One of the best mix CDs I've ever made was for a mix-swap held by The Diskettes'/Popsheep's Dave Barclay, interlacing gangsta-edged hip-hop (50 Cent, Dre, etc) with sad, soft songwritery stuff (Julie Doiron, Little Wings, etc). It was a little mischievous, admittedly, but really I did it because the juxaposition worked so well. Murmurs and ache interrupted by synths, gunshots, tough mutters.

Anyway, I gave my mix to some mystery-person, and never heard any feedback. I suspect they 'lost' it. I, meanwhile, received an angry-woman sampler, ripe with Bikini Kill, PJ Harvey and Ani DiFranco. Which I lost.

Clipse - "Ride Around Shining". There's a great reason that people are talkin' about the soon-to-be-released Clipse album, Hell Hath No Fury: it's really, really good. Hot as coal, hard as a hammer, charmingly devilish. On a blogger messageboard, Matthew wrote a good summary of what makes Pusha-T and Malice tick-tock: "they've skipped right by the 'anti-hero' default of most rap and straight to this mustache-twirling villainy, and that's why their characters are so seductive." This track's not the catchiest on the record but I can't get enough of the Neptunes' beautiful & menacing main riff. It's a deliciously slow harp arpeggio; a sound that's held resounding, resounding, while the boys glare and glower. And pose. [buy]

Leaves From Off The Tree - "Barbry Ellen". Leaves From Off The Tree is an album by, and project of, Meg Baird and Helena Espvall (Espers), and Sharron Kraus. Nine traditional folksongs, beautifully and simply rendered. "Barbry Ellen" is entirely unaccompanied, just three women's voices in plaint. It's a strange lament: what wrong did the narrator commit? Mere "hard-hearted[ness]"? Not recognising a love that was before her? Or was she cruel? The song does not say. All we have is the melody, full of want, and these three singers - solemn, sad, compassionate as dawns. [buy]

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Elsewhere:

A little while ago I jumped the gun and wrote about the outstanding new Of Montreal album, due early in 2007. You can now stream the whole thing. Pre-order it and get a limited edition bonus EP for $3.

Perhaps you remember Felix Lajko, the hungarian/yugoslavian/gypsy violinist who fiddles sparks? The guy who I praised to the skies here and here? Well, he's been added to the bill on the Dirty Three-curated All Tomorrows Parties festival in England in April (alongside the likes of Silver Mt Zion, Smog, Josh Pearson, Low and Nick Cave). Are you thinking what I'm thinking? (Oh, and YouTube has videos!)

I didn't think that Herman Dune's "I Wish That I Could See You Soon" could conceivably get any better, and then... I saw the video. It's one of the greatest films I've seen this year. (I wish I had friends like Y, O and U.) Herman Dune also recently appeared in the Blogotheque's Concerts à emporter series, and there's an amazing bonus video of David and Neman (?) serenading Chryde's little baby boy.

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Finally, contest time.

The end of the year is coming up and I am again choosing my favourite songs of the year. Inevitably however there are things I've missed. So, here's the challenge:

Email contests@saidthegramophone.com the greatest-song-of-2006-that-I-haven't-heard.

There are currently 48 songs in my end of year long-list; if the song you send is not already in that long-list, and makes the cut for the short-list, you will win a CD from my pile-of-prize-CDs (Arcade Fire, Antony and the Johnsons, something like that).

How do you know what I haven't heard? You don't. But if it's been posted on this blog, is from a talked-about indie/mainstream release, or has been really popular on other blogs, chances are I've heard it. Then again, my awareness of chart singles this year has been abominable - so a lot of big-name hip-hop and pop stands a fair chance of being new to me.

Other rules? Entries should be sent to contests@saidthegramophone.com with the subject line: END OF YEAR CONTEST. Please do not point to or name a song: attach the mp3. Deadline is 11:59 pm on Monday, December 4. Please no more than two entries per person, and please no more than one song by a given artist. And please, send only the best! This isn't about great albums: it's about splendid, beautiful, fun and devastating stand-alone tracks.

Best of luck!

(img by tra selhtrow)