"Snowdrifting"

Snowdrifting from Jackson A. Ragg III on 8tracks Radio.

1 hr, 12 min, 20 sec

1. Azure Ray - "Favourite Cities"
2. Animal Collective - "Bees"
3. Jose Gonzales - "Cycling Trivialities"
4. Interpol - "NYC"
5. John Maus - "Hey Moon"
6. Miracle Fortress - "Blasphemy"
7. John Fahey - "Remember"
8. Kurt Vile - "The Finder"
9. Noveller - "St. Powers"
10. The Walkmen - "We've Been Had"
11. Nico - "The Fairest of the Seasons"
12. Nico - "I'll Keep It with Mine"
13. Roger Eno - "Dusk at Dawn (The Last Cowboy in the West)"
14. Roger Eno - "Field of Gold"

"Thank God For Mental Illness"

Probably my most satisfying mix in terms of adherence to a theme and sequencing:

"Thank God For Mental Illness" from Jackson A. Ragg III on 8tracks Radio.

47 min, 46 sec

1. Royal Headache - "Psychotic Episode"
2. Terry Malt - "I'm Neurotic"
3. Ramones - "Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment"
4. Daniel Johnston - "I Had Lost My Mind"
5. Sonic Youth - "Schizophrenia"
6. Eels - "My Descent into Madness"
7. The Dandy Warhols - "Everyone's Totally Insane"
8. Queens of the Stone Age - "Everybody Knows That You're Insane"
9. The Pixies - "Where Is My Mind?"
10. Nirvana - "Lithium"
11. The Sound - "I Can't Escape Myself"
12. Joy Division - "Disorder"
13. Nico - "I'll Keep It with Mine"
14. Eels - "The Medication Is Wearing Off"

"It's a Fast-Driving Rave-Up with Jackson A. Ragg III Thirty-Eight Minutes"

"It's a Fast-Driving Rave-Up with Jackson A. Ragg III Thirty-Eight Minutes" from Jackson A. Ragg III on 8tracks Radio.

38 min, 11 sec

1. Brian Eno - "Third Uncle"
2. Fugazi - "Full Discloure"
3. Joy Division - "Failures"
4. LCD Soundsystem - "No Love Lost"
5. The Raconteurs - "Salute Your Solution"
6. Sebadoh - "License To Confuse"
7. Soledad Brothers - "Goin' Back To Memphis"
8.  The Stooges - "Search and Destroy"
9. Thee Oh Sees - "Contraption/Soul Desert"
10. Tricky Woo - "Let the Good Times Roll"
11. The Von Bondies - "It Came from Japan"

The Best Compilation Album I've Heard in a While

Various Artists - Strange Passion: Explorations in Irish Post-Punk DIY and Electronic Music 1980-83

Since I can only name two musical acts from Ireland off the top of my head (Imelda May and U2, and I only like the former), and I've never associated Ireland with any musical scene or movement beyond Irish folk music, this compilation is great and totally eye-opening. Plus, it's post-punk and electronic music. All the better! Here's a brief interview by Fact Magazine with the compilation's curator Darren McCreesh in which he touches on Ireland's underground music history and shares a few tracks, some of which appear on Strange Passion.

"O Canada!"

"O Canada!" from Jackson A. Ragg III on 8tracks.

1 hr, 6 min, 38 sec

1. Tricky Woo - "Fly the Orient"
2. The Deadly Snakes - "Oh My Bride"
3. The Fembots - "Gilded Age"
4. By Divine Right - "Soul Explosion"
5. The Awkward Stage - "The Morons Are Winning"
6. Zoe Boekbinder - "Paralyzing"
7. Pat LePoidevin - "Car Crash"
8. Black Ox Orkestar - "Ratsekr Grec"
9. Chilly Gonzales - "You Can Dance"
10. Mocky - "Mickey Mouse Muthafuckas!!!"
11. Reverie Sound Revue - "Walking Around Waiting Downtown"
12. Grimes - "Genesis"
13. Miracle Fortress - "Blasphemy"
14. Tongan Death Grip - "Scientology"
15. White Lung - "Atlanta"
16. Grown-Ups - "Meat"
17. Cold Warps - "Science Fiction"
18. Hangedup - "Go Let's Go"
19. Le Fly Pan Am - "Pas a Pas Step Until"

