Good Weather For Airstrikes

[cover design adapted from Waking Ashland]

M3 Volume 3 was conceived of and released in the premature warmth of late March last year and V3 was the first volume to focus on a specific idea or feeling: the transition between winter and spring and the feelings of happiness that are automatically associated with such a time. All of these songs have a decidedly warm-weather, springtime feel about them, and all work together to create a mix perfectly reflective the mood of early spring.

The mix opens with A.C. Newman’s excellent “Miracle Drug”, which moves on into “Graceland”, a gem of a b-side from his full-time band, The New Pornographers. Next up is The Decemberists’ “16 Military Wives” the lead single from their album Picaresque, which had just been released at the time. A pair of Rilo Kiley-related tracks follow; “My Slumbering Heart”, an often-overlooked highlight from the band’s 2002 release, The Execution of All Things, and “A Time For Emily”, by The Elected, the side project of RK guitarist and back-up vocalist Blake Sennet. The Arcade Fire keep things moving with “Rebellion (Lies)”, easily the warmest song on Funeral, which flows into the album’s pinnacle, Ted Leo’s flawless “Timorous Me”, which hints at shades of summer with its down-home guitar strumming and Blues Traveler-esque sound. Snow Patrol and Eels round out the mix’s second half, but it’s album-closer “Sweet Child ‘O Ravi” that steals the show. The least known, and – as a result – most underappreciated song on the album, “Sweet Child ‘O Ravi” is my favorite mash-up of all time, in which DJ Lenlow takes the soothing piano of Norah Jones, speeds it up, adds an energetic percussion rhythm, and then transplants onto it the infamous guitar riff from Guns ‘N Roses’ “Sweet Child of Mine”, creating an instrumental masterpiece of sheer exuberance and delight.

Download: M3 Volume 3 [follow link]

M3 Volume 3:
01. “Miracle Drug” – A.C. Newman
02. “Graceland” – The New Pornographers
03. “16 Military Wives” – The Decemberists
04. “My Slumbering Heart” – Rilo Kiley
05. “A Time For Emily” – The Elected
06. “Rebellion (Lies)” – Arcade Fire
07. “Timorous Me” – Ted Leo & The Pharmacists
08. “Spitting Games” – Snow Patrol
09. “Fresh Feeling” – Eels
10. “Sweet Child O’ Ravi” – DJ Lenlow (Norah Jones vs. Guns ‘N Roses)

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 5th, 2006 at 11:34 pm and is filed under M3, Compilation. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.