Challenge #6: Retrack a Movie

Most of us respond so well to movie soundtracks because of the powerful combination that a good story adds to the depth of the music. But some could use a better soundtrack, others just maybe could use a modern update.

Assignment: Create a new soundtrack to a movie. Bonus points to cueing up songs to specific scenes.

Deadline: Dec 22nd.

Challenge #5: Jump for Cover (Steven's Entry)

At one point, I was going to torture you with nothing but "Running Up That Hill" covers. Then I had the thought to include my seemingly vast collection of live performance covers (how'd I get so many?!) Then I had a thought to just include some truly bizarre covers. Hmmm. I don't think I really ever decided on a specific theme afterall. Just a funny little reckless mix with an absolute favorite for an ending, "Running Up That Hill"...

The artwork is kinda obvious. But it's also a farewell. Yep, this will be my last Mixed Tape Challenge. Thank you all for the exchange.

01: Slave to Love (Bryan Ferry) - Roisin Murphy

02: Here Comes Your Man (Pixies) - Relation

03: Toxic (Britney Spears) - Juliet Turner

04: Slow Emotion Replay (The The) - Brookville

05: Abagail Belle of Kilronan (Magnetic Fields) - Love Like Fire

06: Tiny Cities Made of Ashes (Modest Mouse) - Sun Kil Moon

07: I Will Survive (Gloria Gaynor) - Cake

08: Your Ghost (Kristin Hersh) - Damien Rice (ft. Lisa Hannig)

09: Jolene (Dolly Parton) - Lay Low

10: Sweet Dreams Are Made of These (Eurythmics) - MIKA

11: I Kissed a Boy (Katy Perry) - Cobra Starship

12: Personal Jesus (Depeche Mode) - Johnny Cash

13: Boy With The Thorn in His Side (The Smiths) - Belle and Sebastian

14: They Don't Know (Tracy Ullman / Kristy MacColl) - Ben Gibbard

15: Careless Whisper - Ben Folds & Rufus Wainwright

16: The Model (Kraftwerk) - David Byrne

17: Real Men (Joe Jackson) - Tori Amos

18: Don't Rain on My Parade (Barbra Streisand) - Japan

19: West End Girls (Pet Shop Boys) - James Talk & Ridney

20: Heart of Glass (Blondie) - The Puppini Sisters

21: Smells Like Teen Spirit (Nirvana) - Paul Anka

22: Running Up That Hill (Kate Bush) - Kiki & Herb

Jump for Cover

Challenge #5: Cover This (Jeff's Entry)

At first I thought, jeez, covers? I don't know any. As I looked around, I found out that artists are all covering each other all the time. So then I became intrigued by the 6 degrees of separation phenomenon -- how many decent songs could be linked together by seeing if A covers B and B covers C, and so on. Well, it doesn't work out perfectly (Coldplay hasn't covered anyone very well), but I endned up having fun puting these together. Hope you enjoy them too!

1. Love (Acoustic) (Robert Wyatt cover)__2:32__John Lennon
2. Instant Karma (John Lennon cover)__3:13__U2
3. Mysterious Ways (U2 cover)__4:01__Graham BLVD
4. China Girl (Iggy Pop cover) 5:33 David Bowie
5. The Man Who Sold The World (Live) (David Bowie cover)__3:48__Nirvana
6. Smells Like Teen Spirit (HM Grunge Mix) (Nirvana cover)__6:27__Desmond Williams Featuring Morel
7. Thank You (Lep Zeppelin cover)__6:36__Duran Duran
8. The Chauffeur (Duran Duran cover)__5:22__Deftones
9. The Scientist (Live) (Coldplay cover)__4:20__Aimee Mann
10. Hurt (Nine Inch Nails cover)__3:39__Johnny Cash
11. Dead Souls (Joy Division cover)__4:53__Nine Inch Nails
12. Everything Counts (Depeche Mode cover)__5:24__Meat Beat Manifesto
13. Route 66 (Beatmasters Mix) (Nat King Cole cover)__6:20__Depeche Mode

Download Cover_This

Challenge #5: I'm Covered In It (Marc's Entry)

