8tracks

The Dunce Cap: July 12, 2010

in: heavy rotation

Ralph Wiggum - Image courtesy of Fox

The Dunce Cap, Vol. 16: I’m a pop sensation! I’m a pop sensation! (mix via 8tracks)
^^Click the link to listen to the mix.

Names
1. “Jason Lee” – All Girl Summer Fun Band
2. “Michael” – Franz Ferdinand
3. “Ralph Wiggum” – The Bloodhound Gang
Cars
4. “Bitchin’ Camaro” – The Dead Milkmen
5. “El Caminos in the West” – Grandaddy
6. “Survival Car” – Fountains of Wayne
Colors
7. “Sixteen Blue” – The Replacements
8. “Everything is Green” – The Essex Green
9. “Red” – Elbow
Numbers
10. “Thirteen” – Big Star
11. “83” – John Mayer
12. “#27” – Marvelous 3
Places
13. “New York, New York” – Ryan Adams
14. “ATL” – Butch Walker
15. “Chicago at Night” – Spoon
Careers
16. “Rich Wife” – The Long Winters
17. “Heavy Metal Drummer” – Wilco
18. “Fred Jones, Pt. 2” – Ben Folds
Homes
19. “House of Books” – The Pop Project
20. “Treehouse” – I’m From Barcelona
21. “Love Shack” – The B52s

Continue reading →

The Dunce Cap: July 5, 2010

in: heavy rotation

As a reminder – all of these mixes are hosted at 8tracks.com. You can click on the photo or link below to visit 8tracks and listen to the full mix.

Bust by sculptor Daniel Edwards

The Dunce Cap, Vol. 15: Let’s talk, and we’ll fill the air with imagery that lasts forever. (mix via 8tracks)

1. “Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?” – She & Him
2. “Foundations” – Kate Nash
3. “Head Over Feet” – Alanis Morissette
4. “Cannonball” – The Breeders
5. “Move You (SSSPII)” – Anya Marina
6. “The Frug” – Rilo Kiley
7. “Mr. Moon” – Kate Micucci
8. “She Wolf” – Shakira
9. “If” – Janet Jackson
10. “If You Fall” – Azure Ray

*BONUS TRACK: “And Darling” – Tegan and Sara

This week, it seems, is all about girrrrrl power. Now, if I’d been more of a formed person during the Riot grrrl era, I would have undoubtedly been a part of it. I would have started a ‘zine, scoped out the local clubs, sent fervent love notes to grungy rock stars (not unlike my mother’s letters to David Cassidy or my sister’s later supposed letters to Ralph Macchio). I am, in no uncertain terms, a feminist of the third wave (I almost typed reich, yikes), except I’m not averse to capitalist consumer goods, and I’m not entirely self-sufficient. But I do have a definite soft spot for women rockers that found its way into my heart about the time I saw Joan Jett live in concert. From there, it was Debbie Harry and Patti Smith and Siouxsie Sioux, and then I discovered the whispered, flowing lyricism of later feminine musicians, all flow-y skirts, floral patterns and young adolescent heartbreak. Like Evan Dando sans male genitalia.

So, in celebration of women, a mix of female vocalists. There’s more Zooey, Rilo Kiley and Kate Nash, but there are some surprises, I like to think, with Shakira and Janet Jackson, two women who just ooze sex appeal. It’s inspiring, certainly. Hot-ties. Kate Micucci is an adorable actress you’ve seen everywhere but likely never recognized; she was, among other roles, the ukulele played Ted fell for in the eighth season of “Scrubs.” And Tegan and Sara, a killer sister duo I actually overlooked for too long. And, of course, there’s the Breeders.

I have to admit – I have a bit of a Kim Deal complex. She’s possibly the coolest person I’ve never encountered. She was in Pixies, The Breeders and The Amps, and, not only that, she can play her f*!#ing instrument. Give me a teen pop sensation that can do that. She’s a clever and confident lyricist and vocalist – even Kurt Cobain praised her specific work before his death, commenting, “I wish Kim was allowed to write more songs for the Pixies.” Kurt. Cobain. Thinks. You. Are. Underpraised. Welcome to the big time. She’s really one of those women I will always admire, even though she’s not on the top ten list I posted earlier. There are just some women who are unspoken members of the top ten.

Happy listening.

(editor’s note – I know I put “Mr. Moon” on a previous Dunce Cap, and I never repeat a track, but this was a special edition, and it felt wholly appropriate for the mix. My apologies.)

The Dunce Cap: June 21, 2010

in: heavy rotation

Terry Richardson photographs Matthew Gray Gubler

The Dunce Cap, Vol. 13: Turns out I was a vampire myself in the devil town. (mix via 8tracks)

1. “Devil Town” – Tony Lucca
2. “Your Hand in Mine” – Explosions in the Sky
3. “Muzzle of Bees” – Wilco
4. “I Made a Resolution” – Sea Wolf
5. “Carmensita” – Devendra Banhart
6. “Sci-Fi Kid” – Blitzen Trapper
7. “September Gurls” – Big Star
8. “Political Scientist” – Ryan Adams
9. “Gene Autry” – Beulah
10. “Rewind” – Stereophonics
11. “The Light” – The Album Leaf
12. “Eyes” – Rogue Wave
13. “Hard Rain” – Shout Out Louds
14. “Walk Over Me” – Dirtie Blonde
15. “Bang a Gong (Get it On)” – T. Rex

So, to be fair – the photo with this mix has nothing to do with this mix. Really, it’s just a launch pad for me to talk about Terry Richardson and Matthew Gray Gubler, as well as to complete my weekly trifecta of pin-ups. Now, this isn’t a gossip blog. It’s not the springboard for me to coo and fawn over the foxy celebrities of network television. Two weeks ago, The Dunce Cap celebrated freaks and geeks alike, and this week’s edition has a decidedly different theme.

The Dunce Cap, Vol. 13 features 15 tracks (it’s an edition and a half!) about football. Good ol’ rough n’ tough Southern football. Each of these tracks is from the soundtrack of NBC’s television drama, “Friday Night Lights,” from the first season and a half (of which I have watched 27 episodes in the last 48 hours). “Friday Night Lights” follows a high school football squad in the fictional small town of Dillon, Texas, where football reigns supreme, but it’s more than just a show about football. It’s a show with heart and with a killer cast – the characters exude charm and genuineness that extends past the petty fights and forlorn heartbreak of adolescence. The realistic nature of the show even survived the melodrama of a terrible murder subplot.

The show is fantastic. And what surpasses even the show’s eye candy, the plot twists, the characterization and the pretty awesome athleticism is the music. Yup, it all comes full circle. The soundtrack is replete with instrumental post-rock from – where else? – Texas, courtesy of Explosions in the Sky, and Tony Lucca‘s cover of the Daniel Johnston‘s eerie and haunting “Devil Town” appears multiple times throughout the first season and in a fairly titillating season three promo. Coach’s daughter Julie is an indie fangirl, convincing boyfriend Matt Saracen to see the Old 97’s and The Decemberists, and the music taste her fictional character boasts translates into a really well-rounded and interesting soundtrack.

Check out a small slice of the music from the series, and watch the rebroadcast of season 4 (originally shown on DirecTV Channel 101) on NBC Friday nights (when else).

And, for your eyes’ delight, check out two of the show’s original stars, Taylor Kitsch as fullback/running back Tim Riggins and Northwestern alumnus Zach Gilford as quarterback Matt Saracen. I apologize in advance for my salacious behavior, but yummy.

Taylor Kitsch of "FNL"

“I apologize to everyone here, and if you can find it within yourselves to let me make it up to you in the showers, I’d appreciate it.” – Tim Riggins, Season 2

Zach Gilford of "FNL"

“You don’t have to worry about me, in a fight I just kinda stand in the back and just yell stuff. ”    – Matt Saracen, Season 1

Happy listening.

Oh, and p.s. Matthew Gray Gubler portrays the nerdily inept  Dr. Spencer Reid on “Criminal Minds.” Terry Richardson is an allegedly handsy (but very talented) celebrity photographer. FTR.

The Dunce Cap: June 7, 2010

in: heavy rotation

The geeks of Wet Hot American Summer

I hope it’s not jumbo shrimp, because I’m allergic to oxymorons!

The Dunce Cap, Vol. 11: So many foreign worlds, so ready for us. (mix via 8tracks)

1. “Close to Home” – The Get Up Kids
2. “Laid” – James
3. “No Diggity” – Klaxons
4. “Silvia” – Miike Snow
5. “Be My Baby” – The Ronettes
6. “Britney” – I’m From Barcelona
7. “Creature Fear” – Bon Iver
8. “Happiness” – Jonsi and Alex
9. “For Real” – Okkervil River
10. “Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks” – The National

*BONUS TRACK: “The Geeks Get the Girls” – American Hi-Fi

The 2000s were, undeniably, the decade of the nerd. Sure, Duckie, Long Duk Dong and any character played by Anthony Michael Hall in a John Hughes flick had their fifteen minutes of fame, fortune and genuine female attention, but the aughts saw an unprecedented rise in the triumph of wallflowers in popular culture. There was the gang from Freaks and Geeks, led by John Francis Daley of Bones, who closed out the ’90s; Ugly Betty, Napoleon Dynamite, Seth Cohen and Ted Mosby (yes, the real Ted Mosby) all had their spots in the space-time continuum of geek lead triumph, but no ragtag troupe of amateur nerdlings captured my heart like the geeks of Wet Hot American Summer.

