This month’s compilation holds a very special place in my heart. It was given to me back in 2002 when I was barely listening to any music outside of electronic/techno. The person who produced this cd has asked to remain anonymous, but know that I respect his/her musical tastes more than most. This compilation marks the first time I ever heard a song from the likes of Belle and Sebastian or Modest Mouse; two bands that have been a staple in my diet ever since…..

Note from the producer: “This mix CD is from 2002. It was mixed on a crappy old school laptop that ran Windows98. By the end of the mix if you made any changes you’d have to wait ten minutes for the computer to render out the entire waveform. The program that I mixed it with came on a floppy disk. I got the samples in via tape deck to the computer’s line in jack. The Alan Watts samples are from his radio show that was playing on 90.7 FM in Los Angeles at the time and the Kesey thing was from NPR…I used to have a tape in the deck at all times to record interesting segments. The Grapes of Wrath is the source for the other quotes…my favorite movie. There are also some Bob Dylan “Don’t Look Back” quotes in there too.
You have to have an open mind to get into this CD…at times a very open mind. I wasn’t trying to be cutting edge or hip w/ the music…every piece meant something in relation to the album’s theme and should be taken completely out of their respective musical genre/zeitgeist contexts.
It’s a good roadtrip CD or a good CD for cutting and stacking wood.”

Additionally the compiler of this album believes that “not letting people know the track names ahead of time is important. If they want to know they can look in the notes. That way it’s more of a surprise and an experience, as opposed to thinking ahead of time “I hate the ………” or any thoughts like that.” I must say I agree.

Unfortunately, March’s compilation got pushed back until April, but I do believe this is a case of better late than never. With the release of last month’s CD, there was a bit of push back from some of the “old-timers” who frequent this site. The events that transpired ultimately formed the idea for March’s theme. I know that there was a lot music before I was born in 1983, the problem is that I have not listened to most of it. I know I need to but where do I find the time and where can I go to get a sample bag? Solution. Ask a couple of forty-somethings to give us what they were listening to while ditching class in high school. So download and take a little trip to the past when marijuana was called “rope” and Michael J Fox was the greatest thing since Lassie.

Thank you to everyone who submitted their tracks to make this collaboration possible.

With the announcement of My Bloody Valentine playing on Sunday night at Coachella, it is only fitting that we here at TSS should all become more well versed in the genre of shoegaze. Personally, I am hoping to sail through previously uncharted waters of the shoegaze movement. For those of you who are not familiar with the genre, you might be asking yourself,  “What the ****  is this shoegaze?” Well, to be honest I am not really sure myself. What I do know is that it is used to describe MBV; consequently, it is heavily layered with sprinkles of a light female voice. Other descriptors one might use are: Sonic, Dream-like, Meditative, etc. In the end, my belief is that shoegaze is any form of music which helps define the truth through introspection.

I asked five regular participates of the TSS crew to give us their selections which meet their own criteria for shoegaze. Some of our more versed listeners might debate whether these songs fit the true definition of shoegaze but remember these monthly cds are about expansion of the musical mind, attempting to melt away the prejudices keeping us from fully experiencing sound.

I am just as excited as the next guy about exploring these tunes. Enjoy.

(Click the Album to start downloading)

Thank you everyone who submitted their playlists.
Capt AKAK

What up Lil Nigglets:

We are gathered here today to witness a somewhat historic day in the short existence of TSS; the unveiling of our collective consciousness collaborative cd. This is hopefully a first of many cds to be “released” here at your home for new musical sources. The contents of this disc are the work of 5 regular writers for the site’s content. There was no guidance given to them on picking these songs other than each person was allowed 15 minutes of contributions. Consequently, the name of this album is called The Unfocused Theme.

The intention of this album is not to expliot artists or condone the download of lincensed material. My hope is that these songs might spark your interests into a new source of music which will in turn lead to future purchasing of these artists albums, merchandise or concrete tickets. One thing for certain is that one song  is not a substitute for a whole album and the real magic of an album (in my opinion) is the song sequences. For instance, the reason why Deerhunter’s Microcastle is feking incredible is the journey which each song leads into the next. I guess what I am trying to say is that please support the artists who are probably being explioted by the production of this and future TSS compilations.

Contained within these disc’s DNA are genres ranging from punk to indie to blues; I hope you enjoy this all you can eat buffett. Any suggestions for future themes…I am ears.

Click Here to Download –> TSS : Volume I – The Unfocused Theme