The Penguins CD Club

2007-02-12T13:47:00.000-08:00

What up Penguins!

Hope you all enjoy the February CD and its funky goodness.
-SMac

SMacDown: The Revenge

Intro- Sound Tribe Sector 9
Brothers and Sisters - Butch Cassidy Sound System
Bubonic Tonic - Lotus
New Planet - Medeski, Martin & Wood
Holographic Universe - Thievery Corporation & Gunjan
Drink Me Hot - Chris Joss
Chick-A-Boom - Joe Bataan (Chris Joss Remix)
Casbah - Dynamo Productions
Californie - AIR
Discern/Define - The Poets of Rhythm
Something For Madeleine - The Karminsky Experience
Divers - Boozoo Bajou
Poor Leno - Royksopp
Cirrus - Lotus
Home - The New Deal

2007-02-10T06:39:00.000-08:00

Otterpops CD Club

Penguins - just got a note from another CD club that was born out of the broadcast we did on the Penguins in September - the Otterpops - their site is at http://otterpopscdclub.blogspot.com
When you have a chance, check it out to see what they're listening to.

2007-01-21T13:32:00.000-08:00

KRISTIN PATTON
PENGUINS JANUARY 2007

Brandenburg - Beirut
Grass - Animal Collective
Mushroom - Can
Oscillations - Silver Apples
Ethanopium - Dengue Fever
Come On Now - The Ethiopians
El Justiciero - Os Mutantes
Whirly-Bird - Silver Apples
Sni Bong - Dengue Fever
Blind Joe Death - John Fahey
Hands - Four Tet
Wear Your Love Like Heaven - Donovan
We're Gonna Make It - DeVotchKa
Come On Home - Jackie Edwards
Uptown Ranking - Althea and Donna
Qualquer Bobagem - Os Mutantes
Steel Guitar Rag - John Fahey
May the People Would Be the Times or Between Clark and Hilldale - Love

Hello, hope everyone is enjoying the mix! I thought I
would attempt to give an explanation to the assemblage
of these seemingly random songs. Originally I was
going to title this mix, “penguins on the equator” (to
juxtapose the month of January, coldness of winter,
etc. and it so happens the typical January has yet
occur (here), so I abandoned this idea). I planned to
strictly use tropicalia music, but I decided to infuse
and tie to together with music that influences one
another, for instance: Tropicalia has ties to the
psychedelic and experimental genres which tie into
some folk which tie into regional music…even though
this may not flow together in a traditional sense – I
believe it flows in sort of an evolutionary sense?
Hmm…maybe. Well, in any case, I hope it is appreciated
in some way. I look forward to next month!

2007-01-13T12:50:00.000-08:00

ROCK & ROLL IS DEAD/LONG LIVE ROCK & ROLL
CHRISTINA
DECEMBER 2006

Firefly (Alpha)
Too Rude (Carmen Rizzo Featuring Esthero)
New Resolution (Azure Ray)
Jaleo (Trüby Trio Featuring Concha Buika)
Só Com Você (Thievery Corporation Featuring Bebel Gilberto)
Downhill Racer (Everything But The Girl)
All Alone (Slick Rick)
Bug Powder Dust (Bomb The Bass / Kruder & Dorfmeister Remix)
Feel The Sunshine (Alex Reece Featuring Deborah Anderson)
Killer's Lullaby (Faithless)
For The Unknown (TJ Rehmi)
Light (Talvin Singh)
Banstyle Sappys Curry (Underworld)
Dirty Harry (Gorillaz)

2006-11-16T19:51:00.000-08:00

Nate Isaacs closes out Penguins Year One with
A PENGUIN PROTEST
Songs of Protest, Patriotism and Social Commentary
October 2006

Aunt Molly Jackson Defines Folk Songs
I Am a Union Woman - Rosalie Sorrels
Do-Re-Mi - James Talley
All Used Up - Utah Phillips
Masters of War - Bob Dylan
Out of the Clear Blue Sky - John Lester
We Can't Make It Here - James McMurtry
United States - Seize the Day
Fortunate Son - Creedence Clearwater Revival
Lookin' for a Leader - Neil Young
Marker in the Sand - Pearl Jam
The Price of Oil - Billy Bragg
Hurricane - Bob Dylan
Black Rain - Ben Harper
What Would You Do? - Paris
Bomb the World (Armageddon Version)
George Bush is an Islamic Fundamentalist
This Land is Your Land - James Talley

2006-09-23T08:02:00.000-07:00

A PENGUIN'S DAY..
SAME AS OURS!

