LJB December mix: 40 Shades of Brown

Well, Life Just Bounces mixtapes were pretty sporadic this year. It started strongly enough, with an early hiccup in March and, then, er, May, and by July everything had basically gone to the dogs. Oh well: in a spirited last-minute effort, here's a mix for December, themed for no good reason around the colour brown.

Solid, reliable brown is the color of earth and is abundant in nature. Light brown implies genuineness while dark brown is similar to wood or leather. Brown can also be sad and wistful. Men are more apt to say brown is one of their favorite colors.

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1. Roni Size & Reprazent – "Brown Paper Bag (full vocal mix)" ("Brown Paper Bag" 12", 1998)
2. Don Cherry – "Brown Rice" (Brown Rice, 1975)
3. The Coasters – "Charlie Brown" (7", 1959)
4. Butthole Surfers – "The Shah Sleeps in Lee Harvey's Grave" (Brown Reason to Live, 1983)
5. Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown – "May the Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose" (San Antonio Ballbuster, 1965)
6. Dianogah – "My Brother Wore Brown" (Battle Champions, 2000)
7. Foetus – "Free James Brown (So He Can Run Me Down)" (Butterfly Potion EP, 1990; more on the incident that inspired this track)
8. Fred Wesley & the J.B.'s – "Doing It to Death" (7", 1973)
9. Woodstock Brown Acid Warning
10. Pink & Brown – "Puddles of Acid Part 1 And 2" (Shame Fantasy II, 2003)
11. Black Star – "Brown Sugar (raw)" (Brown Sugar OST, 2002)
12. Coleman Hawkins – "Sweet Georgia Brown" (At Newport, 1957)
13. Hella – "Brown Medal 2003" (The Devil Isn't Red, 2004)
14. Ken Nordine – "Brown" (Colors, 1967)
15. Joe Zawinul – "Brown Street" (Brown Street, 2006)
16. The Mountain Goats – "Song for Dennis Brown" (The Sunset Tree, 2005)
17. Dennis Brown – "Three Meals a Day" (The Promised Land 1977-79, 2002)
18. Mclusky – "Gareth Brown Says" (Mclusky Do Dallas, 2002)
19. Death By Stereo – "Fear of a Brown Planet" (Death Is My Only Friend, 2009)
20. DJ Shadow & The Automator – "Fear of a Brown Planet" (Bombay the Hard Way, 1999)
21. Roy Brown – "I've Got the Last Laugh Now" (Battle of the Blues, Vol. 1, 1959)
22. Sun City Girls – "Lord Brown of Due South" (Flute and Mask, 2002)

Others

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Popbitch Commentary #2 (Thursday 17/12/09)

       >> Vodka tampons <<      
      The only cool way to survive the Xmas season    

      "Slimming" is one weird way to get drunk. OK   
      you avoid the calories and therefore put on no   
      weight. But this is how you do it. Get a   
      large vodka, take it to the toilets, drop a   
      tampon in it so that it soaks up the alcohol.   
      Insert the tampon, and wait for the vodka to soak   
      in. We've seen people at it this party season.

There are so many reasons this story is full of shit. Not least because, outside a handful of isolated cases in Finland, the whole "vodka tampons" thing was pretty much a meme spread by Mogwai as a joke waaay back in the days when they used to make brilliant records.

Also, i'm no habitual tampon user, but how are you going to insert a used one of those things? Isn't the idea that they absorb liquid and swell up, not the other way around?

Also, how much calorific gain is generally associated with vodka consumption? Well, it's about 77 calories per 35ml shot. Worth the effort and mess of inserting vodka-soaked tampons and the stinging discomfort of alcohol applied to mucuous membranes (ever snorted spirits off a spoon? don't bother) and oh yeh, the risk of death? Hmmm, maybe if you're trying to avoid the devastating weight gain so often associated with vodka drinking. Or, i guess, if you've got space to fill in your weekly gossip email and have decided to address this by just reprinting a hoary old urban legend despite its complete lack of sense. Must try harder, Popbitch.

Oh and my arse have they "seen people at it this party season". Probably just disappearing into the bogs to do coke like everyone else in London.

mp3: Mogwai — "Christmas Song" (YSI)

Raggedy update

Looking at Will's blog the other day, i noticed in his affiliate links section that i haven't actually written anything on here for four weeks. Eeurgh, terrible business. i have been dealing with various other affairs instead (of which, maybe, more later); but anyway, i thought i'd better check in and at least reassure any potential readers i'm actually still alive.

Main exciting news: i'm pleased to report sightings of two new 30KB tracks! The first one is from the new Certified Banger compilation, the fifth and final installment in the On the Radar series. It's called "My Vote" and in general terms it deals with cultural and political dissatisfaction and the power you wield by choosing wisely. The usual mopey shit, then. The beat was by our associate Article10 ("N.W.W.", "Toleracist 2008"). This tune's also going to be on our forthcoming EP In Spuriis speramus, which should be freely available within an indeterminate timeframe. Vague eh!

You can get hold of the whole On the Radar vol. 5 compilation here. Obviously this is very much advisable.

Some folk have said already said nice things... the great-looking Style43 website, for instance, called us "one of my favourites at the moment... [w]e’re going to be keeping a close eye on them next year, as I reckon they’re another crew who are going to be making movements." Thank-you much! We're gonna have to try and actually make some movements now.

mp3: 30KB – "My Vote" (YSI)

The second tune is a studio version of a song we've occasionally been doing live with our boys Scams for a while now (indeed, we played it at this year's Kendal Calling festival at their invitation). It's called "Up All Night" and according to Scams' Andy, it's about the phenomenon of always seeing days "start from the wrong side", after midnight rather than in the morning. One for the night owls and insomniacs among you. And now, ironically, it's time for more coffee. Word.

mp3: Scams – "Up All Night" feat. 30KB (YSI)