If you’re ready for it, here is the third installment of the Cactus-Mouth/Unholy Rhythms collaborative mixtape series. Since we did mixtapes for Christmas and then Valentine’s Day we realized that our third effort should also have a theme. So I came up with the idea of covering songs from the late 1950’s through the early 1960’s. It was a special time in pop music, a more innocent time. It’s also the music that we were raised on. I have fond memories of taking naps as a little kid while my parents listened to Sam Cooke, Patsy Cline, The Everly Brothers, and others. So this was a special project for me.
We asked some of our favorite artists to choose and cover one of their favorite songs from this specific era. Each artist had their own favorites and they also knew which sort of song would best fit their individual style. In addition, the stellar artist The Future Cat lent her talents to the beautiful lady on the cover artwork. All together the result was more amazing than I could have ever hoped. U/R and I have been working on this mixtape for a couple months now, so we’re really excited for everyone to hear it. We would also love to endlessly thank each of the artists that worked on this for us. Many of them had hectic schedules, but found time to help us out. This is all their work, we take no credit.
Now there are bound to be some familiar faces on this mixtape, but hopefully there are also some that are new to you. Each artist is absolutely amazing and is totally deserving of your time, so I encourage you to check them out. Oh, and I’ve also included a link to the original songs so you can check them out too (so just click the original artist). OK, I’ve blathered on enough. We now proudly present you with:
Tears On My Pillow: Part I
1 Mutual Benefit - “Cupid” (Sam Cooke)
2 Chains of Love - “Stay” (Maurice Williams & the Zodiacs)
3 Sore Eros - “Palisades Park” (Freddy Cannon)
4 Adelyn Rose - “Broken Hearted Melody” (Sarah Vaughn)
5 Die Jungen - “I’m Sorry” (Bo Diddley & the Carnations)
6 Tashaki Miyaki - “Nothing Can Change This Love” (Sam Cooke)
7 M o r o - “Sound of Silence” (Simon & Garfunkel)
8 Heavy Hawaii - “All I Have to Do Is Dream” (The Everly Brothers)
9 Blue Jungle - “Who’s Sorry Now” (Connie Francis)
10 His Clancyness - “Love Hurts” (The Everly Brothers)
11 Wisdom Tooth - “Tiptoe Through the Tulips” (Tiny Tim)
12 Piresian Beach - “Where You Gonna Go” (Art Guy)
13 Le Chevalier - “Non, je ne regrette rien” (Edith Piaf)
14 Grandpa Was a Lion - “Moon River” (Johnny Mercer & Henry Mancini)
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*And if you guys like Tears On My Pillow: Part I, then keep your eyes peeled because you’ll looove Part II. It should be out in a few weeks!*
Chains of Love // “Black Hearts”
One band that I am really excited about is Chains of Love. I spilled the beans on how great I think they are last month, and that wow-factor hasn’t really diminished at all. In fact, it’s quite the opposite (especially when they drop me some new tracks to devour).
On “Black Hearts”, Chains of Love takes their time machine even further back in time. The jump brings a heightened level of authenticity to the music. The production is a little cleaner, the harmonies are tighter, and the “doo-whas” pierce straight down to the heart. Their music evokes the aesthetics of a lazy summer break in the early 1960’s. A simpler, more innocent time where “getting pinned” had a completely different meaning. So sling your letterman jacket over your girl’s shoulders, push play on the radio, and park your car at makeout-point; because Chains of Love is here to stay.
Download “Black Hearts” and their other brand-new track, “Lately” on their Soundcloud while you can.
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isn’t it keen: “Black Hearts”
Chains of Love // Demos
Although SouncCloud confuses me, I occasionally navigate my way around it just enough to discover something truly great. In my inbox there I found a single track by Vancouver band Chains of Love. Now the name Chains of Love would be a strange choice if the group was going for anything but a 1960’s girl group sound. Lucky for them (and me) that is exactly what they are going for, and believe me, they nail it.
Now before your thoughts go straight to bands like Vivian Girls or Dum Dum Girls or any other girls, let me stop you. Chains of Love doesn’t really sounds much like those bands at all. If I had to compare them to a modern band it would probably be The Bitters if they cleaned up and became a bit more accessible. No, their sound is pretty close to original 1960’s acts like The Ronettes or The Crystals, just with a lo-fi garage rock twist.
For proof, listen to the song I’ve included below. After falling in immediate love with it, make your way to their bandcamp and scoop up the other three songs that they have for download there. I assure you, they are just as good.
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holy crap this is good: “You Got It”
If you follow my blog then it is probably no surprise that I love pop music from the late 1950s and early 1960’s. Frankie Valli. Connie Francis. The Beach Boys. The Everly Brothers. I love it all. Now I also love indie music (duh), so here is where those two loves converge.
The following is a mixtape of cover songs that I’ve slowly collected in my iTunes. They are songs by some of my favorite artists from the 50’s/60’s covered by some of my favorite artists of today. I’m calling it California Nights, I hope you nosepickers enjoy it.
California Nights:
1 The Postelles — “Everyday” (Buddy Holly)
2 Girls — “End of the World” (Skeeter Davis)
3 Dum Dum Girls — “Let It Be Me” (The Everly Brothers)
4 Micah P. Hinson — “Sleepwalk” (Santo & Johnny)
5 Ty Segall — “Pretty Woman” (Roy Orbison)
6 Best Coast — “That’s the Way Boys Are” (Lesley Gore)
7 Atlas Sound — “Unchained Melody” (The Righteous Brothers)
8 Summer Camp — “I Only Have Eyes for You” (The Flamingos)
9 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. — “God Only Knows” (The Beach Boys)
10 The Morning Benders — “Crying” (Roy Orbison)
11 Grizzly Bear — “He Hit Me” (The Crystals)
12 Asobi Seksu — “And Then He Kissed Me” (The Crystals)
13 Vivian Girls — “He’s Gone” (The Chantels)
14 Secret Colours — “Tomorrow Never Knows” (The Beatles)
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