September 2006
Sandy McIsaac

Even the Losers - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Señorita - Los Lonely Boys
The Chain - Fleetwood Mac
Samson - Regina Spektor
Fever - Eva Cassidy
Other Side of the World - KT Tunstall
Fragile - Sting
Tomorrow - Bono and Adam Clayton
Seagull - Bad Company
Unloved - Jann Arden
God Was In the Water - Bonnie Raitt
Michael - Antigone Rising
The Wood Song - Indigo Girls
Redemption Day - Sheryl Crow
Another Place to Fall - KT Tunstall
Renegade - Styx
Fortunate Son - Creedence Clearwater Revival
Everyday People - Sly and the Family Stone
Imagine - Eva Cassidy

Sandy also included a poem of hers with her CD:

"A Penguins Day...Same As Ours"

As I listen to my music
Shadows moving from my youth
Remembering dreams dreamt
Face the awkward truth

All that was...All that could have been
Remains the same...Just out of touch.

I watch the Penguins at the zoo
"All Swim!" the announcer barks invisibly
With one return all follow his lead
March in step left-right - a fake tranquility

All that was...All that could have been
Remains the same...Just out of touch.

When do we stop hate and war?
When our earth is nevermore...
When will the Golden Rule apply?
When we are all dead...

All that was...All that could have been
Remains the same...Just out of touch.

2006-08-22T13:53:00.000-07:00

"High Spots"
Penguins #10 (July) - by Stephanie Valdez (late of New York City)

The Obvious Child - Paul Simon
It's Not Happening - The Be Good Tanyas
Stupid Mouth Shut - Hem
You Turn Me On, I'm a Radio - Joni Mitchell
ABC - The Jackson Five
Beach Boys - His Name is Alive
Aladdin's Story - Death in Vegas
The Saddest Story Ever Told - The Magnetic Fields
9:20 Special - Count Basie
Manhattan - Ella Fitzgerald
I Know Where the Summer Goes - Belle and Sebastian
Reader Meet Author - Morissey
Jesus, Etc. - Wilco
Don't Go Back to Rockville - 10,000 Maniacs
Cherry Lane - Ryan Adams
California Stars - Billy Bragg and Wilco
Rock and Roll - Rasputina

I've seen Rasputina a couple of times, they put on a great live show - last time I saw them was in Williamsburgh, Brooklyn at Galapagos. California Stars is a favorite, and that whole album was a favorite of mine - I like to pluck that one out on the guitar sometimes.
Thanks, Stephanie.

2006-08-17T05:10:00.000-07:00

Hi gang, I just mailed out the new CD. Actually, a friend of mine and I made it, his name is Billy Terry. I started thinking the other day that I might have duplicated a song or two from past CD's, I hope not, but I wanted to mention it. I have really enjoyed getting ya'll's CD's, so I hope you enjoy ours:

1 In the Beginning……………………………..The Stills
2 One Big Holiday……………………………..My Morning Jacket
3 Don't Know Why (You Stay)………………..The Essex Green
4 Oh Mandy…………………………………….Spinto band
5 God Monkey Robot………………………….The Apparitions
6 Staging the Plaguing of the Raised Platform……………………………………….Cornershop
7 Black Cab…………………………………….Jens Lekman
8 Bongo Bong………………………………….Manu Chao
9 Shorty's Night Out…………………………...Bellagios
10 I Burn Today………………………………….Frank Black
11 Broken Signals……………………………….The Mugs
12 History of Lovers…………………………………………Calexico & Iron and Wine
13 Rotten Love…………………………………..Levy
14 The Needle Has Landed……………………Neko Case
15 Happy Birthday………………………………Clem Snide
16 Trains to Brazil……………………………….Guillemots
17 Shine a Light…………………………………Wolf Parade
18 Lloyd, I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken………Camera Obscura

