Favorite Songs of 2010, #12

(This is our 3rd annual “Favorite Songs” series. It’s a forum for Range Life friends and family to share and celebrate the songs that moved us and meant something to us in 2010. Songs are presented in no particular order. We’re posting weekdays until we’re spent, so keep checking back. Submissions are welcome! Send a song link and whatever you want to write to zach@rangeliferecords.com)

Today’s list/underground weather report is by Tracey Trance, our main man in Washington.

TRACEY TRANCE TOP 11 RELEASES OF 2THOUSAND10
what i got passed and what i know of that rule(d) me: in sortof a particular order but not really too much, good for effect::

1. The Savage Young Taterbug (currently Timothy Wind) — Syrupy Evenings [cassette release on Night-People. halloween forever, a scarecrow’s endeavor. neil cassady rhapsody]

2. Ancestral Diet — VITRIOL [LP release by Turned Word & Saxwand, mems Caethua, C-Section 8, flakmask. chill industrial stone-fest!]

3. Normanoak — Elixer [cassette release on Magnetic South, to borrow a term from the bad boys at Foxy Digitalis this tape has been, of yet, ‘criminally limited’ at 50 — none of which ever made it out of the central Indiana area. some say it’s too reverby but chris, seth, and the gang cranked out anther true time-testin’ document]

4. Clear Leader — [self titled cassette (mems Crude Hill,…?) Gross Domestic Product # 008 ~ chorus on the bass and thin guitar dance 2 steps with the 1 step drums in the haunting way that it seems only providence folks can do stuff]

5. CAEN — STULSAFT [cassette release on Gutter Rash MMX… in a town in oregon there’s a dude named Gordon who is involved w lotsa noise and metal and does it as well as anyone has or will]

5.5 CONCERN — Caesarean [Lp release by Arbor Gordon.]

*** 5 and 5.5 are the chill side of Gordon’s output which is all i happen to hav copies of so far.. haven’t heard knelt rote lp yet – heard it’s scarier than a lotta stuff, also plays as Oscillating Innards]

6. Nonhorse — The Fear of Infinity [cassette release part of the HYPNO/FEAR TAPE SYSTEM by G. Lucas Crane’s Socialized Topic Logistics– silent barn hero and member of woods.. mind melter… freakazoid meditator… The Fear of Infinity!!]

7. (Expressway) DJ Yo-Yo Dieting — Bubblethug [2xLP release by Weird Forest, a noise graduate’s choppt & screwd masters thesis, classy and F’d, member of the dynamic duo Diamond Catalog]

8. Order Out of Chaos (comp.) [cassette release # 68 in the Mississippi Records tape series, packed with musicas the world over but, like, all the stript peaceful and weird versions; their well is deeeeeep and this stuff they selected for the tape (lotsa similar-veign vinyl from them now as always), no muscle only skeleton as some stuff has to be listened to on tape]

9. Meester Magpie — cassette in purple tied cloth traded for at Bitch Pork [self released chicago jammers and rippers, psychedelia sludge noise spray,, on MOSS tapes]

10. SHV / Swamp Tease / Russian Tsarlag — whatever ally and/or carlos did or are doing right now since it’s not 2011 yet.

11. JOCK TORTURE — steam soak 1991 [harsh noise, REDNECK)]

Favorite Songs of 2009, #19

(This is our second annual “Favorite Songs”series. It’s a chance for Range Life fans, friends and family to shout-out and share some of the songs that made 2009 better, dancier, more deeply felt, more memorable and enjoyable. Songs are presented in no particular order. I hope you’ve enjoyed the last few weeks of posts! Thanks to everyone who has participated. We’ll finish up Monday. -Z)

This post is by Quincy Quartz/Bone Delouise/Tracey Trance, Lawrence experimental O.G.

Song: “Recession Vacation” by BIRD NAMES

Song Link: Really Coastal (Stream: scroll down, on the left)

chicago based ‘get high and let die’ quartet of 3 awesome dudes and rad babe drummer/master cymbalist who all sing bitchingly offer their new long play EP ‘recession vacation’ tape up for grabbin from LA based Really Coastal, some new jammers that gets em pro dubbed so they’r archival as shit and blue.  they mail em right out which is cool; not that all the badboy stoner labeleers aren’t just as with it but Really Coastal is still in the single digi’s with their catalogue so they’re eager that way which is awesome.  the song, which you can hear on their space in it’s entirety, is the opening number and title track so you know it starts off with a chill shaker.  then brubek’s classic beat dances in acoustic with the little dried beans but instead of paul desmond you get the full band chorus of their signature awesomely weird, and i hate to compare this to anything but brubek but there’s a soft place in my aural reception for early gas huffing rural pennsylvania ween style, vocals.  so now you’re holding the sony hand-held to your ear while driving because when the first verse/chorus comes in you’re on the third pass of the j in your whole being, warmed by the generosity of their reference content as a MAKE LOVE NOT WORK fuck you to everybody’s whining about how they don’t have a hustle anthem — LOVE! MUSIC!! CHILL!!!  i’m even more sorryer tho to have to reference pitch dork, as this blog’s editor in chief once referred to it,, seriously tho,,, this band is from the window citow as i said and they playd Bitch Pork fest – embracing the same weekend as tha other thing,,,, so ok pitch dork said a really nice thing about panda bear when that got best record of the year from them which was like, ‘panda bear makes everything bad disappear’ and i’ve gotta go ahead and shanghai that sentiment and extend it to the first verse/chorus of this song — the shit just disappears!  it’s awesome!!!!  in the spring bird names released ‘sings the browns’ which is a full length masterpiece of beefhearty ariel pinky chuck sheen and contains my second favourite song of this year ‘taxi cabs and bicycles’ — they are the crap, dig all the way back – just be sure to have some mary j blige goin at the same time in honor of.  one glove, all honor to the life of MJ – fly high!!

(hey lawrence *$%&*#s — go see BIRD NAMES this saturday december 19th at the Jackpot!)

love,
TRACEY TRANCE