Friday Muxtape, no. 2

Before I get into the music: a moment of silence for Eddy Arnold -- the kick-off artist on last week's muxtape (which you can still get here -- I'll be switching off on my two muxtape sites every other week). Arnold was one of (if not the) best-selling country artist of all time, and he passed away yesterday, just shy of 90 years old. RIP.

Anyway, here's some of what's been tickling my ears this week:

1. Prokofiev: "Romeo and Juliet."

2. Roger Daltrey & the LSO: "I'm Free." (This one is for Alex, by the way. Back when I was in school, "I'm Free" was the tune I always sang to myself the minute I had finished with my last final of the semester.)

3. The Challengers: "Lanky Bones." (Did I ever tell you that I love surf rock? No?! Well, let me tell you now: I love surf rock.)

4. Willie Brown: "Future Blues."

5. Charles Wright and the 103rd Watts Street Rhythm Band: "65 Bars and a Taste of Soul."

6. Industrial Jazz Group: "Skeeter Goes Legit." (The obligatory shameless self-promo track. This one is from our first album, Hardcore.)

7. Charming Hostess: "Two Boys."

8. Manhattan Brothers: "Marie."

9. LEMUR GuitarBot: "Emergencybot." (That's right. It's a guitar-playing robot -- from the League of Electronic Musical Urban Robots, of course.)

10. John Vanderslice: "White Dove." (Here's where the mix starts getting all rocky and poppy and stuff. Sorry.)

11. CPeX: "Vindegij Mijn Gat." (CPeX: not the "Center for Planning Excellence," but "The Clement Peerens Explosition.") According to Sven at And the Ass Saw the Angel, "The Clement Peerens Explosition started as a joke by the men who made a hilarious radio comedy show, Het leugenpaleis, on Studio Brussel." Sounds like my kind of project.)

12. Badfinger: "Baby Blue." (These days I seem to enjoy the bands that ripped off the Beatles more than I enjoy the Beatles themselves. How's that for irony?)

And there you go.