Skrillex with the Remaining Members of the Doors - "Breakin' a Sweat"

This song makes me want to soak up all of the music in the world - whatever the fuck that means. Watch the trailer for the documentary it's from, and download the entire soundtrack at http://regenerationmusicproject.com/. It's a cool concept that shows what happens when past and present musical styles/thought processes in music-making collide. The documentary also features Pretty Lights, the Crystal Method, Mos Def, Erykah Badu, LeAnn Rimes, the Dap Kings, the Funk Brothers and more.

"The Edible Mixtape, Vol. 1"

"The Edible Mixtape, Vol. 1" from Jackson A. Ragg III on 8tracks.

49 min, 47 sec

1. The Books - "The Lemon of Pink"
2. Rebekah Higgs - "Apples"
3.Black Moth Super Rainbow - "Spinning Cotten Candy in a Shack Made of Shingles"
4. The Eels - "Hospital Food"
5. Robert Pollard - "U.S. Mustard Company"
6. The National - "All the Wine"
7. Yo La Tengo - "Crispy Duck"
8. Beat Happening - Fortune Cookie Prize"
9. Nodzzz - "I'm a Lemon"
10. The Kingsmen - "Jolly Green Giant"
11. Luie Luie - "Tortilla Touchy"
12. Leadbelly - "Corn Bread Rough"
13. Zoe Boekbinder - "Chocolate Chips"
14. Man Man - "Spider Cider"
15. Strong Arm Steady feat. Planet Asia - "Chittlins & Pepsi"
16. Borgore - "Ice Cream"

"My Favourite Colours"

One of the most tedious, mind-numbingly painstaking parts of making a playlist is deciding the track-order. On the flip-side, one of the most rewarding parts is creating a seamlessly flowing playlist. Despite my original intention to create sequenced playlists on 8tracks, so far, "My Favourite Colours" is the only one I've had the patience to sequence. And featuring house, Japanese indie pop, minimal techno/dark ambient, ambient noise, hard rock, hardCORE rock, acoustic, Spaghetti Western, banjo jams and lo-fi rap, it's one of my favourite playlists I've made:

"My Favourite Colours" from Jackson A. Ragg III on 8tracks.

1 hr, 2 min, 53 sec

1. Man Man - "White Rice, Brown Heart"
2. Shugo Tokumaru - "Green Rain"
3. Axel Boman - "Purple Drank"
4. Pantha du Prince - "White Out"
5. Queens of the Stone Age - "The Bronze"
6. Hüsker Dü - "Pink Turns To Blue"
7. Thurston Moore - "Silver > Blue"
8. Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppe - "Black"
9. Candy Bars - "Violet"
10. Cass McCombs - "Robin Egg Blue"
11. Leadbelly - "Yellow Gal"
12. Roy Brown - "Black Diamond"
13. Jon Spencer Blues explosion - "Magical Colours"
14. Old Man Luedecke - "Salute To the Gold River"
15. Beat Happening - "Don't Mix the Colours"
16. Peaches, Bitch Lap-Lap (Feist) & Gonzales - "Red Leather"
17. Noveller - "Brilliant Colours"

"Knock-Knock ...": Slow-Building, Mood-Setting Album-Openers

"Knock-Knock ..." from Jackson A. Ragg III on 8tracks.

