The Lonely Wild has made some leaps since it formed three years ago when ringleader Andrew Carroll moved to L.A. and met Ryan Ross, Andrew Schneider, Jessie Williams and Dave Farina. Since then, the band has released the stellar Dead End EP, which was recently followed by debut album The Sun As It Comes (Ursa Major). The Lonely Wild boys recently put together a mix tape for us. Check it out below.
“Everything You Need” (download):
Yes “Close To The Edge”
Dave: The title track on what is, to me, the definitive progressive-rock album. This is an epic masterpiece. Video
Medeski, Martin & Wood “Beeah”
Dave: I started getting into jazz when I was 18 or so, and Billy Martin was my honorary professor in “how to groove” from 101 to the PhD level. With jazz and MMW specifically, my mind was opened to a new world of rhythm, and gradations between swing and straight-tempo that I was completely unaware of. Video
Led Zeppelin “Since I’ve Been Loving You”
Ryan: I really can’t describe how much I love this song. One of my favorites from a band with an amazing catalog. We were just listening to the Zeppelin live at the BBC disc the other day in the tour van, and the live version of this song might even be better than the studio one. I love the intro guitar riff—how it starts so mellow and smooth and how it bursts into a frenzied climax. The organ, the drums, the vocals—they all come together so well in this song. Video
Del Shannon “Runaway”
Ryan: I recently rediscovered this song somewhere, and it’s a guilty-pleasure song for me. It also has one of my favorite keyboard solos of all time. Max Crook, the piano/keyboard player, invented an instrument that he called the “Musitron,” which was basically a modified Clavioline (an early electronic keyboard), with some spring reverb and some tweaks. The sound he got out of that thing was amazing, and it’s one of the most famous instrumental breaks in rock ‘n’ roll history. Video
Neil Young “Mr. Soul”
Jesse: Neil is my all-time favorite, and it’s hard to pick one song from such an extensive library, but “Mr. Soul” has always topped my list. Lyrically, there is a sort of dark whimsy about it. The guitars are dirty (just how I like ’em), and the main lick is quintessential Neil—simple with a side of genius. There are several versions of this song. It translates well to various styles, which is a testament to the strength of the songwriting. Video
Smokey Robinson And The Miracles “Ooo Baby Baby”
Jesse: I grew up listening to and loving Motown. Smokey wrote so much of what came out of there. I’m not usually the girl who goes for the swoon-y love songs, but Smokey does it so well. This is one of those songs that sticks to every cell of your being. He has a voice that could melt a glacier. Probably one of the most impressive vocal ranges of all time. Video
Neutral Milk Hotel “In The Aeroplane Over The Sea”
Andrew: This song has one of my favorite lyrics of all time: “Can’t believe how strange it is to be anything at all.” That kind of sums up the nature of existence right there. Video
The Flaming Lips “Waitin’ For A Superman”
Andrew: The Flaming Lips are known for being kind of a silly, wacky, experimental art-rock band, but if you take the time to listen, Wayne Coyne has some powerfully insightful lyrics. This song has brought me to tears on more than one occasion. Video
Claude Debussy “La Cathedral Engloutie” (The Sunken Cathedral)
Andrew: This is one of my absolute favorite pieces of music ever written. Debussy tells the story of a mythical cathedral that rises from out of the sea. I am in awe of the landscape that Debussy is able to paint with one instrument. The piece is just less than six minutes long, and I frequently put it on repeat and listen for way too long. Video
The Faces “Stay With Me”
Andrew: If someone asked me what my idea if a perfect rock ‘n’ roll song was, I would play this track. The Faces are the band I usually put on after listening to the Stones and wishing it would rock just a little harder. The mix of the perfectly dirty rhythm guitar, tasty slide guitar and slightly overdriven Rhodes is one of my all-time favorite sounds. Everyone has their list of bands they’d see if they could travel back in time, and the Faces is definitely on my list. Video
