Thanks for the tip about Calexico’s cover of “Love Will Tear Us Apart.” It appears on a Starbucks comp that escaped my attention ’cause I never go to Starbucks (too bitter … I’m a Dunkin’ Donuts guy).
With its own XM radio station, in-store CD burning stations (er, “media bars”), and 8 new Grammys, the much-maligned coffee chain’s Hear Music label has become a serious playa in the music industry. (And though they’ll never be cool, some of the Artist’s Choice compilations are surprisingly inspired — Joni Mitchell put New Radicals on hers, for example).
On this latest compilation, a bunch of Stereogum-approved artists perform their favorite love songs.
Sweetheart: Love Songs
Rufus Wainwright “My Funny Valentine”
M. Ward “Let My Love Open The Door”
Neko Case “Buckets of Rain”
Calexico “Love Will Tear Us Apart”
Old 97′s “She?s Got Everything”
Gary Jules “How Can I Tell You”
Madeleine Peyroux “Give Your Mama One Smile”
Sondre Lerche “The More I See You”
Martina Topley-Bird “I Only Have Eyes For You”
Jim White “Use Me”
Joseph Arthur “There Is A Light That Never Goes Out”
Dean and Britta “Forever”
Milton Mapes “Your Sweet Voice”
Vinicius Cantuaria “Inutil Pasagem”
Mindy Smith “Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square”
When Joseph Arthur did that Smiths tune at CMJ, I was floored. Nice to hear a studio version. Neko Case doesn’t disappoint either.
You can listen to clips from the CD here; if you like it, find one of these “Starbucks” and buy it. And if you’re feeling thirsty, please make sure to order a medium. We’re looking at you Mary-Kate.
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Is that an ‘Eating for Dummies’ book she’s got there?
I saw the second shot at pinkisthenewblog, and Trent has been showcasing how full Mary-Kate’s hands are full all the time. Instead of getting a tiny little dog, she owns a lab that’s the size of her and that she shleps around with her Starbucks.
I wish we could see which Dummies book she’s got.
the calexico cover is nice and even understated but the neko case version of “buckets of rain” is drop dead make you get down on your knees and thank god for both bob dylan and neko case gorgeous…
I picked up that cd last Friday and totally love the Joseph Arthur and Martina Topley-Bird songs. The Rufus song is surprisingly dull, unfortunately. Good mix overall, though.
well, this just about validated my existence. i influenced a stereogum post!
seriously though, considering its a starbucks cd you’d think it would be a big ol’ pile of crap, but those people at hear music apparently got more taste than i’d like to admit.
in the liner notes joseph arthur wrote about why he chose that smiths song in particular and he basically says, “uh, yeah, i don’t know anything about the smiths, my friend told me to cover it…” ha!
p.s. pageblank
its a “labradors for dummies” book for that new puppy of hers. not that i keep tabs on mk or anything, but that picture was SO last week.
Did you guys read that Times article I linked to at the end? I think it’s hilarious — not only the Starbucks complaints, but the junk mail revenge too:
- – - – - – -
Wesley A. Williams spent more than a year exacting his revenge against junk mailers. … He began stuffing the mail back into the “business reply” envelope and sending it back so that the mailer would have to pay the postage. “That wasn’t exacting a heavy enough cost from them for bothering me,” said Mr. Williams, 35, a middle school science teacher who lives in Melrose, N.Y., near Albany.
After checking with a postal clerk about the legality of stepping up his efforts, he began cutting up magazines, heavy bond paper, and small strips of sheet metal and stuffing them into the business reply envelopes that came with the junk packages.
“You wouldn’t believe how heavy I got some of these envelopes to weigh,” said Mr. Williams, who added that he saw an immediate drop in the amount of arriving junk mail. A spokesman for the United States Postal Service, Gerald McKiernan, said that Mr. Williams’s actions sounded legal, as long as the envelope was properly sealed.
what, stereogum doesn’t read catherine’s pita?? for shame! i’m hosting the old 97s song and the joseph arthur song. scroll to february 28, cause movable type is for suckers. party on!
I am another person who cannot order using the starbucks sizes. It’s like, ok, you’re making me over-pay for soy hot chocolate. Fine. Just don’t make me say “Venti” ok? K thx wtf bbq.
=darwin
thanks catherine!
Haha, I got that compilation CD the first day it arrived at The Somewhat Overrated Mermaid Coffee House, if only to have that sweet Neko Case cover.
yay i’m so glad stereogum picked up on that! i finally caved and bought the sweetheart mix on sunday night…i’d been eyeing it since valentine’s day!!
i bought the starbucks kids cd … for myself. it’s surpsisingly pleasant to listen to. but damn, i can’t find the cd cover to list the songs. check it out next time you see it!
i hate to admit it, but starbucks has been playing some surprisingly good tunes recently — the last time i stopped in, they played a cocorosie *and* a magnetic fields song within the 5 minutes i was there!
fluke? does HearMusic have a website? i want to know who these people are…..
sizing… get over it folks… sure, it’s a tad ridiculous, but it’s not that bad. I work for Starbucks and I don’t, and would never allow any of my “partners” to correct someone for saying medium instead of “grande.”
it’s actually annoying for us when people get frazzled by the sizing. just say “medium.” i can translate.
i’ll fight you if you say “regular” though… regular isn’t a size… it means non-caffinated.
**
http://www.hearmusic.com
i’m pleasantly enthused about the music in *bux.
i’ve worked for plenty of places where the piped music is forever on repeat and is annoying as hell. there’s enough variety there for me, and i’ve actually bought some of the cds (aforementioned sweetheart cd — for the covers… )
i think some mp3 (not the ‘gummer, mind you…) bloggers must hit starbucks a lot because about the time i was hearing the Great Lakes Swimmers and Milton Mapes on the instore… i saw mp3 tracks pop up.
***
dunkin’ doughnuts!?!?,
‘gum!!?
why don’t you just buy your coffee off the street?
Wait, I thought “unleaded” was decafe (non-caffinated???). Can’t believe anything you say after that blunder.
call it what you will…
i certainly don’t pump gas.
i thought a regular meant coffee with milk and two sugars… or am i really old?
i work at starbucks and sometimes i wanna go out back behind the store, put a gun in my mouth and blow my f-ing head off .. once in awhile there is an ok song but so far it all sux … i dont know know how much more i can handle .. although i loved how the nora jones artist selection has like 25 songs and 23 are her.. lol can u say “conceited” she drives me crazy .. i just wanna scream.
http://www.thestranger.com/2005-03-03/last_days.html
scroll down to the thursday, february 24 entry. it’s about a starbucks leadership conference. read it, then click the link and listen to “we built this starbucks”. that will show you where starbucks’ music taste really is.
I bought this CD this morning and for some strange reason, I found it to be more embarassing than buying porn.
i’ll fight you if you say “regular” though… regular isn’t a size… it means non-caffinated.
I agree that “regular” isn’t a size.. but where I come from (new england) it’s two creams and two sugars in a large coffee. That’s what “regular” is, afaik..
=darwin
MK looks more and more like a homeless, menopaused,bitter granny those days. Can’t believe the girl is only 18. Looks like she’s 80. She could afford the most stylish clothing in the world, but instead, she’s wearing “straight-from-the-salvation-army-XXL” items. She could afford eating in the fanciest restaurants, but she prefers to starve herself…how ironic is that?
starbucks is crap.. and i should know, i work there.
=(