*Originally published on 2/27/10@http://www.djmotherfucker.podomatic.com
You Schmooze, You Lose: An Imaginary DJ Set
By Jennie Willis
This segment of You Schmooze, You Lose is going to get a bit mushy. Your DJ has not been feeling well lately. She may be tough, but she is not immune to emotions. Therefore this set is going to be kind of a high school mix tape for anyone that has kept me awake at night. The difference between this and high school, however, is that the music is much better. By the way, how did you sleep last night?
So, without further ado, allow me to spin some tears and break some hearts. If Miss Motherfucker is going down, then so are you.
Simon Bonney- Sun Don't Shine
Former Crime and the City Solution frontman Simon Bonney knows exactly how to bring us to our knees. This track, from 1992's "Forever", is what heartbreak and the sighs that follow sound like. Infatuation tends to be a dead-end road, and inevitably we will throw up our hands and concede to reality after all other words and attempts have been exhausted. The passion and intention is all here with mandolins like rain and desert guitar. Bonney's croon guides along the path of love, the path of hate, the path of naught.
These Immortal Souls- Shamed
Dear Rowland S. Howard. You were too fragile for this world. You were probably ruined by infatuation more than anyone. Is that why us hopeless dreamers flock to you? Maybe that plays a role, maybe your tender genius plays a role too. Regardless, this selection digs under the third layer of skin, a ballad full of self-doubt and self-loathing due to loving someone...but not. But maybe? The whirlwind guitars and lilting piano backed by cymbal crash drive it all in and drive it all home. If there was anyone who put our feelings into perspective better than ourselves, it was Rowland S. Howard.
PJ Harvey- The River
Hard on the heels of a break up with Nick Cave, PJ Harvey released this emotive gem in 1998. Pulled from the electric light longing of "Is This Desire?", this track beckons us to the banks of the river, any river, with subtle trumpet and hazy, mirage-like guitar repercussions. Throw your pain in the water and watch it sink.
Leonard Cohen- Stories of the Street
This ubiquitous ballad was selected for two main reasons: 1. You cannot compile a set on unrequited love without playing Cohen; 2. The final line of the song, "lost among the subway crowds I try to catch your eye." Another circumstance in which I will let the music speak for itself.
Pere Ubu- My Dark Days
A track of insecurity and resolve from this seminal Cleveland group. David Thomas' vocals sound as though he is on the verge of vomiting, either out of nervousness or out of hopelessness. Maybe both. Infatuation and cars have been written about together for a long time, but here one can imagine sitting in a rust bucket somewhere in downtown Cleveland, under a flickering street light, looking at the person who makes you tremble, but not being able to move.
The Black Heart Procession- Blue Tears
I'm a bit on the fence about this band. Some of their material is too sappy for my tastes. However "Blue Tears" is a lovely little piece regarding saline floods on account of a long gone lover. The accordions conjure the wide avenues of Paris or some other ridiculously picturesque city, a city where everyone is in love and nothing goes wrong. A city where you don't live.
Einsturzende Neubauten- Sand
A cover of the Lee Hazelwood/Nancy Sinatra duet, Einsturzende Neubauten takes 60s balladry to the junkyard. Broken glass replaces stars in the night sky, and clanging metal is inserted into the empty ditches where our hearts should be. Ever have someone stoke your fires to their heights, then slip through your fingers like sand? Here you go.
But then along comes John Lydon of all people to conk you over the head and force you to snap out of your self-pitying stupor. The mock-wishy washy violins back Johnny's spiel: living for others rather than yourself really is silly when you think about it. Flowers, chocolates, there's no point. So pack up your furniture and start all over again.
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