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e.g. mix 2008.11: Fuck You, Clown
The title is the punchline to my favorite shaggy dog story. But it also has deeper meaning for me, representing the little guy shaking his tiny fist in defiance at his oppressor. Specifically, this mix is about my struggle with depression.
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Drawing Flies by Soundgarden from the album Badmotorfinger (1991). I like this song for an opening track because its instantaneous balls-out ugliness perfectly sets the mood for the disk. This tune has some of the most effectively self-loathing lyrics I've ever heard, perfectly capturing the mindset of depression.
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Israel's Son by Silverchair from the album Frogstomp (1995). The riff is awesome. And the anger and angst expressed in this song is as real and vivid as only a 16-year-old can make it. That doesn't prevent it from being really funny, though.
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Mountain Song by Jane's Addiction from the album Kettle Whistle (1997). Kettle Whistle was a rarities compilation. This version of "Mountain Song" is a 1986 demo of the song that eventually went on Nothing's Shocking. The album version is higher quality, but the demo is more satisfyingly bombastic, which makes it more suited for this mix.
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Nothing as it Seems by Pearl Jam from the album Binaural (2000). This is a song about alienation in one's home. I like the droning quality of it and the fact that everything rhymes with "home" or "alone."
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Rain When I Die by Alice In Chains from the album Dirt (1992). The bleakness of this track borders on the sublime.
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The Drowning Man Knows his God by The Mermen from the album A Glorious Lethal Euphoria (1995). The Mermen serve up the best trippy, mood-surf music I've come across. This is a song about doing something exciting that you love and then something goes wrong and you fucking die.
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A Self Called Nowhere by They Might Be Giants from the album John Henry (1994). Low self-esteem for no reason discernable to the inflicted. This is probably my favorite overall TMBG tune.
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Testosterone by Bush from the album Sixteen Stone (1994). Male-ness is a quality I despise. This song leaves it smeared on the windshield. This plays into the low-self esteem subtheme of the mix. I'm coming to an appreciation of Bush these days that I never had when they were actually, you know, relevant. Note: You might think he's saying, "Big old gun" and "big old bullet," but he's actually saying, big gold gun and bullet. I was thrown off a bit when I made this discovery, but came to the conclusion that it's better that way. So that's nice.
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Dead and Bloated by Stone Temple Pilots from the album Core (1992). Har! What a great, railing little song. I used to be able to do a fairly good impression of the opening vocals.
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Lithium by Nirvana from the album Nevermind (1991). When this song came out, I didn't know what lithium was. Now, I'm on lithium. Funny.
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March of the Pigs by Nine Inch Nails from the album The Downward Spiral (1994). Oh, Trent, you angry little thing, you.
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Smaller and Smaller by Faith No More from the album Angel Dust (1992). This song does a good job capturing the downward spiral of hate, anger, self-loathing, and negativity.
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Come Away with Me by Norah Jones from the album Come Away with Me (2002). In the end, it comes down to the realization that you have to take care of yourself, to treat yourself with respect and, eventually, love. That's it.