Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Mixtape #2 - It's (not) the end of the world

This mixtape is mainly dedicated to the great band R.E.M., which I was lucky enough to see live in front of the Cologne Cathedral in 2001 before their release of Reveal. They played for free, and they finished their amazing concert with the sublime "It's The End of the World (As We Know It)". As much as I loved R.E.M. back then and still love them now, I've got to admit that the news of their split left me cold. The lacklustre 2004 album Around the Sun left me disappointed and I couldn't be bothered with their following albums. As many fans will agree, R.E.M. never really recovered from their drummer Bill Berry leaving the band in 1997. The drum machines on Up are a painful reminder of how essential Berry was to the band. They did very good songs after 1997 (e.g. At My Most Beautiful), but not another great album.

In the past week, I've discovered Lana Del Rey, whose song Video Games is already one of my favourite songs of 2011. I won't add to the discussion that surrounds her (lips) and let the music speak for itself.

Listen to the mix here:

X-Ray Spex - Germfree Adolescents
Ol' Dirty Bastard - Shimmy Shimmy Ya
Kraftwerk - Trans-Europe Express
R.E.M. - E-Bow the Letter
King Creosote & Jon Hopkins - Bats in the Attic
Emmylou Harris - Heaven Only Knows
Lana Del Rey - Video Games
R.E.M. - The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite
Half Man Half Biscuit - Joy Division Oven Gloves
The Wedding Present - Everyone Thinks He Looks Daft
Anna Calvi - Desire
R.E.M. - It's the End of the World (As We Know It)

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