We have recently heard mention on our Bruce themed podcasts of the joy of receiving a mixtape from a friend. Our own Rebel Rikkit had his interest in Bruce rebooted from a mixtape from me more than 25 years ago and I, in turn, was switched on to Bruce by a holiday mixtape that merged the best of his first 4 albums. Chorizo Garbanzo has also talked about the influence of pirated C90s on the development of his own refined musical taste.
In the era of CDs, I have carried on this tradition with monthly mixes that I have forced upon unsuspecting passers-by over a number of years. When I first met my good friend and fellow wizard, Chorizo Garbanzo, it was a tentatively passed CD of “stuff you might like” nearly 5 years ago that sealed our friendship. Since then I have collated a CD’s worth of music more or less every month made up of songs old and new that have made it onto my musical radar in those 4 weeks and delivered them into the willing, or otherwise, hands of Chorizo and Rebel.
In typically nerdy wizard style, these compilations have been catalogued on the imaginary KOE label and we have now reached KOE048. So just before the half-century of mixes is celebrated, it seems appropriate to share a taste of this with you, dear listener.
Here is a Spotify playlist that reflects most of KOE048 – a collection of the new (Her Parents), the old (Brenton Wood), the classic (The Animals), the obscure (Jon Auer), and Guided By Voices (er, Guided By Voices). I hope you find something you like.
As intimated above, not all the tracks selected this month are available on Spotify so here is the full track listing. I’d urge you to search for the missing tracks.
1. Blame The Bankers – The Sharp Things
2. I Only Panic When There’s Nothing To Do – The Leftovers
3. Mute Superstar – Guided By Voices
4. Demon Days – Robert Forster
5. Caught In Midstream – Vic Godard & Subway Sect
6. Gimme Little Sign – Brenton Wood
7. Dash 7 – Wilco
8. The Kid’s A Looker – Morrissey
9. Bangalore – The Luck Of Eden Hall
10. Time Is Nigh – Doug Gillard
11. Street Gang – A.R.E. Weapons
12. You’re Dead – Her Parents
13. L.A. Freeway – Guy Clark
14. All Day Long – Shop Assistants
15. Shivering & Dazed – Freeze The Atlantic
16. Confucius – The Skatalites
17. Gold Star For Robot Boy – Jon Auer
18. Well You Better – Yo La Tengo
19. Maypole Song – Paul Giovanni
20. It’s My Life – The Animals
21. What New York Couples Fight About – Morcheeba (featuring Kurt Wagner)
22. True Love Will Find You In The End – Daniel Johnston
Chemical Minx Disguises
Let us know what you liked/didn’t like in this month’s mix by commenting below. I will then fail to take this into account when compiling next month’s mix. See you on the first of the month!
TRUST THE WIZARDS 
Good evening Kicker.
Chorizo here, your fellow Wizard. Thanks very much for the CD. I thought I’d better get my review in before the end of the month. I wonder if Rebel will do the same (don’t hold yer breath!)
I’m introducing a new rating system. If I really like a song it gets a musical note like this ♩. Now and again a REALLY good song might warrant a ♩ ♩ or even on rare occasions the much-coveted Chorizo 3 crotchet treatment. ♩ ♩ ♩
Track 1: The Sharp Things
Loved the shouting bloke at the start. At first I wasn’t sure if the “blame the bankers, don’t blame yourselves” bit was sarcastic. But it’s clearly not. Nice bit of brass in the middle too.
Track 2: The Leftovers
Blimey, it’s 1977 again. Great title, great sound.
Track 3: Guided by Voices ♩
Now you’re talking. The first REALLY great song on the mix. Love the guitar at the start. It’s what I call a crunchy guitar. Like a bowl of soup with big bits in it. It’s got some bite!
Track 4: Robert Forster ♩
This is yer man from the Go-Betweens, right? Lovely gentle little song, especially the instrumental bit with the “la da da”s near the end. This one gets [gets what, Chozza? – KoE]
Track 5: Vic Godard & The Subway Sect ♩♩
Best track so far. I know a little about this guy (supported The Clash, Edwyn Collins is a big fan) but not heard much of his music. You might remember I put his song Blackpool on a mix I made for you a while back.
