talking about music

Monday, December 08, 2003, at 11:07AM

By Eric Richardson

Saturday a friend and I were talking about music at a party. We were asking about different bands we thought each other might have heard of or might like, and the process involved a lot of "have you heard of xxxxx? no." In the end we agreed to make sampler cds to exchange, to more adequately reflect what it was that we each listen to. Today while taking a break from reading I put a little time into putting mine together. I really enjoy the process of selecting songs, balancing out not only the songs that are favorites of mine, but also the ones that accurately portray the musician. Click to find out what ended up on my cd...

I've always had pretty eclectic music tastes, and I think this list reflects that. It wanders around genres a bit, but I tried to order the selections to flow as seamlessly as possible.

Vampyros Lesbos - The Lions and the Cucumber

I wanted to start with a selection that would set the tone for the rest of the cd. The soundtrack for Vampyros Lesbos is about as internally eclectic as I wished the rest of the cd to be. I don't know why, but I love this track.

Blonde Redhead - In Particular

From the album Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons.

Tricky - Pumpkin

From Maxinquaye. A track that first drew me to Tricky's work.

Massive Attack - Safe from Harm (12" Version)

"Safe from Harm" comes from the Blue Lines album. The 12" version was released as a single, but I got it via their boxed set. Even though the album is a dozen years old, still one of my favorites.

Clutch - Careful With That Mic...

A curveball... Changing up the pace a bit. This is off the band's Pure Rock Fury album. The song that introduced me to Clutch.

Blackball - get outta here

From the album super heavy dreamscape. It's hard to seperate a single track from the album as a whole, but this one I thought to flow better in this spot on my compilation.

Antiloop - Catch Me (with Timbuktu)

Off of the album Fastlane People.

PENNY - Extraordinary

My favorite PENNY track.

Steve Reynolds - Dear Rose

From Steve's independently released album Exile.

PJ Harvey - This Mess We're In

From Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea. PJ's associated with a brash up-front sound, but this track with Thom Yorke is anything but.

Tricky - Car Crash

The only artist repeated on the album, though each album Tricky produces may as well be by someone new. This track is off of his newest release, Vulnerable.

Halou - Before There Was Color

Halou's Wiser is THE album for calming me down when I'm upset at something. I can't explain the effect it has on me.

Howie Day - The Drugs Don't Work (2002-05-06)

Here Howie covers The Verve's 1997 song. A great cover of a great song.

Shmuel Bowles - Look Up

From his freshman release, These Roots That Bind Me.

Rita Lynch - All Dressed Up

From the album by the same name... An energetic song to end on.

It's a collection I'm proud of, and that I think gives a good taste for what it is that I tend to gravitate toward musically.