42nd Annual Netphorian Mix Exchange: Mix #11 POSTED

[Andy /]

how do you guys want to do the reviews? obviously we want people to discuss, but then there's the possibility people will identify songs and whatnot, giving people who haven't listened yet "spoilers".

also, i'm hesitant to name the mix maker after the week is up, because by the time we get near the end we'd have a much smaller group to gues from. should i wait until the end to put a name to a mix? or am i thinking too much about the anonymity thing?

first two mixes are already in, so we'll get this thing rolling soon.

[RopeyLopey]

I am a virgin in this mix thing, but hey - let's not make a science out of it, it is just some music. If I recognize song or artist and would deem it appropriate to name it in my weekly review, I will do it. Coding references to songs like 02/05 - week 02, track 05 - just for sake of keeping it 'interesting' for others looks idiotic. I thought the spirit of the whole thing is to listen to everything by everyone, so even if I already read this week the mix comes probably from Byron Barnes and he included Celine Dion in it, I will still listen to it, assuming he will listen to my whole mix when its turn comes (BTW, I hope this idiot does not participate).

[waltermcphilp]

I don't think keeping the mix maker's ID a secret is really that crucial, but maybe some people think it is fun to guess.

Personally I don't mind a reveal at the end.

Also, I probably won't read any reviews until I do mine to avoid any potential "spoilers", as you mentioned.

[Ugly]

Yah, once it's out there, it's out there. So keep it free and clear to say whatever. When the next mix pops up, the mix-maker should respond to the previous week. Or, hell, respond when people start posting. It ain't exactly set and the whole point is to interact with other musical choices, right? A whole system of guidelines would start to get silly. "You're violating subsection four-dash three of the mix charter, which explicitly states.." etc. etc.

[Andy /]

well, i will keep all links to mixes in the first post, so you don't have to read the thread until you're ready.

just wasn't sure if people gave a shit about anonymity or not. i don't really care either way.

[redbreegull]

I am personally for keeping identities withheld until the end, but I don't give a shit about songs being recognized. No one should look at the thread until they have listened to that week's mix.

[pale blue eyes]

I think keeping all identities secret until the end would be great in helping everybody be as objective as possible when listening to mixes, but it would be a pain in the ass. Unless AndySlash has people also include the tracklist for each mix in case people are cl******g to find out about a certain song or artist. I guess the person who made it could send him a PM or something. It's sort of a tough call.

[redbreegull]

I don't think it would be too hard. But whatever, I don't really care that much.

[Ugly]

Is the first mix going to be posted at 12 AM Eastern time, the timezone of Our Lord and all those who are righteous and just?

[redbreegull]

I'm jonesing for the first mix

[Andy /]

first mix posted.

as mentioned, i will post the link in the first post only, and i will adjust the thread title so people know when new mixes are up. it will be at your discretion to read the thread when new mixes are posted.

it would be nice if people send me a tracklist sometime before the end of their week is up.

i will leave it up to the mix maker to identify themselves at the end of their mix week. i will only post identities at the very end.

[redbreegull]

I recognize 2 songs on the first mix, and one of them is the Netphoria Christmas song. Number 11 is a Sinéad O'Connor song. I think number 1 is A-Ha? I don't know what that the last track is, but a friend recently told me that. Number 3 is my favorite.

[redbull]

i am enjoying this mix a good bit

i will edit this post more as i listen to it

really liked track 2. jungle brothers or something similar?

track 3 sounds like beach house

uhhhhh is track 4 a spanish version of knockin on heaven's door

track 5 is definitely my favorite so far. something from a david lynch movie soundtrack

suzanne vega! i'm pretty sure andyslash made this mix?

[redbreegull]

I don't think 3 is Beach House

[redbull]

maybe yo la tengo or something idk

[RopeyLopey]

I will update this post as I go through the mix:

01- I remember watching this videoclip on MCM music channel. I never figured out what he hid in that ground.
02 - this must be some early 90's rap, no? It doesn't sound as negative/stupid as the rap does these days.
03 - I don't know - it sounds like the song is pretty much only like two chords. But the singer has very nice dreamy voice - the voice feels good.
04 - it sounds like the singer had TOO many beers . What are the last words of the song - 'fuck you, fuck you more?' I can't tell if he says 'more' or something else
05 - this sounds like some music my father would listen to. Very distinct guitar playing - is this Mark Knopfler, I guess?
06 - heh, I hate this melody. It's one of the things you hear and cannot get out of your head for days. Another singer with a very pleasant voice, though.
07 - this sounds like some film music. It sounds sort of majestic. I like.
08 - I like the lyrics a lot. Also it is nice how the increasing distortion through the song is done primarily through string section and not guitars. It sounds there is some drama underneath.
09 - is this rap with symphonic orchestra?
10 - some bob dylan is always good.
11 - this is a cover song of Elton John, no? Yes - I just checked. She couldn't have stripped the song more. I don't know which version I prefer more, if the original Elton John or this. Song skips a bit at the end
12 - this is some pre-war tango? When listening to spanish songs, I always wait only till 'corazon' is mentioned. There is no song in Spanish without mentioning 'corazon'.
13 - haha. I hope DeviousJ is doing well these days.
14 - is there any special purpose of including this particular thing? Does it mean the mix maker is/was pulling our leg with this mix?

