October: Life on repeat. October: Life on repeat.

Of this whole project, signing up was the easiest part. Picking 12 songs out of tens of thousands, that was the hard part. While I had many themes in mind for my first mix tape, I settled on a somewhat unconventional idea. The theme of my multi-track is “Songs that I have listened to twenty or more times in a row.” While twenty may not seem like a lot of times for a particular song on paper, once engulfed in a one-track marathon it can become almost an obsession. I have reasons for becoming obsessed with each and every one of these songs and I hope each of you will find them as equally addicting as I did.

1. Brand New – Untitled 2
This song is on the original working of The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me. The Album is fan titled New Album Demos, for those of you looking to download it and was leaked before the album release; Jesse accordingly scrapped most of the album and rewrote most everything. This song started out as one of my least favorite on the album and was usually skipped. I was doing homework one night and didn’t bother to pay attention to skipping it as I usually did and I heard a set of lyrics that could have easily defined the album had this song been on it. The lyrics that make this song unbelievable start at 3:10 and listening to this five minute song over and over is worth it just for the forty seconds.

2. Placebo – Without You I’m Nothing
I got into Placebo, much to the chagrin of an old Canadian online friend, after viewing the movie The Chumscrubber. Upon downloading their 1994 release, Without You I’m Nothing, I fell in love with the album. The guitar riffs coupled with Brian Molko’s seeming apathetic vocals made the album irresistible. I have many favorite songs on the album but the one that stood out the most was Without You I’m Nothing, which is the defining song on the album (also the album title.) The part of the song that really hooked me starts at the 1:55 mark. Molko’s brutal honesty captures me and is completely relatable. He recognizes that he is human and has no control the person that means most to him but that without them he cannot possibly go on. The song is overall brutally honest and the guitar makes it especially entertaining, I did listen to it more than twenty times in a row, after all.

3. Radiohead – Karma Police
Karma Police is easily the most memorable song off of OK Computer. The literal thought process behind this song really captured me. The idea that there are “karma police” that get people back for messing with other people struck me as a really interesting concept. In addition, I have always been partial to Thom Yorke’s vocals. Radiohead is high on my bands to see list, Atoms for Peace at Coachella 2010 was a mere glimpse at Thom Yorke’s next Radiohead album, which Pitchfork said was being wrapped up in studio.

4. Editors – Camera
Editors or The Editors, as they are commonly called, are an indie-rock band who could be from the 80’s. I was first introduced to this band on a song that had been remixed by French DJ SebAstian. The chorus of the song Camera was featured and after hearing it and replaying the remix over and over I decided that I had to have the discography. The verse is strangely eerie due to Tom Smiths voice. Ill let you decide on the verse for yourself. Recommended to anyone who listens to Echo & the Bunnymen, and Joy Division.

5. Moby – Extreme Ways
It would not be completely outlandish to say that everyone has heard of Moby. He is arguably one of the most commercially successful artists of a modern generation. I got into Moby after the release of his single “Southside” and have been an active listener ever since. If I had to pick one of his many releases as a favorite, it would be the album 18. While Extreme Ways is not the first single off of the album it is still one of the most popular songs and was easily listenable twenty plus times in a row. Moby is currently still on my must-see list.

6. Jesse Lacey (Jawbreaker Cover Performed Live) – Accident Prone
A few years back I had the great privilege of attending a solo tour that Jesse Lacey (Brand New) headlined along with Kevin Devine. It was an incredible performance as Jesse played Brand New songs along with a few covers (Built to Spill, Jawbreaker) per fan requests. About a week after the show I was cruising www.livejournal.com and happened upon a post in which someone had recorded the entire set via linking directly into the soundboard. The quality of the performance is incredible and is a must-have for any Brand New fan (email if you want the .rar file, jakerand@gmail.com). Included is the t-shirt art from the tour.



7. SR-71 – Alive
Sr-71 is a band that hit it big with the song “Right Now” in 2000. While their success was short lived, SR-71 released three studio albums in total. Mitch Allan has gone onto be an extremely successful producer and notably write the song “1985” for Bowling for Soup. The part of this song that has really captured me is the main chorus. I find it to be extremely catchy and remind me of high school quite a bit.

8. Why? – Act Five
I got into Why? by mere chance from hearing a cover of “These Few Presidents” performed by the band Colour Revolt for a Day Trotter session. The vibrant lyrics of this band really caught me by surprise. Upon downloading Alopecia, their most current album at the time, I was hooked. I quickly downloaded their entire discography. The first time I heard this song I was doing homework and it quickly became one of my favorites, my initial listening streak was thirty-five times.

9. Manchester Orchestra – The Other Side
I think the part of this song that really captured me is Andy Hull’s honesty in all of the lyrics. The line “Goddamn the ones who damn..” is also extremely catchy and is most of the reason that I listened to this twenty-five times in a row.

10. Matt & Kim – Don’t Slow Down
If there was ever a song to listen to over and over during a car ride, its this one. Girl Talk recently played a show in Tucson, AZ and while I hadn’t planned on going, Girl Talk came up on shuffle during homework the night of the show. It was 8:30 and he was scheduled to go on at 10pm. I listened to this song on repeat from Phoenix to Tucson and made it just in time to see Girl Talk go on. I made it to Tucson in an hour and fifteen minutes (normally about a two hour drive), Guinness World Records has yet to contact me about the land speed record I set.

11. Something Corporate – Watch The Sky
THEY’RE BACK!!!!!!!! (I know you appreciate it Ashley, even if no one else does)

I like this song because it allows me to just get lost in my thoughts. Just watching the sky, wondering what is out there can often be daunting. As I am currently majoring in Philosophy, this song has an incredible relevance to me in that we are essentially swimming in a “deep sea” and its hard to reflect on what is going on in the world around us. Sometimes we all need to get lost and think for ourselves. This is often a homework favorite and is one of my favorite songs that they performed live at the first reunion show in Anaheim, CA at Bamboozle.

12. Built to Spill – Distopian Dream Girl
This band is still on my to-see list. Two things about Built to Spill: Doug Martsch’s voice and Doug Martsch’s guitar solos. Both of these things make this band worth listening to. The song is off of my favorite Built to Spill record, There's Nothing Wrong With Love. While this song is constantly on repeat, alone it doesn’t even compare to the entire album.

Also, add me on last.fm if any of you guys have it :)

last.fm - dapnepep

Jake Rand