Everything’s Cool!

By now many of you should have received your copy of the January Eleventilicious CD, “Everything’s Cool.” Here’s the set list — along with the liner notes for easy reference. Enjoy!

1) Cool (Pylon) : Pylon was a great band from the same Athens, GA scene that brought us REM. “Cool” is their first single and is fairly typical — propulsive bass and drums, quirky guitar and rudimentary lyrics that are growled and shouted instead of sung.

2) My Son Cool (Guided By Voices) : Robert Pollard wrote “My Son Cool” about his son Bryan for the album “Alien Lanes.” I have no idea what the lyrics mean, but it’s one of my favorite songs.

3) Fade Sister Cool (Lida Husik) : Lida Husik’s music has taken a turn toward electronica lately, but “Fade Sister Cool” is a shimmering gem of jangle pop that hooked me instantly.

4) Ice Cold Ice (Hüsker Dü) : “Ice Cold Ice” is from Hüsker Dü’s final studio album, which captured a band that was maturing and falling apart at the same time.

5) 14 Cheerleader Coldfront(Guided By Voices) : “14 Cheerleader Coldfront” is a Tobin Sprout original about being a teenaged outsider. I’m proud to have another Tobin Sprout original hanging up in my living room.

6) Cold Son (Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks) : While I still prefer Stephen Malkmus’ work with Pavement over his solo work, he and the Jicks sound like they’re having an awful lot of fun at the end of “Cold Son.”

7) Leaves Me Cold (Lush) : Lush featured the loud, layered guitars and hushed vocals typical of shoegaze, but were always more melodic than experimental. “Leaves Me Cold” is from their first EP.

8) Cold Light of Day (Mark Eitzel) : The torment of being Mark Eitzel has always been a bonanza for listeners. “Cold Light of Day” is one of several songs that feature Kid Congo Power’s understated, otherworldly guitar work.

9) Cold Turkey (The Soft Boys) : The Soft Boys cover John Lennon’s “Cold Turkey” as more of an anthem than a lament, which might be why I prefer it over the original.

10) Angel in the Snow (Elliott Smith) : “Angel in the Snow” isn’t a sad song, but it makes me sad to know that Elliott Smith isn’t around to write more songs that are equally beautiful.

11) Snow White (Snowpony) : Snowpony was billed as a “supergroup,” but never quite made an impact. “Snow White” features indifferent vocals over an explosive beat — an oddly effective combination.

12) Snowsuit Bound (Sloan) : Sloan had the misfortune of peaking at a time when the world hungered for grunge instead of their Beatles-meets-Sonic Youth melodic pop. “Snowsuit Sound” is a winter wonderland.

13) Freeze (Shatter Mix) (Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians) : “Freeze” is a tense, nonsensical song featuring REM’s Peter Buck on guitar and Robyn Hitchcock on seemingly random visuals.

14) The Frisko Freeze (The Mummies) : Q: What is better than a four men wearing ace bandages and playing primitive garage rock like it really mattered? A: Nothing. Exhibit A: The Mummies’ “Frisko Freeze.”

15) Freezer Burn (Wow & Flutter) : Wow and Flutter sound like a lot of other bands I like, but mostly sound a lot like themselves. “Freezer Burn” is from their third album “Pounding the Pavement.”

16) Frozen Dub (Augustus Pablo) : “Frozen Dub” is the oldest track on this mix, recorded during the heyday of Jamaican dub. Augustus Pablo’s melodica and King Tubby’s production will make you forget the snow.

17) Frozen Mile (Eleventh Dream Day) : That Eleventh Dream Day isn’t a household name is one of music’s great injustices. The slide guitar work on “Frozen Mile” could thaw an Arctic glacier.

18) Summer Babe (Winter Version) (Pavement) : Did I mention Pavement? “Summer Babe (Winter Version)” put them on the map with its whimsical lyrics and tortured vocals.

19) Winter on Ice (The Spinanes) : The Spinanes wrote warm, moody songs of longing that featured Rebecca Gates’ smooth voice and jagged guitar work. Case in point: “Winter on Ice,” from the album “Strand.”

20) My Country is Winter (Exhaust) : Exhaust are an experimental band from Montreal who don’t sound like anyone else. “My Country is Winter” is tense and ominous, like an imminent blizzard.

21) Winter Sketch (The Durutti Column) : I discovered The Durutti Column only recently, and marveled how Vini Reilly’s crisp guitar work could have possibly originated in 1980 Manchester. I believe the soft and evocative “Sketch for Winter” to be the perfect conclusion for this collection.

Please feel free to comment on the blog or to email me with any questions or comments.