Keep Your Hands in Your Pockets

Good morning lovlies. I'm happy to report this particular mix comes from a request for fall playlist and lord knows I'm a people-pleaser.

However, be ye warned, this ain't no crowd-pleaser. This is a lo-fi, meandering, pretentious mix of tracks that are meant to be heard walking through the woods on an overcast day. For this reason, I've kept this one short, to mitigate the effects of these obnoxiously emotional and somewhat depressive tunes.

It should go without saying I've been listening to this one on repeat.

Really though, autumn has been a notoriously difficult season for me. If something is going to come around and twist me up good and proper, it most likely will happen as the leaves start to turn. Therefore, I naturally tend toward some slower songs, a lot of acoustic guitar and bullshit.

So come take a walk with me in the forest. Keep your hands in your pockets and we'll both stay warm.

Niebieski: A Late Summer Mix

My dear listeners! How has your summer been? Are you as overwhelmed by the speed and variance of this season as I am? Are the changes swirling up like an evening storm and leaving you drenched but feeling oh-so-goddamn alive?

No?

Oh well. In that case, lucky you. Enjoy your sweet and placid existence.

No such luck here. I'm busy becoming my future self, living and loving and occasionally having the shit kicked out of me, metaphorically and otherwise.

Niebieski is my word of the summer. It's a Polish word. I have a dear friend, just barely older and wiser than I am and that is what he calls me. I try to say it sometimes when I'm feeling brave and he just laughs the way someone who speaks many languages does when someone like me (woefully inadequate in the language department) makes a fool of herself stumbling over the sounds.

I mean seriously, why is Polish so difficult? It hurts to speak it.

Anyway. Here's a mix for you. A niebieski playlist for a summer that's winding down.

More soon.

Girls of Summer

Good morning my dear readers. I've had an inspiring weekend. Made my living room pretty with some paint and rearranging.

Also made this mix. I keep a "junk drawer" of songs I come across that I'm really liking at the moment and I realized today that a good portion of them were female artists. This is a pretty big change from my youth when I was listening to largely emo and post-hardcore stuff which as we 90's kids know, was largely male dominated. It wasn't a conscious choice to listen to mostly male fronted bands (although I suspect hormones may have had something to do with it) just as now it isn't a conscious decision to choose female artists for my listening pleasure. Things just happen. Like this mix. It just happened this morning. Enjoy.

P.S. You may have noticed Sylvan Esso has made another appearance here and it's because I'm obsessed with them. Go check them out. The whole album is killer.

Summer Church

My summers are stressful as hell. Work gets crazy, there's a million social events every weekend... I don't slow down until September. This playlist is for my sanity. 

Good for: Long drives when road rage may become a factor, falling asleep outside on a blanket, listening at work when you need a few moments to daydream, and anytime you want to close your eyes and get lost in the moment.

Bonus: Most of this music is brand new so you'll also have a chance to get introduced to some great new bands. Current obsession: Vancouver Sleep Clinic.

Oh Sailor

I know I haven't been around. Life and all that. But here's a mix for your pretty ears.

I'm trying to get better. Here and everywhere.

Sverige är orsaken

I know it seems like I've abandoned making mixes but every once in a while one comes together on my long commute to work. This one is for driving, dancing and gritting your teeth when you're stuck in traffic.

Sverige är orsaken loosely translated means, "Sweden is the reason." It's a phrase I use with a friend of mine which means creating a reason to do something when there isn't really a reason at all.

So whatever your reasons are, please enjoy.

Poetry on the Dashboard: Spring Mix #2

As promised, here is Spring Mix #2, the one I would have made ten years ago, had I been making spring mixes back then.

(This picture actually is me, circa 2000.)

Now, this is not entirely accurate since, unfortunately, I can't find my Juliana Theory CD but be aware, there would have been some JT on there had it been available. Also, this is constructed from memory, which is flawed, so some songs might have been released in 2001 or something but... I don't care. I'm more about the spirit of the mix than googling a bunch of dates and other such music geekery. There's probably a lot I'm leaving out... Alkaline Trio, Ben Folds Five, Blink 182... But these are the songs I especially remember listening to when it was getting warm out, these songs were the staples driving in the car with the windows down.

Poetry on the Dashboard

1. Morning Glory - Oasis  
2. Lucky Denver Mint - Jimmy Eat World
3. The Swiss Army Romance - Dashboard Confessional 
4. Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic - The Police
5. My Name Is Jonas - Weezer 
6. Chinatown - Jets to Brazil
7. Red Letter Day - The Get Up Kids
8. Crash into Me (Acoustic) - Dave Matthews
9. In Circles - Sunny Day Real Estate
10. Little Dipper - Hum
11. Mysterons - Portishead
12. Nothing - Pedro The Lion
13. Paper Bag - Fiona Apple
14. Savory - Jawbox
15. Passenger - Deftones
16. Invalid Litter Dept. - At The Drive-In
17. crush on everyone - Onelinedrawing

Don't even THINK about giving me any gruff about that Dave Matthews tune, just thank your lucky stars there isn't more Dashboard Confessional on there. An actual mix from me in 2000 would have included at least three Dashboard tracks.

Ten years ago in the spring, I thought I had my whole life mapped out. I had no idea that by a mere year later, everything would have changed forever. Ah, spring.

Hey, if any of you all make springish mixes, would you let me know? I'm in the mood for new music.