Mixtape Monday #4: Songs Under 2 Minutes

I was inspired to do this week's MM after listening to this week's #5 and realizing how many songs I loved are under 2 minutes long. Short, sweet, to the point. I could have gone on (I wanted to add at least 4 Misfits tracks on here) but felt like 10 was a good number, and I tried to keep it varied. Apologies to Pig Destroyer, their absence from this list is largely due to me being angry that they still haven't released a proper follow-up to Phantom Limb. GET IT TOGETHER, GUYS.

1. The Theme Song From "Homicide: Life On The Street"
When I used to DJ events on a regular basis, I always used to open up sets using this theme song. Cinematic, with a decent amount of bass to please the kids, this is what I think a good theme song should be – it stands apart from the television show as a fine piece of cinematic music, driving yet thoughtful. Pensive yet it carries a slight sense of urgency (thanks in no small part to the

2. Agoraphobic Nosebleed - Dick To Mouth Resuscitation
When compiling this list, I tried not to pick grindcore songs that sounded like they were recorded in someone's asshole (sry old Napalm Death), and this track, from last year's excellent Agorapocalypse, fit the bill. I tried not to go into the jokey side of grindcore (a la Anal Cunt/some SOD), but the opening lines of "I don't want to fuck your face / I want to wrap my dick / Around your throat and choke you" are simply absurd and make me laugh. Truly great musical performances from Scott Hull and co. too, so you can't beat this track. Or else it might try to rape you.

3. Brutal Truth - Fist In Mouth
Much in the same vein as AN, Brutal Truth's 2009 comeback album Evolution Through Revolution had amazing guitar tones, clean-sounding drums and even had tons of Kevin Sharp's guttural utterings to boot. A great track from a fantastic album that I resivisit often. I even enjoy that weird breakdown that happens in the middle, complete with broken glass samples.

4. Blacklisted - Tourist
I could probably devote the entire post to my love of this Philadelphia hardcore band, whose last few records have strayed from the path of the tough-guy hardcore they set up with their earlier releases. The lead-off track to 2005's The Beat Goes On (a tour-de-force when it comes to angry white dudes) might be the most complex minute of blast-beated mayhem you ever hear. The breakdown, which includes the lyrics "I put my on a shelf while everyone around me found happiness and wealth", displays vocalist George Hirsch's anguish at the touring lifestyle his band has undertaken, as well as hinting at the idea of missed opportunities. An attractive musical package: muscly music, with heartfelt lyrics, conveniently wrapped up in a one-minute timeframe.... Can't be beat.

5. Graf Orlock - Father Maggot
This track, culled from their excellent '04 EP, showcases what the Orlock are all about – metallic hardcore that borders on grindcore intensity, with barked vocals. Their prominent use of samples (such as the one located at the end of this song) has given them the joking tag of "Cinemagrind", which has apparently become a legit subgenre. Either way, the band's new EP Doombox slays and the gang continues to roll around and trounce their contemporaries without even being sued for uncleared sample. A+ work, guys.

6. System Of A Down - Shimmy
I remember the summer that Toxicity leaked online, months ahead of its street date. After hearing an advanced sampler (that contained 'Needles', 'Deer Dance' and the title track), my appetite was whetted. Sure, their first album was something special, but could they reclaim some of the magic from their original album? The answer was a very blunt yes. 'Shimmy', one of the many stand-out tracks from one of my favourite albums of the decade, definitely kept the frenetic energy up during its 1:51 runtime. And just listen to the way the bass bounces in during the intro! Goddamn. I'm just a sucker for interesting musical directions, methinks.

7. The Notorious BIG - Who Shot Ya? (Demo)
Shortened demo version of a track from BIG's debut Life After Death, contains the prerequisite Puff Daddy laff ('hah HAH'). The mix on this is a bit rough but that's part of the attraction. Peace to Christopher Wallace.

8. DMX - ATF
This track is a textbook example of being able to fool the listener through intro misdirection - it opens with some shitty generic synth lines but then as soon as X starts, the track picks up steam and makes itself distinctive. DMX barks his way through a paranoid tale (complete with church bells!) about snitches and the cops chasing him without relenting (and without a proper chorus, too). 2 minutes of cinematic rap. Too bad X is living the jail life a little too often.

9. Bruce Haack - Electric To Me Turn
Early electronic innovator Haack has albums full of quirky little numbers such as 'Electric To Me Turn'. This otherwordly track, involving some bleeps and bloops as well as a strange vocal line aided by a proto-vocoder, appears on the album The Electric Lucifer, which strangely enough appeared on Columbia Records in the late '60s. It remains his only album to make an appearance on a major label, and certainly one of the odder offerings from this time period. Haack's work is intriguing to those wishing to learn a bit about electronic music's history, as well as get some insight into a strange genius at work.

10. Terrance And Phillip - Uncle Fucka
True story: After watching 1999's South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut in theaters, I ran right next door to Future Shop and promptly picked up the soundtrack. My friend Evan and I learned every nuance to each track and eventually wrote out all of the lyrics in a Notepad file that's now located on some destroyed hard drive in my basement. This track is the epitome of annoying but goddamn, still mildly entertaining.

Zip file of all of the tracks