...It's gonna be a long walk

See comments for the details, zip files coming ASAP

Now:

1. Joshua James, The New Love Song

2. Atmosphere, The Things That Hate Us

3. Rilo Kiley, Portions for Foxes

4. The Cure, Maybe Someday

5. Ani Difranco, Swim

6. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, American Girl

7. Counting Crows, Recovering the Satellites (live)

8. Regina Spektor, On the Radio

9. Tete, Fils de Cham

10. The Hush Sound, Break the Sky

11. The Cat Empire, The Lost Song

12. Iron & Wine, Someday the Waves

13. Keren Ann, La Corde et Les Chaussons

14. Charles Aznavour, Emmenez-moi

15. Dave Matthews Band, Crush

16. The Weepies, World Spins Madly On

17. Company of Thieves, Oscar Wilde

18. Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova, The Swell Season

19. Foxy Shazam, Bye Bye Symphony

Then:

1. Yann Tiersen, J'y suis jamais alle

2. Atmosphere, Trying to Find a Balance

3. Sage Francis, Sea Lion

4. Postal Service, I'll be

5. Blind Melon, Mouthful of Cavities

6. Yann Tiersen, Pas si simple

7. Pleasure Pause, Penelope

8. Raphael, Caravane

9. Ani Difranco, Both Hands

10. Spoon, I Summon You

11. Fiona Apple, Sullen Girl

12. Yann Tiersen, Comptine d'ete n-2

13. Counting Crows, Round Here

14. Yann Tiersen, Soir de fete

15. Flogging Molly, Devil's Dance Floor

16. Yann Tiersen, Mouvement Introductif

17. Dave Matthews Band, Crush

18. Me First & the Gimme Gimmes, Danny's Song

19. PJ Harvey, Sky Lit Up

20. Sage Francis, Crumble

Technical Details

My apologies for the length of this post, but I had a few quick technically related thoughts.

Formatting
To make sure that your mixtape stays in the correct order when you post it and we download it, I would recommend taking the following steps.

1. Copy all the files from wherever they are located on your computer and put them in a new folder with the Mixtape title.
   
   
2. Number all the songs. I would recommend a simple "01 - Artist - Track Name" format. I know that some of my songs that I'll be putting up did not have that format so I will be formatting mine that way.
   
   
3. Make a zipped archive out of your Mixtape folder. My program of choice is 7zip, but there are a variety of other programs out there. If you do not know how do to this, e-mail me and I will talk you through it, or possible write another post on how to do it.
   
   
4. You can then upload the mixtape to one of the sites listed below and post the link to the shared mixtape in your post.
   

Sharing/Uploading
There are a variety of uploading options. I'm not sure how much actual hosting space they give us with this blog, so I would say our best bet is to host them externally. Our options are as follows:

1. Google Documents - If everyone has a Google Account (basically GMail), we have the option of uploading them to Google Documents in a zip file and sharing them with other Google users. The Google size limit is 1 GB, but this is a total account limit. So if you have other documents saved, then the limit is whatever your remaining space is.
   
   
2. Drop.io - If you are not a Google user, I would recommend Drop.io. This is the quickest and easiest method of sharing and doesn't require signing up for anything. Keep in mind that the file size limit per Drop is 100 MB. Thus, depending on the size of your finished mixtape, you may need to break it up into multiple zipped archives and upload each individually, making sure each is under 100 MB.
   
   
3. Dropbox - Finally, there is the Dropbox option as well. If you any of you are Dropbox users then we could create a shared folder in our Dropboxes and swap them that way. The file size limit is a bit bigger here, but you'd have to sign up for an account, so it could be more of a pain.
   If there is interest in this method, I am available to discuss it. (Even if you don't want to share your music this way, I highly recommend it for backing up important computer files.)
   

Editing
If any of you want to edit your songs (cut/crop them), I would recommend using Audacity. I will be editing some of my tracks to remove random talk from a remix and studio chatter/applause on live tracks, so it occurred to me that others might want to do so as well.

I realize all of this may be too much too fast, so if you have any questions or difficulties with any of it, please feel free to e-mail me and I will help you out. I know JP put quickly and easily put his mixtape up using these sites and I look forward to helping the rest of you put them up too.

first upload

Give this a try (credit goes to the Reuben for the help on this one):
http://drop.io/jpsmixtape

If you burn it to a cd, arrange the songs the way I have them on my playlist. They probably will not be in order when you download them. Or if not, I'll take care of it when we pass cds around at the cd pass around night thing.

First

Hopefully I will come upon my '05 mix tape at some point, but until then, I submit for your consideration, my 2010 mixtape.

