I Just Wanna Set the World on Fire

Made this mix for my roomie/homie cuz she just moved out. It was one of those things I was thinking about for a while but didn't get around to doing until now. I think it turned out quite well!

Standard 8track disclaimer: Due to weird copyrighty things, you can only listen to the mix in its intended order once. So basically, if you're going to listen to it, you should try to sit down and listen to it all the way through or you won't get the full experience.

Running Time: 1 hour, 19 minutes
Track List:
01. Born Ruffians – Retard Canard
02. Rogue Wave – Lake Michigan
03. Frankmusik – In Step
04. Bibio – Jealous Of Roses
05. Suuns – Up Past The Nursery
06. Au Revoir Simone – Anywhere You Looked (Daytrotter Session)
07. Apostle Of Hustle – Kings And Queens
08. Rogue Wave – 10:1
09. The National – Blood Buzz Ohio
10. Ida Maria – Oh My God (Daytrotter Session)
11. The Dandy Warhols – Smoke It
12. Cold War Kids – I Don’t Wanna Grow Up [Tom Waits]
13. High Places – Jump In (For Gilkey Elementary School)
14. The Rural Alberta Advantage – The Ballad Of The RAA
15. Emma Mcgill – Heartbeats [The Knife]
16. Jonna Lee – The District Sleeps Alone Tonight [The Postal Service]
17. Wisdom Tooth – Low Tide
18. The Weakerthans – Virtue The Cat Explains Her Departure
19. Mark Kozelek – Wop-A-Din Din (Live)
20. Born Ruffians – Nova Leigh*
21. Ani Difranco – Names + Dates + Times (Live)

*Indicates Track Pick

Basically these are songs about Chicago, friendship, relationships, and cat ownership. It was hard for me to pick just one favorite track (of course), but I'm completely digging on Born Ruffians lately so I had to go with "Nova Leigh," the song that reassured me that spring was indeed on its way.

There's not a lot I can say about these tracks without just fawning over every single one, so y'all should really just give them a listen and tell me what you think.

I hope to be posting more mixes soon after I move into a flat with more reliable internet.

Special thanks to Google image search and this deviantart account for the kick-ass image, which looks like this in full:

I don't want to start a flame in your <3.

And I See

This mix was a long time in the making. (And I wrote this entry once before and it got deleted so it's been an extra long time.)

It all started in the asscrack of winter, when you wake up in the cold/dark and spend a total of 15 minutes out side all day, thanks to the miracle that is the Chicago Pedway system. Days and commutes seem to blend into one another, stepping over the same puddles, running down into the same underground station, crowding onto the same train car, emerging at Washington to the smell of freshly fried donuts (never indulge), trek through the basement of a fancy shopping mall, back into the cold underground, then sucked into the belly of Marshal Fields (refuse to call it Macy's) where you see the same three homeless people every day (wonder if they are friends), more hustle and bustle and endless escalators until you reach the elevator that whooshes you up to the 24th floor most unsettlingly where it's time for a day of work. The ride home brings the same, in reverse, plus hunger, plus the shadow you cast on the apartment buildings when you're so close to home--there's three, so you're always one step behind, in front of, and beside yourself. 

And then one day there's this.

And it's spring. And you can cut one stop out of your commute to breathe the not-so-fresh Chicago air as you saunter through the main skyscraper-lined arteries of the city, past Yankee Hotel Foxtrot towers, compare the clock on the Tribune Tower to the clock above the 7-11 (they're both wrong), curiously fantasize about exploring the abandoned Motor Club Building up for foreclosure auction, then back into concrete playground...

I guess my point is, we all do a lot of hustling around the world with our ipods/phones/pads, and not a lot of pure, unadulterated Looking and Seeing. These are all songs about those two concepts.

(Not that I don't do my fair share of ipodding, but I do think it's important to stop and take a look 'round every once in a while. I should do more of this.)

Standard 8track disclaimer: Due to weird copyrighty things, you can only listen to the mix in its intended order once. So basically, if you're going to listen to it, you should try to sit down and listen to it all the way through or you won't get the full experience.