-Mike Finewood

2006-06-15T12:05:00.000-07:00

AROUND THE WORLD IN 17 TUNES... AND A SKIT
JUAN RADILLO
JUNE 2006

Sunflower River Blues - John Fahey
Trem Batucada - Os Reis du Batuque
Senegal-Mauritanie - Kaouding Cissoko
Angelo - !Deladap
Kidda - Natacha Atlas
Facing East - Thievery Corporation
Temporal - Radio Tarifa
Quien Engana No Gana - Ojos de Brujo
Bochinches - Ruben Blades
Me Vuelvo Guajiro - Tam Tam 2000
Mi Confesion - Gotan Project
Señor Matanza - Mano Negra
Blink - Blue Scholars
Escape from the City of Angels - Ithaka
Bluebird - One Self
Dime-a-Dozen - The Mammals
Chocolate On My Tongue - The Wood Bros.
The Elite - Bill Hicks

2006-06-15T11:58:00.000-07:00

I dream of flying: A musical expression of one penguin's life
Thomas, Lorraine
May 2006

Modest Mouse - Dramamine
Chunder - Friends of Dean Martinez
Cream of Gold - Pavement
The Jealous Kind - Fallouts!
Transmissions from Venus - Man or Astroman?
Carry the Zero - Built to Spill
New Light of Tomorrow - Husky Rescue
Backyards - Broken Social Scene
Blacking Out the Friction - Death Cab for Cutie
Uncertain Smile - The The
If You're Feeling Sinister - Belle and Sebastian
Save It For Later - The English Beat
In California - Neko Case
Broken Signals - The Mugs
Waitin' for Superman - The Flaming Lips
Skull - Sebadoh
The Build Up - The Kings of Convenience
Dramamine - Sun Kil Moon

2006-04-22T13:01:00.000-07:00

Penguins Xtra - by Sandy McIsaac

1. Danny Elfman - Birth of the Penguin
2. Little Beirut - Penguin
3. Crosby and Nash - Penguin in a Palm Tree
4. The Julius Airwave - Tickle Me Penguin
5. Steffen Basho-Junghans - Smiling Penguins
6. Banana Slug String Band - Penguin Parade
7. The Virtual Penguins - A New Houdini
8. Kool and the Gang - The Penguin
9. Theory of One - Penguins on the Bottom
10. Lyle Lovett - Penguins
11. Ellipsis - Penguin
12. Katie Melua - Belfast (Penguins and Cats)

2006-04-13T09:44:00.000-07:00

April - Vol. 7

1. ...intro (much more exciting than email) - Bogaev/Radke
2. Baby, Let Me Follow You Down - Bob Dylan
3. I Threw It All Away - Yo La Tengo
4. Another Girl Another Planet - The Only Ones
5. Untitled - Palace Music
6. Dark Of My Moon (demo version) - Gene Clark
7. Both Sides Now - Roger Whittaker
8. Hold On, Hold On - Neko Case
9. I Love You For Sentimental Reasons - Karl Zéro
10. New Orleans - Silver Jews
11. U-Mass - Pixies
12. Paranoid Android - U-Mass Marching Band
13. Highly Illogical - Leonard Nimoy
14. Sprite: Melonball Bounce - Raymond Scott
15. Birdie Brain - The Fiery Furnaces
16. She's Real - Built to Spill & Caustic Resin
17. She's So Cold - The Rolling Stones
18. Whip Smart (demo version) - Liz Phair
19. Safe European Home - The Clash
20. Porcelain Monkey - Warren Zevon
21. Dance Music - The Mountain Goats
22. Strychnine - The Sonics
23. Marilou Sous La Neige - Serge Gainsbourg
24. His Indie World - Mary Lou Lord
25. The Mixtape Song - Tennis Pro

1. ...intro (much more exciting than email)
Ring any bells?

2. Baby, Let Me Follow You Down
This is a great song and, I don’t know, it just seemed to be the right transition into the CD-proper.

3. I Threw It All Away
Yo La Tengo has made kind of a sideline doing covers (including a full album of them[!]) and this is one of my favorites. Such a heart-breakingly sincere take; a cautionary tale my friends...

4. Another Girl Another Planet
Kind of an obscure song considering how good it is. The Replacements used to cover this live but I don’t think too many people are familiar with it. I love Peter Perrett’s delivery on this song.

5. Untitled
Do you like cake? Of course, we all do. Palace Music is one of the many guises/incarnations of Will Oldham and this is a song I’ve always liked. I hope you will too.

