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DRIVING SONGS: MORRIS VS. MCINTOSH
Plan on hitting the road this weekend? You'll need some
tunes to keep things moving and to keep you alert, so we've
enlisted the help of multi-instrumentalist/composer Heather
McIntosh (The Instruments, Circulatory System, AUX Festival)
and singer/songwriter Hunter Morris (Gift Horse) for this
month's driving-themed Mixtape War. Although Gift Horse has
stayed put this past month with a residency at the 40 Watt
Club, Morris is no stranger to the road, as his band has traveled
up and down the coast on tour this past year. McIntosh has
played music all over the world in numerous projects, and her
most recent roadtrip took her away from Athens (boo!) and off
to her new home in Los Angeles. We miss you already, Heather!
But we know what to put on the stereo when we drive out to
visit...
Heather McIntosh's
Driving Songs Mixtape
1. "I'm Ready" by Royal Trux
Heather McIntosh on why she picked
this tune: This is a fairly nostalgic jam
from my early days touring and hanging
out with Elf Power. There's something
about the cloven hoof on the gas
pedal on the cover that just
screams, "And we're off!"
Hunter Morris' Reaction:
My apologies for getting
started with such a dirty
mouth, but FUCK. YES. I
love Royal Trux. I'm already
speeding.
2. "Jack the Stripper/
Fairies Wear Boots" by
Black Sabbath
HMc: One might argue that these are two separate songs,
sure, but they can't live apart! I had the Paranoid cassette as
a permanent fixture in my old Econoline, and it is still in my
current car. Three cheers for the working cassette player in the
Subaru Forester!
HM: OK, now I got a freakin' speeding ticket. And the cop is
asking why I was trying to write on my knuckles.
3. "I'm So Green" by Can
HMc: I kind of went for the "jamming, go down the high
way" variety of songs, whereas Hunter has nicely filled out the
"sing it out" side of the mixtape coin. As a team, I think we
have a pretty good mixtape coin!
HM: I was like this close to putting "Mushroom" on my list,
so I totally agree with Can making a driving songs mixtape.
This song is awesome.
4. "Amassakoul 'N' Tenere" by Tinariwen
HMc: Wait for it; it’s when the bass happens that makes it so
good.
HM: I've heard a little of the back story of Tinariwen, but I
have to admit I had never listened to any of their songs. Part
of the experience of listening to music while driving is to let
your mind wander off into some beautiful faraway place, and
this song takes you about as far away as you can go on this
planet.
5. "Psalter" by Faust
HMc: I've covered this song with my band, The Instruments,
before, and on first listen it seems too tricky to groove out to,
but once you figure out the claps, it's quite the jammer. I am
pretty sure the English translation is something like: "I am not
afraid to lose my teeth. I am not afraid to waste my time." I
love it!
HM: I had never heard this Faust song either, very cool
song and very trance-y. Pass me that shit, dawg...
6. "Tomorrow Never Knows" by The Beatles
HMc: I've always liked this song, but on our last Circulatory
System tour, I really fell in love with this one all over again.
That bass! That tambo!
HM: "Turn off your mind, relax and float downstream." I
think that's about as good as it gets for a driving song, right?
7. "Nothing Ever Happened" by Deerhunter
HMc: This song kind a fits that space between Krautrock and
MBV that I am always trying to hang out in. It's so nice for the
driving.
HM: Great song off a great album. And it's a perfect follow
up in keeping with the downhill churning momentum from
"Tomorrow Never Knows."
8. "Meteoroid from the Sun Strikes a Dead Weirdo" by
Gerbils
HMc: 5o worth hollering along to. I am also feeling a
bit homesick, so Gerbils fit the bill.
HM: Another band that I almost put on my list.
^ I was gonna put "Are You Underwater," but this
one is a better driving song.
9. "Crittin' Down to Baba's" by Icy
Demons
HMc: Every time this song comes on, I am
shaken out of any road delirium. I am pretty
sure this song is strictly about getting tacos at
a restaurant in Chicagoland. Awesome.
HM: Had I not seen Icy Demons
live, I wouldn't get this song as
much. But I like how unique
of a sound they have, and it's
the kind of song that you're
trying to wrap your ear around
until it's over, and you wonder
what you just heard.
10. "Better Change
Your Mind" by William
Onyeabor
HMc: Again, it’s when the bass happens... but also the key
boards. Well, OK, it's the whole dang song.