01. Smashing Pumpkins – Frail and Bedazzled
02. The Vandels – Don’t Stop Me Now
03. Atmosphere – Happy Mess
04. Dolly Parton – Joshua
05. Martha Reeve and the Vandellas – Love Is Like A Heat Wave
06. Jimi Hendrix – Crosstown Traffic
07. Cab Calloway – Jumpin’ Jive
08. Rilo Kiley – Wires and Waves
09. Blink 182 – Adam’s Song
10. Dropkick Murphys – Surrender
11. Nightmare Before Christmas – What’s This
12. Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons – Walk Like A Man
13. Feist – Gatekeeper (One Room One Hour Mix)
14. Sleeping Beauty Soundtrack – Once Upon A Dream
15. The Clash – Train In Vain
16. Elliott Smith – Harvest Moon
17. A Tribe Called Quest – I Left My Wallet In El Segundo
18. Party Ben – Drop It Like It’s A Whole Lotta Love
19. The All-American Rejects – Gives You Hell
20. The Incredible String Band – The Hedgehog’s Song
21. Hieroglyphics – It’s About Time
22. Vince Guaraldi – Skating
23. The Seatbelts – Green Bird
24. George Harrison – All Things Must Pass
25. Against Me! – Beginning in an Ending


01. Smashing Pumpkins – Frail and Bedazzled

I have been on a huge Smashing Pumpkins kick lately and really wanted to put one of their songs on the mix. I was between this song, Zero, and Starla. But since Starla is 11 min long, I had to eliminate it. I decided against Zero because I do not listen to it very often. Frail and Bedazzled ended up winning because it is on my running mix, so I hear it at least 5-6 time a week. Great song to really push you over a hill.



02. The Vandels – Don’t Stop Me Now

The classic Queen tune ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’, with a punk rock twist. Whenever I am in the car and this version by the Vandels comes on, I just want to drop a gear and engage in some…spirited driving.



03. Atmosphere – Happy Mess

Hats off to Ellen for introducing me to Atmosphere back in early ’04. This song makes me realize that ‘I’m not perfect, but I’m this, that, and this’. It seems like a modern day dark comedy-esque love story where no one is perfect, but we get along anyway. Also it’s comic book imagery really shines through and ignites my nerd senses.



04. Dolly Parton – Joshua

A solid early Dolly Parton tune. It’s all the things I like about bluegrass: quality story telling, great chorus, and an overall catchy tune. It harkens back to simpler times where one could walk down a railroad to meet a loner, who happened to be a pretty cool dude that appreciated nature, and not some crazy cereal killer.



05. Martha Reeve and the Vandellas – Love Is Like A Heat Wave

This song is my nod to Motown. When the chorus rolls around you just want to yell out ‘HEATWAVE!!’. One of those songs that if you are in a good mood, it will make you feel that much better.



06. Jimi Hendrix – Crosstown Traffic

Great driving song. Whenever I am in the car and this song comes on, I can’t help but sing along. This song does not even get close to showcasing Jimi’s guitar skills, but it has kazoos. And any song that can make kazoos not sound terrible is ok in my book.



07. Cab Calloway – Jumpin’ Jive

If you have seen ‘Blues Brothers’, you have seen Cab Calloway. He is the older black dude who has the crowd sing ‘Haaadyy hadddy hadddda ha’. Anyway, he was a famous bandleader in the 30’s, and this is one of my favorite songs of his. A real toe taper.



08. Rilo Kiley – Wires and Waves

I came upon Rilo Kiley by accident one night while cruising IMDB. I was looking up ‘Boy Meets World’, and saw the guy who played ‘Joey the rat’ was in a band called ‘Rilo Kiley’. I…legally….obtained a few albums, and gave them a listen, and really liked what I heard. ‘Wires and Waves’ is a song that really hit me because it seems like all my friends are going different places in life, and sometimes we loose touch, even though we are really only separated by wires (phone/internet/ect.) and waves (ocean).



09. Blink 182 – Adam’s Song

“The tour was over, we survived. I couldn’t wait, till I got home, to pass the time in my room alone.” Those lyrics really made sense to me. Have you ever gotten home from something (a trip, long day at work, some loud party) and just wanted to sit alone in your room, listening to some music, and looking at the ceiling? Nothing is better then doing that while listening to this song.



10. Dropkick Murphys – Surrender

This is my ultimate ‘I am exhausted but want to push the pace on the last mile of my run’ song. I could be dead tired and soaked in sweat, but if this song comes on, my head goes up, my breathing slows, and I am ready to conquer that last stretch of land.



11. Nightmare Before Christmas – What’s This

Definitely did not put this on my mix to be ironic. It’s a song about how sometimes you tire of your daily routine and really need a change. Then you find something so awesome and different that you can’t help but immerse yourself in it.



12. Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons – Walk Like A Man

Seriously, try to not sing along to this song. It’s unpossible.



13. Feist – Gatekeeper (One Room One Hour Mix)

I really liked this version of the song because it put a classy, lounge-ish spin on a classic Feist song. A good tune to play whilst making sweet love to your old lady.



14. Sleeping Beauty Soundtrack – Once Upon A Dream

What?... I like Disney movies. Also, so gay, but my mom used to sing this song to us (myself, my brother, and my sister) when we were babies.