6. Dark Of My Moon
Gene Clark was one of the founding members of the Byrds and this comes from a collection of demos he was working on at the time of his death. It’s so spare, haunting and gorgeous, yet disturbing and scary too.

7. Both Sides Now
Sorry. I got hip to Roger Whittaker via a friend’s parents in the 80s—they had most of the Whittaker oeuvre on cassette—and I’ve never looked back. The spoken intro here is AWESOME. (If you’re familiar with the original BBC version of The Office, it reminds me a bit of the David Brent character.) Plus, it’s so nice to hear this song with an orchestra because it sounds so RICH and ROUND and TRUE.

8. Hold On, Hold On
This is from Neko Case’s most recent album, which I like a lot. I thought it would be nice to have something more or less brand-new included here and this seemed to fit the bill.

9. I Love You For Sentimental Reasons
Karl Zero is a French comic/TV personality who does a show in France kind of like The Daily Show. Discovering ‘50s American cha-cha-cha for the first time, he liked it some much he recorded an album of it. You have to believe him: he’s giving you his ‘art.

10. New Orleans
I’m a huge fan of the Silver Jews and this is a classic example of early SJs. Enjoy!

11. U-Mass
The Pixies, as you may know, met at the University of Massachusetts (or, at least most of them did.) From what I understand, they did not exactly love it there. This is a great ROCK song (with an unbeatable chorus) that tends to get overlooked in the Pixies catalogue.

12. Paranoid Android
Those wacky band kids score with this astonishingly faithful version of the Radiohead classic.

13. Highly Illogical
Um, so Leonard Nimoy made a record called: Two Sides of Leonard Nimoy. One side as himself—with touchie-feely numbers (including one about Bilbo Baggins)—and the other side as Spock. Get it? Maybe you can guess which side this comes from. (You can almost see the air-quotes when he says "they fall in 'love.'") I like how the super-intelligent alien being seems to have an Andy Rooney-type take on things.

14. Sprite: Melon-ball Bounce
Penguin-Beth included a Raymond Scott song (which happened to be called “Penguin”) on the December issue, and Raymond is making his return appearance here. I’ve always liked this little ‘50s ad-jingle and all I can say is: honey-DO!

15. Birdie Brain
A great song with a lot of your basic Fiery Furnace standards: including dog-psychology and general inscrutability.

16. She's Real
This comes from a 4–song EP collaboration between these two Boise bands. This song would be right at home on BTS’s fantastic 1st album Ultimate Alternative Wavers. Dig in!

17. She's So Cold
I ran across this—after not hearing it for years—and, for some reason, it just sounded great. If taken literally, it does seem to address the logistical difficulties of penguin love. Discuss.

18. Whip Smart (demo version)
For no particular reason, I’ve never listened to Liz Phair that much. I happened upon this demo for a pretty well-know song and I just thought it was really beautiful.

19. Safe European Home
A great, and somewhat overlooked, Clash song. Kind of a bridge between their earliest work and mid-career sound. My take-away - Jamaica: sun, palm-trees, weed, taxis. European home: zip. There's no contest really.

20. Porcelain Monkey
This may be the best song about Elvis. And, there’s just some really great writing too. "He had a little world / It was smaller than your hand" - what a great little summation of late-period King. And, "Left behind by the latest trends / Eating fried chicken with his regicidal friends." Pretty amazing. (Apparently, Warren Zevon saw a post-card of an interior shot of Graceland—with Elvis’ porcelain monkey prominently featured—which inspired this song.)

21. Dance Music
A great mini-portrait of an era’s social and political dynamics, this comes from The Mountain Goats most recent album, which is really fantastic. (There's also a really beautiful song about the late Reggae great Dennis Brown on the same album.)

22. Strychnine
The Sonics were a legendary Seattle (ok, Tacoma actually) band that was playing proto-grunge in the ‘60s. (After all these years, they are beginning to be discovered by the mainstream—one of there songs was used in a Range Rover ad recently.) This is one of their classics and it rocks.

23. Marilou Sous La Neige
I’m no French major but, if Marilou is sous la neige, that’s probably not good, non? Nonetheless, this is a very pretty song that nicely shows-off Serge’s distinctive style.

