John playing guitar during Deerhoof’s appearance on Pancake Mountain

If it’s Christmas at You Ain’t No Picasso, that means it’s Mixmas! These twelve days give me a chance to turn You Ain’t No Picasso over to the musicians I cover and allow them to showcase some of their favorite songs through a themed mix. And if there’s one thing that’s always true, it’s that I can never keep it to just 12 days…

MP3: Deerhoof – Offend Maggie

Deerhoof is a band that makes music that sounds like it was made by really powerful children — toddlers with Thor’s hammer, maybe. However, they’re also a band with a lot of great thoughts on modern and classic music, as drummer Greg Saunier demonstrated in my interview with him earlier this year. Now it’s John Dieterich’s turn. And since he’s the one who crafts those tooth-rattling riffs, he’s someone we’re probably better off paying attention to.

“Baby, This Ain’t Me” — Songs about departures by John Dieterich of Deerhoof

MP3: The Roots – Livin’ In A New World
I love the feel on this song so much. It’s hard to explain, but I don’t know hardly any other music that manages to convey such conflicting emotions at the same time. And so beautifully produced.

MP3: Captain Beefheart – Grown So Ugly
One of my favorite songs from one of my favorite Beefheart albums. A song about someone looking into the mirror after 20 years of war and no longer recognizing himself. Here’s to hoping that there will be less of this in the future.

MP3: The Zombies – This Will Be Our Year
Every time I hear this song, it surprises me. Very little music jumps from the speakers in the way this recording does. It’s the sound of bottled optimism, and you can go back to it again and again.

Charlie Haden – The Ending of the First Side
This is an album split between Spanish Civil War songs and originals written by Haden, Carla Bley (who wrote this song) and others. I’ve just always loved this music ever since I happened upon it accidentally in a music store in Minneapolis. Amazing improvisers putting everything they’ve got into these beautiful songs. A friend saw them recently in New York and said they were incredible.

MP3: Cass McCombs – Meet Me Here at Dawn
It’s hard for me to even talk about this music. I simply can’t imagine this song being more perfect. I read it as an invitation to start something new, to build something, but with the knowledge that in order to do that you may need to give up what you understand and love.

You Ain’t No Picasso Mixmas 2008
Ivana XL | Henry Clay People | These United States | Cotton Jones | The Bicycles | Pas/Cal | Parenthetical Girls | BOAT | The Boy Least Likely To | Peelander-Z | Bishop Allen | We Are Scientists