We have a CD player in our office. We are very lucky in this respect; many similar offices are fortunate to have a radio to listen to. At first I tried experimenting by introducing Sharon to some of my favourite artists that would provide a comfortable ambience, such as Arcade Fire and British Sea Power. Disappointingly, these were not received with the enthusiasm I was hoping for, and after Franz Ferdinand's cold reception from several visitors to the office (what is so offensive about them!?) I decided to try a different tack. It's nice to give the Now albums an airing again.
Anyhoo, I was back at my parent's house two weekends ago in order to celebrate my mother's birthday and to bid a fond farewell to my darling brother who is currently in the land down under for a year of thrills, spills and unfettered existence. Fingers crossed for him. Now, I have left several CDs behind at the house, including a Best of Bob Marley which I was excited about finding as its Caribbean flavours would provide an apt soundtrack to Sharon's last few days of work. Unfortunately I had planned to get a train back to Brighton the same day as I travelled up, and once I was offered a lift back from Ally I was always going to be staying the night. Minus glasses and contact lenses. The gormless fumbling the next morning unsurprisingly did not yield the results I was after, and I made my way back to Brighton with stack of CDs that contained everything BUT reggae.
At least that is what I though initially. Once I had gotten back to Brighton and was able to see again I found that I had picked up a couple of old mix CDs that I had been given many moons ago. One of these had Police and Thieves by Junior Murvin on it, amongst other exciting artists that I never normally listen to, such as the Velvet Underground, Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix. Thanks Maya! This CD provided quite a lot of enjoyment at work. There were also a couple from Steve that were a little less exciting, not surprising as our music tastes are so similar, but there were some legendary gems in there, including this one:
Absolutely different class, that Paul Anka.
Sharon has also brought in a couple of Now albums herself. She even has the most recent one in the series! As someone whose Now collection tailed off around 2002, this was an intriguing prospect. A chance to see what is considered to be upper echelon pop in this day and age. The sad fact of this encounter though was that I only knew a handful of the 40 or so tracks on there. As someone who once prided himself as an aficionado of contemporary music, this was quite an eye-opener.
Ok, so Now albums aren't exactly a barometer of what is hot and not at the moment (although Party Rock Anthem is most definitely in the former category), but it did draw my attention to the fact that my music tastes are rooted in the mid-Noughties, and that I've not really deviated from the bands I came to know and love then since I've left Exeter. There is most definitely more to be heard out there. The musical world is much larger than British Sea Power, Paul Anka and LMFAO. Most of the stuff they play in Resident Records for one thing.
The mix CDs were a light-bulb flashing just above my head. What better way to find out about new music (both unheard and contemporary) than through mix CDs? If I could get several people to kindly make me mix CDs I should be able to expand my musical knowledge exponentially! It is also quite an exciting project to make a mix CD, so I daresay other people would benefit from this idea. So, without further ado, here is the proposal:
I WANT YOU TO MAKE ME A MIX CD
In an ideal world the mix CD would be several things:
- containing music I've not experienced before
- containing music I've experienced before but may not possess
- containing the odd classic I've played countless times
- cogent and coherent
- concise, so as to promote listening to it as a whole
- beautifully presented
This is quite a big ask, but I promise that I will provide anyone who makes me a mix CD with one in return, as well as possibly some biscuits. And if there's lots then the person that makes the best one can have a carrot cake. I've never made a carrot cake before, so this winning mix CD will have to be pretty damn inspiring. And preferably contain one track which is a recipe for said cake.
Sharon embarks on her fortnight of fun that she has been dreaming of since she was 9 years old on Saturday. I will then have two weeks in which to experiment with the CD player. Please help me. There are only so many more times I can listen to Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus.
If you wish to post me anything my address is as follows:
7B Wentworth Street
Brighton
BN2 1TT
I eagerly await mash-ups of Bulgarian dancehall and bootlegs of Latvian Britpop.
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