24. His Indie World
A great snapshot of mid-90s indie-rock. (When the alt-country phenomena took off, Mary Lou used to perform “His Alt-Country World” live, which was even better but seems impossible to find in recorded form.)
UPDATE: the song is actually called "His ND World"--ND as in No Depression--and it is available out there in cyberspace.

25. The Mixtape Song
Another band-litany song (Huey Louis??) from a local (Seattle) outfit, which seemed like a natural for this CD.

That's it. I hope you like it, and please let me know what you think.
Reid

2006-03-20T11:07:00.000-08:00

Coming to a mailbox near you.....

1. "Kahyangan" By a Gamelan Orchestra feat. On Degung Klasik Vol.3
2. "Indigo" By Lady Mecca and mixed by Carmen Rizzo
3. "Appleorange" By Alpha
4. "Glory Box" By Portishead
5. "El Estuche" By Asterciopelados
6. "Progression Sessions" By LTF Bukem and DJ Conrad
7. "Sea Song" By Doves
8. "Sometimes" By James
9. "Going, Going, Gone" By Stars
10. "Jamma Jenngii" By Baaba Maal
11. "Le Parcours d’unne Larme" By Princess Agnes
12. "Breathing Light" By Nitin Sawhney
13. "1er Gaou" By Magic System
14. "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" By Isreal Kamakawiwo’ole
15. "All That You Give" By Cinematic Orchestra Feat. Fontella Bass
16. "Nothing Without You" By Dohl Foundation & Fun Dr. Mental, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

I spent a lot of time putting this together, so I would love to hear what you think!

2006-03-02T14:05:00.001-08:00

Heather's February Mix
1. "All the People" The Pupils
2. "Bull in the Heather" Sonic Youth
3. "Cheree (Remix)" Suicide
4. "Glomde Konst Kommer Stundom anyo-till hedens" Dungen
5. "Trust" The Pretty Things
6. "Panis et Circenses" Os Mutantes
7. "I Want You Back" Esso Trinidad Steel Band
8. "Do Your Thing" Leroy Sibbles
9. "Let Me Watch" Viktor Vaughn feat. Apani B.
10. "Perfect Day" Lou Reed
11. "Disorder" Joy Division
12. "Angels and Demons at Play" Sun Ra
13. "Everybody Loves the Sunshine" Roy Ayers
14. "The Lazy Sunbathers" Morrissey
15. "Music Answer" The Sharks
16. "Get the 'L' On Down the Road" Bill Johnson's Louisiana Jug Band
17. "I Get Lonesome" Beck featuring Calvin Johnson
18. "Oh! Brother" The Fall
19. "RappSnitchKnishes" MF Doom
20. "I'm A Mindless Idiot" Meat Puppets
21. "Hung Up On a Dream" The Zombies
22. "The Human Abstract" David Axelrod