1. Koroleva Ne Pomerla (The Smiths Cover) - The Ukrainians
2. Handbags and Gladrags (Rod Stewart Cover) - Stereophonics
3. Don't Fear The Reaper (Blue Oyster Cult Cover)-The Beautiful South
4. Seasons In the Sun/Hustle (Terry Jacks/Van McCoy Cover)-The Squirrels
5. Baker Street (Gerry Rafferty Cover)-Foo Fighters
6. Bootylicious (Destiny's Child Cover)-Keane
7. Sour Times (Portishead Cover)-Bryn Christopher
8. Your Love (The Outfield cover) -Katy Perry
9. Numb (Linkin Park Cover) -Jamelia
10. Bigmouth Strikes Again (Smiths Cover)-Placebo
11. Running Up That Hill (Kate Bush Cover)-Spleen United
12. Starman (Bowie Cover)-Culture Club
13. The Ship Song (Nick Cave Cover)-Concrete Blonde
14. Hunting High and Low (a-ha cover)-Coldplay
15. Love Vigilantes (New Order Cover)-Iron & Wine
16. Teardrop (Massive Attack Cover)-Elbow
17. Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves (Cher Cover)-Scud Mountain Boys
18. Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me (Smiths Cover)-Eurythmics
19. Love Song (Cure Cover)-Bliss

Sorry, this one was a bit late. This is about the 10th version. After making about as many sub-themes (80's covers, wacky covers), the quality just wasn't there. So this is a great cross section of covers I love for various reasons. Some are hilarious, some are poiniant, and many are just better or as good as the original. And that what makes a cover a triumph vs. a defeat.

(and please don't comment on the cover. i struggle every time, being the only one in the group with zero skills, so i've just decided i'm not sweating it any more)

Download "I'm Covered In It"

Challenge #5: Covered (Colin's Entry)

I was giddy when I first heard about this challenge and slowly built up the songs. I feel it never gelled into the perfect mix but I am really happy with the individual selections. I had two songs that had to get removed because of Matt's list (No Diggity, All My Friends) -- damn you!

This cover of "Between the Bars" is one of my all time favorite songs.

1 Something Over the Rainbow Trash Can Sinatras
2 If You Leave Nada Surf
3 Where The Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You) Pet Shop Boys
4 Love Cure
5 Feeling Good Muse
6 Running Up That Hill Placebo
7 Personal Jesus Marilyn Manson
8 The Chauffeur (Duran Duran Cover) Deftones
9 White Horses Trash Can Sinatras
10 Mad World Gary Jules
11 High and Dry Jamie Cullum
12 Can't Help Falling in Love U2
13 Between the Bars Madeleine Peyroux
14 The Last Beat of My Heart Devotchka

Download "Covered"

Challenge #5: I'm Covered In It

I know we all talked about our busy schedules and how hard it can be to sit down right now and work on this stuff so we've done 2 things. Pushed back the monthly timeline a bit, so this one will be due Thursday, September 17th. Also, I've kepts it pretty light in the theme department.

Covers: Come up with your most interesting cover versions you have. That's it. If you want to give it more of a theme, have at it.

Have a great rest of the summer!

Challenge #4: Little Pinches & Pokes (Steven's Mix)

It's supposed to be a challenge, right? I knew I wanted to mix a few tracks that I have been listening to over and over this summer, Thunderheist, The Cocknbullkid, Little Boots and Royksopp's Girl and the Robot (should this song be banned from future mixes?!) alongside music from rainy Portland, Oregon. While there were some obvious PDX music choices(I spared you Nu Shooz and Quarterflash), the real challenge for me ended up being, just how about do I go and pair these songs together in a logical manner. I've futzed around with this to become "Little Pinches & Pokes". From synthy electro to the lush, drama-filled sound of Pink Martini, all of these things represent Portland to me. I hope you enjoy this little romp through my home.

The Artwork:

I think the artwork's all pretty obvious. Portland is full of bridges, and St. John's (just west of the downtown area) is one of my favorites. And I think of Portland as a place that shines brightest after the sun sets...

Little Pinches & Pokes

(I've noted all of the Portland bands with a "PDX" below)

1. The Love That I Crave (Strategy's Strata Club Remix) - The Blow PDX
2. Vanished - Crystal Castles PDX
3. The Girl and The Robot (Chateau Marmont Remix) - Röyksopp
4. I'm Not Sorry (Stuart Ramsay Remix) - The Cocknbullkid
5. Nothing 2 Step 2 (Sammy Bananas Remix) - Thunderheist
6. New In Town (Fred Falke Radio Edit) - Little Boots
7. Wilderness - Strength PDX
8. Violence, Diamonds - Panther PDX
9. Toys (Richard Sen Remix) - Hedford Vachal PDX
10. Jealousy (Club Mix) - Martin Solveig
11. Florida - Starfucker PDX
12. Iceage Babeland - Natalie Portman's Shaved Head
13. Lisztomania (Classixx Version) - Phoenix
14. She Comes in the Fall - Inspiral Carpets
15. Crest of the Hill - The Minders PDX
16. E. Its Stable - Menomena PDX
17. Miss Haze - Reclinerland PDX
18. Spirited - Laura Gibson PDX
19. Sweet California - Chris Stills (A bit random, I know, but there's a Portland connection for me here, as well as an irrational crush on Chris)
20. Let's Never Stop Falling in Love - Pink Martini PDX