Originally Posted by redbull

suzanne vega! i'm pretty sure andyslash made this mix?

AndySlash has some weakness for Suzanne Vega? I wasn't aware of it.

[Sonic Johnny]

I'm sorry mix person #1, but my internet is shaped till saturday

I will do my best to acquire the mix elsewhere in the meantime.

[Mo]

I failed to download this mix three times, I'll try again at work.

[pale blue eyes]

01. This song is OK. Definitely from the 1980s, sounds like A-ha but moodier? A little underwhelming for an opener though.
02. Early 1990s rap it sounds like. I feel like I should know who this is, but don't. I recognize at least one of the MC's voice but I can't ... oh wait, they just said who it was in the song. I like this.
03. Not liking this. I can barely make out any of the lyrics. Just sounds like a bunch of whispering / moaning and some interesting swirling guitars.
04. This is a cover of Knocking on Heaven's Door in ... some other language. Interesting. Sounds like a bar band or something.
05. Pretty sure this is Dire Straits / Mark Knopfler or however you spell it. My dad loves them / him. Sort of spooky sounding. Nice.
06. I remember this song was really popular for a while and then I never really heard it again. Whoever it is has a nice voice but I never really liked this song.
07. Sounds like an instrumental version of a Michael Bolton song. Has some random dialogue or something near the end. From a soundtrack maybe?
08. The singer and lyrics in this are fine but I don't like the actual music behind them.
09. Ranting in Spanish with an orchestra behind it. Weird. Reminds me the stuff I see on Univision at like 2am.
10. Bob Dylan - Things Have Changed <3
11. An Elton John cover ... by Sinead O'Connor? Maybe? Lovely. My favorite so far.
12. Another song in Spanish, very old sounding. Sounds like it is from a movie or musical or something.
13. Awww. Memories! Sort of a weird selection for the spring though.
14. Fucking weird. His laugh at the end gives me the heebie jeebies in the same way as the end of Thriller.

I really don't know what to say about this mix. Just ... really weird. I am sort of interested to see if the person who made it had some kind of theme in mind or just dragged and dropped stuff from their library.

[redbreegull]

I feel like half the songs on this mix form a pretty cogent theme. It's sort of dark and moody. The other half of the songs seem to be random. I'm curious as to the intentions behind the song choices.

[Eric Blair]

Pretty sure number two is Naughty by Nature

[slunken]

Here are my notes:

1. Reminds me of David Byrne.
2. I really dislike hip-hop music.
3. Meh. This is okay. Not bad. Not real good.
4. Awesome. Drunken and badly is the only way to do a cover.
5. Love this song.
6. Good Lord. Songs like 1 & 5 give this mix potential but then something like this just derails it. Awful.
7. This is good. I love saxophones and semi-triumphant new age guitar solos.
8. Good song. Goes w/ 1 and 5. I've been getting more and more into this kind of adult-contemporary/lounge-crooner stuff.
9. Fuck me this is awful. I hate musicals/showtunes.
10. Cool. See #8. Want more stuff like this.
11. LOL. What is this chick on about?
12. Could listen to stuff like this all day, and often do. Love the boxed-in quality that music recorded from this era contains in its production.
13. AWFUL. Is this supposed to be funny? I hate jokes in music, which is prolly why I hate hip-hop. Rappers get all the best one-liners.
14. WEEEEEEEEE!!!! Love his spoken-word bits. A lot of his songs have always been too campy/over-the-top for my taste. I don't like it when he tries to sing like a pirate.

[RopeyLopey]

Originally Posted by slunken

9. Fuck me this is awful. I hate musicals/showtunes.

hell yeah - I haven't thought about the musical option - that anyone would ******* a musical piece in their mix, but this really sounds something like that.

[slunken]

Been listening to 1,5,7,8, & 10 quite a bit. Probably will ditch the rest. I plan on making an uber-netphoria mix of all my favorite songs. The perfect soundtrack for uber-boarding sessions.

@RopeyLopey - i would bet money on it.

[Ugly]

I've listened to this mix 2 times all the way through and 3 times skipping through and listening to a few tracks individually to get a feel for it. Overall, I do like it a lot mainly because it's really quirky so I'm down with that. It's only an hour, shoulda gone for the full hour 20. Hell, I got time.

