lowdowndownlow

“Gotta Get Down With the Passing of Time” – Damon Albarn
“Box Elder (live) ” – Pavement
“In Asking Land” – Talking Heads
“Inside Out” – Beck
“The Old Plantation” – The Minus 5
“There There (live acoustic)” – Radiohead
“My Death (live)” – David Bowie
“Runners Dial Zero” – Beck
“Blasting Fonda” – Wilco
“Lifeline” – Harry Nilsson
“Did You See Me” – Ween
“Riding to Vanity Fair” – Paul McCartney
“Sunset Coming On” – Damon Albarn, Toumani Diabate, Afel Bocoum, Ko Kan Ko Sata Doumbia
“I Love My Car” – Belle and Sebastian

This past week had a lot of emotion in it.  I blame the movement out of the ever emotional Cancer into Leo.  It seemed to result in misunderstanding and mini crises…and not just for myself.  It’s something like the air of a funeral where such intense emotions may act in kind.  A funeral for Cancer, if you will.

Now, though, it seems these weekend wounds have healed or are healing.  Today, in Knoxville, in particular, we had this wonderfully cloud covered, sunny day.  The evening capped by a stellar performance downtown by Wu Tang’s Killah Priest.  A small reward for working through the darkness of Cancer.

I made this mix a few years back.  I did not feel any kind of darkness in my life at the time, but wanted to make a saddish, emotionally driven mix.  This was the result.  It does not carry a negative message (except maybe the Paul McCartney song), but certainly expresses loss and learning while sounding “summery.”  I think it’s perfectly fitting for this time of year.

Click to download as a continuous mp3:

land is to water as people are to practice

“Me and Paul” – Willie Nelson
“California Rodeo” – Kool Keith and Beck
“Far East Mississippi” – Ohio Players
“Truckers Atlas” – Modest Mouse
“Tijuana 3/28/96″ – Smart Went Crazy
“”Brazil” – Cornelius
“Miami” – Chin Chin
“A Sentence of Sorts in Kongsvinger” – of Montreal
“Greenwich Mean Time” – Charlotte Gainsbourg
“Bombs Over Your House” – Outkast vs. Locsmif
“The Machine in India” -The Flaming Lips
“Seven Years in Tibet” – David Bowie
“You Belong to Me” – Al Martino

I was on my way to being on my way to New York City and beyond, but had to come back home for things forgotten.  Seeing as how I am only one of a somewhat large number of people making travels here at the end of May, I would not feel right about not sharing this mix before I go.  This mix was recently submitted for the Tapeworms April theme, “Geography.”

Take it with you for your travels or take it in while wishing you were traveling.

I take the order of the songs as though beginning a journey in Tennessee, trekking the USA, then down to South America.  From there, taking a boat up to Florida and then flying over to Europe and heading East.

On a simple side note, while in NYC, I’ll be meeting up with writer/musician/ photographer/former resident of El Studio, Matt Zingg.  Without knowing him, Smart Went Crazy may have never been on this mix.  All the more fitting.

Happy trails!

illumination

“Ohio” – Chin Chin
“Jet Engine” – Forest for the Trees & Beck
“Crooked Dub / Obscured by Clouds”  -  Gorillaz vs. Spacemonkeyz vs. Pink Floyd vs. Arrison Kirby
“Somewhere Between Waking and Sleeping” – Air
“Roche” – Sebastian Tellier
“Noir Blues to Tinnitus” – of Montreal
“Video Tapez” – Radiohead vs. Del The Funky Homosapien vs.  Amplive
“Great Gig in the Sky” – The Flaming Lips & Peaches
“Speak, See, Remember” – Pavement
“One Fine Day” – Cracker
“The Great Western Road” – David Byrne
“Cloud of Unknowing” – Gorillaz, Bobby Womack & Sinfonia ViVa
“Sleepyhead” – Senryu

illumination was submitted for the Tapeworms March theme:  “Wake Up.”  I am posting it today because it’s Easter Sunday and I find this to make for a pretty good Easter mix.  My only regret is that I didn’t have it posted this morning so that someone might wake up to it.

an increase of distance

“Ocean Rain” – Echo & The Bunnymen
“Time to Move On” – Tom Petty
“Happy Trails”  -  Jim O’Rourke
“It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue” – Van Morrison
“So Long, Marianne” – Leonard Cohen
“Hey That’s No Way to Say Goodbye” – Beck’s Record Club
“Let Me Be” – Parliament
“Avant de Mourir Nuhs” – Serge Gainsbourg
“Goodbye (live)” – Nellie McKay
“The Farewell Bend” – Frank Black & The Catholics
“God Only Knows” – Cornelius
“Gone for Good” – Morphine

This mix was submitted for The Tapeworms February theme: “Goodbye.”  It also proved to be quite cathartic as I made it while going through the breakup of a four year relationship.  I post it now as I have no choice but to say goodbye to someone else just a month later.

Heartpower

“The Cavendish” – Nellie McKay
“Dream Again” – Franz Ferdinand
“Mannequin Hand Trapdoor | Reminder  -  Boom Bip & Doseone
“Smokey Fire” – team9 vs. Stereogum
“Valentine and Garuda” – Frank Black and the Catholics
“Move on Up” – Curtis Mayfield
“Litigation” – Mariachi El Bronx
“Lover’s Day” – TV on the Radio

This mix was assembled especially for St. Valentine’s Day.