2006-03-02T14:01:00.000-08:00

Gideon's Penguins and Owls Pre-Mardi-Gras All-New-Orleans Music Mix
January 06

1) New Orleans Music – Rebirth Brass Band
Right next to my favorite New Orleans restaurant, Jacques’Imo’s, which reopened after Katrina on December 29, is the Maple Leaf, where the Rebirth Brass Band has held court on Tuesday nights for years. I’m happy to report they are back at the Maple Leaf Tuesdays starting in January ’06.
2) The Spanish Tinge – Jelly Roll Morton
Have to have Jelly Roll on any New Orleans album – he carried around a business card – “Jelly Roll Morton – Inventor of Jazz.” These recordings were made by Alan Lomax at the Library of Congress in 1938. Lomax found Jelly Roll down and out, playing in DC in a down and out gin joint, asked him to come to the grand piano in the Coolidge Auditorium at the LOC and lay out the whole story of jazz from top to bottom. All of these recordings have recently been re-released by Rounder Records.
3) Tipitina – Professor Longhair
The song for which the New Orleans club gets its name. I saw a show here on Christmas Day 2005. This is a phenomenal howling solo performance by Professor Longhair (1918-1980), in London.
4) Tou’ Les Jour C’est Pas La Meme- Carol Fran
This is from a fantastic Katrina benefit album from Nonesuch Records – Our New Orleans 2005 – The quality of music from Nonesuch is always nonpareil – they haven’t disappointed here with all songs recorded after August 29, 2005 by New Orleans artists. I heartily recommend getting this album – proceeds will be donated to Habitat for Humanity.
5) Wade: Hurricane Suite – IV – Dr. John
Another excellent Katrina benefit album from New Orleans piano genius Dr. John, where he takes the classic spiritual Wade in the Water to new places. From Dr. John and the lower 911 – Sippiana Hurricane. This was recorded at the historic Bearsville studio in Woodstock New York.
6) I Ain’t Gonna Tell Nobody - King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band
I spoke with Tom Piazza recently, author of the excellent book “Why New Orleans Matters”and he had this to say about the recording quality of this song: “The sound meets you halfway, and you kind of have to reach back to it a little bit. You have to kind of work a little bit to hear everything that’s going on. In that way you are kind of participating in the music yourself”
7) B’s Paris Blues – Branford Marsalis
This Katrina benefit CD is from Rounder Records and Marsalis Music – all proceeds will be donated to MusiCares Hurricane Relief 2005. There is excellent material on here – if you like this, I recommend picking up the whole album.
8) New Orleans Zulu King (at Mardi Gras) – poem by Josephine Copeland
Some poetry to set up the vision of New Orleans at Mardi Gras time.
9) Indian Red – Wild Tchoupitoulas
A ritual song sung by the Mardi Gras Indians. This song is sung at the passing of an Indian, one of the men in the social clubs that march in fully festooned regalia at Mardi Gras time. This song is also sung at the beginning of many Indian rehearsals, which happen Sunday nights throughout the year.
10) Brother John/Iko Iko – Neville Brothers
This is an R&B version of a Mardi Indian song – Iko, Iko – which is usually performed with voices, tambourine and whatever beat-making percussion is near at hand.
11) L’ouragon – BeauSoleil
Tremendous fiddling from the veteran Cajun band BeauSoleil.
12) La Danse De Mardi Gras – The Balfa Brothers
Dewey Balfa and the Balfa Brothers give us a little bit of Cajun Mardi Gras sounds like.
13) Boozoo’s Breakdown – New Orleans Klezmer All-Stars
Klezmer zydeco – who’d’ve thunk it – the minor key masters do their take on the romping style of this Boozoo Chavis tune.
14) Sad Song – Davell Crawford
One of my favorite New Orleans performers – saw him at Tipitina’s on Christmas – I’ve seen him play live twice, and both times, I have been riveted the whole time, watching his every move. This guy has immense piano chops, a beautiful voice and a gripping performance style.
15) Bye Baby Bye, Bye – Fats Domino
I’ve heard about Fats Domino’s legendary barrelhouse piano performances, where he would play the piano so hard it would slide around the stage. This is a cleaned up poppy number that gives a hint of that rocking live performance style.
16) I Will Survive – Marva Wright
Christmas night this year, I went to see Marva Wright’s Christmas Revue – she does it every year at Tipitina’s – she ripped the roof of the place with this version of “I Will Survive”- with the post-Katrina resonance, the song really hit home – making you want to laugh and cry at the same time. This recording doesn’t quite do it justice, but it gives an idea of what Marva is capable of.
17) Yes We Can Can – Allen Toussaint
I love the back up singers on this song – this is also from the Nonesuch Record – “Our New Orleans 2005”
18) What a Wonderful World – Louis Armstrong
What more can you say than Pops. It seems he had the biggest heart in music ever. When Alan Lomax was asked to program the music for the disk that went on the Voyager space probe that would represent life on earth, he made sure there was a Louis Armstrong cut on there.

2006-01-04T10:17:00.000-08:00

THE PENGUINS - VOLUME III
DECEMBER 2005
BETH FORD

Playlist:
"The Penguin" - Raymond Scott
"Once In A Lifetime" - Wasis Diop
"Just Can't Get Enough" - Nouvelle Vague
"Tempter" - Stereolab
"Ulrike" - Chumbawamba
"Chumari Chumari" - Abhijeet & Anuradha Shriram
"Out-side" - The Beta Band
"Fake Palindromes" - Andrew Bird
"La Moda (We Love Ennio Mix)" - International Pony
"Sunshowers" - MIA
"Sunshower" - Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band
"Mandy" - The Langley Schools Music Project
"Duo" - Carlos D'Alessio
"Elisir" - Paolo Conte
"The King of Carrot Flowers" - Neutral Milk Hotel
"Quelqun Ma Dit" - Carla Bruni
"Let It Die" - Feist
"Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover" - Eels
"Staring at the Sun" - TV on the Radio
"Three or Four" - The New Pornographers
"Da Da Da (I Don't Love You You Don't Love Me) - Trio
"Little Drummer Boy" - David Bowie and Bing Crosby

