Swappity Swap!

When I originally began to type this up, it was getting monstrously long, and I wasn't even halfway done. I talk too much, yes? So, long story short, I've been involved in an international mixtape swap (which is pretty much one of the coolest freakin' ideas ever), though my giving/receiving ended up being here in the States. I sent 2 discs off to North Carolina (incidentally, to a friend I had made at the Muse show last October) and received 3 discs from California. Because my Muser pal is awesome like that (and because mixtape swaps in general are hella fun), she sent me 2 freebies. :) I'm actually not done either: I'm swapping with a local friend, too.

So there's the backstory. Now to get to the point to tonight's post. Between those five discs, I've been bombarded with new music, and lemme tell ya, that is an awesome situation to be in. I've been a little cut-off since the move, so it's nice to get a new music injection, especially with bands I might not have heard otherwise.

When you give someone a mix, you're never going to hit a homerun with every track. Naturally, there were some on these that just didn't connect with me, personally. Then there were a plethora of individual tracks that I really liked that have found their way to my iPod. I'm not going to take you through five discs worth of tracks. Instead, I'm going to introduce you to the bands that I have developed an interest in, thanks to these swaps.

1) Flight of the Conchords - If you don't know, they're a musical comedy duo that are just...oh so funny. I had heard of them, but never listened to them. I was missing out. The track that won me: "The Most Beautiful Girl (In the Room)."

2) Metric - I already knew (and loved) 2 songs by them, and I had seen them live, which had piqued my interest. Now...I bloody love them. My swap buddy was kind enough to forward on a Metric mix, which I'm now digesting, song by song. Metric could very well be headed toward my favorite bands list (oh no, I never finished that series, did I?). The track that won me: "Satellite Mind."

3) Mumford & Sons - Another I had heard of, but never really listened to. They're an English folk rock band. I never thought a banjo could sound so sexy. She forwarded their debut album as well, and it's just amazing. The track that won me: "White Blank Page."

4) The Avett Brothers - This is another folk rock band. I've only perused a few songs beyond the one included on the mix, but so far, I'm loving what I hear. The track that won me: "The Perfect Space."

5) The XX - I absolutely love the chill sound of this band. I've skimmed through more of their album, and it sounds like the whole thing is made of win. The track that won me: "Crystallised."

6) My Chemical Romance - Of course, I'd heard of them. But I really only knew two songs and never bothered to check out more. Both of my swaps sent along some MCR (all from the newest album), and I loved every single track. That album was sent along too, and yep! Totally awesome, from start to finish. I don't think I ever would have explored MCR if it weren't for these mixes. The track that won me: "Bulletproof Heart."

7) Violent Femmes - Ah, an oldie! I have a thing for The Clash and the Sex Pistols. That being said, the Violent Femmes were an instant win for me. As I've said, I've been bombarded with new music, so I haven't had the chance to thoroughly check this band out, but I have a feeling we're gonna be friends. The track that won me: "Add It Up."

8) Chiodos - I had never even heard of this one before. I still haven't really delved into their catalogue, but the two tracks of theirs on the mix have definitely piqued my interest. The track that won me: "Intensity in Ten Cities."

9) A Silent Film - A local Californian band. I highly doubt I ever would have heard of this band on my own. I've perused their samples on iTunes, and I think we're going to get along just fine. The track that won me: "You Will Leave a Mark."

10) Italian Japanese - Another Californian local. Again, I've only skimmed through the samples on iTunes, but I'm definitely interested (so much music! so little time...). The track that won me: "Le Pony."

11) Jay Chou - Surprise! He's a superstar in China! She included three of his songs, and they're all quite good (one, especially so). Holy Hell, he's got something like eight albums though, but I've found some more interesting songs. If you've seen my library at all, you know I don't mind foreign language music at all. The track that won me: I don't know. :( DOES ANYONE HEAR READ MANDARIN?? Like I said, he's got a lot of albums, and I'm trying to go through them and find this song so I can at least get the pinyin title because as of right now, I have nothing to call this song other than "Track 15."

See? Swapping is fun! ELEVEN bands/artists that I was introduced to, PLUS all the individual tracks I picked up. So readers, here's your homework assignment: find someone with whom to exchange a mix! Expand your minds, peeps!

EDIT: 100th post!! ~*confetti*~