HM: Great way to take it home. You don't ever want
the-groove of this song to end.
Hunter Morris'
Driving Songs Mixtape
1. "At Dawn" by My Morning Jacket
HM: Driving is the time when I feel the most
keenly aware of the passage of time, so it seems
appropriate to start the drive with this one.
HMc: Granny's never actually listened to this
band... and yes, I must live in some sort of
cave.
2. "Turnstile Blues" by Autolux
HM: Awesome driving song... the drums are
the hook of the tune to me. If played on the air
drums by the driver, the ensuing knee-driving can
help keep passengers awake and alert.
HMc: I've never listened to these guys
before. Is that weird? Those drums fit the driving bill for sure,
as do the bendy guitars!
3. "Heart Cooks Brain" by Modest Mouse
HM: One of the best songs about the passage of time and
how we move through the world that I've ever heard. I think the
lyrics are brilliant.
HMc: It's got a good beat, and you can really drive to it!
Sorry, that was real dorky on my part.
4. "Tell Me Now" by Daniel Johnston
HM: In the case of this song and the next two, the move
ment is with respect to another person. This song is blissful
because of its innocence... even though you want to tell Daniel
that it’s not gonna happen, you realize you just have to let him
enjoy the moment.
HMc: Daniel! Yay! Yes, how I really love him. Biggest tes
tament to the nooks and crannies of SXSW... I saw him play
seemingly unannounced in the snack area of the convention
center to a handful of people eating hotdogs as Japancakes
checked in many, many, many moons ago.
5. "Brand New Love" by Sebadoh
HM: This song is kind of a "moving on" anthem. Super sloppy
and rough, and that's kind of how moving on usually goes; so
it's just perfect in all its imperfections.
HMc: Totally not related to driving at all, but I do feel that
Smash Your Head on the Punk Rock is one of the better record
titles ever. It's really good to go back and take a listen to
those guit-fiddles. They still sound pretty shreddingly great.
6. "Delta Dawn" by Tanya Tucker
HM: I love how Tanya sounds like a woman who's forgotten
things that most people will never know—even though she was,
like, 13 when this was recorded. Also, I'm pretty sure the charac
ter in this song is batshit crazy, if that's the kind a thing you're
into.
HMc: God, these are good ones. I could listen to this song
a million times and just keep trying to blast out each harmony.
I love the magical verbed-out sound of this recording. I know
I am behind on my country trivia, but, dang, she was 13 when
she recorded this? What? Amazing.
7. "Ambulance Blues" by Neil Young
HM: Maybe my favorite Neil song. When he says, "An ambu
lance can only go so fast," it's hard to imagine a thought on the
passage of time that could work on more levels than that.
HMc: Ahh... Mr. Young. I heard this record for the first time
two years ago. Just lovely. One of my favorite album covers
(and gatefolds) ever on the Earth. Who would have thought
you could ever make the tambourine sound so lonesome? You're
making me want to crack out this whole record right now!
8. "Motorhead" by Motorhead
HM: I mean, if you can't get where you're going listening
to this song, you shouldn't be listening to music. Or driving. Or
breathing. OK, now I'm pissed.
HMc: For some reason this
Motorhead jam fills a
similar space to the
Royal Trux jam I
picked. One cloven
hoof on the pedal
all the way to our
destination!
HM: My favorite
Pixies song. And one of those songs that, for whatever reason,
just sounds all the more captivating when you're driving.
HMc: Aww, sweet, the Pixies! You can really get your holler
on to this one. The "getting of the holler on" is such an impor
tant aspect to a proper driving mixtape, especially good for a
mid-tour driving lull. I would imagine this mix would be per
fect for shaking the van out of the ol' Minneapolis to Seattle
death march!
10. "Today Was a Good Day" by Ice Cube
HM: Perfect closer when you know you've almost made it to
where you're going. And who doesn't get that warm, fuzzy feel
ing when they realize that the day is coming to an end and they
didn't even have to use their darn A.K. even one darn time?
HMc: There is something super great about driving around
to this song on any sunny day anywhere, but it resonates super
well out here in my new homeland. Excellent mixtape arc.
We're coming home!
SEPTEMBER 7, 2011 • FLAGPOLE.COM 13
MIKE WHITE deadlydesigns.com
