"Lucky 2007"

December 2007
for: Sgt Howie and Nocturne

1. Fake Empire - The National
2. I Feel It All - Feist
3. Teardrop - José González
4. Mama, Won't You Keep Those Castles In The Air And Burning? - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
5. There Are Too Many Birds - Arthur & Yu
6. You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb - Spoon
7. Paper Planes - M.I.A.
8. Keep The Car Running - Arcade Fire
9. Wait For Me - Dean & Britta
10. Missed The Boat - Modest Mouse
11. Love Today - Mika
12. Lay Your Head Down - Keren Ann
13. You Know I'm No Good - Amy Winehouse
14. Don't Let Him Waste Your Time - Jarvis Cocker
15. Effect & Cause - The White Stripes
16. Night Majestic - Au Revoir Simone
17. White Chalk - PJ Harvey
18. Boy With A Coin - Iron & Wine
19. All My Friends - LCD Soundsystem
20. Cut And Run - Electrelane

Comments on the mix: After 2005 and 2006, here's my third year-end wrap up. Unlike the previous two mixes, I don't own all these albums (1, 4, 10, 11, 12 or 13 are just singles I picked up). Jarvis Cocker and Au Revoir Simone were my dud purchases this year, but there was lots of fabulous music to compensate! (I actually put this together at the end of November, so who know what I might buy in my final month.)

"Warming Trends"

November/December 2007
for: Sgt Howie

1. Toumani - Toumani Diabaté's Symmetric Orchestra
2. Kothbiro - Ayub Ogada
3. Hombre - Eduardo Mateo
4. Chereko - Nyota Ndogo
5. Bam Bam - Sister Nancy
6. La Vigüela - Gotan Project
7. Ekibobo - Samite
8. Sebastiana - Gal Costa
9. La Réalité - Amadou & Mariam
10. Pega a Voga, Cabeludo - Gilberto Gil
11. Bassekou - Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba
12. Panis Et Circenses - Os Mutantes
13. Sante Yalla - Cheikh Lô
14. ¿Quién? - Juana Molina
15. Paradiso - Konono Nº1
16. N'Jarou - Ali Farka Touré
17. Woza Azania - Kevin Nathaniel

Comments on the mix: Here is my attempt at a "World Music" mix. I do love African music, but find it difficult to incorporate into my regular mixes. "Warming Trends" blends African and Latin American music (with one reggae track thrown in). It's music from warm places!

"House by the Sea"

October 2007 (EC Trade)
for: Ballroom Pink

1. Losing Streak - Eels
2. 12 Months - The Stratford 4
3. Teardrop - José González
4. Lion's Mouth - Arthur & Yu
5. An Earlier Autumn - The Field Mice
6. Still at Home - Luna
7. Ballad of the Broken Seas - Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan
8. Scenic World - Beirut
9. Ultimate Stars - Saturday Looks Good To Me
10. House By The Sea - Iron & Wine
11. Whip-Smart - Liz Phair
12. White Horses - Dean & Britta
13. Things Are What You Make of Them (reprise) - Bishop Allen
14. Could We - Cat Power
15. End of the Day - Beck
16. Dark Halls - Au Revoir Simone
17. Untitled - Stellastarr
18. White Chalk - PJ Harvey
19. Wayward Song - The Earlies
20. The End - Sibylle Baier

Comments on the mix: I'm afraid this is one of those basically themeless mixes I slapped a title on.

"More!"

October 2007 (EC Trade)
for: P.D. Noosh

1. I Want More - Can
2. You Know I'm No Good - Amy Winehouse
3. Aphrodisiac - Bow Wow Wow
4. 1 2 3 4 - Feist
5. Kiss Off - Violent Femmes
6. Satin Chic - Goldfrapp
7. Burning Love - Elvis Presley
8. Danger! High Voltage - Electric Six
9. Paper Planes - M.I.A.
10. Razzmatazz - Pulp
11. Hot Lunch Jam - Fame Soundtrack
12. The One You Can't Have - Honeys
13. I Wanna Be Sedated - The Ramones
14. Grace Kelly - Mika
15. Don't Stop - Brazilian Girls
16. More Than This - Roxy Music
17. Na Na Na - The Knife
18. I Want a Little Sugar in My Bowl - Nina Simone
19. Satan Said Dance - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
20. (Antichrist Television Blues) - Arcade Fire
21. Rag And Bone - The White Stripes
22. Pega a Voga, Cabeludo - Gilberto Gil

Comments on the mix: Excess and greed! Or something.