Running Time: Aprox. 42 min.
Track List:
01. Buffalo Springfield - For What It's Worth
02. Iron & Wine - Walking Far From Home*
03. Bright Eyes - A Song to Pass the Time
04. Simon & Garfunkel - The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy) (Live)
05. Animal Collective - Summertime Clothes
06. Atlas Sound - Walkabout (feat. Noah Lennox)
07. High Places - A Field Guide
08. Ani Difranco- Cradle and All (Live)
09. Bob Dylan - A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall (Live at the Gaslight in 1962)*
10. The Books - Free Translator*

*Indicates Track Picks

It's a bit unusual to have three track picks on such a short mix, but I swear those are all crucial songs.  Had to start with some Buffalo Springfield, the ultimate look + see song, before I got into the Iron & Wine track that inspired the entire mix. Sorry to include the Bright Eyes, but before Conor Oberst starts whining about his girl problems, he actually gives a pretty stirring narration. 

My mom used to sing me "The 59th Street Bridge Song" way before I knew what "feeling groovy" meant. Had to have some feel good walkabout songs before I moved into Ani's gritty retelling of NYC. This naturally leads us to Dylan's post-apocalyptic hellscape that is "A Hard Rain" (my favorite version), and finally to the Books tune, with its hauntingly ear-teasing hook that inspired the name of this mix. The lyrics sound pretty random, but apparently it's a much translated folk song.

MLE walking far from home...

The inside of my eyelids look the same...

...no matter where my feet are.

Heart it Races in Love

Here it is, only two months late, my long-awaited "happy/love mix." This playlist draws much of its inspiration from my long, illustrious, seven-year career of making mixes for crushes/smooshes/lovers/guys who barely knew I existed,  but I also must give a shout out to my friend Rachel's own love song compilation. Yes, its inevitable that these songs get recycled over the years, but I think I've finally whittled it down to my favs, and I don't believe I've included any of tracks that were featured on the three-disk clusterfuck that launched my mix career back in the day (I feel like that one was heavy on the Dashboard Confessional). Anyway, here go!

Standard 8track disclaimer: Due to weird copyrighty things, you can only listen to the mix in its intended order once. So basically, if you're going to listen to it, you better sit down and listen to it all the way through or you won't get the full experience (I did work somewhat diligently on the order for this one, so please give it a shot!).

Running Time: Aprox. 1 hour, 14 minutes
Track List:
01. Adam Fitz - Fool Says [M. Ward]
02. Born Ruffians - Little Garcon
03. The Blow - Parentheses
04. Josh Ritter - Come & Find Me (AM/FM Mix)
05. Broken Social Scene Presents Kevin Drew - F--Ked UpKid
06. The Rural Alberta Advantage - Barnes Yard
07. Dr. Dog - Heart it Races [Architecture in Helsinki]
08. Ani Difranco - Bliss Like This
09. Wisdom Tooth - Faith
10. Rogue Wave - You Read My Mind (demo)
11. Dean & Britta - Friday I'm in Love [The Cure]
12. Pomplamoose - Don't Want to Miss a Thing [Aerosmith]
13. Taj Mahal - Queen Bee (Live)
14. The Beatles - In My Life
15. Jeff Tweedy - I Got You (Live)
16. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Hysteric (acoustic)
17. Iron & Wine - Judgement
18. Paleo - December 7th, 2006 ("Ash in My Eyes")
19. The Free Design - I Found Love (Styrofoam & Sarah Shannon Mix)
20. Bloc Party - Tulips (Remix)


Again, I find it hard to pick a favorite track (these are all pretty much my favorites), but I'd like to share my random thoughts on some/most of these love-struck tunes.

There are some definite cases of "the cover is better than the original" syndrome on this mix, specifically with the adorable Aerosmith cover and to a lesser degree with Adam Fitz covering M. Ward (the original is good, this one is just 75% funkier).

We also have a few cases of "the remix kicks ass on the original"disease running through here. The Josh Ritter remix adds a subtle yet all-important beat throughout the song (more dramatically seen in "Tulips"), while The Free Design track (better known as the band who recorded "Can You Tell Me How to Get to Sesame Street?" in 1971)--which got an indie makeover in 2005--rises about 10,000 miles above the cheesy 70's pop version.

