SoundSalvationArmy

The folks at Rankin Bass have given me so much. Particularly, the opportunity to get the Heat Miser song stuck in my head once a year and a paralyzing fear of dentists and elves.

There are only five sleeps left until Christmas! That means very many of you will likely be partying your brains out this weekend before you have to swallow Aunt Bertha’s fruitcake. So I wanted to send you out some of my favourite seasonal songs via a two (possibly three) part mix tape. This first half is all about the rockin’ tunes. You know. For when you want to get down and boogie to the elf dance. Except I don’t really care to post another Sufjan Stevens Christmas mix. You’ve probably heard those songs and yeah, they’re okay. But I wanted to give you a few you might not have. A few songs that will jingle your bells and stuff your stockings. You may want to include these on any party mix you make for the weekend when you go home and head out to that house party with all your high school friends.

Because if you’re going to do tequila shots while wearing a santa hat, you better do them while listening to the Ramones. On Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want To Fight Tonight) the Ramones appear to have mellowed with too much nog because they’re totally singing about my favourite holiday fantasy: A Christmas evening where I go home and don’t have a fight with my parents! Let us all bask in the warming, glowing glow of Joey Ramone’s voice.

Next, two of my favourite musical oddballs, Jens Lekman and Hawksley Workman compete in a Christmas weird-off. I’m not sure who wins. Canadian minstrel Hawksley wants to kiss you nice and deeply when you have a cold. Swedish troubadour Jens begs you not to spend Christmas Eve with your Mummy. I like both of these songs because they’re both very modern, but they’re not really conceding much artistic sensablity just to sell a Christmas album. In fact, if you don’t already have it, I heartily recommend Hawksley Workman’s Almost a Full Moon. You may doubt me, but once you hear Claire Fontaine, his ode to a pad of paper, you’ll change your mind.

The Staple Singers wonder Who Took the Merry out of Christmas? in this Stax-sanctioned groove that is oh so sweet. If you don’t like this song, you’re going on my naughty list. Which may or may not be a bad thing, depending on how you feel about handcuffs.

Speaking of leering entendres, AC/DC livens things up with their typical bluster on Mistress for Christmas. They, uh, can hear you “coming down their smokestacks” and would like to “ride your reindeer.” Hott. Not as hot, however, as the Heat Miser. Because if I have to sing the Heat Miser song in my head for the rest of the holidays, so do you!

Check in later and I’ll have some cool yule songs that you can chill out to. Oh, God. Somebody stop me from punning! Please?

 

 The Ramones - Merry Christmas (I don't want to fight tonight): Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Hawksley Workman - Common Cold: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Jens Lekman - Run Away With Me: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 The Staple Singers - Who Took The Merry Out Of Christmas?: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 AC/DC - Mistress for Christmas: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 George S. Irving - Heat Miser: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tanis entries AC/DC, Christmas music, Hawksley Workman, indie pop, indie rock, Jens Lekman, mix tapes, pop, pop punk, Ramones, rock

First off, I was incredibly tired when I wrote the Attack in Black post. It’s not terribly well-done and I’m sorry about that.

Secondly, Cory Kolt (a well-known Regina radio talk show host) told me about the Hour’s latest project, Disc Drop. Basically, George Stroumboulopoulos wants YOU to make a mix cd of songs that changed your life and leave it in a random place for someone else to find and, hopefully, have their life changed by them. So I did it and I made three copies, placing them in spots I thought someone would notice them on my walk home from work. It was really late and everything was closed, so hopefully they don’t shatter in the cold overnight or anything.

I’m not going to post the tracklist or even use any songs that are on the mix, but here are songs about how music is totally awesome because that’s really the point of the whole thing.

 

 Pretty Girls Make Graves - Speakers Push The Air [2:50m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Against Me! - Reinventing Axl Rose [2:12m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 the Doers - Art For Dollars [1:20m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Check out the Hour’s blog for even more details. And please, participate wherever you live.  

Pat entries Disc Drop, George Strombolopoulous, mix tapes, the Hour

It’s a valiant effort by one of my favourite label(s), Suburban Home/Vinyl Collective. Virgil is the man behind the magic, and he’s embracing the digital age wholeheartedly. He’s encouraging fans of the label to spread the love as far and as wide as possible, so I’m doing my part.

You’ll find a group of artists that I love: like Drag The River (featuring members of All and Armchair Martian), Josh Small, LaGrecia (featuring members of None More Black), the Playing Favorites (featuring members of Lagwagon and Bad Astronaut), Scott Reynolds (formerly of All), and many more.

Dig it here, yo: the “I Celebrate Their Entire Catalogue” sale sampler.

You can also visit their websites here:
Suburban Home: the cd and whatnot side of the label
Vinyl Collective: they also sell vinyl, by their artists and a really, really wide variety of other artists of all kinds and stripes

Pat entries mix tapes, Suburban Home, Vinyl Collective

So I’m totally stuck at home with the damn gross flu and I’m shivering like crazy but warm as hell and all of my flesh hurts like mad. These helped to cheer me up some, so I thought I would share them with you. Here’s some of my favourite songs ever to get through the day.

 

 the Beach Boys - God Only Knows [2:47m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 the Beatles - Eleanor Rigby [2:04m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Hot Water Music - Seein' Diamonds [3:37m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 the Lawrence Arms - Fireflies [3:43m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Bob Dylan - Don't Think Twice, It's Alright [3:35m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Pat entries filler, flu, mix tapes, sickness

Today we wrap up our 12-song mixtape (I dropped one for space concerns). It’s been real and it’s been fun, but it hasn’t been real fun. Well, maybe it has.

