WARMER MIXTAPES #328 | by John Thornley of U.S. Royalty
Photo by Jake Davis.
1. The Easybeats | Good Times
I get so excited whenever I hear this song. So loose and groovy but it's still a footstomper. It should get played out more often than it does. Makes me want to jump off a table.
2. Stevie Nicks | Gate And Garden
I love the slow beginning and how it then picks up into a mid-tempo jam. I would get chills when she would do the every night part... b/c she would switch the timing of it each time she did it, and it felt like she was whispering the line in my ear. Plus I can never get enough of 80's pop piano/keys.
3. Tamaryn | The Waves
...And Dawning. I listen to these two songs on constant loop. They make me feel like I'm sinking into the waves off the coast of that lighthouse in H.P. Lovecraft's story, The White Ship.
4. Yuck | Georgia
Reminds me of middle school/high school. Hanging out at those awkward birthday parties for your schoolmate and thinking you were cool b/c you knew about these bands that no one else did. But at the end of the night realizing that no one really cared and that the only person you could cash those cool points in with was yourself.
5. The Blue Nile | Stay
I like the crisp, sterile recording. Most of the music I listen to is more rough around the edges but this is almost mathematical. The drums and bass propel the song along with machine like precision while his vocals waver and lyrics trail off at the end of sentences... It feels very vulnerable.
6. The Three Degrees | Rosegarden
So much attitude in this song. The tambourines are hot and her vocals are tearing through the mix. I hadn't heard this song until recently but by the 2nd listen I felt I had been listening to it all my life.
7. Birdlips | Under Crooked Trees
This band to me is a subtle mix of psychedelic and bossa nova... And this song feels breezy. All their stuff is great but this melody sticks with me all the time... And you have to stay tuned for the clarinet solo at the end.
8. Memoryhouse | Heirlooms
I played this song a lot during the fall. Dreamy dreamy. I like the droning drumbeat with her clear vocals... Reminds me of Ireland for no good reason
9. Destroyer | The Laziest River
If a song has a solid groove, I don't want it to end... This song has it and milks it for about 20 minutes. This song is on the vinyl release and a friend showed it to me. Makes me think of Jean Claude Van Damme filming a movie on a rainy day in Singapore.
10. The Highwaymen | Highwayman
A good buddy introduced me to this song a few years back and the supergroup attached to it. He's from Georgia and is always talking about how good country is... And this song made me a believer. Also I am really into the 80's country production.