This is a mix inspired by these gems, by the caped kid cradling his 20-sided die, by The Cure Girl (called so in the credits of the film), by David Hyde Pierce‘s caustic Henry and all of the other kids who “like science.” They “save” their summer camp by diverting a rogue piece of Skylab, but the most earnest and touching part is that they discover friendship (this would warrant a trite vomit if it weren’t so hilariously choreographed by David Wain and Michaels Ian Black and Showalter). They form li’l bond to beat the summer camp blues, stargazing, plotting, commiserating and running from dodgeball. Together.

These are songs about unrequited love, homesickness, fear, Britney Spears and, of course, geeks. It’s dedicated to those freaks, geeks and Otis Redding-belting nerds who stole my heart and let me be their friend.

For now – I am jetsetting to the exotic town of Snellville, Ga., on Monday, but fret not – The Dunce Cap will prevail! I know I haven’t done June Book Club yet, so look out for that soon.

Now finish up them taters; I’m gonna go fondle my sweaters.

Happy listening.

The Dunce Cap: May 17, 2010

in: heavy rotation

Image courtesy of John Pavlich.

The Dunce Cap, Vol. 8: Hey you with the pretty face, welcome to the human race. A celebration. (mix via 8tracks)

1. “Summertime” – The Sundays
2. “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” – Vampire Weekend
3. “Promises” – The Morning Benders
4. “Lust for Life” – Girls
5. “Center of Attention” – Guster
6. “The Only Living Boy in New York” – Everything but the Girl
7. “Mrs. Jackson” – Marvelous 3
8. “Mr. Blue Sky” – Electric Light Orchestra
9. “25 or 6 to 4” – Chicago
10. “Stars are Blind” – Paris Hilton

Yeah, I threw you off with that last track, didn’t I? The truth is that I love “Stars are Blind.” It’s terrible and cheesy and breathless and over-produced, but it makes me want to belt it out. Frankly, so do all of these tunes. And, yet again, each reminds me of summertime, when the livin’ is easy. There are some classic rock throwbacks, even a really great Chicago track, despite my denunciation of all geographically named musical artists. There’s an Everything but the Girl cover of my favorite Simon & Garfunkel song and a Marvelous 3 (Butch Walker‘s old band) track that nearly brings me to tears.

And, due to my disappointment in Mayfest’s choice of a nighttime headliner for this year’s Dillo Day, I’ve included a good ol’ Guster track. Here’s to hoping CollegeACB was right about something. Guster and Regina Spektor may be able to salvage an otherwise lackluster line-up. Band-aids galore!

Pour yourself a glass of lemonade, find a comfy seat on the porch, pull out your favorite novel and take a breather. These songs will get you started, but feel free to explore. Peter Gabriel, too.

Happy listening.

The Dunce Cap: May 10, 2010

in: heavy rotation

Image courtesy of nataliedee.com.

The Dunce Cap, Vol. 7: ‘Cause no one ever looked as vogue as her, in green. (mix via 8tracks)

  1. “Bloodbuzz Ohio” – The National
  2. “In Green” – Volcano, I’m Still Excited!!
  3. “Mr. Moon” – Kate Micucci
  4. “Jenny and the Summer Day” – The Avett Brothers
  5. “All My Friends” – LCD Soundsystem
  6. “Astair” – Matt Costa
  7. “You Wouldn’t Like Me” – Tegan & Sara
  8. “Burrito” – Pete Yorn
  9. “She’s Got You High” – Mumm-Ra
  10. “Too Little, Too Late” – Grizzly Bear

It’s starting to smell a bit like summer! Except, you know, not in Chicago, where the weather has shifted back into the dreary 50s-ish twilight monsoons. But in normal places, even at home, the shift is noticeable, and fidgety students are eager to frolic in sprinklers and devour ice cream cones (hence the photo, lawlz). Or maybe that’s just me.

My point is – there are four weeks left before I can begin my TBA summer adventures, and these songs are helping me get there just a little faster. There’s new National and some super-adorable Pete Yorn, as well as a Volcano, I’m Still Excited!! track that strongly reminds me of summer camp 2006. It’s a fun little mix with a great JoJo cover – the original is nearly unrecognizable – which, I’m sure, will inspire you to run, not walk, to the Cupcake Mobile! It’s ten thousand times better than your shotty old ice cream truck, I promise.

