The Mixed Tape - Parts I-IV

So, this is a music blog.  And a humor blog and a trash talk blog and a bitchy blog, but mostly a music blog.  I am obsessed with music.  Duh.  Since I was born with a terrible voice and absolutely no hand-eye coordination or music-reading capabilities, my hopes for musical ability have manifested in an uncanny gift for creating the perfect compilation CD.  (In my humble opinion, that is, and for what it's worth.)  For instance, I created a string of mixes for my sister that spanned 19 discs and roughly 360 songs.  Since her music repertoire now consists primarily of the Fresh Beat Band and Yo Gabba Gabba (remember - she's about to burst with her third little rugrat), I decided my mixes for her were probably going to waste.  So, for 2011, I have decided to create one mix per month (and sometimes two), purely for personal consumption.  These tend to be completed around the middle to the end of the month and generally consist of 18-19 choice tunes.

I have decided the that by not sharing my fantastic selections with you, fair readers, I have been doing you a great disservice.  As such, I have created a new series of entries entitled "The Mixed Tape" (as you can plainly read), through which I will impart my genius on you all.  You may like my taste or you may hate it - though I don't see how!  But hopefully, if nothing else, you might find some inspiration to investigate new bands and sounds.  Enjoy!



(PS - Songs in bold are my most favoritest right now.)

(PPS - A lot of this year's mixes have been inspired by Big Love, which has a KILLER soundtrack.  Down the road I will provide you with the song list from the entire series.  You're welcome in advance.)

Part I - January: Happy Birthday to Me!!

1. Home - Engineers 
2. Letters from the Sky - Civil Twilight 
3. Wordless Chorus - My Morning Jacket 
4. The Fallout - O.A.R. 
5. Chasing Pavements - Adele 
6. The District Sleeps Alone Tonight - The Postal Service 
7. I'd Rather Be With You - Joshua Radin 
8. Fidelity - Regina Spektor 
9. Moth's Wings - Passion Pit 
10. Flying Horses - Dispatch 
11. Seven Days in Sunny June - Jamiroquai 
12. Sugar We're Going Down - Fall Out Boy
13. Take Your Mama - Scissor Sisters 
14. Strict Machine - Goldfrapp 
15. Misery Business - Paramore 
16. Little Bird - Annie Lennox 
17. Stay Young - We the Kings 
18. Strictly Game - Harlem Shakes 
19. Say Hey (I Love You) - Michael Franti & Spearhead

Part II - February: Love Stinks!  (though I'm not feeling that way so much these days...) 

1. Save Me - Remy Zero 
2. Skips - Alexz Johnson 
3. Airplanes - B.o.B. & Eminem 
4. Leap of Faith - Sanctus Real 
5. Laid - James 
6. Touch Me I'm Going to Scream, Pt. 2 - My Morning Jacket 
7. Twilight Serenade - Jason Myles Goss 
8. Lay Down (Candles in the Rain) - Melanie 
9. A Love Song - Anne Murray 
10. Half of My Heart - John Mayer 
11. Silly Love Songs - Glee Cast 
12. The Happiest Girl in the Whole U.S.A. - Donna Fargo 
13. Glass of Water - Coldplay 
14. Black & Gold - Sam Sparro 
15. Lights Out - Santogold 
16. Thriller/Heads Will Roll - Glee Cast 
17. DJ Got Us Falling in Love - Usher 
18. I Hear the Bells - Mike Doughty 
19. Your Easy Lovin' Ain't Pleasin' Nothin' - Mayer Hawthorne 

Part II(a) - February: Kick Its Ass! - A Mix for the Bar Exam

1. Lose Yourself - Eminem 
2. Heads Will Roll - Yeah Yeah Yeahs 
3. Uprising - Muse 
4. Me Against the Music - Glee Cast 
5. New Shoes - Paolo Nutini 
6. Down - Jay Sean 
7. Dynamite - Taio Cruz 
8. Lisztomania - Phoenix 
9. The Real Slim Shady - Eminem 
10. Little Bird - Annie Lennox 
11. Tik Tok - Ke$ha
12. Firework - Katy Perry 
13. Club Can't Handle Me - Flo Rida 
14. Life is a Show - Cassie Steele 
15. Raise Your Glass - Pink 

Part III - March: March MAD-Ness 

1. Sing - Glee Cast 
2. Scott Mescudi vs. The World - Kid Cudi 
3. Naturally - Matt Wertz 
4. Dead Flowers - Miranda Lambert 
5. The Cave - Mumford & Sons 
6. Help Yourself - Sad Brad Smith 
7. Orange Sky - Alexi Murdoch 
8. Turn Back Around - Lucy Schwartz 
9. Your Protector - Fleet Foxes 
10. Ain't No Reason - Brett Dennen 
11. Right Me Up - State Radio 
12. Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise - The Avett Brothers 
13. Say - John Mayer 
14. My Mirror Speaks - Death Cab for Cutie 
15. The High Road - Broken Bells 
16. Cosmic Love - Florence & the Machine 
17. Ambling Alp - Yeasayer 
18. Animal - Neon Trees 
19. Daylight - Matt & Kim 
20. John Saw That Number - Neko Case 

Part IV - April: April's Fool 

1. Pretty the World - Matt Nathanson 
2. What is Mine - O.A.R. 
3. Roll Away Your Stone - Mumford & Sons 
4. Middle of Nowhere - Hot Hot Heat 
5. Fall With You - Vic Kingsley 
6. Pony - Ashley Monroe 
7. One Red Thread - Blind Pilot 
8. City of Black & White - Mat Kearney 
9. Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes 
10. I Feel It All - Feist 
11. The General - Dispatch 
12. Wash Away - Joe Purdy 
13. Rise - Eddie Vedder 
14. Cult Logic - Miike Snow 
15. Modern Man - Arcade Fire 
16. See the Light - The Hours 
17. Faster - Matt Nathanson 
18. Life is Life - Noah and the Whale 
19. Love Always Remains - MGMT 

Part IV(a) - April: Gone Country 

1. If I Die Young - The Band Perry 
2. Better Life - Keith Urban 
3. Love Like Crazy - Lee Brice 
4. Suds in the Bucket - Sara Evans
5. In a Real Love - Phil Vassar  
6. Bones - Little Big Town 
7. Put You in a Song - Keith Urban 
8. I Don't Have to Be Me 'Til Monday - Steve Azar 
9. These Days - Rascal Flatts 
10. Me and Charlie Talkin' - Miranda Lambert 
11. Dixie Chicken - Little Feat 
12. Chicken Fried - Zac Brown Band 
13. Dust on the Bottle - David Lee Murphy 
14. Fly Away - Sugarland 
15. Love is a Beautiful Thing - Phil Vassar 
16. Meet in the Middle - Diamond Rio 
17. Somebody Like You - Keith Urban 
18. Mayberry - Rascal Flatts 
19. Red Light - David Nail
20. Little White Church - Little Big Town