WOW! First of all, kudos to Beth for the first POPUP CD jacket. Also, I have to say, we may have an official Penguins theme song in Raymond Scott's "The Penguin." That just sounds like a penguin to me. Really excellent mix - the Talking Heads cover is great, took me a moment to place it. And Bowie and Bing - that really was a surreal holiday moment. Thanks, Beth!

2005-12-13T15:21:00.000-08:00

Dear Penguins,

Well, Volume 3 is in the mail, so look out for it. Boy, was it fun; I make a lot of playlists, but they usually have a specific purpose: just broke up with boyfriend, need good crying music; am tired of gym playlist, need new gym playlist; playlist for a friend's wedding that starts with "their song" and includes a lot of dance music but with no obscenities. So doing the CD was like an exercise in the Pure Theory of the Playlist. And I found that in its pure form, the mix CD echoes the structure of a party, from cool lounging to get-up-and-dance to a little bit of nostalgic melancholy at the end. Just in time for the holidays!

Yours,
Beth

2005-12-04T06:54:00.000-08:00

I enjoyed reading your thought on the tunes, Gideon - the best part is how you really analyzed the flow. That was one of the things that I was most concerned about during its creatation. The Hive / Vines sequence is also one of my favorites.

I still think that when we are all done with the 12 CD's it would be really interesting to try to match up a list of the members' personal description with a list of the CDs.

Happy Holidays!
Bill

2005-11-29T16:43:00.000-08:00

Bill Jaworski
Penguins Volume 2: November 2005
Double Album!!

Bill came through with not one but two complete disks! Thanks, Bill – enjoyed it thoroughly throughout the Thanksgiving break, on my drive to Philly where I had a great meal with family. Hope you all had a good Thanksgiving as well, and a bargainful Black Friday.

Volume 2A: “Degrees of Freedom”
“Diamond” – Klint
“Sferic Waves” – Man or Astro-man?
“Song 2” – Blur
“The Good Life” – Weezer
“Take Me Out” – Franz Ferdinand
“The Passenger” – Iggy Pop
“Alone, Together” – The Strokes
“Sheep Go to Heaven” – Cake
“Mirror in the Bathroom” – The English Beat
“Peace Frog” – The Doors
“O My God” – The Police
“Smells Like Teen Spirit” – Paul Anka
“Fight This Generation” – Pavement
“Gut Feeling” – Devo
“Hate To Say I Told You So” – The Hives
“Outtathaway” – The Vines
“Step Aside” – Sleater-Kinney
“Swollen Summer” – Radiohead
“Love and a Molotov Cocktail” – Fly’s
“Tony Randall” – Bikini Kill
“It’s Not You” – The Cure
“London Calling” – The Clash
“The Weedy Burton” – The Cure

Really nice indie rock mix – was introduced to some new bands and songs here – wow, I had heard of that Paul Anka cover but hadn’t actually heard it – that was worth the price of admission alone! One of the strangest arrangements that somehow worked in a pleasantly disturbing way. A highlight on this disk – liked the Hives/Vines sequence, as well as the Cure/Clash/Cure closer.

Volume 2B: “Soul Spring Blues”
“Glad” – Traffic
“Goodbye Baby” – Van Morrison
“Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing” – Chris Isaak
“Mary Won’t You Call My Name?” – Morphine
“In the Waiting Line” – Zero 7
“Could You Be Loved” – Bob Marley
“Let’s Get It On” – Marvin Gaye
“Do What You Wanna” – Ramsey Lewis
“Star” – Elysian Fields
“Mannish Boy” – Muddy Waters
“How Blue Can You Get” – B.B. King
“One Mint Julep” – Ray Charles
“Hot Pants” – James Brown
“Sex-o-matic Venus Freak” – Macy Gray
“Paper Tiger” – Beck
“This Ain’t Living” – G. Love and Special Sauce
“I Don’t Need No Doctor” – Ray Charles
“Boom Boom” – John Lee Hooker
“What You Talkin’ About” – Kongar-ool Ondar and Paul Earthquake Pena
“Run On” – Moby
“White Castle Blues” – The Smithereens

Funky mix, with something old (Ray Charles, James Brown) mixed with something new (Macy Gray, G. Love), something blue (B.B., Muddy). Really find the mellowness of Zero 7 relaxing and catchy at the same time. Flows nicely – enjoyed being reacquainted with the Traffic cut, the Ramsey Lewis cut is like an itch waiting to be scratched – just awesome! White Castle nice end – reminiscent of White Castle runs of old.

