February mix

A short month, so an uncharacteristically short mix:

  1. “L.O.V.” by Fitz & the Tantrums
  2. “Solo Tu Tienes La Llave” by Cuarto Poder
  3. “You and I” by Ingrid Michaelson
  4. “Dreams” by Brandi Carlile
  5. “Tenderness on the Block” by Warren Zevon
  6. “Goods” by Mates of State
  7. “Ricochet!” by Shiny Toy Guns
  8. “Paris (Ooh La La)” by Grace Potter & the Nocturnals

I’m sure I listened to some other songs last month, but that’s what stuck with me.

January 2011 Mix

For whatever it’s worth, here’s basically everything I was listening to in January:

  1. “Born Again” by Cory Chisel and the Wandering Sons
  2. “Canaan” by Black Dub
  3. “I Will” by Alison Krauss
  4. “Crazy” by Shawn Colvin
  5. “Mercy Seat” by Johnny Cash
  6. “Tonight!” by the Positions
  7. “Middleclass Kid” by Pelle Carlberg
  8. “Gotta Get Smart” by El Perro del Mar
  9. “Hang Me Up to Dry” by Cold War Kids
  10. “Giving Up on Love” by Slow Club
  11. “Evergreen” by the Fiery Furnaces
  12. “West Coast” by Coconut Records
  13. “Do What You Wanna Do” by Acid House Kings
  14. “If I Only Had a Brain” by Jeremy Little
  15. “Sixteen Shades of Black & Blue” by Fujiya & Miyagi
  1. “Don’t Say Oh Well” by Grouplove
  2. “Truth” by Alex Ebert
  3. “Lahaha” by Shugo Tokumaru
  4. “Shake Me Down” by Cage the Elephant
  5. “We Are Stars” by the Pierces
  6. “Highway Down” by I See Hawks in L.A.
  7. “Wake Up, Sleepyhead” by Azure Ray
  8. “Time” by the Alan Parsons Project
  9. “Not a Through Street” by Anya Marina
  10. “Rolling in the Deep” by Adele
  11. “Christ Jesus” by Deer Tick
  12. “This Is Why We Fight” by the Decemberists
  13. “How You Like Me Now” by the Heavy
  14. “Walking Far from Home” by Iron & Wine
  15. “Shell Games” by Bright Eyes

It’s months like this that make putting together a short year-end “best of” mix so very difficult. Still, I really like this mix. There’s some really great music here.

2010 in music

Every month, I put together a mix of new music. Some of it’s just new to me, or even just rediscovered music, and I’ve been doing it for a couple of years now. Sometimes I get a bit carried away, but I have fun doing it. And I have fun sharing those mixes, on occasion, with others.

Here’s my December 2010 mix:

  1. “Ballad of Winslow Homer” by the Dimes
  2. “American Dream” by Danielle Ate the Sandwich
  3. “Lille” by Lisa Hannigan
  4. “We Meet, We Part, We Remember” by the Holmes Brothers
  5. “Always” by Junip
  6. “Sucker Row” by Mark Knopfler
  7. “Merry Happy” by Kate Nash
  8. “Over” by Phonosapiens
  9. “Tonight the Streets Are Ours” by Richard Hawley
  10. “Say it Right” by Nelly Furtado
  11. “Song to Bobby” by Cat Power
  12. “Nostrand” by Ratatat
  13. “Save Yourself” by Sharon Van Etten
  14. “Albuquerque Lullaby” by Dan Bern
  15. “When My Time Comes” by Dawes
  16. “Card From a Multipack” by the Just Joans
  17. “White Wine in the Sun” by Tim Minchin
  18. “Year End Letter” by Garfunkel and Oates

And here’s a “Best of” mix I mailed out to a few people, in lieu of Christmas cards…and, well, after Christmas.

