It is with great privilege and honour that I unveil to you the final song list for SLS12.
Check out the hypothetical cover for this hypothetical mix. Look for SLS13 in late June, 2005.
posted at 09:50 PM EDT | Discussion (0) | TrackBack (0)There's only about six weeks to go before we in the SLS commitee finalize the tracklist for SLS12. Here are the tunes that will get serious consideration.
I'm listing them in order of their likeliness to make the cut, so the shoe-ins are listed first and the tunes on the bubble are listed last.
The Von Bondies - C'mon C'mon
The Killers - Mr. Brightside
Franz Ferdinand - This Fire
Modest Mouse - Ocean Breathes Salty
Billy Talent - River Below
Muse - Hysteria
Eminem - Mosh
Marble Index - I Believe
Beastie Boys - Triple Trouble
The Hives - Walk Idiot Walk
Jet - Look What You've Done
Velvet Revolver - Fall To Pieces
The Tragically Hip - It Can't Be Nashville Every Night
Jakalope - Pretty Life
Green Day - Boulevard Of Broken Dreams or American Idiot
Auf der Maur - Followed The Waves
Papa Roach - Getting Away With Murder
Sum 41 - We're All To Blame
Incubus - Talk Shows On Mute
Linkin Park - Breaking the Habit
There's still six weeks to go. That's plenty of time for some new tunes to blow us away.
posted at 01:38 PM EDT | Discussion (2) | TrackBack (0)Here are some answers to some of your most frequently asked questions about SLS.
What exactly is SLS? SLS is 80 minutes of what the SLS committee deems to be the best new music since the previous installment of SLS was "released". A new edition is "released" every year around Canada Day and Christmas Day. The reason we cut each edition of SLS off at 80 minutes is because that's the length of time on a standard CDR.
What does SLS stand for? SLS stands for Smells Like Sour. The phrase was coined before I got involved with SLS, but I hear it has something to do with a road trip, a Nirvana song and an aroma.
What makes a song SLS-worthy? This is a tough question to answer. If a song is going to qualify as part of the best 80 minutes of music from the previous six months, it's gotta be good. We know an SLS-worthy tune when we hear it, but it's difficult to quantify. There's a spirit to an SLS tune that makes you want to turn it up and get lost in it's aura. System of a Down's "Chop Suey" was SLS-worthy. Simple Plan's "Perfect" was not.
Who decides the final playlist for SLS? Anyone can submit a song for SLS consideration via the Smells Like Sour home page, but the final decision is made by Mark and I. Since I maintain the page and have my ear closer to the ground, I usually come up with a potential 80 minutes of music and give Mark an opportunity to veto a track or suggest another. We typically come to a consensus pretty quickly.
What edition are you on? We are currently accepting submissions for SLS12 which will be "released" in late December. SLS13 is due by Canada Day 2005 and SLS14 will be in the can by Christmas 2005. You get the idea.
Isn't this illegal? There is nothing illegal about compiling hypothetical mixes. Any resemblance to a compilation we share with friends and family is completely coincidental.
What tunes are looking good for SLS12? The best way to catch hints about what the next edition of SLS might look like is to monitor this blog. We'll periodically write about potential track lists and tunes that look good for inclusion. In fact, I intend to write such an entry sometime this weekend. Stay tuned!
posted at 03:47 PM EDT | Discussion (2) | TrackBack (0)Have you ever heard of Jakalope? This bio calls them the "brainchild of world-renowned studio genius Dave “Rave” Ogilvie". Their official site is nothing more than an elaborate countdown clock which will probably contain all sorts of information when the clock runs down Monday at midnight. With their single "Pretty Life" getting some serious exposure, including thirteen weeks on Edge 102's Thursday 30, people everywhere are hitting Google to learn what they can about this band with the strange name.
Back in September I liked the tune "Pretty Life" enough to submit it for SLS12 consideration. Because there is so little on the web about this project, that SLS page is receiving a large influx of hits from people looking for information on the band. People are Googling and our page is ranked rather high. A search for Jakalope has us ranked #5, a search for Jakalope lyrics has us ranked #3 and a search for Jakalope Pretty Life has us ranked an impressive #1.
So, until Jakalope's official site launches next week, we're your main source for Jakalope info. That's just pathetic.
posted at 02:55 PM EDT | Discussion (4) | TrackBack (0)When we were putting together the final playlist for SLS11, it was pretty clear it was shaping up to be a pretty spectacular edition. In very early April I first read this submission for The Von Bondies' "C'mon C'mon". I secured an MP3 of the song and reviewed it, which I do for all potential SLS tunes. I distinctly remember liking it but it didn't blow me away and with only 80 minutes available for SLS11 it was left on the cutting room floor.
I rediscovered "C'mon C'mon" again in July, well after the final playlist for SLS11 was finalized, and regretted we couldn't find room for it on SLS11. Now it's mid-October and I think "C'mon C'mon" should be made eligible for SLS12. The CD Pawn Shoppe Heart wasn't released until March 2004 and I think we can resurrect this under appreciated gem from The Von Bondies.
In fact, I think it's our duty to ensure this tune is deemed SLS-worthy. Besides, who's going to stop me?
posted at 11:39 AM EDT | Discussion (0) | TrackBack (0)September is winding down and that means we're just about half way through the period of SLS12 submissions. We'll choose the final playlist for SLS12 just before Christmas.
Thus far it's shaping up to be a pretty weak edition. Typically better material shows up in the final three months of an SLS cycle but I'm a little concerned with what we've got at this point.
There's only a few tunes out there I really dig. My favourite songs of 2004 all appeared on SLS11. Where are the killer tracks? Where are the SLS-worthy releases?
For the record, here's what I like so far.
We can do better.
posted at 12:37 PM EDT | Discussion (0) | TrackBack (0)I just heard Franz Ferdinand's "Take Me Out" for the one thousandth time this summer. It's one of a trifecta of 80s inspired songs that salvaged radio in the spring and summer of 2004. You heard them at every turn, they couldn't be avoided and they shouldn't be avoided.
If you haven't guessed by now, the other two tracks are Modest Mouse's "Float On" and The Killer's "Somebody Told Me". When we look back years from now, we'll always associate these three tunes with the spring and summer of 2004. That's not such a bad thing, is it?
posted at 08:53 PM EDT | Discussion (0) | TrackBack (0)I just heard Green Day's latest single, "American Idiot". It's clearly a Dubya-inspired ditty. Below is a taste of the lyrics.
"Well, maybe I'm the faggot America
I'm not a part of a redneck agenda
Now everybody do the propaganda
And sing along in the age of paranoia"
It got me thinking about the most recent Pearl Jam studio release and the tune "Bushleaguer". When I saw Ed Vedder perform this song live last summer, he was donning a Dubya mask. Here's a taste of the anti-Bush lyrics in Bushleager.
"A confidence man, but why so beleagued?
Hes not a leader, hes a texas leaguer
Swinging for the fence, got lucky with a strike
Drilling for fear, makes the job simple
Born on third, thinks he got a triple"
Speaking of Pearl Jam, they're one of several bands on the "Vote For Change Tour". These bands will play shows during the first week of October in a number of swing states. Other artists taking place are REM, Bruce Springsteen, the Dave Matthews Band and the Dixie Chicks. The anti-Dubya sentiment boils over.
It's an age of politirock and there's nothing wrong with that. Will Pearl Jam fans who also consider themselves Republicans change their vote this November because of what Vedder says and thinks? I sincerely doubt it, but there are thousands and thousands of Pearl Jam fans who are unaware and don't vote at all. I believe this is their target and if the young, disenfranchised American goes out and casts a vote for John Kerry, we're all better off.
Keep on rockin' in the free world.
posted at 03:13 PM EDT | Discussion (0) | TrackBack (0)A week ago I wrote an entry I entitled The Female Voice in Rock. I applauded the presence of three songs on SLS11 sung by women.
This raises the question as to how many songs with a woman providing the lead vocals have made an edition of SLS. Below is the complete list in chronological order.
So you see, only eleven songs in all of SLS have a female voice singing lead vocals. Still, with three of them appearing on the most recent edition, this could be a turning point for women in rock.
posted at 12:12 PM EDT | Discussion (2) | TrackBack (0)I never believed women could rock. I know that sounds sexist, so please allow me to elaborate.
My musical preference is hard rock. I enjoy an edgy guitar sound with angst-riddled lyrics delivered in a baritone voice. For the most part, I prefer my music rough and that means I've mainly feasted on music sung by a male. There have been exceptions to this rule, but 99% of the music I listen to is delivered by a guy. It's not that I believe men to be the more talented musicians, it's just that my ears prefer the male voice in rock.
Listening to SLS11, I hear a number of female voices. Now, more than ever, I'm hearing a female voice in rock and my ears are digging it. There's the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' "Maps", Metric's "Combat Baby" and The Distillers' "Beat Your Heart Out". Although that's only three out of twenty-three, it's still a significant development as far as I'm concerned. Previous SLS-worthy songs song by women were few and far between. Tracy Bonham's "Mother Mother" was 8 years ago, dammit!
I'd like to hear more of the female voice in rock. If the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Metric are the sign of a trend, it looks like I'm going to get my wish. So long as it's not Courtney, I'm happy.
posted at 12:22 PM EDT | Discussion (2) | TrackBack (0)As we threatened to do, there is now a home page for SLS11. Clicking the number 11 at the top of any page will get you there.
We are now accepting submissions for SLS12 which will be "released" in late December. Your mission is simple, the next time you hear that tune on CD, in MP3, on the radio, MTV or MuchMusic that you think is SLS-worthy, go here and submit it for consideration. It might just make the cut.
If you submitted a tune for SLS11 consideration that didn't make the cut, you'll now find it on the Cutting Room Floor. It happens.
You have your orders. Make me proud.
posted at 11:57 AM EDT | Discussion (0) | TrackBack (0)
