Halloween hangover mixtape 09

Photo from emergencyfan 2000


Ah, Halloween. So many songs, so little time. Technical difficulties prevented this post from getting out on time (I had to do it twice!), so here's a halloween hangover mix. Kudos to Condemned to Rock 'N' Roll, snuhthing/anything, and Some Velvet Blog for adding to my arsenal.

White Stripes do Tegan and Sara and it sounds pretty much the same. Spooky?

White Stripes - Walking With a Ghost (download mp3 here)


I wonder what Halloween is like in the UK, can someone leave a comment and edify me? Do they celebrate it in Japan?

Japan - Halloween (download mp3 here)


We've all had spooky girlfriends, haven't we? Luckily I've never had one on Halloween, but we also know someone who has, right?

Elvis Costello - Spooky Girlfriend (download mp3 here)


Mr. Carroll is now one of those people who died, but his ghost may be watching you right now. Look behind you.

Jim Carroll - People Who Died (download mp3 here)


Dream Syndicate and head dreamer Steve Wynn deserve your attention. Though DS is long gone, Wynn still consistently puts out quality.

Dream Syndicate - Halloween (download mp3 here)


Ultra-catchy in an 80's style, this should have been a huge hit, and I can see M83 becoming the next big thing from France.

M83 - Graveyard Girl (download mp3 here)


Don't know a thing about That Ghost, but they sure got the Velvets/Dream Syndicate drone and jangle thing going on.

That Ghost - Never Have Fun (download mp3 here)


Screaming Tribesmen had a fine tune called She's a Living Vampire, but this girl vampire track is some kinda all right too. I'm a sucker for garage-pop from Oz with goofy band names, how about you?

Screaming Tribesmen - Date With a Vampyre (download mp3 here)


Not a very scary song unless you fear profanity, but wouldn't this have been a vampire weekend? Just another song I don't mind recommending again.

Vampire Weekend - Oxford Comma (download mp3 here)


I almost forgot some Can-con, didn't I? For shame.

The Tragically Hip - I'm a Werewolf, Baby

Watchin' You

The Winnipeg Free Press has seen fit to name Scruffy the Yak a blog to watch. Weird, huh? Still, cause for celebration, as well as good reason to offer up a song by one of my favourite bands of all time, Hardship Post. The band only released one album, Somebody Spoke, on Sub Pop in 1995. The Post was scooped up by Sub Pop after a couple of singles and an ep, with the vital music coming out of Canada's East coast at the time (Sloan, Eric's Trip, Thrush Hermit). None of them really fit the grunge mold, and HP maybe least, with sharp pop hooks, a sly sense of humour, and not a lot of evident ambition to be rock stars. Somebody Spoke is a great little record, but after a subsequent tour the band all but dissolved, and a follow-up never materialized. I'm still waiting, Sebastian Lippa.

Hardship Post - Watchin' You (download mp3 here)



I don't know if Sub Pop still really sells this disc, but it's still listed, including the LP for $7.00. If I was rich I'd buy 50 of 'em and try to start the Bring Back Hardship Post movement. Well, I'm trying anyway, you'll hear about these guys again on this blog. Here's a few more "Watching" tunes.

Dayliner - What are You Watching (download mp3 here)



thenewno2 - Choose What You're Watching (download mp3 here)



The Rascals - People Watching (download mp3 here)

SubCity Turn it Up

Winnipeg's own Subcity (formerly SubCity Dwellers) recently held a raucous release party for their new album Where's the Noise, as well as completing a thorough tour of Western Canada.

The album's almost like a cool mix tape, the tunes fit well together but contain too many styles and genres to name. And that's just how I like my mixes, varied extensively, each song cool in its own way. Opener Too Loud for the City is a rollicking rock song that might be kissin' cousins to a few Rancid tunes. Drag Me down sounds like sped-up Tom Waits with extra desperation (never thought it possible, didja?) Elsewhere we get Tin Pan Alley-meets-overdriven riffs in a smoky alley, then get hammered with gritty post-punk agitation (Silence), skatown ballads with rocksteady chorus vocals (Sweet Misery), reggae-rock that could turn into a wicked dub mix (Temper), menacing guitar, organ and distorto-vox that add up to the sounds of a house burning down (Gasoline), and more Waitsian vocals on top of funky blues throwdowns (The Hounds pt II). Some songs make me think the "Sub" in SubCity refers to a labyrinthian set of dark, forgotten tunnels deep under Winnipeg, while others cause me to wonder if it refers to Winnipeg's inferiority complex and the band's ability to blow it away. Give it a listen, whaddaya think?

SubCity - Too Loud For This City (download mp3 here)



SubCity play the West End Cultural Centre on Friday October 30, check it out. Buy the disc here.
http://www.myspace.com/subcitydwellers