February's Mix - Black History Month

About a month and a half ago I received a text message at some ungodly hour(I believe it was at something like eight in the morning) from my good friend, Steven Lewis. He wanted to collaborate on a mix for February and his idea was to make a Hip-Hop/R&B/Soul mix. When I relayed this idea to my sister, Rachael, she pointed out that February was Black History month and suggested sarcastically that we simply make a mix where every song has the word “black” in the title. That brings us to now.

Track 1 – “Paint it Black” by The Rolling Stones
"Jeff put it best when he told me that The Rolling Stones must have made a deal with the devil to write the greatest rock song ever, and this is what popped out, horns, pitchfork and all." -Steven


Track 2 – “Back in Black” by AC/DC
I didn’t used to be crazy about AC/DC. They had some songs that I got into when I heard them, but overall I didn’t go out of my way to listen to them. Then while I was working at EA I ended up testing AC/DC Rockband and fell in love with them. Just go listen to the first two minutes of “Thunderstruck” and TRY not to love it.


Track 3 – “Black Math” by The White Stripes
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Jack White can do no wrong. He’s got 3 bands at this point and they are all amazing.


Track 4 – “Black Dog” by Led Zeppelin
"Back when I thought good music needed to be exceedingly technical, I listened to this one non-stop. I also wore only black every day and wanted to BE in Tool. I suppose that some songs are undeniably genius in spite of a general lack of taste. This is where I'd like to point out that 'Blackbird' is NOT ON THIS MIX." -Steven

Track 5 – “Black Tongue” by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
"Karen O has never delivered her song-words better than she belted out one 'yeah! yeah! yeah!' for this particular track. (Omigod that's like the name of the band!) Just sayin'." -Steven


Track 6 – “Black Mud” by The Black Keys
The Black Keys definitely made the best album of 2010 and if the Grammy’s don’t reflect that then I… won’t really be surprised. I’ve never really liked the Grammy’s.

Track 7 – “Black Tambourine” by Beck
"I still think Guero is a poop album, but that is in spite of this song. Would have been great if it waited for Modern Guilt, which needed an extra track. Perfect song for driving. Not so perfect for sitting still." -Steven


Track 8 – “Black” by Pete Yorn
Pete Yorn can be pretty hit or miss, but his first album, “Music for the Morning After” is amazing. My old housemate, Doug used to play it nonstop and before I knew it the whole thing was stuck in my head.

Track 9 – “Black Like Me” by Spoon
"I cannot explain the title of this track, or how Britt Daniel is so good at conveying incredible cool through tales of sexual desperation, but I'm sure glad I got to shove this one onto a mix that people actually listen to (he says as if he DISCOVERED the band Spoon)." -Steven


Track 10 – “They Also Mourn Those Who Do Not Wear Black (For the Homeless in Muskegon)” by Sufjan Stevens
In traditional Sufjan fashion this song has a really superfluous title, but luckily it fit our criteria and is a good song.

Track 11 – “Black and Gold” by yOya
This was a glaring omission from December’s covers mix, but I had to choose a reasonable amount of yOya to put on that mix and I liked those other two covers better. Anyway, this version of Sam Sparro’s song is wonderful.


Track 12 – “Welcome to the Black Parade” by My Chemical Romance
This song really set a great tone for MCR’s third album of the same name. It has a lot of homage to Bruce Springsteen and other storytelling classic rockers.


Track 13 – “Black Cadillacs” by Modest Mouse
"I have to be honest. I didn't know this track by name until after I typed "black" in the search bar for iTunes. But, I love the poop out of Modest Mouse, and after this song was stuck in my head for three days in a row, I insisted it go on here." -Steven

Track 14 – “Black-Eyed” by Placebo
Placebo is tied with Death Cab For Cutie in the “bands I have seen the most in concert” race (at 3… I don’t go to enough concerts). They are always pushing the boundaries of what people are comfortable with in their pop music which is one reason I love them.


Track 15 – “Black Swan” by Thom Yorke
When I saw A Scanner Darkly in theater I was blown away by Thom Yorke’s new solo stuff (along with how awesome that movie was). Obviously I expected his solo music to be good, since Radiohead is one of the best rock acts that ever was, but I really like the direction he took his music.


Track 16 – “Blacking Out the Friction” by Death Cab For Cutie
This is one of the first Death Cab songs I was exposed to by my wonderful sister, Rachael. I was driving in a limousine with her, my friend Robert, and my date, Katy to prom when this came on the mix Rachael had prepared. At the time I remember thinking I didn’t know music could be this good.


Track 17 – “Pot Kettle Black” by Wilco
This song is from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot which is by far my favorite Wilco album. You know how some songs or albums are tied in your memory to places or people? This album transports me to San Luis Obispo.

Track 18 – “Black Wave” by The Shins
It’s a really good thing that James Mercer is making awesome music with Broken Bells, because I was starting to get Shins withdrawal.

Track 19 – “Black Star” by Radiohead
"I dated a girl who claimed this track, off of the sophomoric album, The Bends (get it?), as her favorite song. In any case, her taste in MUSIC was good. Glad Thom Yorke has solo stuff so we could use him twice on this mix." -Steven