15. The Clash – Train In Vain

One of my favorite songs to come out of England in the ‘80s. Such a catchy tune. One of those songs that I can be in any mood, and I will be down for listening to it.



16. Elliott Smith – Harvest Moon

I like Elliott Smith, cover songs, and Harvest Moon by Neil Young. This song combined all of those things. This and the Neil Young version are two of my favorite songs to listen to in the fall. My favorite fall activity is listening to this jam while sitting out on the porch, watching the changing leaves, while in front of a fire, drinking the fall seasonal ‘Harvest Moon’ that Blue Moon puts out.



17. A Tribe Called Quest – I Left My Wallet In El Segundo

It’s like ‘On The Road’ by Kerouac, except not boring, and with a most triumphant beat.



18. Party Ben – Drop It Like It’s A Whole Lotta Love

I really love mix up tunes when they are done right. The Grey Album by DJ Danger Mouse, anything by The Kleptones, and anything else that is just flat out clever. I can respect how much effort and mathematical precision goes into making them. Anyway, this one combines Snoop and Led Zeppelin. I heard it just though ‘Nice!’. And it is nice.


19. The All-American Rejects – Gives You Hell

Ever had one of those days where you just want to give everyone the finger and go do your own thing? When I have those days, this is my jam.



20. The Incredible String Band – The Hedgehog’s Song

Incredible String Band always puts me in a weird mood. I was introduced to them by a friend from highschool who passed away way too soon. I also just really like the lyrics in this song, especially the chorus: “Well you know all the words, and you’ve sung all the notes, but you’ve never quite learned the songs you’ve sung”.



21. Hieroglyphics – It’s About Time

Del tha funkee homosapien. I just really like his sound and how he injects humor into his songs. I was between this or something from ‘deltron 3030’, but I really just love the depth of sound he has in this one.



22. Vince Guaraldi – Skating

Another fall/winter song that never gets old. I love the simplicity of this whole album.



23. The Seatbelts – Green Bird

Welp, time to nerd out. This song is from the anime series ‘Cowboy Bebop’ (which also happens to have a killer soundtrack). The song comes from a scene where Spike’s life is flashing before his eyes as he falls out of a window. It’s an amazing piece of cinematography:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-jcE8kqK9k



24. George Harrison – All Things Must Pass

My favorite Beatle is, hands down, George Harrison. Just a solid tune by a great songwriter. It’s the song I turn on when I just need to sit back and relax after a stressful day. No matter how bad things get, they will pass, and I’ll be on my way, to face another day.



25. Against Me! – Beginning in an Ending

The last song on my mix. See what I did there with the title and it being the last song…good times. I really like the lyrics “Takin’ all I know about nihilism and try and build it into a life”. A song about love lost, but with a plethora of bitterness, yelling, and a touch of reminiscence thrown in there for good measure.

An Indecent Proposal

I propose that for the new cd, you make your track list, then explain why you picked each track (this might not be possible for the old cd, because it was five years ago). But for the new one, why you picked each track should still be fresh in your mind. Also, it will really help give insight into your choice of sweet jams.

One more rule...

You just can't have two songs by the same artist in a row. I won't stand for it. We live in a world where this just doesn't need to happen. That is all.

The Rules.

1.  The cardinal rule.  This mix is about you.  Not the cool you you want everyone to know, or the cool "uncool" you that you want to project - this is about the you that you know when you think your craziest thoughts at 2 am alone in bed; the you that you know loves Star Wars unironically; the you that you know thinks overalls are still an acceptable fashion statement; the you that you know that worries that you don't fit in.

Pay homage to that you with this mix.

2.  Peace and love reign.  Good natured teasing is welcome.  Musical pretentiousness and unnecessary derision is not. 

3. If you made a mix already, your first post should be your original track list with the year, then your new track list.

4.  If you have not made a mix already, your first post should be your "you" mix.

5.  Others are welcome!  Whether they made the '05 mix or not, the more the merrier.  Let me know if someone else is interested in joining and I will add them immediately.

6.  At a date TBD, there will a mix tape exchange.  If anyone knows of a way to zip mixes and post them here for downloading, please share.  (Reuben, I'm looking at you.)

7.  Other posts - of concerts and music news and such - are welcome and encouraged! 

8.  This tradition shall continue and we should do themed mixes in the future.

The Art Of.

To me, making a tape is like writing a letter. There's a lot of erasing and rethinking and starting again. A good compilation tape, like breaking up, is hard to do. You've got to kick off with a corker, to hold the attention (I started with "Got to Get You Off My Mind," but then realized that she might not get any further than track one, side one if I delivered what she wanted straightaway, so I buried it in the middle of side two), and then you've got to up it a notch, or cool it a notch, and you can't have white music and black music together, unless the white music sounds like black music, and you can't have two tracks by the same artist side by side, unless you've done the whole thing in pairs and...oh, there are loads of rules.