Sounds like summer

It’s the first day of summer, the longest day of the year. My lovely city started the day off right with the annual Street Breakfast. Pancakes, eggs, little boxes of milk and juice — all prepared & served by soldiers (so do I call it grub? or chow? or something like that). They close off the streets for the hardy souls who get downtown between 6am and 8:30am (guess which end of the spectrum I was closer to? Anyone who knows me will heartily echo “8:30! You got there AFTER 8:30!”). There was live music with a band whose lead singer looked like Bo Bice (a bit unfortunately). It was an excellent way to welcome the summer and enjoy the community spirit.

Here is a little playlist I have been assembling for the last month or so as the weather steadily turns warmer and minds turn to lighter things. This is a blend of old and new; let me tell you why. Summer is not just about you, right here & now in 2006, my friend. Somehow with the advent of June, it’s every summer you’ve ever lived before, and those from before you were born. It’s about drive-ins and clam bakes, love-ins and hip shakes. It’s about being eight years old and bored out of your mind all summer long, seeing how fast you can ride your bike, and laying on your back looking at clouds for hours. It’s about the summer before freshman year when you’d spend hours at the pool hoping to see your summer crush. And it’s about whatever fabulous things you will do this year, standing by the grill with friends, laying on the sand nursing a Corona, or dancing your arse off at some humid outdoor concert.

So this is an aptly broad soundtrack of songs that remind me of a bunch of different summers. From the kitschy appeal of Lily Allen to the sunkissed goodness of The Zombies, there’s something here for all the faces of summer. If you have the computer space, can I urge you to download the whole mix and listen to it front-to-back several times? It’s not supposed to be a pick-and-choose endeavor; there’s a flow here, people! A mix tape from me to you, so TRUST ME.

01. “LDN” – Lily Allen
(walkin’ round London, narrating – an extremely likeable female version of Mike Skinner)
02. “Good Day” – Luce
(just feel good listening to this, so positive & pleasant)
03. “Pleasant Valley Sunday” – The Monkees
(retro goodness recreating a sunny weekend morning – “the local rock group down the street is tryin’ hard to learn their song . . .”)
04. “The Compromise” – The Format
(this is a FABULOUS song, from their new CD Dog Problems)
05. “Brandy (You’re A Fine Girl)” – Looking Glass
(I remember singing this with my brother in the summer, listening to the radio)
06. “July! July!” – The Decemberists
(something about crooked French Canadians, but it fits so well)
07. “A Summer Song” – Chad & Jeremy
(could a song SOUND any more like summer?)
08. “Island In The Sun (live)” – Weezer
(where I wish I was, with a riff that distinctly reminds me of Summer 2001)
09. “Summertime” – Josh Rouse
(“I remember cigarettes, tube socks, sunburns, and long blonde hair“)
10. “All I’m Thinkin’ About” – Bruce Springsteen
(a summer driving song, on a long, winding road)
11. “Plan Of The Man” – The Ms
(hard to believe these Chicago fellows are modern, what with all the wooo wooo wooos)
12. “Harmour Love” – Syreeta
(the infectiously poppy opening/closing song from the movie Junebug)
13. “California Pt. 2” – Mason Jennings
(“Where the next nearest neighbor lives miles away, I’ll never have to mow the lawn. Right on.”)
14. “I Get High” – Fastball
(yes, it’s Fastball, but forget “The Way” and listen to this soulful Beatles-esque piano ballad)
15. “Long, Sweet Summer Night” – The Thorns
(Matthew Sweet, Pete Droge, Shawn Mullins – supergroup, superb song)
16. “I Wanna Hold Your Hand“ (Beatles cover) - Al Green
(Unh. “Shut up Al Green.” Teenage nostalgia never sounded so funky)
17. “I Need Direction” – Teenage Fanclub
(it’s like including a Beach Boys song without including one. Perfect)
18. “Paper Scratcher” – Blind Melon
(a completely underrated gem off their self-titled debut album, LOVE the harmonies)
19. “When U Love Somebody” – Fruit Bats
(another modern band that sounds so fantastically retro, this time with handclaps)
20. “Summertime” (demo) – The Zombies
(it is NOT summer without The Zombies. It’s just not. This is the classic Gershwin tune.)
21. “This Time Of Year” – Better Than Ezra
(for a newer song, this feels pretty dang nostalgic to me. “There’s a feelin’ in the air, just like a Friday afternoon . . .”)
22. “Sleepwalk” – Santo & Johnny
(no better way to end a summer night than with this tune, an open window, and a breeze)

NOW WE’RE TALKIN: DOWNLOAD THE WHOLE MIX AS A ZIP
The way I burn it, it fits on one CD for portable goodness.

