2006 CD Exchange Mix: It's Very Catchy

Well it took me almost a week to put it all together but here is my liner-notes for my 2006 Mix CD compliation. Hope those who have it are enjoying it, be looking forward to your blog posts too ;).


Track #00
Penny Arcade - What are your kids doing?
This was the first time I listened to a PA podcast and about 5 minutes in I was laughing my butt off. This clip is Mike and Jerry dicussing PSP and its evils
Quote: “That Betty is out back @#$%ing a dog!”

Track #01
My Chemical Romance – Teenagers
From talking about kids to singing about fear of teenagers. The song speaks of the fear of the trenchcoat-clad columbine kid at its roots. Musically at its surface it has a deliberate punchy beat and it’s catchy as hell.
Quote: "But if you’re troubled and hurt What you got under your shirt Will make them pay for the things that they did"

Track #02
AFI - 37mm(Grindy's Devilish Remix)
This song is somewhere between Depeche Mode and Emo. Gone are the ass-kicking screaming punk AFI of old which is a shame. However, after the in-your-face track “Teenagers” the melodic softness of this track mellows the mix a bit. Look for the slightly altered outro that setups the next track perfectly.
Quote: "If you keep killing me,How can I keep absolving?Your sins into me,Begin the poisoning."

Track #03
Sage Francis - Sun vs. Moon
I stumbled upon this track while listening to Punk-o-rama 9. This is so not punk! It’s quite unique, a hardcore Rap/Rock hybrid with a fast & furious pace. If 37mm mellowed you out this track smacks you in the face and calls you a bitch. I think it might even say it’s the Juggernaut.
Quote: "I think he even did a headspin on a crossfader that sounded whack (but looked excellent.)"

Track #04
Madness - You Keep me Hanging on
So Sun VS Moon got ya hyped? Calm down! Somehow the transition worked despite the song being a little tacky. I love ska and Catch 22 led me to this group. Most of their songs outright sucked but this familiar ditty is catchy… if nothing else. Besides it’s all about the flow…
Quote: "Why don't you be a woman about, and set me free. 'Cause you don't care a thing about me, you're just using me."

Track #05
Streetlight Manifesto - Keasbey Nights
Ahhhh from the muted acoustic intro to the driving upstroked guitars this song makes me tickly. It’s ska to the core and it’s from the best album I heard all year. This is the money shot of the album and if you aren’t singing along after your second or third listen chances are I don’t care for you as a person.
Quote: "When they come for me I'll be sitting at my desk with a gun in my hand wearing a bullet-proof vest singing my-my-my how the time does fly when you know you're gonna die by the end of the night, I said 'Hey!'"

Track #06
Less Than Jake - Hopeless Case
This song is a pacing-drop from Streetlight Manifesto but still in the ska vein, this was from one of those CDs where choosing the best song was tough ‘cause they’re all great. There are lots of other great tracks but this one fit the best
Quote: "You, you don't see me that way. You hear the words that I say. You just tell me my heart is in the right place. It's the world that's confused. And it's never to late. To save a hopeless case"

Track #07
Brand New - Sic Transit Gloria Glory Fades
Say that three times fast. Weird name, great song. This was the single from Brand New’s 2005 album. I wanted to choose something other than this track but it’s vastly superior to anything else on the album. Awesome beat and some solid vocal harmonies. Definitely a treat for the ears
Quote: "He's holding back from telling herexactly what it really feels like.He is the lamb, she is the slaughter.She's moving way too fast and all he wanted was to hold her."

Track #08
Buckcherry - Broken Glass
Great album and way too many options. Crazy Bitch (as heard on Ross’ mix) was an amazing track, Sorry was soulful and sweet. Broken Glass is just motherf@#$%ing rawk! (Insert thrown up horns here.) In contrast to the super-happy pop/punk/ska this song is just old fashioned kick ass.
Quote: "Life's so fragile a revolution taking place Bullet shells and famine and stab wounds I wish I could do more than write you "

Track #09
Yellowcard - hollywood died
Ahhh a perennial favourite. I loves my Yellowcard, unfortunately the latest album wasn’t great as some older ones but there were lots of great tracks. This one was a little more lowkey than other tracks but after broken glass you need a cool down.
Quote: "Night life the high life she just wants a good lifeSo someone remembers her tooBut somewhere she heard there was some place to go when you die when you live like we do"

