There is an element of that in the mix I did end up making but this mix would have been strict in it's relentless vision of darkness. I appreciate that you went there. Not saying this is strict darkness but the place it comes from is one that took 25 years to emerge from.

Having walked in the darkest of nights myself, I totally identify with being connected to sadness and pain. I find it amazing that you didn't cry. Ever. That is stunning to me. It really hurts me to imagine you that way, without the path to that expression. Not to cry for pain or for joy. It's sad in both respects and I feel so blessed to have been in the presence of your tears.

So many of the tears we shared were born of pain but they too were the expressions of our love and joy and the bond of our friendship. That is a miraculous treasure And even though I could, I won't write a book on how amazing Nathan is but he is proof that God exists because there is no greater angel than he. I too, know this from experience.



As I slipped into that hazy territory on the train, I imagined you as this winter princess and that you lived high up on a cold snowy mountain. I saw the people in the town below and how they feared you. The mountain was treacherous territory and therefore very few dared to scale it. One day curiosity gets the best of a young man and he sets to conquer the mountain to find the Ice Princess.

He climbs up and up, higher and higher and comes upon an Icy Cave. The townfolk speak of this cave and how it swallows whole any who dare venture up where the princess lives. Wanting to see the cave for himself, he enters the icy opening and ventures off into the darkness. His little lamp only shines a small light but the further into the darkness he goes, the more he can see.

He travels further and enters this magical place. The inside of the cave, cold at the opening, is full of light and life and this is where the Ice Princess lives. To his surprise, she is not evil and cold but gentle and warm. The Princess invites him into her world and it is one in which he never wants to leave. He is never heard from again and the townspeople attribute his vanishing to the wicked princess but the reality is that he lives in happiness with the others who were brave enough to face their fears.....


These songs are that mountain and you are its princess



1. "Sister Midnight" by David Bowie - Interesting starting this mix off with a Live cut. BOLD! Bowie is one of the biggest musical holes in my world I am determined to fill it fully one of these years LOVE the clarity of this song. For a live cut nothing is distorted. Excellent opener.

2. "My Soul Don’t Dream" by Me'Shell Ndegéocello & Keb Mo - FLOORED I am a Me'Shell Freak and I have never ever heard this song WOW! This is not your typical sounding blues song. Many times with the blues, lyrically the song is down and out but the music doesn't allude to that pain. There is a dark element to this song musically that brings the lyrics to a whole different level. This is not your typical sounding blues song. Love it.

3. "Sweet Butterfly" by Charles Webster featuring Del St. Joseph - The sound of this song would be one of the Ice Mountains birds. Frightening and foreign to the average townsperson. But those who look beyond the surface are rewarded with fascinating and beautiful melodies, as different as they are.

4. "Euro Zero Zero" by Massive Attack - Teardrop is one one of my most important mixes. The one I made in honor of my being a Pisces: "Fluid". Awesome the B-side is on one of the most important mixes you've made

5. "Taxi (white boy)" by Tricky & Martina Topley-Bird - Is there a bigger tragedy than the split of these 2 creative agents? Absolute magic these two. Can't believe it ended This song captures that otherworldly vibe these 2 are famous for. Did you find yourself unable to digest Angels on it's release like Nathan did? I fell into that album with ease

6. "Tears of the World (Lacrimae Mundi)" by Angels Of Venice -

Track # 6 is the bridge in my mix too!!! Check my post #131 in my thread Wow! I had no idea anybody else considered this concept let alone someone else conciously having a musical bridge in their mix too

This song really is amazing. So much being said without one single word I can see why this touches your soul. Such a beautiful blending of nature and instruments.

7. "Song to the Siren" by Elizabeth Fraser - This is a beautiful song. When I first heard it I was like because I couldn't believe the chick from the Thompson Twins had this amazing a voice and then I realize I'm thinking of the wrong band I was never into the Cocteau Twins and whenever I hear their name, I think of the the Thompson Twins and then I realize I have no idea who the Cocteau twins are I've heard of them obviously but I have no idea if I've ever heard them.


8. "Sanvean" by Dead Can Dance - All these songs are so perfect together. The sequence is flawless. In this part of your mix, there is an icy clarity. Cold and piercing. The perfect soundtrack to the Ice Princess on the mountain.

9. "Thoroughly Lost to Logic (Little One Poem)" by David Sylvian & Ryuichi Sakamoto - my friends have been trying to get me into David Sylvian for the longest time and I think jumping into his work out of context has been my issue with him. Haven't been able to connect. In context I think this track is absolutely amazing. Interesting that Ryuichi made appearances on Sander's mix as well. But you showcased him so differently

10. "Atom and Cell" by Nine Horses - This is my favorite track on the mix I can't even tell you how much I LOVE this song. This is where the boy from the town at the bottom of the mountain meets the princess and realizes the absolute warmth within the coldness. And here I am saying I couldn't connect with David Sylvian. I LOVE THIS TRACK! wtf is wrong with me

11. "Sweet Sweet Intuition" by Björk featuring Guy Sigsworth -

Inside, we're all still wet.....

is this the original incarnation and inspiration of the song Madonna ended up doing? This song is spectacular

I am notoriously lacking in B-Side Bjork material. I only have the Venus CD single. NOTHING ELSE. Wait, CBorgman did send me the maxi for All is Full of Love. Other than those 2 I have nothing else. It's amazing how much Bjork has affected those who love her. None of my friends could understand my connection to her but It's wonderful to have friends that do



"Sweet Intuition"..... My God. I think the sum of this mix can be captured in those 2 words. Think of how far you have come since those lonely days without tears. Think of your friendless world, the void filled with the best friend anyone could possibly ever have. Think of a world without intiution or the music to express it. I have a deep reverence for your mix and a deeper understanding of my friend Nikki. I love you

.
[Edited 10/14/08 15:12pm]

Now that I've done my review, I can read the thread

TRON said:

OK, I know this isn't my thread but compare my opener and my closer. It don't get any different than that! I too love starting in one place and ending up somewhere completely different

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

Didn't you listen to Herman's mix?

sextonseven said:

Well yeah but I thought they were the Thompson Twins too

I meant in my everyday normal life outside this project