Grab your umbrella, and listen to Little Pinches & Pokes

Challenge #4 - This Midwestern Ocean (Marc's Mix)

I have to say, this challenger was a head-scratcher at first, combining summer jams with local flavor. But as I mulled it over, I realized it made sense. Part of summer is getting out there and enjoy the sounds of it at street fairs, festivals and local dives, discovering new talent, making new friends, and logging in great memories based around music.

I originally thought of going the logical direction of Chicago House Music, but realized as much as I love it, there's no real connection since I moved to Chicago after the house music peak. So, I contact my friend Geoff Kessell who I've been friends with since the early 90's for suggestions and maybe a song. He sent me a demo of his from years back that has since made it onto one of his albums, Songs for a Caustic Guitar. After listening, the ideas rolled in naturally. Geoff has been one of my biggest influences in music tastes. He, along with my best pal Kelly, really showed me how pleasurable simple guitar pop can be. And over many summers, the 3 of us built memories around many of these fun, jangly tracks.

So, this summer mix, with local flair, is really an homage to Geoff and the summers of my twenties. As I age into my 40's, these songs still see ageless.

1. Music To Watch Girls By - Andy Williams (best summer song ever)
2. Rise And Shine - The Cardigans
3. It's A Miracle - Trashcan Sinatras
4. The Life Of Riley - The Lightning Seeds
5. Girl's Bike - The Aluminum Group (local Chicago)
6. I Never Though I Could Feel This Way For A Boy - The Scotland Yard Gospel Choir (local Chicago)
7. He's On The Beach - Kirsty MacColl
8. Against The Sun - Eggstone
9. La La Love You - Pixies
10. Perfect - Jinx Titanic (local Chicago)
11. Life In These Little Boats - Deas Vail
12. The Girl Who Waves At Trains - The Lilac Time
13. Like Lovers Do (Stephen Street Mix) - Lloyd Cole
14. I've Been Waiting - Matthew Sweet
15. Pretty the World - Matt Nathanson (not local, but good friend so seems local)
16. She's so High - Tal Bachman
17. If It's Love - Squeeze
18. Town Called Malice - McFly
19. Baby's Coming Back - Jellyfish
20. Sweet Sunshine - David Mead (localish)
21. Screen Door - Uncle Tupelo (local St Louis)
22. Unwind - Erik Voeks (local St. Louis)
23. Land-Locked (Demo) - Geoff Kessell (local St. Louis)

Download This Midwestern Ocean

Challenge # 4 - Surf Town (Jeff's Entry)

The songs of summer, keeping it local. This was tuff as it's my 3d summer compilation this year, having just finished one a few weeks ago with Colin for Break Out The Grill '09. But I do love the songs of summer. To me, this means an ecclectic mix of current and old, dance and rock, alternative and mainstream since summer is an all out celebration of fun, in all its forms. I stuck to the Chicago local - adding a Wilco tune, along with a favorite from Crosby Stills & Nash about a turbulent time in the City under old man Dailey. I confess that my artwork is clearly not Chicago, but I love the feeling eminating from this guy's gutsy ride on a wave, and was determined to use this photo. Catching a wave is, after all, a quintessential summertime move.

Take What's Mine ~ Baumer
All These Things That I've Done ~ The Killers
Chains of Love ~ Erasure
The Way You Love Me (Morel Pink Noise Mix) ~ Colton Ford
Keeps Gettin' Better ~ Christina Aguilera
Love Burns ~ Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Standing In the Way of Control ~ The Gossip
Love Etc. ~ Pet Shop Boys
Chicago ~ Crosby Stills & Nash
The Last High ~ The Dandy Warhols
Struggle ~ Ringside
I've Seen That Face Before ~ Grace Jones
California Stars ~ Billy Bragg & Wilco
I've Got a Dark Alley and a Bad Idea That Says

_You Should Shut Your Mouth (Summer Song) ~ Fall Out Boy
Rebellion (Lies) ~ Arcade Fire

Download Surf Town

Challenge #4: Keep It Local

It's summer! And I love the music that emanates from block parties, barbecues and a more relaxed time of year. So, let July be your opportunity to introduce your favorites of the season into this mix to greet that summer mood. They can be from any location or from any artist you like. However, those songs alone, cannot be 100% of the mix.