Track #10
All-American Rejects - Top of the World
This was another CD that made choosing one track very difficult. It didn’t have one Outstanding track like Keasbey Nights but it did have loads of very very good songs. This one was probably my favourite but the whole CD was very good. A nice segue into Fallout Boy and keeping a pretty steady pop/punk feel going.
Quote: "Don't be so greedy.A dollar's a penny to youWhen hearts are beating. Say what you want 'em to do"

Track #11
Fallout Boy – Xo
Dance Dance! Is overplayed and far from Fallout Boy’s best. “Under the Cork Tree” was a great album and was in my car’s CD Player for a long time. This track was my favourite and picks the tempo back up again towards a faster section of the mix.
Quote: "To the love, I left my conscience pressed Between the pages of the Bible in the drawer “What did it ever do for me” I say"

Track #12
Pulley – Bloodstains
…And in punk mode we stay! Pulley is probably one of the best punk bands you’ve never listened to. They’re not revolutionaries they just make great punk songs. Another great track from punk-o-rama 9
Quote: "You walk alone, outside, its only youWhen you wake up from the nightmares, its always youNow you find you're in a world and it's without youI can't believe I'd fight for you, for you"

Track #13
OK GO – Do what you want
Radio darlings OK GO actually bring a little Jolly Ol’ England to my predominantly domestic mix. Something about the way the Brits lay down a guitar rhythm is so different ya can’t help but love it. This track from their sophomore album is the catchiest and best.
Quote: "Me, I was raised amin the trickle down days I woke up numb in the haze and saw my future in a machine built for two but the light gave me some kind of fright, how did wrong get so right"

Track #14
Billy Talent - Worker Bees
I know as many people who loathe Billy Talent as those who like them, it’s a strange thing. Love or hate this is the best track from their second album (aptly name) II. Wait for the breakdown for the song to change pacing, it’s quite enjoyable without the Billy Talent repetition that seems to irk the haters.
Quote: "And we’ll march… along, with our blindfolds onAnd we’ll ride… the rails, with our pistols drawnCan the Lord… above, forgive what we’ve done?Can we fight to save our souls?"

Track #15
Relient K - life after death and taxes
Okay you had a pretty good romp there but cool it down a little if you get too excited you’ll never go to sleep child! Reliant K ended up on my PC late in ’06 and I knew I wanted it in the mix. Reliant K is a band best served slow and this track is a good indication of that.
Quote: "Never forgetthere's life after death and taxesForgiveness come and all of the rest is what passes awayDeath and decay can't touch us now"

Track #16
Matchbook Romance - Lovers & Liars
Back again. Matchbook Romance showed up on my first mixed CD and have popped up yet again. Actually I was happy to find them on Punkorama 9 (you should really pick that up, great stuff) with a bunch of other great tracks. A lot more of a Screamo/Punk track than most of my tracks. I really liked the way the song finished off with a really strong bass drum/snare combo which makes it a great connector to a ska track.
Quote: "And I bet you've got every word I said memorized in your head.And you'll use every one of them against me."

Track #17
Reel Big Fish - We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful
I may not have saved “the best” for last but I certainly decided to kick your ass out the door instead of waving goodbye. Sweet sweet ska all up in your ear drums. There are so many solid tracks from “We’re not happy ‘til you’re not happy.” I was really torn between this and “One hit Wonderful.” The later is arguably better but some times you gotta take hit to keep with the flow. Download the whole album it’s all good.
Quote: "If we can destroy them you bet your life we'll destroy them and if we can hurt them well we may as well"

Track #18
NOFX - No Fun in Fundamentalism
Fun says it all! NOFX will never bring a tear to your eye but I’ll be damned if they can’t kick out an awesome punk track. Around since the dawn of time with fine-tuned punk honed to a razor’s edge NOFX always delivers, this one also comes with an extra dose of political incorrectness and controversy to boot.
Quote: "There's no fun in praying on a mat. There's no fun in wearing black clothes in the desert. Unless you're Goth and into that."

Track #19
Catch 22 - On the Black Sea
Aww it’s over! But one last thing before we go. My second favourite track in the mix and a great one to close on. Catch 22 spent nearly as much time on my car CD Player as Streetlight Manifesto, and it was another CD that was stuffed with great tracks. Really I could make one CD from these two and it would be a pretty solid Best of album. Grindy McTinerton’s CD Mix of 2006 is complete, look forward to next year’s entries and my impressions of the other mixes.
Quote: "Staring at the pieces of my dim reflection as I look into this Black Sea of atrophyI just got the message of your passing from the man who digs our-They are digging graves for all our dreams and it seems that they are digging by the clockI can feel the old corruption peering from the crack, and I don't know if we can fight it back again."