As followers of our Twitter are more than aware, Kenny Bloggins has been straight fiendin’ the past few weeks. It’s probably been annoying as all hell, and I suppose I’m somewhat sorry. But not really – the final season of LOST begins tonight, and we are throwin’ down. In the traditional way this blog celebrates all the stupid shit going on in my life, it seemed necessary to throw a Super Swingin’ Mix in your vicinity to lift John Locke’s name on high. And hey, it also can serve as sort of a peace offering to you all for the general numberskullery that will occur on the Twitter account over the next few months. So… all the songs below relate to themes, storylines, etc. from LOST. Can you find all the connections at home, kids? Oh, and of course 4, 8, 15, 16, 23 and 42 are well represented in this mix. What kind of a blogger do you think I am?

I’m not entirely sure many or any of you care about some of the theories that myself, L-Train, and our friends have hypothesized. I’ll just leave it at this – John Locke will resurrect and Jacob’s ass is evil. Believe.

Much love to the Vintage DHARMA Flickr pool for providing the image above.

MP3 :::
Nethers – It’s an Island
Brian Eno – Burning Airlines Give You So Much More
Trap Door – International Psychedelic Mystery Mix Untitled 15
The Advisory Circle – Farmland Freeland
Broadcast – Never Trust a Rusty Bolt
Fairport Convention – Eastern Rain
Silver Apples – Program
Blonde Redhead – 23
Battles – Bad Trails [Live]
The Wilderness – Your Hands
The United States of America – Stranded in Time
Flying Saucer Attack – To the Shore
The Conet Project – Counting Control
Can – Mushroom
Brian Wilson – Cabin Essence
The Great Northwest – Chief John
No Age – Things I Did When I Was Dead
13th Floor Elevators – May the Circle Remain Unbroken
The Zombies – Imagine the Swan
Leadbelly – Don’t You Love Your Daddy No More?
The Incredible String Band – Nightfall
Animal Collective – Don’t Believe the Pilot
Bachelorette – The End of Things

The Left Banke folded after chief song-slinger Michael Brown bounced to form Montage, partly due to the ever present “creative differences,” but primarily because of the Left Banke’s baffling inability to receive much recognition. And as Fortuna is a bitch, Montage didn’t take off either. Though “Walk Away Renee” gained some national attention in ‘67, the group’s small but fervent following was restricted to record store dorks, music majors, and serious longhairs. In 1994, Polygram released a retrospective collection There’s Gonna Be a Storm, featuring pretty much everything they ever recorded. Of course, that disc is now conveniently out of print (being a rare psych rock fan is a pain in the ass sometimes). If you feel like shelling out for a CD copy (not even vinyl) of questionable condition, there’s a few on eBay. Luckily, MP3 blogs like this one are here to correct these wrongs, bringing you the finest in stereophonic sound.

“Desiree” is aerodynamic. The bombastic chorus is beautiful but destructive, like the Alaskan Black Bear or Beatrix Kiddo in Kill Bill. Proceed with caution. “Desiree” is technically a Left Banke song, written by Brown and banged out by the rest of the band. However, it didn’t see the light of day until Montage’s eponymous record dropped in 1970, and later on the Storm compilation. Brown collects his alimony, for sure. You may notice that Brown’s arrangements sound very reminiscent of Caribou. Well, Caribou’s Andorra album, for all intents and purposes, is basically a fine reinterpretation of the Left Banke – a fair assessment considering that Andorra also features an expansive canticle titled “Desiree.” I can only assume this is an obvious nod to Brown and Company.

“Bartenders and Their Wives” is some Tolkien shit. I can hear Spanish guitar, clean distortion electric guitar, harpsicord, and autoharp. What all do you hear? Again, nothing but epic vocal harmonies, thick textures, highly mobile bass melodies, delicate composition, and a semi-bucolic musical milieu. Majestic and tectonic.

If you don’t know what’s up, and you want to know what’s up, the Left Banke is what’s up. And sweet sassy molassey, Amazon (who I’ve had always had good experiences with) has the Storm compilation available for download on the cheap. Yeah yeah, it’s not the same thing as a physical copy, but unless someone gets all ambitious and starts reprinting this disc (I’m looking at you, Light in the Attic) or releases a new collection of the Left Banke’s singles and 45s, this is the best, most affordable solution for your baroque psychedelic needs.

MP3 :::
The Left Banke – Bartenders and Their Wives
The Left Banke – Desiree

Hmmm… can I make it to Milwaukee tonight, and in two hours? Well if you’ve planned better than I, you can catch Colin Bluntstone and company playing some pretty decent rooms (Irving Plaza in NYC) and some relatively questionable rooms (Trump Marina Casino in Atlantic City? C’mon guys, that’s some Boz Scaggs shit!). And if you’re one of the lucky ones who catch them in New York, make sure to set up shop early for The Blues Magoos, a band I had no idea was still around but was always a Nuggets highlight for me.

The Zombies played the music club I used to work at before I actually starting working there roughly four years ago (sadly I missed it), but word has it that it was one of the most exciting, best sounding performances ever to hit that stage – even 40 years after the band’s prime. Maybe I should be making this aforementioned drive.

So yeah, the Zombies are one of the greatest of all time, without a doubt. Odyssey and Oracle rules my, and your, being. And just look at that photo! Dapper gentlemen. So go see them! Czech the dates:

07-05 Milwaukee, WI – Summerfest
07-06 Saint Paul, MN – Taste of Minnesota
07-09 Lansing, MI – Common Ground Festival
07-10 Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Casino
07-11 New York, NY – Irving Plaza
07-12 Atlantic City, NJ – Trump Marina Casino
07-13 Westhampton Beach, NY – PAC
07-15 Alexandria, VA – The Birchmere
07-17 Anaheim, CA – The Grove
07-18 Las Vegas, NV – The Cannery Casino
07-19 Agoura Hills, CA – The Canyon Club
07-20 San Francisco, CA – Regency Center
07-23 Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom
07-24 Seattle, WA – El Corazón
07-25 Langley, British Columbia – Deerfoot Casino
07-27 Edmonton, Alberta – Century Casino
07-29 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan – Dakota Dunes Casino
07-30 Regina, Saskatchewan – Casino Regina
07-31 Winnipeg, Manitoba – Club Regent Casino

MP3 :::
The Zombies – Hung Up on a Dream
The Blues Magoos – (We Ain’t) Got Nothin’ Yet