"Lusty Ladies"

May/June 2008
Themed Round: Sin
for: knobbygirl

1. Ooh La La - Goldfrapp
2. He's Got the Power - The Exciters
3. 40 Boys in 40 Nights - The Donnas
4. Call Me - Blondie
5. I Just Want To Make Love To You - Etta James
6. Bad Reputation - Joan Jett
7. Buck - Nina Simone
8. I Don't Care If the Sun Don't Shine - Patti Page
9. Dirty Mind - The Pipettes
10. Just Can't Get Enough - Nouvelle Vague
11. In the Cold, Cold Night - The White Stripes
12. Shoop - Salt 'n Pepa
13. I'll Come Running - Lulu
14. Raspberry Swirl - Tori Amos
15. Long Island - That Dog
16. Car Song - Elastica
17. Pull A U - The Kills
18. Cool Love - Wanda Jackson
19. Kiss Kiss - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
20. Tonight's the Night - The Shirelles
21. Like A Virgin - Madonna
22. Never Say Never - Romeo Void
23. I'm Getting Better All The Time - Barbara Pittman
24. Brandy Alexander - Feist

Comments on the mix: For the "Sin" round, I made a mix of women expressing their lustful desires. Of course, as usual with my themed mixes, some of the songs don't quite fit. But close enough. I sent out More! as a bonus.

"Spring Cleaning"

April 2008
for: mandalaya

1. Blue Boy - Orange Juice
2. Kiss Kiss - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
3. Pulling Our Weight - The Radio Dept.
4. Wonderful Witches - Thurston Moore
5. My Valuable Hunting Knife - Guided By Voices
6. The Nest - Sons & Daughters
7. Along The Way - DeVotchKa
8. Red Hot - Billy Emerson
9. Rich Kid Blues - The Raconteurs
10. What's a Girl to Do? - Bat for Lashes
11. White Collar Boy - Belle & Sebastian
12. Cheap and Cheerful - The Kills
13. Derek - Animal Collective
14. Welcome To The Club - Jean Chapel
15. Sailor & Widow - Keren Ann
16. Come To View (Song For Neil Young) - Arthur & Yu
17. Fear Of Trains - The Magnetic Fields
18. Keep Your Hands Off My Baby - Little Eva
19. Challengers - The New Pornographers
20. Half As Much - Patsy Cline
21. Killing For Love - José González
22. Ain't You Wealthy, Ain't You Wise? - Bonnie "Prince" Billy
23. You Don't Know Baby - Wanda Jackson
24. Skinny Love - Bon Iver

Comments on the mix: Sometimes I feel like I get backlogged with music that hasn't found its way onto my mixes just yet and I have to do a catch up mix to find a place for it all. This is a combo of stuff I've been holding on to, stuff I just discovered, and a few old favorites just for mandalaya. Given the time of year, the title was a no-brainer.

"Sun Flare"

February 2008
Themed Round: Nostalgia
for: Mike Eternity

1. The Wind - Cat Stevens
2. Sunshine - Peter Salett
3. I’m On Fire - Electrelane
4. Our Life Is Not A Movie Or Maybe - Okkervil River
5. Play With Fire - The Rolling Stones
6. Now, Now - St. Vincent
7. Your Heartache and Mine - Hari and Aino
8. Pleasant As May - Dolly Parton
9. Now That I Know - Devendra Banhart
10. Watercolours into the Ocean - Destroyer
11. Maybe Not - Cat Power
12. Our Kitten Sees Ghosts - Califone
13. Remember The Day - Sibylle Baier
14. The Nest - José González
15. Dr. Baker - The Beta Band
16. If You Could Read My Mind - Johnny Cash
17. Marx and Engels - Belle & Sebastian
18. Mansion On The Hill - Bruce Springsteen
19. Shatter - Liz Phair
20. Honey, We Can't Afford to Look This Cheap - The White Stripes

Comments on the mix: Ultimately, I found my Best Song Ever mix a bit too self indulgent, so I tried to come up with a mix with a general nostalgic vibe to it. Unfortunately, I had some new songs burning a hole in my pocket, and included them here even though they don't quite fit the mood I was going for. Which is sort of a "long ago summer day" feel.

