MIND INVERSION

Ah yes, my friends, the day is here where we officially christen our Sound Immersion various artists compilation as a monthly feature here on the site. My fellow posters and myself are starting to anticipate these releases greatly, mainly because it’s an easy way to talk about the music we’re listening to without necessarily shoving it down each others throats. We hope you all enjoy the songs that we’re bringing straight to your computer, iPod and stereo speakers each month, as well. From our point of view, these comps are likely to be the most diverse and reliable mixes your bound to get your hands around; music to focus your mind and let the muscles groove loose to the flow.

Last month, our posters introduced themselves with a debut compilation of the most recent modern sounds they’ve been loving; this month we’re continuing our a journey through our collective pasts. On Sound Immersion 03/09 (Vol 2.), we’ve decided to cop the popular Facebook meme and assemble a biographical mix of the two songs that we each consider to be the most influential or important in our life. Some of the contributors looked to the music that defines their modern taste while others selected the songs that signaled a clear turning point in their music listening life when we first heard them. Either way you consider the question, this wound up as a collection of some of the most important songs in our lives. A few of us have chosen to comment on why we decided to include these songs for our “most influential” mix, and others chose to let their song selection speak for itself. Here’s our playlist:

01. Mogwai – “Summer” (contributed by Eddie)
02. Bassnectar – “Zealots Slow Down (Remix)” (contributed by Nick B.)
03. Black Star – “Hater Players” (contributed by Tim)
04. Burning Spear – “Resistance” (contributed by Nick H.)
05. Jens Lekman – “Maple Leaves (7” version)” (contributed by Erik)
06. Lynyrd Skynyrd – “Things Goin’ On (original version)” (contributed by Ryan)
07. Super Furry Animals – “Juxtaposed With A U” (contributed by Dan).
08. Black Moth Super Rainbow – “Rollerdisco” (contributed by Eddie)
09. Varano– “Universal Rhythm” (contributed by Nick B.)
10. Jedi Mind Tricks – “I Against I” (contributed by Tim)
11. Soulfly – “The Song Remains Insane” (contributed by Ryan)
12. Ruby Suns – “Palmitos Park” (contributed by Erik)
13. Gravediggaz – “Zig Zag Chamber” (contributed by Nick H.)
14. The Mars Volta – “Roulette Dares (The Haunt Of)” (contributed by Dan)

The ZIP download of this amazing mix and our thoughts about our choices are waiting for you behind this next link. All that you have to do is click “read more”…

DOWNLOAD: Mind Inversion, Sound Immersion 03/09 (Vol. 2) Playlist

Mind Inversion staff members reasons for their selections on the “most influential” list:

01. Mogwai – “Summer” (contributed by Eddie)

-Mogwai was the band that introduced me to post rock.  Their sound is exactly what I’ll expect to hear in my transition to the afterlife (Wherever the fuck that takes me). Their style is so emotionally diverse… I can be head-banging my brains out one minute, and on the verge of tears the next.  This song reminds me of how much of a roller-coaster life is, especially in those golden days of summer. If you ever have a chance to see these guys live, I highly recommend it.  Just be prepare to have your mind melted.’

02. Bassnectar – “Zealots Slow Down (Remix)” (contributed by Nick B.)
03. Black Star – “Hater Players” (contributed by Tim)
04. Burning Spear – “Resistance” (contributed by Nick H.)
05. Jens Lekman – “Maple Leaves (7” version)” (contributed by Erik)
06. Lynyrd Skynyrd – “Things Goin’ On (original version)” (contributed by Ryan)

-Lynyrd Skynyrd is a band that I was raised on; I can literally remember playing air guitar along to tracks from Pronounced when I was still confined to my car seat. Personally, I always thought Skynyrd has gotten wrongly misjudged as a less superior band than they truly are. “Things Goin’ On” in its original demo version showcases everything that makes me unashamedly passionate about the 70s era catalog of this band to this day; the gritty, Southern swamp blues groove, the soulful melodies, and the raucous, unrestrained guitar licks. It was these sounds that I heard from my cradle that seem to have formed the basis for my diverse (yet ever-electric guitar loving) tastes to this day.

07. Super Furry Animals – “Juxtaposed With A U” (contributed by Dan)

-This was my first super furry album, and the one that changed all my ideas about psychedelic rock. This track is an amazing blend of a super funky disco beat, sweet ballad classical strings, and great usage of the vocoder.

08. Black Moth Super Rainbow – “Rollerdisco” (contributed by Eddie)

-Black Moth Super Rainbow is one of those bands I hope to see around for a very long time.  They are a living acid trip, and to me that’s just too fucking cool.  Funny story about me not getting a chance to see them play in Mad town last summer, but to me, it only adds to the intregue… and the story will have to wait for another time.

09. Varano- “Universal Rhythm” (contributed by Nick B.)
10. Jedi Mind Tricks – “I Against I” (contributed by Tim)
11. Soulfly – “The Song Remains Insane” (contributed by Ryan)

-In my first year of middle school, I decided to make a blind leap of faith and put Soulfly’s self titled album on my Christmas list. Up until that point, I was very much your typical late-90s “alternative music fan” with my tastes including a mish mash of Nirvana, Korn, Blink 182, Godsmack, Green Day, and the odd Jewel or Puff Daddy album to mix things up. This Soulfly album, and particularily this track, opened me to a diverse music realm that had previously be hidden from me when I took my first listen that Christmas night. My mind had been taken on a journey, through hardcore, metal, reggae, world, samba, doom, thrash, death, punk and more, and after that point I would never look back. To this day, I continue to dig deeper into the roots of what I first heard on this album.

12. Ruby Suns – “Palmitos Park” (contributed by Erik)
13. Gravediggaz – “Zig Zag Chamber” (contributed by Nick H.)
14. The Mars Volta – “Roulette Dares (The Haunt Of)” (contributed by Dan)

-From one of my favorite psychedelic / punk / rock albums of all time, this track shows The Mars Volta at the top of their game, high as fuck and infused with the spirit of pure musicality. In my opinion, this album was cut when they really didn’t care if anyone would like their music, which gave them a freedom of expression and experimentation that suffered as their popularity grew. Built into sections ranging between psychedelic guitar solos, intense 6/8 – 12/8 switching in mashup sections, and heavy rock buildups, this song is an epic creation truly written by real musicians.

…just in case you missed it..

DOWNLOAD: Mind Inversion, Sound Immersion 03/09 (Vol. 2) Playlist

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 12, 2009 at 7:05 pm and is filed under Mind Inversion Exclusive, Sound Immersion with tags bassnectar, black moth super rainbow, Black Star, burning spear, gravediggaz, Jedi Mind Tricks, jens lekman, lynyrd skynyrd, mogwai, ruby suns, soulfly, Sound Immersion, super furry animals, the mars volta, varano. 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.