I'd be a horrible creeper/fan if I forgot to note the salty-sweet lyrics of Ani's "Bliss Like This" as well as the sweet-sweet croonings of Meagan Day as Wisdom Tooth (whose links seemed to have disappeared from the internets, sadly).

If you ever get the chance to see Taj Mahal live, please do it. He was 66-ish when I saw him at Oberlin, and still rockin' like nobody's business. I still have yet to see a full live set of Jeff Tweedy and/or Wilco, much to my eternal shame. :-(

I'm still diligently working my way through Paleo's 2006-2007 Song Diary project, though I have fallen a bit behind at times. While most of it is, well, pretty meh, there are still plenty of stand-out tracks. Definitely stay tuned for more on this character.

I'd like to offer my most humble apologies, as the Born Ruffians' "Little Garcon" should definitely have gone on my Stomp/Clap mix. Some nice stompy, clappy moments at the end there.

Ain't love grand?

I only used 8track so I could include The Beatles.

(Picture via random tumblr).

Talking Union (Which Side Are You On?)

So I'm not sure about you, but I've been following the Wisconsin protests pretty closely for weeks now. I was disgusted at the shameless, spineless, likely illegal maneuvers used to pass the union stripping bill in that state. I am disgusted and fearful over the anti-union measures popping up all over, particularly Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan, where a recent bill made it legal for the state governor to unseat elected local officials. Yes, the governor has the authority to negate democracy and break union contracts whenever he feels there is an "emergency." In America.

This is not to say that unions are unilaterally "good" organizations. They serve to protect the jobs and best interests of their members, even on occasions when it goes against cost efficiency. I am particularly weary of the tenure program for public school teachers, along with the "last hired, first hired" philosophy. I will admit that I am far from an authority on the topic, but it's obvious that our public sector needs some work.

BUT to try and strip their bargaining rights is not only nonsensical, it is probably the most transparent right wing ruse perpetrated in the last several years. Long story short: Citizens United Supreme Court ruling means corporations ("people") can spend unlimited money in elections. The 2010 midterms (the most expensive midterms in the history of midterms) saw 7 of the top 10 donors as right wing "companies". The other three? Unions. So what's the best way to take away liberal "free speech"?

Anyway, judging from the fact that this weekends protests in Madison were the largest to date, it is certain that this is far from over. Teachers aren't to blame for your shitty pension. Sanitation workers didn't take your job. EMTs did not drive our economy into the ground. So let's put a little blame where blame is due.

Here is a collection of songs dealing with unions and the history of workers rights in America. Listen and see how far we've come, and let's keep fighting for what we've got.

Running Time: Aprox. 57 minutes
Track Pick: Ani Difranco - Which Side Are You On?
Note: Mentally replace Green Day's "Working Class Hero" with the Lennon version.


Cast of Characters
This is by no means a comprehensive history of the American labor movement. These are just a few interestingly melodic players.
Joe Hill

Joe Hill was a Swedish American activist and song-writer who was executed in 1915 under dubious pretenses. One of his most famous songs, "The Preacher and the Slave," is featured into the mix under the name "Pie in the Sky" as covered by Utah Philips. It's one of my favorites simply because of it's brave and concise argument against the religious pleads that the poor simply shut up and wait for their reward in the afterlife. At least the mainstream right seems to have moved beyond this argument. Anyway, the song "Union Maid," sung by Pete Seeger and the Almanac Singers is highly reminiscent of another one of Joe's tunes, "Rebel Girl." For the turn of the century, this is really explosive stuff. Joe Hill, singer-songwriter, labor hero, American badass.

Pete Seeger

Pete Seeger was another American Badass born four years after the execution of Joe Hill. As a frontline labor songwriter-activist, Seegar co-founded The Almanac Singers in 1941 and they went on to record several songs on this mix, including "Talking Union" and "Which Side Are You On?". He was blacklisted for his political activities in the 1950's (see above picture of him testifying before Congress during the McCarthy era) and continued to voice his believes about civil rights, the world's war, and the environment through action and song. His words are well-represented on this mix because, well, they're awesome.


