layout: post title: "BMP Presents: CDX2" created: 1100168588 categories:

• CDX2
• Burning Monkey Productions
• Personal

Through Urban Vancouver, I was lucky enough to meet Rusty, a.k.a. Alex. Somehow I got drawn into the crazy web that is "CD Exchange 2".

And so, I give to you my entry:

Burning Monkey Productions Presents: CDX2

Format is: Song Name / Artist Name (Album) Time
If no album is listed, it is the same as the artist name.

1. All Hell For A Basement / Big Sugar (Brothers & Sisters, Are You Ready?) 4:00

   I love Big Sugar, from their early, more blue-sy stuff (and I was tempted to pick one of those, since many people haven't heard it), to their rockin' later stuff. But they really shine when you see them live, and they string together 2 or 3 songs, spending 15, 20, or even 30 minutes playing with the music. And Gordie Johnson can play the guitar like no one else.

   Alternate pick: Sleep in Late / Big Sugar (500 Pounds)

2. Monkey Wrench / Foo Fighters (The Colour and the Shape) 3:51

   Continuing with the "rock" theme that started the disc, I needed something that kicked things up another notch.

   Alternate pick: Everlong / Foo Fighters (The Colour and the Shape)

3. In The Land Of The Super Freaks / Hammerheads 4:44

   Who the heck are The Hammerheads?! They're a local Ottawa band that plays all the time. You can probably classify them as "disco funk revival" if you had to pick a label. Always a good time out at the bar, and very danceable. Still very high energy like the previous two songs, but without that hard rock edge.

   Alternate pick: I wanted a band that few if any had heard, so an alternate would likely have been something from another Ottawa band, Andrew Vincent and the Pirates.

4. Exploration / Thievery Corporation-DJ Kicks 3:07

   Bringing the energy and speed down a notch. Retro vocal samples plus a blend of instruments and beats. The alternate was too long and a little too electronic after the preceding songs.

   Alternate pick: Escape to Neptune / Rising High Trance Injection

5. Burn One Down / Ben Harper (Fight For Your Mind) 3:31

   I've only seen Ben Harper live once, and that's not nearly enough times. How does one go about picking a favourite song? The music is great, the lyrics are great, and there are a ton to choose from.

   Alternate pick: Excuse Me Mister (live) / Ben Harper (Live from Mars 1)

6. Candela / Buena Vista Social Club 5:31

   This was a case of me wanting to put something "different" in to switch the mood a little. I like Spanish / Cuban music, and this BVSC has a great little melody in the background that weaves in and out of the vocal track.

7. Cracklin' Rosie / Neil Diamond (His 12 Greatest Hits) 2:59

   What? You don't like Neil Diamond?! Of course you do, you just have to listen to him a couple more times. Bet you weren't expecting that on here. Neil, for all his cheese, puts together some fun, listenable music.

   Alternate pick: Kentucky Woman / Neil Diamond

8. Woman Of The Ghetto / Hortense Ellis (Impact!) 3:05

   I like the vocals on this particular track. The compilation is by Soul Jazz Records, and is a British import. A great restaurant in Ottawa called the Black Tomato has great music like this, and they'll even sell it to you.

   Alternate pick: Be Thankful / Donovan Carless (Impact)

9. Holes To Heaven / Jack Johnson (On and On)) 2:55

   "There were so many fewer questions / when stars were still just the holes to heaven" -- what a great lyric. The bass lines in this have great hooks (are you beginning to see I like background beats?).

   Alternate pick: Bubble Toes / Jack Johnson (Brushfire Fairytales)

10. Wrong / Everything But The Girl (Walking Wounded) 4:38

    Kicking off a three song electronica run, there are enough vocals in this to make a good transition from Jack. I love every song on this album, and it's one I often include on "Intro to House" mixes.

    Alternate pick: Corcovado / Everything But The Girl (Walking Wounded) a.k.a. the "32 flavours and then some" song.

11. Part of The Process / Morcheeba (Big Calm) 4:27

    I had a choice of putting in some old Morcheeba, or some new Morcheeba, and I chose old. The new Charango album took me some time to get used to, but now I really like it.

    Alternate pick: Charango (feat. Pace Won) / Morcheeba (Charango)

12. Hymn Of The Big Wheel / Massive Attack (Blue Lines) 6:37

    By this third track, I've got you right where I want you: nice and relaxed, with your ears perked up to suck in some more beats and interesting voices. I went with old instead of new again.

    Alternate pick: Karmacoma / Massive Attack (Protection)

13. Dobie - I Miss You (Sunshine Mix) / Bjork (Telegram) 5:35

    Bjork's strange voice should start to get you out of relaxation mode, but in not too jarring of a way. I like this mixed version of the song.

14. Here's That Rainy Day (Koop Remix) / Astrud Gilberto (Verve Remixed 2) 3:31

    The beginning of this song almost has a little Super Mario Bros. vibe to it. This is from the Verve Remixed 2 double album. One CD is filled with jazz originals, the second contains remixed versions of the originals.

    Altnerate pick: Fried Neckbones and Some Homefries (Dan the Automator Remix) / Willie Bobo (Verve Remixed 2) -- because of the name of the song, of course.

15. Thick Necked Man / Crash Test Dummies (The Ghosts that Haunt Me) 3:20

    And now for something completely different! Listen to the lyrics or just kind of tap your feet and get the music.

    Alternate pick: The Superman Song / Crash Test Dummies (The Ghosts thaat Haunt Me)

16. Psycho Killer (Live) / Talking Heads (Stop Making Sense) 4:24

    I wanted to round out the disc with a live track, and this song is a classic that was nicely different from the rest of the music.

    Alternate pick: Burning Down the House / Talking Heads (Stop Making Sense)

Of course, I wasn't quite organized enough to manage printing a cool insert ahead of time, so I've gone the techie route. There are three PDFs to choose from to download and print:

• full colour
• b&w
• song list only