This is my 14th update of my Muxtape, which features freely streamable music as chosen by me; it is found here.
1. Beyoncé [feat. Jay-Z] - "Crazy In Love"
So, what do you hate? ((Kim Craig.)) I can only say: reject this track and die! It's mind-stopping, booty-shakin', and the oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh part kills me. Every single time.
2. Marvin Gaye - "What's Going On"
Calm and at the same time shattering and utterly political, this is in many ways the American 70's as distilled by a man whom many considered unable to make an album like this. In fact, Berry Gordy refused to release this single at first, until Gaye himself convinced him that it had to be done; it turned out to become the fastest selling record in the history of Tamla-Motown and set off a variety of reactions against political issues such as the Vietnam war and drugs.
3. Voxtrot - "Raised By Wolves"
Brilliant pop.
And oh, don't you wanna love? And don't you wanna feel? I remember, you were reckless, you were hungry You were real, you were so uptight Listen, I don't mind I feel like I'm watching a car crash.
And oh, this is how it ends You will watch your friends Take a moment, take a nothing Then they'll put it in again. This is how we are This is how we are We are young and stupid And raised by wolves
4. Mystery Jets - "Bleeding Love"
Originally a track performed by Leona Lewis (and in most part written by Ryan Tedder, also known as being the singer in OneRepublic), wonderful English band Mystery Jets here abandon their newly found sound as produced by Erol Alkan and go for an orchestral approach to this cover, for a rare BBC session. This band is destined for greatness.
5. The Game - "No More Fun And Games [Produced By Just Blaze]"
The inclusion of this track points to its grooviness and general feel, which I can only blame Just Blaze for. The Game's rap is manslaughter, in a bad way. ((Example: "I'm like Dre, Eazy, Cube, King Tia rolled into One.")) This song, though, brings true funkiness from the 70's together with newer technology. Just Blaaaaze!
6. Prince - "When Doves Cry"
Poetic, loving, intense, broken-up and damaged, Prince paints a picture of a relationship and plays it as if James Brown would have met Kraftwerk. A masterpiece. According to lore it was written in one night.
7. Super Furry Animals - "Carry The Can"
Have you ever seen the windows cry, as rain passes by? Winter's branches making faces as you look to the sky Constellations form a screaming mouth, tormented and torn Evolution stops right here with me, my descendants will be fish
8. Eminem - "Guilty Conscience [feat. Dr. Dre]"
This song made me jump at the very first listen, not only because it made me believe that Dr. Dre could finish his follow-up to "2001", but because Eminem turns tables on his in-song good-side cohort Dr. Dre when trying to argue that the character Grady should kill his infidel wife:
[Eminem] Okay! Thought about it, still wanna stab her? Grab her by the throat, get your daughter and kidnap her? That's what I did, be smart, don't be a retard You gonna take advice from somebody who slapped Dee Barnes?
Oh yes, that Dee Barnes. Combine that with a melody-infused beat that refuses to relinquish its grip on you and a story about choices, a tale of good and evil, and know that this track is a modern classic.
9. Guns 'n' Roses - "Welcome To The Jungle [Alan Niven Demos Remastered]"
In wait for "Chinese Democracy"While most of us who loved "Appetite For Destruction" know that Guns 'n' Roses will never again release a good album, this is a nice "revamp" of one of their best track; Alan Niven was hired as the band's first manager and made them record a few demos, of which a bunch would resurface on the first, second and third albums. This is a recently brushed-up version of a great song.
10. Pet Shop Boys - "Where The Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You)"
Chris Lowe and Neil Tennant loved balearic 80's pop music. They also loved 60's girl-bands. They were notorious for hating U2. So why not create a triumvirate to kick off the 90's? Hence, they made a medley to storm the charts, pairing U2's "Where The Streets Have No Name" with Frankie Valli's "I Can't Take My Eyes Off You" ((Although in disco instrumentation à¡ la Boystown Gang.)), thus creating this bombastic track.
11. Jimi Hendrix - "Manic Depression"
This is the only hard-rock waltz that I can think of; it's also fashioned to the blues and has been covered by a lot of bands, like this one.
12. The Dirtbombs - "Nothing To Do"
Why not a Sparks cover about boredom?
If I had a million thumbs I'd twiddle, twiddle But I just have two Nothing to do, nothing to do Nothing to do, nothing to do