Giant Rock: 2011 CD Mix

Giant Rock, a boulder in the Mojave Desert

One of the things that adds a good deal of pleasure to my life is the CD Club I'm in with 11 other guys here in Northfield. Each of us is assigned a month (mine is February), and each guy picks a night in that month to share his mix while we all drink beer around a bonfire (in the warmer months) or at a local pub. Last night was the release party for my 2011 mix.

Every year (this is my fourth annual mix) I'm surprised by what ends up on my CD--this time I'm including a couple bands that I don't even really like--but the songs are all really working for me right now. This year's mix has two defining characteristics: every song has been released in the past year, and every song rocks pretty hard.

Here's the track listing:

   1. Quasi: Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler
   2. Wye Oak: Civilian
   3. Cage the Elephant: Shake Me Down
   4. The Rural Alberta Advantage: Stamp
   5. Zoo Animal: Folded Hands
   6. Phosphorescent: The Mermaid Parade
   7. Jennifer Markey & the Tennessee Snowpants: Hey, Hey, My Home
   8. Futurebirds: APO
   9. The Fresh & Onlys: Waterfall
  10. Peter Wolf Crier: Untitled 101
  11. Wolf Parade: Yulia
  12. Tapes 'n Tapes: Freak Out
  13. Fort Wilson Riot: Lead Me On (Pieces of the War Pt. 2)
  14. Grinderman: Palaces of Montezuma
  15. PJ Harvey: In the Dark Places
  16. Roky Erickson with Okkervil River: Goodbye Sweet Dreams
  17. The Gleam: Damn City Lights
  18. Dark Dark Dark: Bright Bright Bright

Videos for most of these can be found in this nifty YouTube playlist: