Chop Shop Records Blog

All good things must come to an end…and the same goes for Summer 2010. It was a fantastic one, but fall is approaching and we all know the best way to cope with the change in seasons is with an old fashioned mix-tape from the Chop Shop.

Now, crafting a playlist is no easy feat…chances are you have worked hard on your own in the past and came up with varied results. Maybe you went a little too heavy on the rock, or didn’t have enough songs people knew, or maybe you forgot the one track that would have been perfect. We’ve all been there. On the flipside, isn’t it a beautiful feeling when your mixtape hits the mark right on? You had just the right balance of indie cool and pop with a little hip-hop sprinkled in. Maybe you found that one song that no one has heard before that everyone asks about. Anyways…I could go on…

So as a special little treat for you and as a celebration of us passing 5,000 followers on Twitter, we had everyone in our office contribute one current song that they are digging as well as one classic song that has been with them for awhile for an ultimate End Of Summer Playlist. Maybe we hit the mark…maybe we didn’t…but at least your ears will have something to do for a few minutes.

Thanks for hanging around with us! Enjoy!

End Of Summer Playlist by Chop Shop Music

Breakdown:

#1 ) Baths – “Plea” (John – Current)
21 year old San Fernando Valley native Will Wiesenfeld invokes Boston’s Tom Scholz in the form of his own laptop recordings.   But 25 years later, bedroom has replaced basement.  Computer has replaced tape.  Beats have replaced guitars.  A classically trained pianist, Wiesenfeld has repurposed his rigid musical training and left it to creative chance.  Invoking John Cage’s musical happenstance, what flows in and out of the laptop is pure electronic pop magic.  Cerulean is the name of the debut album, which has breathed life into my often anaemic ears.

#2) Elvis Costello & The Attractions – “Beyond Belief” (Alex – Classic)

#3) Dag För Dag – “Hands And Feet” (Matt – Current)
My love affair with Scandinavian music continues…

#4) Peter Gabriel – “Solsbury Hill” (Kasey – Classic)
This song has been on repeat in my brain the past week. I love the last verse, it is so empowering to me.

#5) The Head And The Heart – “Lost In My Mind” (Kasey – Current)
My new favorite band. I love the natural feel, I love the harmonies, and I love this song.

#6) David Bowie – “Somebody Up There Likes Me” (Ginger – Classic)
I love the sax in this song which is what caught my attention in the first place and it also feels so nostalgic. It brings such a happy, drive-off-into-the-sunset kind of feel.

#7) The Acorn – “Restoration” (Alex – Current)

#8) Eminem ft. Lil Wayne – “No Love” (Brittany – Current)
This album has not left my cd player since the day it came out, and this song has been played more times than anyone wants to know.  Lil Wayne’s verse is flat out amazing, but Eminem’s wording and lyrics are well beyond the rest of the music that is happening today.  The sting in his words and the point that he always finds a way to get across, no matter how he has to put it, never fails to hit home.  He is so talented and this song is so powerful in what it has to say that I can’t stop listening to it.  Eminem is a genius.

#9) Dragonette – “Volcano” (Justin – Current)
So I figure there’s two ways to end your summer.  You could host a chill party with some of your close friends, listen to music like “Fazon” from 70s psychedelic rock band Sopwith Camel, take in all of it’s jazzy goodness, and prepare yourself for the onslaught of fall and all the holidays ahead, OR you could throw one last huge bash.  The song “Volcano” by Dragonette would be the perfect way to kick off said bash.  Ever since we got this song in I haven’t been able to get it out of my head.  Good luck!

#10) Patti Smith Group – “Dancing Barefoot” (Brittany – Classic)
When I turned 19 I got a record player with built in speakers as a gift, so I went to the thrift store to buy some albums and the Patti Smith Group album “Wave” was my first random purchase.  I got home and heard “Dancing Barefoot” and I played it as loud as I could on repeat for weeks and weeks until I blew the speakers.  Her voice has a powerful and haunting quality that lends itself so well to the lyrics that talk about a mistress who is falling for the wrong person.  My favorite part of the song is the ending where the song tails out and her voice is doubled up…it is like it is spinning out of control.  It is a great moment in female punk rock history and one of my favorite songs of all time.

#11) Boston – “More Than A Feeling” (John – Classic)
For a long time I’ve felt that this song helped mark the beginning of alternative rock.  Released in 1976, this track treated guitars and harmonies unlike the more progressive, blues rock at the time.  Rock had become pure pop chemistry and Tom Scholz took on the role of mad scientist.  Working alone in his basement, Scholz crafted his D.I.Y. sound perfecting microphone techniques and analogue vs. digital technologies.  He recorded relying purely on his genius and autocracy.  Every time I hear the big riff in “Smells Like Teen Spirit” I hear this song.  When I listen to Billy Corgan’s gigantic, layered guitars, I hear this song.  Every time it comes on the radio I smile and air guitar.  Who doesn’t?

#12) Greg Laswell – “Off I Go” (Ginger – Current)
I’m always transfixed when I hear his music, period.

#13) Sopwith Camel – “Fazon” (Justin – Classic)

#14) U2 – “Out Of Control” (Matt – Classic)
I love the passion and raw energy of young Bono and U2. The Edge is a genius too.

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