The Manly Mixtape is a weekly 6-pack of songs on a theme. It will rock your face every Monday. This week’s sees the debut of Mr. Nobody.
Blitzen Trapper – Black River Killer
Ignore the friendly strum pattern and upbeat chord progressions and you’ll discover a brutal murderer. The trail of dead following the singer numbers somewhere around 5 or 6 (I lose track); in other words, if you turn Black River Killer into a drinking game, you’d only need 2 listens to get good and drunk. That’s more kills per minute than Pulp Fiction had swears per minute. Fuck. That’s a lot of killing, and a lot of shots. The cameo by Fred Willard as a talk show host is pretty key as well. Check out his Blago-inspired hair.
Dead Heart Bloom – Sodom
I’m not sure who made this video (or why), but that’s not the important part. With a wandering bass line, accented drum beat, and a soaring string arrangement, it’s obvious that this song has been expertly crafted. But the lyrics – harkening back to Sodom, complete with imagery of whores, writhing, and turning into a pillar of salt – add another layer of complexity. Pepper in some reversed vocals and you’ve got a song that’s just asking for a Parental Advisory sticker.
Ben Folds Five – Satan is My Master
Most people are already familiar with “Brick,” the band’s awful abortion tale, but that’s not what we’re going with. “Satan is My Master” is a little-known live track released on their b-sides album “Naked Baby Photos.” Short, but hardly sweet, it lets everyone know where this next-gen Elton John places his allegiances. Though, to be fair, if I got free Metallica records out of the deal, I doubt I’d complain much. It just better not be anything post-Load. Stupid Lars. Actually, never-mind – it’s looking like a pretty raw deal. At least “Satan is My Master” is a cool song.
Pine Box Boys – I Kept Her Heart
We’ve all done it, right? Married a 15 year old girl whom you traded for a horse? Then, after years of loveless marriage, took her into the woods out back and brutally murdered her? Finally, you dragged her lifeless body into the local flour mill and ground her bones into a fine powder, right? But, as a memento, you kept her heart. Right? We’ve all been there.
…
No?
Cold War Kids – We Used to Vacation
Yum, gin. Normally, a dry martini and a couple of blue cheese olives would be a great way to end the day. Add in a car and a helpless family along for the ride and suddenly you’ve got a recipe for disaster. Yet despite his promises to his wife and children, the lead singer just can’t seem to shake the addiction. That lovely self justification of “Still things could be much worse/natural disasters on the evening news” provides just enough excuse for another drink and another broken promise.
Fiona Apple – Criminal
Click here to see the video. Ms. Apple apparently dislikes embeddable videos.
Fortunately for me, the inimitable J.B. Mays already crossed the gender line when he introduced Brody Dalle of The Distillers the other week. Fortunately for everyone else, that means we can use Fiona Apple’s awesomely dirty “Criminal” in this week’s Mixtape. After this video, I know I certainly wouldn’t mind being Ms. Apple’s rueful transgression. Although the fact that she might write a song comparing my manhood to a shriveled up roll of dimes makes me have second thoughts.