2005-11-14T17:08:00.000-08:00

Hello Gang,

Your November CD are out of my hands in the hands of the all-mighty US
Postal Service. I hope you enjoy this month's selection. It was fun
selecting the music, but the production part of it is for the birds.
Nonetheless, I hope that you can relate or are moved by one or two of
the
songs. "Part A" ('Degree of Freedom') is rockin' music that I found
good to
clean the house to eventhough it was originally designed to be listened
to
as you are getting ready to go out for a fun Saturday night. "Part B"
('Soul Spring Blues') is a groovy set of tunes, perfect for late
evening
drives or for when you are just "chillin'."

Enjoy!

Ciao,
Bill

2005-11-01T11:33:00.000-08:00

Thanks for setting up the blog, Gideon. This will be a great way to follow up with each other about our mixes.

Rebecca, rad job on the first CD! I like that your picks were pretty mellow and for me, great for listening to while reading or just hanging out. But at the same time some of the songs are a little quirky, in both lyrics and sound. Overall it's certainly an eclectic mix, but all the songs/ artists work really well together, that's not an easy thing to do in any case. And, I hadn't heard of many of these bands, so thank you for exposing me to some new music. In short, it's everything I could have hoped for in a mix CD!
-- Heather

2005-10-29T16:04:00.000-07:00

Many thanks to Rebecca for putting together the inaugural Penguins mix, and making a hot CD that's sure to keep us warm as autumn turns to winter (as it is beginning to do up here in New York at least). "Cantamilla" is an excellently funky track and sets a tone for the mix. It's really fun. Brazilian Girls and Pizzicato Five always welcome. The end is nice and quiet - thought "So Are You To Me" was sublime. Ending with Satie's Gymnopedies also a sweet touch.

PENGUINS: VOL. I - Rebecca Smith
Track 1: "Intro" Zap Mama
Track 2: "Mada" Seu Jorge
Track 3: "Cantamila" Tranquility Bass
Track 4: "Womanside" Swamburger
Track 5: "Lazy Lover" Brazilian Girls
Track 6: "Playboy Playgirl" Pizzicato Five
Track 7: "I Know You Got Soul (Single Version)" Bobby Byrd
Track 8: "Chicken Payback" The Bees
Track 9: "Cha-Ka-Too (Yonami Beach Mix)" Hibiki Connection
Track 10: "Treehugger" The Rugburns
Track 11: "Filthy Gorgeous" Scissor Sisters
Track 12: "Die Young, Stay Pretty" Blondie
Track 13: "Alone Again Or" (with Nicolai Dunger & His Band)" Calexico
Track 14: "Just Won't Burn" Susan Tedeschi
Track 15: "Broadway" Tom & Joy
Track 16: "Lover, You Should Have Come Over" Jamie Cullum
Track 17: "Blackbird" The Beatles
Track 18: "Lonely" Bebel Gilberto
Track 19: "It Could Be Sweet" Portishead
Track 20: "So Are You To Me" Eastmountainsouth
Track 21 "Trois Gymnopedies" Aldo Ciccolini

Included below - some of the early responses to Rebecca's October Mix:

Kudos to Rebecca for an aaaaaaaaawwwweeeesome volume 1. I love it, all of it. The music picked was totally original and
interesting and a great addition to my cd collection. I will definately be looking into some of those artists!
cristina

Rebecca and all,
I'm taking Penguins Volume 1 on road trip this afternoon to Seattle. Thanks for your hard work. I also admired the packaging, very creative. I better start working on next October's disc if I'm going to have one half as nice. I look forward to hearing what everyone thinks of your song selections.
Be groovy,
Nate Isaacs

Received the CD yesterday and have started listening to it. Thank you very much (nice labelling job on the CD by the way). - JJ