Isaac’s Mix is a thing of the past. After making three playlists over the course of a few months, I realized that over time I would overload Nothing Mag’s Spotify with different versions of “Isaac’s Mix”. In an attempt to not overshadow my peer’s playlists, I created Isaac’s Continuum Of Sound (ICOS).
Instead of creating new playlists, I will just delete and add songs to my Continuum to keep the tunes fresh. Each soundscape will be a cohesive piece that is designed to be listened to in order, but it is okay to break the rules.
The first incarnation of ICOS starts off with what I like to refer to as “thinking man’s music” or shoegaze. The fuzz parade ends with Nothing, a rock band from Philadelphia who blends the echoey vocals and heavy distortion with kickass metal riffs. This is followed by Tom Waits’ “Going Out West”, a song that features smug lyrics that are delivered by a man who sounds like he smokes three packs a day (or has a lot of soul).
After Tom Wait’s there are two instrumentals: one by the Beach Boys and the other is a collaboration between Ariel Pink and R. Stevie Moore. If you haven’t heard of Mr. Moore you should look into his work. He has released over 100 studio albums and over 200 albums overall including live albums and compilations.
The next highlight in the playlist is Open Mike Eagle’s song, Bucciarati. I have always admired how Open Mike Eagle handpicks spectacular beats from producers who are under the mainstream radar. This Caleb Stone produced track is no exception.
If you must listen to one song on this playlist with earphones, Bubbles is it. The production on this track is like nothing I have ever heard before. Yoshi Horikawa starts off the song with random tapping sounds such as a ping pong ball dropping. Soon after an electronic beat comes in and the rest is pure ear candy.
Another song that I would recommend earphones for is the Placebo cover of Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill. Towards the end of the playlist, you’ll find the Spacemen 3 song, Walking With Jesus. This song was initially featured on the album “The Perfect Prescription”, a concept album that’s main goal was to replicate an acid trip through sound. I think they did just that.
Remember to save the songs that you enjoy from my Continuum. I will be removing and adding songs monthly, so they will not be there forever.
