Five (More) Songs For... Making a Mix

My recent post about making mixes only covered half of my sensibility. Those five songs were for my pop-leaning friends, but where does that leave my indie compadres? Herewith, an alternate take on my top mix selections.

(Oh, but before we begin: Jeffrey should not have won "Project Runway." I mean, some of his clothes were cool, but he seems like an obnoxious baby. Kicking a drug habit doesn't provide you an excuse to treat someone's mother like crap, nor does it give you a license to act like a narccisist who's wounded when things don't work out. Or who claims to be spiritually vindicated when things do. Uli rocks. Kayne rocks. Jeffrey... has tattoos.)

Anyway... on with the show...

Five (More) Songs For... Making a Mix

(1) Patty Griffin, "Rain" -- Patty Griffin has one of the most beautifully expressive voices in contemporary music. The ragged ache in her singing makes me think of a woman in a faded sundress, supporting herself against a porch railing as she watches a lover drive away. Add her Lucinda Williams-esque gift for simple lyrics that evoke entire hearts, and you've got an artist people should know. "Rain" makes for a great introduction, since it showcases both her singing and songwriting. There's a couplet in this song that kills me: "It's hard to know when to give up the fight / Some things you want will just never be right." In the context of the song, it sounds like absolute truth.

This track is ideal for shifting the mood of a mix toward introspection.

(2) Decemberists, "July! July!" -- This is an ideal song for walking around city streets, and it's a perfect mix opener. Decemberists make smart rock that's also a visceral thrill.

(3) Pink Martini, "Sympathique" -- A breezy song in French about sitting around smoking cigarettes all day. It has the feel of a sunny afternoon in an outdoor cafe, and it becomes infinitely cooler for being in another language. It's the kind of quirky song that will always give a mix a spot of fun.

(4) Go! Team, "We Just Won't Be Defeated," -- Short bursts of danceable electronica make every song on the Go! Team's album "Thunder, Lightning, Strike" a worthy choice. I like this one because it features a chorus of shouting children.

(5) Bishop Allen, "Things Are What You Make of Them" -- Normally, I leave this spot for reader suggestions, but since I'm revisting a theme, I'm changing things a little. A reader comment on the earlier post suggested this song, and I agree. So it's kind of like I'm representing the reader voice here. Clear as mud, right?

Anyway, this song is just so much fun. Please, do what you have to do to hear it. It's on iTunes. Spend the 99 cents. (But make sure you buy the original version, not the reprise that closes the album. The original is better.)