  1. “The Weary Kind” by Ryan Bingham
  2. “Southland in the Springtime” by Indigo Girls
  3. “Breathe” from In the Heights
  4. “Lazarus” by Sophie Solomon
  5. “Say Hey (I Love You)” by Michael Franti & Spearhead
  6. “Cleo’s Song” by JBM
  7. “Como Uma Nuvem No Céu” by Ana Moura
  8. “Chasing Cars” by Snow Patrol
  9. “Change of Time” by Josh Ritter
  10. “Oh, the Divorces!” by Tracy Thorn
  11. “To Travels & Trunks” by Hey Marseilles
  12. “Home” by Edward Sharp & the Magnetic Zeros
  13. “Black Winged Bird” by Nina Persson
  14. “Blackbird Through the Dark” by Patrick Park
  15. “Robots” by Dan Mangan
  1. “Counting Back to 1” by Beautiful Small Machines
  2. “Down on Love” by Sarah Blasko
  3. “Taking a Walk” by John Prine
  4. “The Suitcase Song” by Sam & Ruby
  5. “’til I’m Gone” by David Ross Macdonald
  6. “The Queen of Lower Chelsea” by the Gaslight Anthem
  7. “Belle of the Ball” by Carsie Blanton
  8. “Where Will You Be” by Sara Watkins
  9. “Organ Donor” by Jeremy Messersmith
  10. “Clementine” by Sarah Jaffe
  11. “Americanarama” by Hollerado
  12. “Hard Believer” by First Aid Kit
  13. “Levi Stubbs’ Tears” by Billy Bragg
  14. “American Dream” by Danielle Ate the Sandwich
  15. “Lille” by Lisa Hannigan

Believe me, even winnowing that down to 30 songs, on two discs, was a challenge. And, although it’s really sort of a Christmas song, and therefore a week too late, I just really like this song from Tim Minchin, “White Wine in the Sun.” It seems like a good note to end on for the year.

October music

The one good thing about almost nobody ever taking me up on my offer of a monthly mix CD exchange? On the not at all rare occasion that I go a little crazy and cobble together a mix this long, which by its length requires a minimum of two CDs, I don’t have to do anything except pleasantly post it here and say, hey, here’s some stuff I’ve been listening to recently.

So hey, here’s some stuff I’ve been listening to recently.

  1. “Never Listen to Me” by the Thermals
  2. “Thule Fog” by John Vanderslice
  3. “The Queen of Lower Chelsea” by the Gaslight Anthem
  4. “Organ Donor” by Jeremy Messersmith
  5. “Americanarama” by Hollerado
  6. “The Ballad of…” by Franz Nicolay
  7. “Belle of the Ball” by Carsie Blanton
  8. “Get Me Away from Here I’m Dying” by Bettie Serveert
  9. “Devil’s Best Dress” by Corb Lund
  10. “Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground” by Chris Thile
  11. “New York (Saint in the City)” by the Academy Is…
  12. “Remains” by Maurissa Tancharoen & Jed Whedon
  13. “You Are Not Alone” by Mavis Staples
  14. “Birds Fly Away” by Theresa Andersson
  15. “Window of My World” by Guided by Voices
  16. “The Way We Get By” by Spoon
  17. “Rain City” by Lucy Schwartz
  18. “Down River” by the Temper Trap
  19. “Hard Believer” by First Aid Kit
  20. “Levi Stubbs’ Tears” by Billy Bragg
  21. “The Ballad of Grim and Lily” by Bree Sharp
  22. “Where Will You Be” by Sara Watkins
  23. “I Will Follow You Into the Dark” by Death Cab for Cutie
  24. “There’s Room in My Tardis for Two” by Love Ends Disaster!
  25. “Disaster” by Kopecky Family Band
  26. “Never Come Around” by La Sera
  27. “‘Til the End” by Remy Zero

September mix

Here’s what I was listening to in September.

  1. “Things You Think” by Ben Folds & Nick Hornby (feat. Pomplamoose)
  2. “Catch the Wind” by Donovan
  3. “Standing There” by the Creatures
  4. “Steel of Steel” by J. Tillman
  5. “I Ain’t Marching Anymore” by Phil Ochs
  6. “Stranger in the Window” by Elf Power
  7. “Taking a Walk” by John Prine
  8. “Diamonds and Gold” by My Terrible Friend
  9. “Angel Dance” by Robert Plant
  10. “The Suitcase Song” by Sam & Ruby
  11. “Hologram” by Katie Herzig
  12. “Roll Away Your Stone” by Laura Marling
  13. “’til I’m Gone” by David Ross Macdonald