While most of his songs deal with fundamental worker's rights such as safety, 8-hour work days, and weekends, his basic message of worker dignity and a living wage still apply today. Yes, this is most certainly a middle class movement, and the differences between that era and his cannot be ignored. However, the struggles of unions past got us the rights we take for granted today, and I believe we must not turn our backs on this sacrifices of those brave men and women. Take special note of Ani Difranco's adaptation of "Which Side Are You On?". She did an excellent job of bringing that song into the 21st century with a brand new message of hope.


A side note about the songs that mention a PAC: PAC definitely stands for political action committee, though it's obvious that that phrase meant something entirely different back then. While PACs today can take in millions of anonymous dollars to spend as they see fit (Thanks, Supreme Court), they seemed to have started as a way for the MANY to stand up to the FEW (all we need is a dollar from you and a dollar from me). I included those songs because they speak to the fundamental purpose of democracy, which is 'one person, one vote.' Click here to watch a quick video about how this ideal is being distorted by so-called "corporate citizenship," and to see what you can do to help.


Utah Phillips

Utah Phillips must also share the title of American Badass. A folk hero, labor sympathizer, and self-declared "anarchist," Phillips filled his 73 years with music, storytelling, and teaching the ways of the world to the likes of Ani Difranco, who recorded two albums with him. I admire his passion and his wisdom, and I hope that his words will never be forgotten.

Solidarity Forever.

Blog for Choice Day

"they keep pounding their fists on reality / hoping it will break"

Taking a little break from our regularly scheduled programming to bring you a special announcement. It's the 38th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, and NARAL's 6th annual Blog for Choice Day, so I thought I'd make my humble contribution:



This is one of the most honest songs about abortion I've ever heard. It's the hardest choice some woman ever have to make, but it's crucial that every woman from the most to least fortunate is given that choice. Men and women have fought hard for this right, and many have even given their lives. For every Dr. Tiller who is hounded, threatened, and killed, hundreds are scared away from taking his place. And who can blame them? What part of "pro-life" means murder? Which part means violently intimidating the poorest, least fortunate women in our society? What part of "small government" is in charge of monitoring every pregnancy to term? Can't the majority of people agree that abortions should be safe, legal, and rare? We can't let a vocal few bully us out of access to birth control and basic health services. Not in this country. I'll leave with these words from the wise Ani D:

here's a toast to all those nurses and doctors
who daily provide women with a choice
who stand down a threat the size of oklahoma city
just to listen to a young woman's voice 

 Please consider making a donation to NARAL, Emily's List, or Planned Parenthood to ensure that America's girls and women continue to have a choice.

These are Songs Bob Wrote

This mix has been a long time coming. A lot of people I know get all up in arms about Bob Dylan; they either love him or hate him. Regardless of the man's vocal talents or personality flaws, I've gotta say I deeply respect his songwriting skills above all. Prolific, prophetic...probably something else that begins with 'P'. Anyway, in that vein, I thought I'd compile a mix of my favorite Dylan covers. I figured this would be a great test of Bobby D's songwriting abilities...how his work fares in the hands of others. I have heard a lot of shitty Dylan covers in my lifetime (and in my iTunes), so I had to sift through and pick out my absolute favs.
DISCLAIMER: many of these songs come from the I'm Not There original soundtrack. This is not my fault. Many of those songs  flat out rock, and it's the best collection of Dylan covers ever assembled by human beings. Fact.

Running Time: Aprox. 1 hr. 34 min. (Don't bitch, it used to be longer!)
Track Pick: Ani Difranco - Most of the Time

I have a huge thing for cover songs in general (though I'm not quite as fanatical as the bloke who does Cover Lay Down), but with these songs in particular, I love to hear how different artists interpret the words and tone of Dylan's compositions. The "Highway 61" cover is definitely the most fun, while "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" adds a new mournful layer to that tune. So beautiful! The Ani cover of course stands out for me 1) for it's clutch use of the banjo and 2) for being 100x better than the original song (featured in High Fidelity). Semi-interesting tidbit: The People's Republic of Gefiltestan is the Oberlin band I credit with launching my entire college destiny.

