WARMER MIXTAPES #723 | by Anthony Ferraro [Astronauts, etc.]
1. Guided By Voices | I Am A Scientist
There was a Period in My Life, Roughly Six Months Long, where I listened to Guided By Voices and Nothing Else. Robert Pollard is a Hero of Mine, and, in terms of Sheer Output, Probably the Most Prolific Musician to Have Ever Existed.
2. LCD Soundsystem | All My Friends
Speaking of Personal Heroes, James Murphy has Always Captivated Me Both as a Producer and a Songwriter. There's Something Liberating about the Unstable Piano Part that Lies the Foundation for the Rest of the Track.
3. Claude Debussy | L'Isle Joyeuse (Played by Maurizio Pollini)
This Piece of Music Always Reminds Me of the Time I Spent in Vienna Studying Piano. The French Impressionist Composers have Always Captivated Me, and I think that L'Isle Joyeuse is One of the Best Works to Come Out of that Period. The Last Minute of This Piece is Absolutely Breathtaking.
4. The Notwist | Gloomy Planets
The Notwist's The Devil, You + Me got Stuck in My Car for About a Month. Over the course of that month I Fell in Love with the Record, and I still think that it is One of the Most Intricate, Well-Executed Records I've Ever Heard. Markus Acher is a Wizard at Creating Thick Moods and Really Immersing You In Them. Gloomy Planets is probably my Favorite Song on the album.
5. Bibio | Lovers' Carvings
I Love the Production on Ambivalence Avenue -- it's so Warm, and Somehow Manages to Tie Together All the Songs on the Record (which Span a Dozen Genres). Lovers' Carvings utilizes an Atypical Song Structure that I think is Both Courageous and Refreshingly Original. The way that Bibio is Able To Do So Much With So Little Taught Me the Value of Less Is More in Electronic Music.
6. Radiohead | Idioteque
Studying Music at the University of California in Berkeley, I'm Exposed to a Lot of Experimental Electronic Music. Much of it is Inaccessible at First, but I've Learned To Become A Patient Listener. The Bedrock of Idioteque is an Eight-Second Sample that Jonny Greenwood lifted from an Experimental Electronic Piece by Paul Lansky called Mild und Liese. It's the Perfect Intersection of Academic Exercise and Accessible Pop Song.
7. High Places | From Stardust To Sentience
My friend put this on a mix CD for me in High School. I can't remember any of the other tracks from the CD, but this one has Stuck With Me. The Coalescence of Found Sounds Brilliantly Underscores Mary Pearson's Ghostly Vocals.
8. James Blake | The Wilhelm Scream (James Litherland's 'Where To Turn' Cover)
This song Perfectly Captures What It Is To Be an Artist and a Twenty-Something in the Twenty-First Century.
9. The Cinematic Orchestra | To Build A Home (feat. Patrick Watson)
A Gradual Crescendo til the Last Few Seconds. This song is a Compositional Masterpiece. Patrick Watson's Vocal Stylings have had a Big Influence on mine, and his Lyrics in this song are a Perfect Match for the Rise and Fall of the Melody.
10. Yann Tiersen | A Ceux Qui Sont Malades Par Mer Calme
No one does Modern Classical (Whatever That Means) like Yann Tiersen. This song is Pure Cinematic Joy -- I Can't Imagine Listening To It And Not Feeling Completely At Ease.
+11. Owen Pallett | Lewis Takes Off His Shirt
If Steve Reich made Pop Music, his name would be Owen Pallett. I Love How the Foundation of the Song Draws from 1970s Minimalism. Pallet's I'm never gonna give it to you hook is One of the Most Infectious Melodic Lines I've Ever Heard.
