The Team-up

Hi Seedies,

This month's mix is all duos and collaborations. The idea began when I noticed I seem to have been acquiring a number of male-female duos, many of them also couples:

plus The Submarines, Dean & Britta (formerly 2/3 of Luna), and Matt & Kim. This seemed appropriate for Valentines Day.

This got me thinking about other kinds of collaborations as well. She & Him is the actress Zooey Deschanel & M. Ward. The Extra Glenns is Franklin Bruno of Nothing Painted Blue and John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats (I went to college with Franklin and seem to remember the Extra Glenns playing at an art opening at the Motley, the cafe at Scripps College). I may have included an Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan song on a previous mix, but I absolutely love the way their voices combine. "Anyone Else But You," from The Moldy Peaches, may have gotten overplayed when it appeared in Juno, but I still think it's such a sweet song I decided to include it as well.  I think Tom first introduced me to Chip Taylor and Carrie Rodriguez and their excellent song "Don't Speak in English" on a Seedy playlist from the first year, Chicken Fried. Jack White collaborated with Loretta Lynn on Van Lear Rose, which he produced in 2004, and in this duet, "Portland Oregon":

And who wouldn't want to get drunk on pitchers of Sloe Gin Fizzes? And for one more alt-country kind of team-up, we have Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins' "It Wasn't Me."

And then there are the brilliantly clever songs: Franklin Bruno's "Unionbusting," sung here by the multitalented Jenny Toomey, and Flight of the Conchords' "If That's What You're Into." If you missed the song in it's original context on their HBO show, here it is:

Finally, there are a couple of legendary collaborations: David Byrne & Brian Eno, who have teamed up once again in 2008 for their album Everything That Happens Will Happen Today, and David Bowie and Queen's "Under Pressure." Couldn't resist, sorry. Nor could I resist M.I.A. & AR Rahman's "O…Saya" from the Slumdog Millionaire Soundtrack. (Did you see her at the Grammy's 9 month's pregnant?!)

There are so many more I didn't include, including several in the jazz department, Tony Bennett and k.d. lang, Frank Sinatra and Antonio Carlos Jobim, Evan Christopher & Tom McDermott. Do you have other favorites?