1) good opening track (but I think there was a better opening track in the mix later on, more on that later) but I do like how it starts with the rain noise and the guy's vocals are very emotive, and the song has a vaguely 80s goth vibe I kinda dig.
2) One of my favourite tracks on the mix, if only because I laughed really hard at "one muthafuckin, two muthafuckin to the muthafuckin' three" when I heard it, and I dig the juxtaposition between track 1 and this one. and the part when the guy says he'll put the guy's head on a Christmas tree is gold
3) Explosions in the Sky, maybe? I dunno. Anyway, very atmospheric track and I like the way it slowly builds because I'm a sucker for that. It doesn't get too epic, but it has a nice sonic landscape and a decent progression, the woman's voice is very ethereal and winds nicely in and out of the song
4) Non-English language quickie cover of "Knockin' on Heaven's door". real fun to listen to I love how it's kinda heavy. "Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you, muahor!" is a sweet ending. Also one of my favs on here. I gonna listen to the whole track before skipping to the next one.
5) This has some good guitar noodling that kicks in. Kinda jazzy. Not a big fan of the vocals since it sounds like the guy downed a bottle of jack before recording, but the ending is quite good. Once again, great guitar wankery.
6) Oh, yah, I know this song. but never quite listened to it aside from just the intro part, which everybody knows. The lyrics kind of describe mundane things but it's fairly compelling to listen to.
7) This may be my favourite on here because it kinda reminds me of the theme from Top Gun. Not that I'm a huge Top Gun fan but I AM a huge fan of the Top Gun theme. I even like the sax which may be a little cheese, but why the hell not?
8) I think the first misstep in the mix because it doesn't really go anywhere until the ending when the strings kick in. Guy singing sounds half asleep, though. A bit too mid-tempo and mild for my tastes.
9) Wait, I think this is my favourite. I have no clue what the guy's saying, but the fucker is saying it with CONVICTION which is all that matters. Great usage of the orchestra and it kinda reminds me in parts of the SEP-I-ROTH! song from Final Fantasy 7. I remember the first time I heard this I was kinda like "what the hell?!" but I dug it by the end and I like it every time I listen to it. I would sing along to the vocals but I would sound like a tool. Well. Moreso. Still, great production and it just builds really well. Very ... adventurous to listen to. Really. The start blends really well with the end of the last track, which is one of my favourite things about mixes is when you can make the transitions nearly seamless. Listened to this one all the way through again too. Also it's the track I wrote the most about and I still can't understand a single word.
10) Wasn't a big fan of this the first listen though, but I like it more on the second time and unexpectedly found myself bopping along to it. It's a grower, that's fo shizzle. Not something I'd listen to repeatedly but once in awhile it'll be fun.
11) Very delicate, the gal has a fragile, kinda heartbreaking voice. (Sarah McLaughlin? best guess I got.) Very interesting next to the last track. It certainly gets you invested in it. I'm a guy and I don't have feelings, but this is quite moving. If I had feelings.
12) This is an interesting track and I like the scratchy record feeling of it. Once again, no English at all but that's cool. As much as I like the first track, I think this should have been the opener instead, as a wacky non-sequitor to start it off, which I'm always a fan of. Having this song stuck near the tail end of the mix it kinda unfortunately blends in with the rest of the songs.
13) Once of my biggest regrets in my life was not participating in the Netphoria Last Christmas song project, but I honestly don't think I had listened to this before now. Great job by whoever mixed all the disparate elements together. DeviousJ? I have no idea. I'm terrible at Netphorian cliques and whatever. But, hey, if anyone ever thinks this site is just nasty and mean, listen to this. There is a fucked up, somewhat irony drenched community around here. Once you get past all the spyware, that is. Anyway, best part of the whole song? "I'm exercising my second amendment rights on you, bitch!" GOLD, I tells ya. that synth solo at 3:45 is great too.
14) Funny ending to for the mix which I won't want to spoil, but I like how random it is. Kind of wish the punchline at the end was better, though, but I do like the awkward delivery. Amusing story, anyway.

[Ugly]

I also have to defend track 9 just because it's really fucking weird. Props, yo.

[Ugly]

Also, I want to randomly guess that Ramstien is covering Knockin' on Heaven's door. I'm probably 100% wrong, but whatevs.

[redbreegull]

Originally Posted by Ugly

Also, I want to randomly guess that Ramstien is covering Knockin' on Heaven's door. I'm probably 100% wrong, but whatevs.

lol that was my first thought as well

[RopeyLopey]

Originally Posted by Ugly

Great job by whoever mixed all the disparate elements together. DeviousJ? I have no idea.

yes, it was DeviousJ. Last year or so he told me he actually brought that track to some producer workshop, where amateurs brought their stuff and professionals told them what would be good to improve etc., and the dude was actually blown away DeviousJ was capable of mixing something like this just on his own with Cubase.

This is especially true if you can hear the original submissions people sent in. DeviousJ is a real magician.

[pale blue eyes]

So, who made the first mix? I am anxious to see the tracklist.