Do a little dance, and happy listening!

The Dunce Cap: May 3, 2010

in: heavy rotation

Image courtesy of brandonbird.com

The Dunce Cap, Vol. 6: On the carousel so around I spun (spun). (mix via 8tracks)

  1. “Bennie & the Jets” – Elton John
  2. “Elenore” – The Turtles
  3. “Someone I Can Be True With” – Sloan
  4. “Girlfriend” – Phoenix
  5. “House of Cards” – Butch Walker & the Black Widows
  6. “The Beach Song” – Someone Still Loves You, Boris Yeltsin
  7. “Straw Dog” – Something Corporate
  8. “Nothing on You” – B.o.B.
  9. “Electric Feel” – MGMT
  10. “Lost in Yichang” – Hilotrons

Another Thursday, another mix!
As you all probably know, I’m a sucker for anything that can make my hips swing!, and I think this playlist is full of ’em. Not all of them are intentionally dance-a-billy, but they’ve got a great beat, and, hell, they make me wanna cha cha. The mix kicks off with two of my favorite throwbacks, Elton‘s classic “Bennie and the Jets” and The Turtles‘ “Elenore” (almost as good as “Happy Together*” and surely less sappy), and moves onto a slew of solid tracks from modern artists, including Phoenix, Butch Walker (playing H.O.B. Chicago Sunday!), SSLYBY, B.o.B. (who butchered “Build Me Up Buttercup” when he sampled it for his “Don’t Break My Heart“) and MGMT. And the Butch track, “House of Cards”? Total shades of The Cars. Digging the track and the new album.

“Nothing on You,” B.o.B.’s track which was recently used in an ode to Betty White, is a cheerily sweet dedication to a one n’ only. The video, featured below, is wonderfully simplistic, and I especially love the shout-out to my fair city (and the poor, tornado-maimed Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel, where I had my senior prom). In a similar vein, I’ve definitely noticed a rebirth of the music video, an art form I have long appreciated. My family didn’t have cable as a kid, and I distinctly remember attempting to adjust the antenna to get a static-y music video station, and my earliest memories of music television were not of Carson Daly and MTV but of the edited version of Juvenile’s “Back That (Thang) Up.”


“Nothing On You” [The Adventures of Bobby Ray, 2010]

So check it out, and if you’re feeling a bit nostalgic, maybe even revisit “Bye Bye Bye,” one of my favorite music videos from youth. I’m thinking about making next week a “Best Music Videos” playlist, so keep an eye out for that.

As always, happy listening!

(*editor’s note: This video is so trippy. It’s astronauts in jumpsuits, 80s shoulder pads, psychedelia and general weirdness. Very amusing, definitely worth a watch, but bizarre.)

The Dunce Cap: April 26, 2010

in: heavy rotation

Image courtesy of Buzz Sugar

The Dunce Cap, Vol. 5: And when the flowers grow, just know you’re still in my heart.
(mix via 8tracks)

  1. “Losing My Religion” – R.E.M.
  2. “Mr. Jones” – Counting Crows
  3. “Big Me” – Foo Fighters
  4. “Faded” – soulDecision
  5. “Why Don’t We Do it in the Road” – The Beatles
  6. “Closet” – Pete Yorn
  7. “Desperately Wanting” – Better Than Ezra
  8. “Far Away From Close” – Butch Walker
  9. “I Want to be Buried in Your Backyard” – Nightmare of You
  10. “Everyday I Write the Book” – Elvis Costello + The Attractions
    *Special bonus track for Foom!*
  11. “Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?” – Paula Cole

Hi kids, sorry this is so late. The Foom (a.k.a. Mother Keevan) was in Chicago for ΑΦ’s Mom’s Weekend, and I was a bit sidetracked from the usual posting. In lieu of a normal “what I’m listening to”-themed mix, I’ve opted for a trip down memory lane. My efficacy for musical knowledge comes from my mother, and, to celebrate both her visit and Mother’s Day, I’ve compiled this list of tracks – in chronological order! – of sing-a-longs from my youth, brought to you by the lady Foom.