One additional note: the onelinedrawing cover on the playlist is different than the version I have, which is unfortunately from the iTunes store and is a huge pain in the ass to convert. It still gets the point across, though.

Anyway, I'm not sure if this mix will convert any Dylan haters, but perhaps it's a good conversation starter. :-P

Cate Blanchette: Best Dylan cover incarnate.

50 Ways to Leave Your Lover (vintage-ish 7/6/06)

I made this mix when I was 18. Yes, think back to those emotional days when everything had so much...meaning. It was made for a specific person as part of a bimonthly exchange of music/frustrated desires (in retrospect perhaps this was all a bit one-sided). But, as far as teenage mixes go, I'd say that this one is at least laudable in its concept and execution. So, without further ado, slip into your emo pants and step right into this blast from the past...

Running Time: Aprox 1 hr. 14 min.
Track Pick: Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Bang!
Original Text Accompaniment:

 and would you please explain about the 50 ways...?
01. slip out the back, jack.
02. make a new plan, stan.
03. hop on the bus, gus.
04. drop off the key, lee.
05. son, you must go back to the life.
06. go pack your bags; take up your scythe.
07. this world wasn’t meant for us both.
08. you're embarrassing me.
09. you're embarrassing you.
10. this isn't goodnight, this is goodbye.
11. as a fuck, son, you sucked.
12. my skin tonight is a’blazing, but i don't think you're my type.
13. what i need tonight’s the real thing; i need the real thing tonight.
14. i'm leaving while you turn away.
15. remember when i said ‘i love you’? well, forget it; i take it back.
16. found eighteen reasons i can't pick up on the phone.
17. i've been wonderin' what i'm about.
18. i've been thinkin' about the road.
19. but all this dirty talkin' and all these whores a-drinkin' , all this worried walkin' and all this worried talk and i'm movin' out.
20. when your rooster crows at the break of dawn, look out your window and i'll be gone.
21. we never did too much talkin', anyway.
22. goodbye's too good a word, babe, so i’ll just say fare thee well. 
23. you could have done better, but i don't mind.
24. she told me she worked in the morning and started to laugh. i told her i didn’t, and crawled off to sleep in the bath.
25. this bird has flown.
26. i'm not the one you want, babe. i will only let you down.
27. it ain't me you're lookin' for, babe.
28. you'll be happier when i'm gone.
29. things got weird, and i started growing bob dylan's beard.
30. you'll never touch him again, so get what you can.
31. one more night, the end should be a good one.
32. and as the summer's ending, the cool air will rush your hard heart away.
33. and this is all that's left: the empty bottles, spent cigarettes.
34. so pack a change of clothes, 'cuz it's time to move on.
35. you tell me what you want, and i'll tell you what you get: you get away from me.
36. collected my belongings and i left the jail. well thanks for the time, i needed to think a spell; i had to think awhile.
37. let's just forget everything said, and everything we did.
38. not to be overly dramatic, i just think it's best.
39. you can't miss what you forget.
40. so let's just pretend everything and anything between you and me was never meant.
41. fools leave too soon.
42. well i'm not dead yet, but the regrets are killing me.
43. we might not be fooling around today.
44. at the end of a song so long, say goodbye good.
45. you are a china shop, and i am a bull.
46. you are really good food, and i am full.
47. i don’t want to risk our paths crossing some day, so you walk that way, i’ll walk this way.
48. the world’s got me dizzy again; you’d think after 22 years i’d be used to the spin. and it only feels worse when i stay in one place, so i’m always pacing around or walking away.
49. so i’m up at dawn, putting on my shoes. i just want to make a clean escape. i’m leaving but i don’t know where to.
50. so tell me girl, do i have to say please? or do i have to involve the police?