"The Lonesome Depot"

October 2007 (EC Trade)
for: LostHighway

1. Tonight - Sibylle Baier
2. The Train From Kansas City - The Shangri-Las
3. California (All The Way) - Luna
4. Down The Line - José González
5. Neon Bible - Arcade Fire
6. Sea Lion Woman - Feist
7. Penny On The Train Track - Ben Kweller
8. The Orchids - Califone
9. 1000 Words - Arthur & Yu
10. Chinese Translation - M. Ward
11. Born On A Train - The Magnetic Fields
12. Rama Lama - Sons & Daughters
13. Lived In Bars - Cat Power
14. Ramblin Man - Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan
15. Lonely Weekends - Charlie Rich
16. Effect & Cause - The White Stripes
17. Shiny Cattle - Magic Car
18. Railroad Man - Eels
19. Arc of Time (Time Code) - Bright Eyes
20. Like the 309 - Johnny Cash
21. Ticket Man - The Kills

Comments on the mix: The club's on hiatus, so I signed up for some EC trades. The first was with LostHighway, who has sent me some great mixes in the past. I knew I couldn't compete with her knowledge of Country music, but I aimed for that feel, using other genres. I also used a whole bunch of train songs.

"Night Drive"

July 2007
for: Diane Court

1. Lay Your Head Down - Keren Ann
2. Fake Empire - The National
3. Ceremony - New Order
4. Singer Sing - Dean & Britta
5. Little Honey - Kelly Willis
6. Sweet Thing - Van Morrison
7. Damage - Yo La Tengo
8. Drive On - Johnny Cash
9. The Heart of Saturday Night - Tom Waits
10. 1979 - The Smashing Pumpkins
11. New Round - Beck
12. It Wasn't Me - Jenny Lewis with The Watson Twins
13. Lake Charles - Lucinda Williams
14. I've Been High - R.E.M.
15. The Greatest - Cat Power
16. Poison Cup - M. Ward
17. Country Mile - Camera Obscura
18. Atmosphere - Joy Division
19. Brandy Alexander - Feist
20. The Things We Did and Didn't Do - The Magnetic Fields

Comments on the mix: Music for a long, solitary drive on a summer’s night. There have always been certain songs that sound like “night driving” to me, and after I found two recent releases that fit the bill (the two opening tracks here), I decided to attempt a whole mix in the genre. Of course, an entire mix of slow, intense, rhythmic songs might be a bit much, so there are a few songs that don’t quite fit the criteria but seem to match in spirit.

Comments on the cover: When I started contemplating a cover for this one, my first thought was "that Robert Frank shot from 'The Americans'." And lo and behold, Google Images brought it up instantly! That never happens!

"Garden Party"

June 2007
for: Jedzz

1. Hong Kong Garden - Siouxsie & The Banshees
2. Listen Up! - The Gossip
3. Open Your Heart - Lavender Diamond
4. Sideshow By The Seashore - Luna
5. How Do I Let A Good Man Down? - Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings
6. Number 1 -Goldfrapp
7. Sorry - Madonna
8. Trains to Brazil - Guillemots
9. Cherries in the Snow - Elk City
10. Dirty Mind - The Pipettes
11. The Seed (2.0) - The Roots & Cody Chestnutt
12. Wet And Rusting - Menomena
13. Lady Lawyers - Oxford Collapse
14. Stuck Between Stations - The Hold Steady
15. Alcohol - Saturday Looks Good To Me
16. I Need All The Friends I Can Get - Camera Obscura
17. I Feel It All - Feist
18. Night Majestic - Au Revoir Simone
19. All My Friends - LCD Soundsystem
20. Cut And Run - Electrelane

Comments on the mix: Following Sunburn and Picnic, here's what strikes me as "summery" music in 2007. Couldn't come up with a great title this year (too much like "Picnic"), but the butterflies are cute!