"The Best Song Ever"

(A Chronological History)

February 2008
Themed Round: Nostalgia
for: Mike Eternity

1. Material Girl - Madonna
2. Oh l’Amour - Erasure
3. Stand - R.E.M.
4. Blister in the Sun - Violent Femmes
5. She’s an Angel - They Might Be Giants
6. Trouble - Cat Stevens
7. Help Me Mary - Liz Phair
8. Gigantic - The Pixies
9. Down by the Water - PJ Harvey
10. Overcome - Tricky
11. Disco 2000 - Pulp
12. Little Babies . Sleater Kinney
13. Sweetest Decline - Beth Orton
14. These Days - Nico
15. You’re Pretty Good Looking (For a Girl) -The White Stripes
16. Maps - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
17. Rebellion (Lies) - Arcade Fire
18. Your Ex-Lover Is Dead - Stars
19. Lived in Bars - Cat Power
20. Paper Planes - M.I.A.
21. 23 Minutes in Brussels - Luna

Comments on the mix: I'm approaching the Nostalgia theme very literally here, by tracing my favorite songs from when I first became aware of pop music to the present day. The interesting thing about putting this together was how, early on in life, I have such distinct associations of song and moments, but more recently, everything blurs together. I also realized that I have had a lot of favorite songs that are quite long (!) and had to be excluded from this mix for that reason alone.

Comments on the cover: No cover! That's new. I decided to write liner notes for the first time, and I babbled on at such length that there was no room for a cover. However, I don't think I said anything worthy of repeating here.

"Outside the Prom"

January 2008
for: Velora

1. Never Let Me Down Again - Depeche Mode
2. If You Leave - Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
3. The Motion of Love - Gene Loves Jezebel
4. Knives - The Chiara L's
5. Long-Forgotten Fairytale - The Magnetic Fields
6. Girl of 100 Lists - The Go-Gos
7. What I'm Trying To Say - Stars
8. Such Great Heights - The Postal Service
9. The Disco Song - Au Revoir Simone
10. Oh l'Amour - Erasure
11. Silent Shout - The Knife
12. Evil - Interpol
13. Temptation - New Order
14. My Coco - Stellastarr
15. Only You - Yaz
16. Someone Great - LCD Soundsystem
17. I Tried It, I Liked It, I Loved It - Decoration
18. The Melody of a Fallen Tree - Windsor For The Derby

Comments on the mix: This was a long-gestating idea. A mix that combines '80s music with '80s-inspired music. And by '80s, I mostly mean New Wave. And as for the prom? Well, there are always sulky kids in the corner. This is for their teen movie. (Only the OMD track overlaps with my last '80s foray.)

"City at Night"

December 2007 (EC Trade)
for: Nocturne

1. Phenomena - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
2. My Moon My Man - Feist
3. Swallow My Pride - The Ramones
4. Pull A U - The Kills
5. Buffalo Boots - Luna
6. We Share Our Mothers' Health - The Knife
7. Bamboo Banga - M.I.A.
8. In This City - Enon
9. Sittin' Here - Dizzee Rascal
10. NYC - Interpol
11. One More Time - Daft Punk
12. Black Swan - Thom Yorke
13. In the Dark - Nina Simone
14. On Parade - Electrelane
15. Heela - John Parish And Polly Jean Harvey
16. Someone Great - LCD Soundsystem
17. Digital - Joy Division
18. After Hours -The Velvet Underground
19. Tonight - TV On The Radio

Comments on the mix: After making a number of winter mixes that were supposed to be warm and cozy, I thought it was time for something cold and decadent. This mix is meant to convey the highs and lows of an endless night on the town.

"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.