NOTE ONE: Ok, so the track pick is purely arbitrary. All of these songs are clearly fucking golden.
NOTE TWO: The reason this post is labeled "vintage-ish" is that I have changed one of the tracks from its original form/placement, upgrading to a far superior Dylan cover (Metric FTW). "Don't Think Twice" also happens to be my favorite Dylan song in all its original finger-picked glory. But yeah, enjoy this cover, and dig the original on your own time. Also-- please mentally replace that stupid Alanis cover with the real Fab Four track. Thank you.
NOTE THREE: Grooveshark is stupid. Do the refresh/rescroll thing if you have problems. Also, let me know if one of the tracks is cut off or something and I'll try to replace it. Also holler if you want any of these em-pee-threezies.
NOTE FOUR: I once saw a stripper dance to a techno remix of "50 Ways." Asked her who did it, and she did not know. :-/
NOTE FIVE: Alkaline Trio will always hold a special place in my <3.

Thank you, Paul.

Fear Itself

Here is a mix to commemorate the upcoming Rally to Restore Sanity on October 30, 2010.

Standard 8track disclaimer: Due to weird copyrighty things, you can only listen to the mix in its intended order once. So basically, if you're going to listen to it, you better sit down and listen to it all the way through or you won't get the full experience

Running Time: Aprox. 50 minutes
01. Ani Difranco - Literal
02. Tim Fite - I'm Not Scared of You
03. The Long Winters - Scared Straight
04. Death Cab for Cutie - Pity and Fear
05. Suuns - Fear
06. Bon Iver - Creature Fear
07. Maritime - I'm Not Afraid
08. Alexi Murdoch - It's Only Fear
09. Stars - Don't Be Afraid to Sing
10. Otis Redding - Don't Be Afraid of Love
11. Andrew Bird - Don't Be Scared
12. The National - Afraid of Anyone*
13. Rogue Wave - Fear Itself
14. French Quarter - For Andy
15. Bob Marley - Three Little Birds

*Indicates track pick

The National song is what inspired this mix. I get shivers when I hear it, turn it up and listen to it over and over..."I defend my family / with my arms umbrella'd"...at times I get so scared that I want to just huddle up with the people I love and hang on for dear life. There is so much hatred and so much fear in this world that I find it hard to bear. And yet I'm a devoted liberal news junkie; I'm addicted and I can't get enough. I wish I had something eloquent or even original to say on this subject, but at the end of the day I feel frighteningly average and ridiculously indebted to the great minds that came before me. By the end of his life, not even Kurt Vonnegut thought this country could be saved. I'm still young enough to believe that he was wrong, but I expect I'll come around in the next 40 years or so.

Regardless of your views, please remember to vote this Tuesday. I know it's not the most important thing in the world, but it is the thing that connects us to those around us. This is our country and it belongs to all of its citizens, sane and insane. Mankind has struggled for thousands of years to obtain this right, so I know I'm going to use it.

songs that make me cry (vintage 1-27-09)

everyone's gotta learn sometime

10.

ok, i know what you’re thinking, but logisically speaking, songs over 9 minutes in length tend to have a strong impact on me, and this one has history working for it, so there you go. find me one sixteen year old who doesn’t agree with me
9.

flaming lips cover. such a sweet song, and i heard it before the original so it has always stuck with me.
8.

a story of lost friendships…
7.

oy, i first heard this song live and i swear i froze right in my shoes on the floor of the arogan ballroom…of course i froze shortly after in the chicago winter with no jacket, but i digress. it is my opinion that this song should have been used in the series finale of six feet under rather than sia - breathe me. though they are rather similar…
6.

a song about giving up…
5.

lost love poetry pure and simple.
4.

same as above really, only better because it’s about janis joplin
3.

we're going deep into breakup territory with this one. perhaps it's another case of the long song blues, but this one goes by in a flash for me.
2.

the first time i heard this song live, the entire theater was shivering, silent. ani has a beautiful way of merging the political and the personal into a melodic synthesis of emotion...
1.

this was the first thing to make sense to me after 9/11. i highly recommend taking a look at the lyrics

well there you have it...top ten tear-jerkers. you may have noticed a disproportionate amount of ani, but i did spend a disproportionate part of my formative crying years emoting to her music, so there you go.