Anyway, this is a great stomper of a song. Sounds a bit like Edwyn in fact and that’s no bad thing. I know it’s not but it amuses me to pretend that the “ever get caught in a midstream?” bit is talking about needing to stop suddenly mid-piss for some reason. More nice brass stuff on this song. [a great RSD single released this year – KoE]
Track 6: Brenton Wood ♩
From Brentwood, Essex? Chorus of this is great and it’s got the 1 note awarded above mainly for the organ solo. [probably more likely to be from Wigan? – KoE]
Track 7: Wilco
Found this one a bit boring. Wilco are one of those bands that I think I ought to like a lot more than I actually do. (see also Flaming Lips, Arctic Monkeys, Neil Young)
Track 8: Morrissey ♩
Now this is very good. Good old Mozzer. Following on from Paint A Vulgar Picture and The World Is Full of Crashing Bores, this is another of those putdowns of the music business that he does very well. Good singalong chorus too, “la la, la la la la!”
Track 9: The Luck of Eden Hall ♩♩
Oh yes, very interesting. Sounds like Psychedelic Furs with someone in the corner messing around on a sitar. Magnificent. Would like to hear more from these folks. [definitely more to come as they release a new album later this month – KoE]
Track 10: Doug Gillard ♩♩♩
I counted 3 Guided by Voices related tracks on this mix and this one is definitely the best of them. I bloody love the 12 string riff that comes up in the middle and the end. The vocals are a bit Super Furry Animals which is never a bad thing.
Track 11: A.R.E. Weapons
Quite peculiar but quite good. Sounds a little bit like something off Sandinista mixed with forgotten 80s electro-poppers Age of Chance.
Track 12: Her Parents
Gosh, he’s very angry isn’t he. They deserve some points for swearing in the lyrics (a few bastards, some shits and a couple of fucks), not bad for a song that’s only 1:22 long! But overall, no thanks, not my cup of herbal tea at all.
Track 13: Guy Clark ♩
This is more like it. Some old skool country and western. I’m presuming it’s old, it sounds like it. This song is very familiar, got a nagging feeling I know the song with a female lead vocal but I can’t place who. Nanci Griffith or someone maybe?
Track 14: Shop Assistants
This is good but I’ve got a much better song by this band on a Rough Trade compilation. It’s called Safety Net and it sounds very similar but it’s much better.
Track 15: Freeze the Atlantic
This one’s ok I suppose. Very similar to the million other bands that appeared after the first Killers album took off.
Track 16: The Skatalites ♩♩
There is never a time when a bit of vintage ska isn’t exactly what you want to hear.
Track 17: Jon Auer ♩
Aha, I know this song, it’s off Bee Thousand, your favourite album of all time. See, I told you I’d listened to it. Would you disown me as a friend if I said I actually prefer this version to the original? [I know you can’t possibly mean that – KoE]
Don’t know much about this Jon Auer guy but he knows how to choose a decent cover. I’ve got a compilation called “Almost You: The Songs of Elvis Costello” which has him doing a decent version of “Beyond Belief” [Jon Auer formed the great powerpop band The Posies – KoE]
Track 18: Yo La Tengo ♩
This one pootles along very agreeably. Some nice organ playing.
Track 19: Paul Giovannni ♩♩♩
Wow! Haven’t heard this in a while. Love The Wicker Man but taken out of the film the song actually sounds even more mental. Not yet braved watching the remake yet. I love Nicholas Cage but that sounds awful. [really no need for a remake, was there? – KoE]
Track 20: The Animals
Already knew this one. In fact, you’ve put it on a mix before, ironically that mix was called “Don’t You Think You’ve Heard This Song Before?”
Big favourite of Bruce innit. Good song but The Animals have got lots of better ones. [I think Chuck Prophet has played this when we’ve seen him too – KoE]
Track 21: Morcheeba with Kurt Wagner ♩
Very good, best bit is the repeated chorus near the end. Does Kurt have some spiritual connection with the town of Brighton I wonder? He’s collaborated with these guys and X-Press 2, both of whom are from Brighton.
Track 22: Daniel Johnston
Saw the film about this guy a few years ago. A really good well-made film but it didn’t make me want to go out and buy any of his albums. Neither did listening to this track.
The overall verdict:
an excellent and varied selection as usual Mr Kicker Sir. Only 1 song I really didn’t like (Her Parents) and plenty of others that I loved. Looking forward to your new mix.
Over and out.
Chorizo Garbanzo
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