Let the summering begin!

Mix for the new year

As we stand at the threshold of 2006, I have been playing around with some songs and have made up a mix of music for you all to start the new year off RIGHT. These are not all overtly “New Year’s” themed, I left off a lot of the typical holiday songs and instead focused on the way a new year feels to me.

Lots of leitmotifs here surrounding topics such as fresh starts, new beginnings, and music that just feels unsullied and pure (such as the Eels bookend tracks at the start and end). Then to top it all off, a healthy dose of positive thinking and optimism. Hopefully something you can listen to throughout January and beyond.

Since you should listen to the whole thing as a comprehensive unit, and not individually (mix order is serious stuff!) there is just one link to download the zip mix with all the songs at the end of the post.

1. Theme From Blinking Lights – Eels (buy)
2. Good Day – Luce (buy)
3. Up All Night – Counting Crows (buy)
4. Next Year, Baby – Jamie Cullum (buy)
5. Throw It All Away – Toad The Wet Sprocket (buy)
6. Auld Lang Syne – Brian Wilson (buy)
7. Brand New Start – Paul Weller (buy)
8. Yes I Will – Michael Franti & Spearhead (buy)
9. January Rain – David Gray (buy)
10. Happy New Year – Camera Obscura (buy)
11. This Could Be My Moment – The Verve (buy)
12. Pretty Good Year – Tori Amos (buy)
13. Start Again – Teenage Fanclub (buy)
14. What A Year For a New Year – Dan Wilson (of Semisonic) (buy)
15. Champagne From a Paper Cup – Death Cab for Cutie (buy)
16. A Clean Pair of Eyes – David Gray (buy)
17. Change Is Gonna Come – Otis Redding (buy)
18. Better Things – The Kinks (buy)
19. Blinking Lights (For You) Eels (buy)

DOWNLOAD ENTIRE MIX AS A ZIP FILE HERE

Christmas Music That Won’t Drive You To Drink (unless you want to)

Well, it is December 1, which means that you are all now at the mercy of the Christmas Music Industry.

You will minding your own business, out shopping or driving along listening to the radio, when suddenly you cannot escape the strains of “Feliz Navidad” (my personal most hated) or “Sleigh Ride” (which actually isn’t SO bad, because of the redeeming quality of the whip sound). Or the godawful Chipmunks thing? What IS that? While I actually like the warm-fuzzy-inducing abilities of Christmas music, and the wonderful message it brings, my qualm is that so much of it is just terribly done and kind of annoying.

So, you can run, but the only way to truly hide is to bring along your iPod and pull up this playlist of not-lame Christmas music. This should also all fit nicely on one CD for portable holiday cheer. Have fun!

That Was The Worst Christmas Ever! – Sufjan Stevens
Let Me Sleep – Pearl Jam
Christmas With Jesus – Josh Rouse
Gotta Be Good – Chris Isaak (a little naughty holiday cheer)
White Christmas – Otis Redding
Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) – Death Cab For Cutie
What I Want – The Winter Blanket
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas – Coldplay
Merry Christmas – The Ramones
Come On! Let’s Boogey To The Elf Dance! – Sufjan Stevens
Washington Square – Chris Isaak
Christmas – Leona Naess
Christmas Time Is Here – Charlie Brown Christmas
I’ll Be Home For Christmas – The Winter Blanket
Someday at Christmas – Pearl Jam
Hey Parker, It’s Christmas – Ryan Adams
Silent Night – Johnny Cash

YOU CAN ALSO DOWNLOAD THE ENTIRE MIX AS A ZIP FILE HERE

Ho, ho, ho. Pass the eggnog, chief.