52 min, 41 sec

1. Broken Social Scene - "Capture the Flag"
2. The National - "Fake Empire"
3. Yo La Tengo - Return To Hot Chicken"
4. No Age - Every Artist Needs A Tragedy"
5. Blur - "Ambulance"
6. Eels - "Elizabeth on the Bathroom Floor"
7. Guided by Voices - "A Salty Salute"
8. Interpol - "Untitled"
9. Jesus and Mary Chain - "Just Like Honey"
10. The Mountain Goats - "Tallahassee"
11. Nick Drake - "Introduction"
12. Nine Inch Nails - "All the Love in the World"
13. The Dead Weather - "60 Feet Tall"
14. The Kills - "No Wow"
15. Constantines - "Draw Us Lines"

"OUT OF THE WAY!!!!!": Album-Openers with A Kick

"OUT OF THE WAY!!!!!" from Jackson A. Ragg III on 8tracks.

48 min, 5 sec

1. The Hives - "Hives-Declare Guerre Nucleaire"
2. The Dirtbombs - "Chains of Love"
3. The Pixies - "Bone Machine"
4. Beat Happening - "Bewitched"
5. Pere Ubu - "Non-Alignment Pact"
6. Fucked Up - "Son the Father"
7. Sebadoh - "License To Confuse"
8. The Stooges - "Search and Destroy"
9. Sonic Youth - "Teen Age Riot"
10. PJ Harvey - "Big Exit"
11. The White Stripes - "Jimmy the Exploder"
12. The Von Bondies - "Lack of Communication"
13. The Sonics - "The Witch
14. The Raconteurs - "Consoler of the Lonely"

The Flip-Side of Love

Partially. A mix of songs about unrequited love/friendship:

"Unrequited" from Jackson A. Ragg III on 8tracks.

44 min, 49 sec

1. Alicia Keys - "How Come You Don't Call Me?"
2. The Zutons - "Why Won't You Give Me Your Love?"
3. Loretta Lynn - "You Didn't Like My Lovin'"
4. Hank Williams - "Lovesick Blues"
5. The Brian Jonestown Massacre - "(You Better Love Me) Before I Am Gone"
6. Sebadoh - "Ocean"
7. Best Coast - "Boyfriend"
8. The Field Mice - "You're Kidding Aren't You?"
9. Best Friends Forever - "Circus Song"
10. The White Stripes - "I Want To Be the Boy To Warm Your Mother's Heart"
11. The Dandy Warhols - "We Used To Be Friends"
12. Beat Happening - "Knick Knack"
13. Weezer - "Pink Triangle"
14. Sia - "The Girl You Lost To Cocaine"
15. Electrelane - "Cut and Run"

"Love Day"

It's a Simpsons reference, people.

Love Day from Jackson A. Ragg III on 8tracks.

1 hr, 15 sec

1. Archie Bell & the Drells - "I Love My Baby"
2. The Funk Brothers - "You Really Got A Hold on Me"
3. Miracle Fortress - "Maybe Lately"
4. Chantal Kreviazuk - "Before You"
5. Buddy Holly - "You've Got Love
6. The Brian Jonestown Massacre - "'Cause I Love Her"
7. Feist - "Secret Heart"
8. Constantines feat. Feist - "Islands in the Stream"
9. Best Coast - "Crazy For You"
10. Tragically Hip - "Fireworks"
11. The Field Mice - "If You Need Someone"
12. Beck - "Think I'm in Love"
13. The Carpenters - "Top of the World"
14. David Sitek - "With A Girl Like You"
15. The White Stripes - "Hotel Yorba (Live at Hotel Yorba)"
16. Yo La Tengo - "Griselda"
17. The Ramones - "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend"
18. Imelda May - "I'm Alive"
19. Summer Twins - "I Will Love You"
20. Lesley Gore - "Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows"

"Lo-Fi Life"