The playlist begins with the heavy sounds of post-grunge R.E.M. and the lighter Counting Crows, followed by long hair, short ditty, late Nirvana/early Foo Fighters Dave Grohl and even the dirty, raucous pairing of soulDecision and The Beatles‘ “Why Don’t We Do it in the Road?” (the latter of which was a requisite Friday pick-me-up on local alternative station Z93/Dave-FM and thus the regular tune to my middle school mother-daughter carpools). There’s tracks I introduced to her, including the morosely sweet Nightmare of You single, and songs that tiptoe the line of exchange (anything Butch Walker, really). And, finally, I rounded off the smattering of songs with Paula Cole‘s “Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?,” a track clearly better than her saccharine “Dawson’s Creek” theme song and one I’d all but forgotten until this morning.

For the album art, I chose a picture of Sophia and Dorothy from “The Golden Girls” to depict the quirky mother-daughter relationship I share with my own mom. She’s a special lady, that one, not too different from Estelle Getty‘s kooky Sophia, casually-unfurled acerbic tongue.

So, to the Foom, an ode to the woman who gave birth to me and to a wonderful weekend with that crazy ol’ woman.

Don’t forget to wish your mother(s) a happy day, and happy listening!

The Dunce Cap: April 19, 2010

in: heavy rotation

Image courtesy of chrispartida.com.

The Dunce Cap, Vol. 4: It’s good having somebody good for a change.
(mix via 8tracks)

  1. “Heroes and Villains” – The Beach Boys
  2. “Kiss With a Fist” – Florence + The Machine
  3. “I Just Love You More” – Kate Nash
  4. “Sleep All Summer” – St. Vincent and the National
  5. “Cannibal Queen” – Miniature Tigers
  6. “Suzanne” – Weezer
  7. “Pachuca Sunrise” – Minus the Bear
  8. “Holiday” – The Films
  9. “A Well Respected Man” – The Kinks
  10. “The Light is You” – Said the Whale

As promised, The Dunce Cap presents this week’s second spectacular playlist, courtesy of RTVF 230. An intimate look at subcultures inspired this particular mix, with a number of familiar artists who once straddled the cusp between popularity and utter obscurity. Among these tracks are my favorite Kinks single (and a plug for Do it Again, the documentary which seeks to reunite the Kinks and has me beyond excited!), a beloved Weezer B-side, a new Kate Nash song and a very Brian Wilson-heavy Beach Boys tune. I love the Florence + the Machine track, and, in re-listening to her voice, I realized I’d been digging her for a while. Who knew?

Check out the mix, and look out soon for a profile on the excellent Downtown Sound free summer concert series.

Happy listening, and happy weekending!

The Dunce Cap: the birthday special edition!

in: heavy rotation

"I would like you to dance (birthday)."

[image courtesy of etsy]

You say it’s your birthday.

Today is my last day as a teenager. I am, in fact, 1.5 hours (30 minutes in home EST) from reaching my third decade of life. Excited? Definitely. And, for that, this week The Dunce Cap provides you with not one but two mixes.

This playlist is certainly a bit more focused and themed than most, and the tracks (particularly the last two) explore the juxtaposition between excitement and utter fear in reaching adulthood. I am the birthday girl!, and it’s certainly daunting to consider that, when prompted for my age, my response will now be a concise “TWENTY.”

So, in an ode to old(er) age and maturity and impending graduation, etc., I have compiled a list of songs about growing up happy. Really. It’s truly that simple. From the lightheartedness of Harlem Shakes to the enduring excellence of Patrick Stump (really), these are tracks of a moment, this moment, the moment of my 20th birthday. It’s been a whirlwind year of fisticuffs (only occasionally literally) and laughter, the charisma of a serial heartbreaker and realizing that I’m not, much to my chagrin, the same person I was when I was 16.

A toast to twenty, to a new year and the end of an era of youth. Terrifying, really. I suppose I’ll have to retire John Hughes and develop a deeper affinity for P.T. Anderson, and perhaps it’s about time I stop quoting J.K. Rowling and calling it art.

Happy birthday to me.

The Dunce Cap, special birthday edition: Long live Sunday seekers slack-jawed by the speakers.
(mix via 8tracks)

  1. “Birthday Girl” – The Roots
  2. “Sunlight” – Harlem Shakes
  3. “Yoo Hoo” – Imperial Teen
  4. “Walk on the Wild Side” – Lou Reed & the Velvet Underground
  5. “Blue Sky” – Hanson
  6. “Bicycles” – The Maccabees
  7. “Lump” – The Presidents of United States of America
  8. “Our Life is Not a Movie or Maybe” – Okkervil River
  9. “Young Adult Friction” – The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
  10. “I’m an Adult Now” – The Pursuit of Happiness

Happy listening.

(editor’s note) I have been told today is my “golden birthday,” as I am turning 20 on the 20th. This, I believe, calls for a super-special birthday celebration.

To a year of continued happiness.