We’ve been talking a lot about the radio this week and how it’s pretty much inconsequential in our (my) day-to-day lives (life), but that’s not to say it doesn’t have its place. Obviously it wouldn’t have a legacy quite so enduring if people didn’t continue to flock to it. I was a bit concerned after the last post that I might have come off as elitist or exclusionary or aloof. While I am, in fact, all of these things and more, I never intended for those qualities to come across in this forum.

As I said before, we may think we know what’s best for rock and roll, but we’re really only here to offer you a chance to expand your horizons or share your feelings with like-minded individuals. Everything that appears here is certified as 100% awesome by those involved, and we hope you feel the same. But like the radio, if you hear something you don’t like you can always “turn us off.”

So we’ll begin with our regularly-scheduled programming from here on out, at least until the next mix tape goes up. Happy listening!

 

 the Replacements - Left of the Dial: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Talking Heads - Radio Head: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Stars - My Radio (FM Mix) [3:51m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 the Gaslight Anthem - Angry Johnny and The Radio [3:32m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The Replacements track comes from the legendary Tim record. Given that there’s a community radio station associated with this blog, this shouldn’t be a surprising selection.
Talking Heads pretty much rock the shit. “Left of the Dial” comes from the album/soundtrack True Stories.
Stars have a few records that are totally different from their first record, which was just two of the dudes with some ladies doing “guest” vocals. It’s called Nightsongs, and it’s an interesting listen.
The Gaslight Anthem will be huge. They’re already getting there, thanks to a hot as heck live show and a very solid debut record, titled Sink or Swim.

Pat entries Canadian content, Gaslight Anthem, indie rock, mix tapes, pop, punk rock, Replacements, Stars

Listening to the radio today in Canada is a horrible, cloying pastiche of the same sub-mediocre bands with mass-market appeal having their numerous “hits” played several times a day to placate the CRTC’s CanCon regulations. Surprisingly though, there’s no swelling tide of revolt in independent music. You may notice over the course of this mix tape that there are no Canadian artists; that’s not to say that there are NO Canadian groups that have written songs deriding the practice of commercial radio, but I think artists here have less of an activist bent on this one. Independent and major label bands alike here seem a little more willing to let the suits do what they need to while they eke out a modest means however they can. I personally haven’t turned on commercial radio on purpose since I was eight — but what are your thoughts? Comment below!

Of course, the Sound Salvation Army radio programme is anything but — check us out on Thursday nights from 8-10:00pm (Saskatchewan, Canada time) on 91.3fm CJTR. Streaming audio via www.cjtr.ca.

While our mix tape may not be totally representative of our home and native land, I assure you forthcoming posts will have Canucks well-represented. For now though, we’re rallying against the man with the most representative songs I could come up with out of the back of my mind. Enjoy — more are coming.

 

 Public Enemy - Bring The Noise [3:46m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Hot Water Music - Free Radio Gainesville [2:28m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Alkaline Trio - We've Had Enough [2:51m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Jimmy Eat World - Your New Aesthetic [2:41m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Public Enemy’s second record was titled It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back, but the millions had more to do with sales than anything.
Hot Water Music was an unstoppable force of nature and I’m terribly sad that they broke up. Awesome records like No Division make the pain subside.
The Alkaline Trio might not be quite what they used to be, but they’re awesome…like their record Good Mourning.
Jimmy Eat World put out an album called Clarity that was surprisingly cool. Then they got less cool.

Pat entries Alkaline Trio, Hot Water Music, Jimmy Eat World, mix tapes, pop rock, Public Enemy, punk rock, rap

Welcome to the first real post of the Sound Salvation Army blog. As mentioned in the “aboot” section we’re a few crazy Canadians who think we know what’s best for rock and roll. Welcome to our world.

This first post brings you part one of our inaugural Mix Tape. It’s highly unlikely you’ll see a mix this large in the future, but you have to start out with a bang. I’m sure a mix exactly like this has been posted in a great deal of other places, but hell, it works thematically. I tried to mix this into two halves, but I guess the amount of rock contained within those two files was just too overwhelming for the internets to handle. So here are the tracks individually; enjoy them as such or make them into a whole and see what that’s like, if you so desire. Updates will continue over the next few days until you have 13 very nice tracks that make total sense in the grand scheme of what this site aims for.

Special thanks to the boys and girls at the Vinyl Collective board for their suggestions and one in particular for abondoning this project on his own.

Music is transcendent, transgressive and transitory. Explore brave new horizons with us as your musical sherpas.

 

 Elvis Costello - Radio, Radio [3:05m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 the Clash - This Is Radio Clash [4:12m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 the Ramones - Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio? [3:52m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Refused - Liberation Frequency [4:09m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

“Radio, Radio” is taken from Elvis Costello’s debut record This Year’s Model, available pretty much everywhere in the known universe — for good reason.
“This Is Radio Clash” is a single by the Clash. Most recently it was released as part of the Singles CD and box set.
“Do You Remember Rock ‘n’ Roll Radio” comes from the Ramones’ full-length End Of The Century.
Refused put out the track “Liberation Frequency” on their final and greatest masterwork, the Shape of Punk To Come. It’s the finest.

Pat entries Clash, Elvis Costello, hardcore, mix tapes, pop rock, punk rock, Refused, Sound Salvation Army