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I have a ritual I like to do every time I come down with a bad cold or flu. I curl up on the couch with a blanket, fluids, and a couple kitties, and watch the original George A. Romero trilogy of classic zombie films. In chronological order, they are Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, and Day of the Dead.


I can’t explain why I’m so drawn to them, and especially when I feel ill. They just make me happy. There’s a certain kind of calm I get from those films, from the acceptance that the shit hit the fan and you’ve just got to deal with worldwide catastrophe. The time to hesitate is through, and your purpose is clear. For any chance of survival, you’ve got to go into action and constantly be on guard. They are a relief, in a world where people are still arguing that global warming either isn’t happening or isn’t urgent, where people would rather gossip about Obama than attempt to help him.


Zombies are a lot of things to a lot of people. At once mystical and tragic, there is just something about them that transcends the horror film and video game genres. Their legend lends itself as easily to social commentary as comedy. They embody our worst fears and darkest humor, part apocalypse and part slapstick. I hope this mixtape taps into those juxtapositions, to present somnambulists in as much a purely entertaining way as terrifying and intriguing. As Zombieland and Shaun of the Dead showed, the apocalypse can come with a few laughs.


 


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Soundscape - Zombies [MP3]
     


 

01 The Longwalls - “Zombies” (Field Guide for the Zombie Survivalist, 2008)
- Start time: 0:00; Links: Static Motor - The Longwalls


02 Sunset - “Zombies” (The Glowing City, 2008)
- Start time: 3:04; Links: Autobus - Sunset


03 Jookabox - “Zombie Tear Drops” (Dead Zone Boys, 2009)
- Start time: 8:25; Links: Asthmatic Kitty - Jookabox


04 Sufjan Stevens - “They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!!” (Illinois, 2005)
- Start time: 12:43; Links: Asthmatic Kitty - Sufjan Stevens


05 Dem Hunger - “Rainwater Tea” (Caveman Smack, 2010)
- Start time: 17:52; Links: Leaving - Dem Hunger


06 Odd Nosdam - “We Dead” (Level Live Wires, 2007)
- Start time: 21:33; Links: Anticon - Odd Nosdam


07 Funki Porcini - “Flesheater Boulevard” (Zombie EP, 1999)
- Start time: 22:50; Links: Crippled Dick Hot Wax! - Funki Porcini


08 Andre Afram Asmar - “Zombification-Transmutation” (Transmigration EP, 2003)
- Start time: 27:46; Links: Mush - Andre Afram Asmar


09 Diesler - “Dawn of the Dead” (Diggin’ It Somethin’ Rotten, 2005)
- Start time: 33:28; Links: Tru Thoughts - Diesler


10 Shape of Broad Minds - “It Ain’t Dead” (Craft of the Lost Art, 2007)
- Start time: 36:07; Links: Lex - Shape Of Broad Minds


11 DJ Wally & DJ Willie Ross - “Land of the Dead” (Mrs. Miller’s House, 2006)
- Start time: 37:54; Links: The Agriculture - DJ Wally, DJ Willie Ross


12 Krikor - “1968” (Wagon / 1968 12’‘, 2002)
- Start time: 40:05; Links: Dialect - Krikor


13 Magnetic Fields - “Zombie Boy” (Distortion, 2009)
- Start time: 43:00; Links: Nonesuch - Magnetic Fields


14 Zombie Zombie - “I’m Afraid of What’s There” (A Land for Renegades, 2008)
- Start time: 46:03; Links: Versatile - Zombie Zombie


15 Adrian Belew - “She Is Not Dead” (Twang Bar King, 1983)
- Start time: 50:14; Links: Island - Adrian Belew


16 Bronnt Industries Kapital - “Threnody for the Victims of Lucio Fulci” (Hard for Justice, 2009)
- Start time: 54:52; Links: Get Physical Music - Bronnt Industries Kapital


Total Running Time: 58:24


 


DOWNLOAD THE FULL MIX
Soundscape - Zombies [MP3]
     


 

Greetings, brothers and sisters. Like most of you reading this, I'm a fan of music. I spend most of my time researching, investigating, making, and exploring music. Since 2004, my concert and album reviews, essays, and columns have appeared in publications such as Tiny Mix Tapes, PopMatters, Exclaim!, and I've been a Polaris Music Prize juror since 2010. I will graduate with a BFA in music from the Contemporary Arts program at Simon Fraser University in October of 2011. I am happy to live in East Vancouver with my sketchy but sweet cat Isobel Dewsabelski.


Media
The Longwalls - "Zombies" (Field Guide For The Zombie Survivalist, 2008)
Soundscape
6 May 2011
How we see things is affected by how we say things. This mix is a reflection on formerly prominent methods and modes of communication, such as the typewriter, cassette tape, and radio. Enjoy your cultural evolution.
14 Mar 2011
Don't panic! Set your faces on fun, 'cause this mix boldly goes where man has fun galore thanks to way-out tracks from Leila, Sufjan Stevens, Blockhead, AMP Live, the Cinematic Orchestra, and more!
21 Feb 2011
Through dedication to their scene and aesthetic, Bay area label Muti Music is on the brink of greatness. Unwavering commitment to their form is demonstrated by the dependable quality of their consistent releases. Dig it.
24 Dec 2010
The holidays are full of dreadful music being pumped from every speaker in every commercial business. May the latest from Soundscape provide you with a pleasant respite of solace, a bit of shelter from all the pop star vanity and pseudo-comedic novelty albums that attempt to penetrate your earholes from every angle.
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