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.

SKINS (series 3+4)

And you thought it wouldn't happen again. But yes, my roomie and I did watch both series 3 and 4 of the UK Skins, which follows a whole new set of wayward youths while also turning a perfectly awesome theme song into a cracked out piece of shit (sample not available). Please, spare yourself the emotional and intellectual pain of watching every gut-wrenching episode, and instead enjoy these two compilations of music featured on the show, which I found to be generally eclectic, surprising, and fun.

SKINS SERIES THREE 

SKINS SERIES FOUR 

 Disclaimer: I say these represent about 86-90% of the music from the series, minus the songs that were  a) not on Grooveshark b) way too fucking annoying to listen to while I'm at work. Special thanks to http://www.skinsmusic.co.uk for the tracklists.

So yeah, I like to listen to these playlists at work to change things up a bit. I did discover at least one band I liked through this show (series 3), called High Places. They remind me a bit of Animal Collective...except with a chick. I think they are probably disbanded by now, but anyway, they have some good stuff, so look out for their appearance on upcoming mixes!

I may or may not have an unhealthy obsession with teenage television.

Effie is one crazy, sexy bitch.

Why, Freddie, WHY?!?!

Best moment of the show. Okay, I'm done!

So Cold in This Bed

Brrrrr! This is a mix that applies not so much to today (a balmy 38 degrees Fahrenheit), but to these last two snow-laden, ass-bitingly, balls-to-the-walls cold weeks. The kind where you wake up under a flannel comforter and extra blanket on top of flannel sheets to feel the cold wind blowing in through your cold window. This mix is about waiting in expectant prayer for the sweet hiss clank of the radiator as you sit alone in a cold bed and contemplate getting up in the morning to bundle up and head out into the bone-freezing, soul-crushing cold.

Granted, this is only the case for me five nights out of the week, the other two spent in co-snuggly comfort. And my time outdoors is severely cut by the glorious invention of the Chicago Pedway system. Here's to the chronically cold and unbearably lonely. Here's hoping this thaw is here to stay...

Running Time: Aprox. 57 minutes
Track Pick: Laughing Owls - Through the Ceiling

NOTE: Kind of a coincidence to post this on Valentine's Day--meant to post it yesterday. Oh well, I owe you a happy mix.
OTHER NOTES:
The Laughing Owls song is one of my favorites by Meagan Day. The lyrics are so simple, but the ache in the song comes across so beautifully. Sorry to include Bright Eyes, but I figured as long as we were going whiny we might as well go all the way. The last song is a little more in the spirit of Valentine's Day, I think. :-D
I hope that everyone finds someone to snuggle with until spring...

 I lived here not too long ago, but I don't remember this much snow.