Writing about love
November 25th, 2010 at 10:07 am by Stuart
Its a pretty weighty subject to be handed for all the mata-world to see, and there’s a lot of things I love, but I decided to try and just stick to one subject – the humble mixtape.
Sure, it’s often seen as a sign of love or affection itself, but the creation and/or dissection of a mixtape is the thing I love the most. The early days consisted of planning cassette tape mixes based on song length (written by pencil on paper, of course), plotting the running order and fitting as much music as possible to each side of a 90 minute cassette, then programming the triple (!) disc CD player in my bedroom and over-analysing the finished product. These days all that’s been replaced by the itunes mix CD and now mp3 playlists, which sadly loses the design and tactile elements, but the best thing about these mixes is of course the music. Because of that I thought I’d share some videos of the songs that have featured on mix tapes that I’ve received or created over the years.
- A brilliant opening lyric for the surprise mix CD, when the recipient hasn’t a clue they were receiving a mix, or as to what lies ahead.
Belle & Sebastian – “I’m A Cuckoo”
- This was actually the first Belle & Sebastian song I heard, and what a great introduction it was.
- It’s the variation which you just don’t get anywhere else that makes these mixes so great, I never thought I’d ever be sent anything like this, or have to try and work out what someone’s trying to tell me (or not) through song, but that’s all a part of it I suppose.
Life Without Buildings – “The Leanover”
- Some songs have appeared again and again, and again in mixes sent to me
- Sometimes it’s just about capturing someone’s attention for a minute (and 30 seconds)
- Or sharing 44 seconds of a band someone might have never heard before otherwise
Final Fantasy – “Peach Plum Pear”
- and my own (old) golden rule – each good mixtape has to have a good cover song.
In the spirit of the modern take on the mixtape, I also made a Spotify playlist, for those of you who have access (sorry non-European folk!).
Track listing:
Archers Of Loaf – Web In Front
Hot Snakes – LAX
Colossal – The Serious Kind
Fucked Up – I Hate Summer
These Arms Are Snakes – The Blue Rose
Final Fantasy – The CN Tower Belongs To The Dead
Adem – These Are Your Friends
Paul Baribeau – I Miss That Band
Maps & Atlases – If This Is
Envy – Dreams Come To An End
Factory Floor – Lying
Dilated Peoples – Worst Comes To Worst
Superchunk – Digging For Something
Tall Firs – Hairdo
Eddy Current Suppression Ring – Wrapped Up
American Football – Never Meant
Enjoy!
Stuart
November 26th, 2010 at 12:34 pm
Really old school would mean having to factor in the “pressing RECORD after I drop the needle on the record” uncertainty when you’re trying to figure out how much will fit on one side of the tape.
I’m a lazy old man about iTunes playlists, but my musical love letters these days mostly involve dropping a song link into my Twitter or Facebook feed, and if they love me they’ll notice and if they don’t I’ll always wonder.
Awesome list.