FunJunkie's 2010 Summer Burn!

For the fourth or fifth year in a row now, i'm participating in FunJunkie's annual Summer Burn. Essentially, the fine chaps over at the site host an annual "mix swap" with anyone who signs up to participate. To prove you're not a wanker who just wants free CDs for nothing, you have to sign up ahead of time and even send them a postcard to prove you are for reals, but other than that, it's just putting together a mix of just about anything one that you, the sender, feel is "summer-y" music. Pretty simple, eh?

In return for your efforts, you are supposed to receive two random mixes from two random folks who also are in the mix mastering mood. Unfortunately, i think i'm batting under .500 in the receipt department over the past few years, but i do it because i love making mixes. It's called the Summer Burn as CDs are due to be sent out on the actual summer solstice, but, as usual, i'm a couple of days behind. However, my mixes officially are done, i've spent all morning working on the covers, and they'll be in the mail first thing tomorrow (still need The Missus to help a bit with the covers, what with me having sausage fingers and all). But why should the fun stop with two random strangers when i can share the fruits of my loom with literally hundreds, if not thousands, of random strangers?

Now, i'm leaving a couple of tracks off these posts (Part II to follow shortly, but blogger.com only allows for so many labels per post, so...) because A. i don't want to raise the ire of any lawyers bitching about recent releases and B. gotta have a lil' sumfin' special for the folks who actually signed up, right?

Many of these tracks already have been recommended here at LET, but when combined into one mix, well, they'll probably cause an aural orgasm the likes of which your undergarments may not survive, so consider yourself forewarned. For hot, sticky nights. Drugs not included, but certainly not discouraged, either.

Without further ado, Burn, Baby, Burn, Part the First.

mp3: When I'm With You (Best Coast from Best Coast 7" )

mp3: Blackmagic (José James from Blackmagic)

mp3: Snowflake (Malachai from Ugly Side of Love)

mp3: When I'm Small (Phantogram from Eyelid Movies)

mp3: Lovers' Carvings (Bibio from Ambivalence Avenue)

mp3: All I Want (Joni Mitchell from Blue)

mp3: Sweepstakes ft. Mos Def and Hynotic Brass Ensemble (Gorillaz from Plastic Beach)

mp3: Beautiful People (The Books from The Way Out)

mp3: Sole Brother (Born Ruffians from Say It)

mp3: Dontchusee (Chin Chin from Chin Chin)

mp3: Go Outside (The Cults from The Cults 7")

mp3: Where's Danny? (Danny! from Where's Danny? )

mp3: At Last (The Dø from A Mouthful)

mp3: We All Wanna Be Prince (Felix Da Housecat from He Was King)

mp3: Photo Shoot (Gucci Mane Remix) (Flying Lotus from Adult Swim and Beaterator present ATL RMX)

mp3: Fresh Hex (ft. Beck) (Tobacco from Maniac Meat)

mp3: We Are Water (HEALTH from Get Color)

mp3: Hurry Up and Wait (Nocando from Jimmy the Lock)

Video Vixens: All Sorts of New to Newish Stuff

i've been meaning to do a Video Vixens post for a while now, even having gone so far as to compile a list of things i've watched lately that i wanted to share. As i've mentioned in the past, MTV lost anything resembling relevance to me decades ago, and so i wrongly assumed that videos were dead, too. Au contraire, mon frere. Seems nothing could be further from the truth. As long as we're sticking to the truth, however, i should probably point out that i've lost that aforementioned list, so there probably are a couple of gems i wanted you to see that now may never come to pass. Try not to lose any sleep over that fact.

Die Antwoord apparently is a "fake" band, but regardless of that fact, they've actually got a pretty decent sound. Their angle is that they're a South African hip hop group, clearly playing up the "inner city" side, so if you don't understand half of what they're saying and you don't happen to be South African yourself, there you have it. That being said, who else out there it touting their ninja-ness in this day and age? Not nearly enough folks. And is it just me, or does Yo-Landi Vi$$er (the borderline albino singer) have a lil' sumfin sumfin going on?

mp3: Enter the Ninja (Die Antwoord from $0$)

i've always dug St. Vincent, and i still feel bad that i slept so much on her Actor, which clearly is a stellar piece of work. Here she is with the wonderful THUNDERANT, getting her bookstore groove on.

mp3: Laughing With a Mouth of Blood (St. Vincent from Actor)

Dude, it's a love story with Ronald McDonald. And it's a kick ass tune. 'Nuff said.

mp3: When I'm With You (Best Coast from Black Iris 7")

Clearly, the most fucked up video you will see today. Well, maybe. It's good to see Janeane Garofalo working again, though. Not for the faint of heart. Or crotch, for that matter.

mp3: We Are Water (Health from Get Color)

José James is a jazz singer who recently teamed up with Wunder-Producer Flying Lotus. Yes, the following is a K-Swiss commercial, but this track is so damn smooth, it had to be shared. Plus, maybe you need new shoes. i don't know. i'm just trying to be helpful.

mp3: Blackmagic (José James from Blackmagic)

A lot of people thought Q-Tip's last joint was pretty good, but i didn't think it was all that and a bag of chips. This track with Norah Jones, though, was out-of-the-park fantastic. The video's not too shabby, either.

mp3: Life is Better (Q-Tip ft. Norah Jones from The Renaissance)

You really liked that fucked up Health one, didn't you? Who am i to deny the sick bastard in each of us? i pity the fool that would even try to pull that shit.

mp3: Theme from the A-Team (Mike Post and Pete Carpenter from The A-Team Soundtrack)

No music in today's closer, but it's something to think about nonetheless, particularly if you're trying to figure out what your kid's school play should be next year. And that's the fudging truth, baby.

mp3: A Children's Crusade on Acid (Margot and the Nuclear So and So's from Not Animal)