"Mixed Company"

April/May 2007
for: jakes mom

1. Your Ex-Love Is Dead – Stars
2. Letter From An Occupant – The New Pornographers
3. Johnny Cash – Sons & Daughters
4. All My Little Words – The Magnetic Fields
5. The Well & The Lighthouse – Arcade Fire
6. What Have I Done To Deserve This? – Pet Shop Boys
7. In The Walls – Stellastarr
8. The Mess We’re In – PJ Harvey
9. Dragonflys – Devendra Banhart
10. Candy – Iggy Pop & Kate Pierson
11. Honey Babe – Magic Car
12. Ghosts Are Good Company – Bishop Allen
13. Ramblin Man – Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan
14. Kool Thing – Sonic Youth
15. Words You Used To Say – Dean & Britta
16. No Bad News – Bonnie “Prince” Billy
17. Legal Man – Belle & Sebastian
18. Some Velvet Morning – Lee Hazelwood & Nancy Sinatra
19. Our Way To Fall – Yo La Tengo
20. Well It’s True That We Love One Another – The White Stripes

Comments on the mix: This mix idea has been kicking around for a while, but the Dean & Britta album finally forced me to act. All these songs have a mix of male and female voices. They aren't necessarily duets; there are backing vocals as well. I'm not sure why I kept it so indie rock. Initially, I had some other genres in there, but took them out. This combination seemed right. (That delicious blast from the past by Iggy Pop and Kate Pierson, is complements of a recent mix I received from derhay)

Comments on the cover: This isn't the cover I sent to jakes mom. I wasn't that happy with the original cover, so when I was teaching myself InDesign this month I redid it. I've got a feeling that I'll send this mix out again, so I might as well have a cover I like.

"Hope"

March 2007
for: decca

1. I'll Believe in Anything - Wolf Parade
2. Mighty Fine Blues - Eels
3. Lloyd, I'm Ready To Be Heartbroken - Camera Obscura
4. More Than This - Roxy Music
5. Mama, Won't You Keep Those Castles In The Air And Burning? - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
6. Scenic World - Beirut
7. I'm Into Something Good - Earl-Jean
8. Wait For Me - Dean & Britta
9. Cripple Crow - Devendra Banhart
10. Magic Trick - M. Ward
11. I Don't Care If the Sun Don't Shine - Patti Page
12. Canada - The Field Mice
13. Keep The Car Running - Arcade Fire
14. My Doorbell - The White Stripes
15. Typing - Saturday Looks Good To Me
16. Roses & Hips - Keren Ann
17. Revolver - Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan
18. The Luckiest Guy On The Lower East Side - The Magnetic Fields
19. You And I Are A Gang Of Losers - The Dears
20. Noah's Ark - Cocorosie
21. Wayfaring Stranger - Neko Case

Comments on the mix: Unfortunately, "Hope" means very little here. This is basically a themeless mix with a title stuck on it. But "Hope" seemed ... March-appropriate.

"Sweater Set"

February 2007
for: BlueJayWay

1. Requiem - M. Ward
2. Postcards From Italy - Beirut
3. You Work All Weekend - Saturday Looks Good To Me
4. Lay And Love - Bonnie "Prince" Billy
5. Civil War Correspondent - John Parish & Polly Jean Harvey
6. Bewitched - Luna
7. Adlai Stevenson - Sufjan Stevens
8. Our Kitten Sees Ghosts - Califone
9. Forgot To Write - Oxford Collapse
10. Click Click Click Click - Bishop Allen
11. Tonight - Sibylle Baier
12. Is It Any Wonder - The Shortwave Set
13. Everyone - Van Morrison
14. Us - Regina Spektor
15. Awkward Duet - Sons & Daughters
16. Kiss Me Like You Mean It - The Magnetic Fields
17. Ugly Love - Eels
18. Country Mile - Camera Obscura
19. Bring It Back Again - The Earlies
20. May Queen - Liz Phair
21. And Sleep Al Mar - Au Revoir Simone

Comments on the mix: Following Off Season, this was another effort to create a cozy, wintery mix. During the planning stages, I was calling it "My Favorite Sweater," but I think that "Sweater Set" is a cooler, and more mix-appropriate title.

Comments on the cover: Yup, those are my sweaters. I shot them while the disk was burning. First time I photographed something just for a mix cover.