58 min,18 sec

1. The Rats - "World War III"
2. Daniel Johnston - "Speeding Motorcycle"
3. The Scrotum Poles - "It Just Ain't Fucking Funny"
4. The Chameleons - "Seriocity"
5. No Age - "Everybody's Down"
6. Kurt Vile - "Breathin' Out"
7. Mattress - "Eldorado"
8. Guided by Voices - "Tractor Rape Chain"
9. Condo Fucks - "Accident"
10. Nodzzz - "Highway Memorial Shrine"
11. Beat Happening - "Look Around"
12. Grown Ups - "Quit My Job"
13. John Maus - "I Want To Live"
14. tUnE-yArDs - "Sunlight"
15. A Faulty Chromosome - "Them Pleasures of the Flesh"
16. Bratmobile - "Love Thing"
17. John Bender - "27B4 'Rainy Day Sunshine'"
18. Best Coast - "Sun Was High (So Was I)"
19. Japanther - "Bumpin' Rap Tapes"
20. The Intelligence - "The World Is A Drag"

"Your Hand in Mine, Vol. 1"

Finally, a competent music-player for my blog. Streampad doesn't seem to work on my blog anymore, and I can't make playlists with Streampad anyway. Enter 8tracks.

As I'd mentioned in a previous post, I was planning to start periodically posting playlists. Here's the first of my playlists following that announcement. The title is "Your Hand in Mine Vol. 1," and the theme is collaborations. Just click the player, and enjoy. It's that easy.


38 min, 37 sec

1. Kid Cudi, Bethany Cosentino (Best Coast) and Rostam Batmanglij (Vampire Weekend) - "All Summer"
2. Jurassic 5 feat. Nelly Furtado - "Thin Line"
3. Mocky feat. Feist - "Just Need Time"
4. Battles feat. Kazu Makino - "Sweetie and Shag"
5. Slash feat. Iggy Pop - "We're All Gonna Die"
6. J. Mascis (Dinosaur Jr.), the Black Angels and the Dandy Warhols - "Breath Easy Single 1"
7. Gorillaz feat. Snoop Dogg - "Welcome To the World of the Plastic Beach"
8. Spank Rock feat. Amanda Blank - "Bump"
9. Janelle Monae feat. Big Boi - "Tightrope"

Halloween Playlist 2010

Featuring the Cramps

1. Queens of the Stone Age - "Burn the Witch"
2. TV on the Radio - "Wolf Like Me"
3. The Dandy Warhols - "Hell's Bells" (AC/DC cover)
4. The Cramps - "TV Set"
5. The Cramps - "I Was A Teenage Werewolf"
6. Robert Johnson - "If I Had Possession Over Judgment"
7. Abner Jay - "St. James Infirmary Blues"
8. Nine Inch Nails - "With Teeth"
9. Japanther - "The Gravy"
10. Joy Division - "Atrocity Exhibition"
11. The Gun Club - "For the Love of Ivy"
12. The Gun Club - "Cool Drink of Water"
13. The White Stripes - "The Union Forever"
14. The Dead Weather - "Old Mary"
15. Beat Happening - "Black Candy"
16. Beat Happening - "Knock on Any Door"
17. Beat Happening - "Nancy Sin"
18. Beat Happening - "Zombie Limbo Time"

Halloween Playlist 2011

Featuring Messer Chups

Just click the song-titles to play:

1. Acid Witch - "Witchtanic Hellucinations"
2. The Flesh Eaters - "See You in the Boneyard"
3. Karen Elson - "The Ghost Who Walks"
4. The Fembots - "Theme from A Radio Play"
5. Aluminium - "The Hardest Button To Button"
6. The Deadly Snakes - "I Can't Sleep at Night"
7. The Deadly Snakes - "There Goes Your Corpse Again"
8. Xander Harris - "I Want More Than Just Blood"
9. KUKL - "Anna"
10. Wanda Jackson feat. Jack White - "Funnel of Love"
11. The Kills - "Ticket Man"
12. Joy Division - "The Eternal"
13. The Cramps - "Zombie Dance"
14. Gary Numan - "Metal"; Nine Inch Nails - "Metal"
15. Godspeed You! Black Emperor - "Dead Flag Blues"
16. The Black Keys - "Strange Times"
17. Beat Happening - "Black Candy"
18. Messer Chups - "Vincent Price Bible"
19. Messer Chups - "Tremolo from the Crypt"