The real challenge of this month is to mix them alongside songs that are from local artists (that can be any % of the mix you like). These can be well-known or unsigned musicians who originate from ANY city (not just Chicago) that you have lived in. The theme and interconnection you build between these songs is your own to decide.

This challenge is also open to any interpretation or mood you have about Summer 2009.

Post it by July 27th, 2009.

(EDITED for clarity on July 1st)

Challenge #3 - Dark Angel (Jeff's Entry)

The Apocalypse. What can it mean? Indeed, it has two definitions: "Great or total devastation; doom: the end of the world;" and "A prophetic disclosure; a revelation." I think that Songs For The Apocalypse captures everything you can live in a very short time - love, fear, longing, devastation, goodbyes. If the end is near, we must get it all in now. I have posted without seeing the earlier posts, and I'm so excited to see each of your visions of The Apocalypse.


How We Operate - Gomez
Hayling - FC Kahuna
Poor Misguided Fool (Davis SpinDisc Soulsavers Remix) -Starsailor
Life - The Beta Band
Dancing with Mr. D. - The Rolling Stones
Swollen - Bent
Take a Bow - Muse
Every Day Is Exactly the Same - Nine Inch Nails
Creep - Radiohead
Marigold (B-Side) - Nirvana
Legacy - Infusion 3
Shelter - Icon of Coil
Dead Stars - Covenant
Fallen - Pitty Sing
So This Is Goodbye - Junior Boys

Download Dark Angel

Challenge #3 - And If There's A Hell, I'll See You There (Marc's Mix)

This one really tapped into my inner/older goth boy. I used to revel in all things bleak and dark post high school. Combo art school/drama major/newly gay in the midwest. So this was really revisiting my inner demons here.

The only preface I have for this is that I took this not as songs leading up to the end of the world as though you'd hear this as the world drew to a close but as that plus being the ones "left behind" as the prophecies would have you believe. As the good christians (all 3 of them) are taken up to heaven, the rest of us sinners would be left behind to (insert something christian here. i'm southern, but not THAT southern). So 1/2 is forbidding, then the destruction, then the aftermath.

Enjoy, sinners!

Fly On The Windscreen (Final) - Depeche Mode

Cantara - Dead Can Dance

The Last Ray This Mortal - Coil

Flood II - The Sisters Of Mercy

Mein Herz Brennt - Rammstein

Apocalypse Please - Muse

Deliverance - The Mission

Isolation (Joy Div Cover) - Dessau

Heresy (Blind) - Nine Inch Nails

Headhunter V3.0 - Front 242

Rapture Riders - Blondie feat. The Doors

A Strange Day - The Cure

Camphor - David Sylvian

Wake Up In New York (w/Evan Dando) - Craig Armstrong

Death's Door - Sylvain Chauveau

Motherless Child - Martin Gore

Everyday Is Like Sunday - Vitamin String Quartet

Download your impending doom.

Challenge #3 - Bang (Colin's Entry)

Apocalypse - what a buzz kill.
Fuck it.



Download Bang.*




*Don't look for too deep a meaning in most of the songs - only a handful of them are directly apropos.
1 99 Red Ballons (Club Mix) Nena
2 Take Me To The Hospital Faint
3 Stop! (Vince Clark Sync 82 Remix) Erasure
4 My Turn Basement Jaxx
5 Love's Not a Competition (But I'm Winning) (Nelsen Grover remix) Kaiser Chiefs
6 The Girl And The Robot (Spencer And Hill Remix) Röyksopp
7 Other Too Endless (Vince Clarke Remix) Polly Scattergood
8 Don't Cry Out (The Teenagers Remix) Shiny Toy Guns
9 Baby (Dance With Me) Reead
10 Great Beyond (Hybrid Remix) REM
11 These Boots Are Made For Walkin' (Bombs Remix) KMFDM
12 Nice Shot (Remix) Filter
13 Chemical Beats Chemical Brothers
14 The Fear (Stonebridge Club Mix) Lily Allen
15 Major Tom Shiny Toy Guns

Challenge #3 - As Above, So Below (Steven's Entry)

Chaos in a dark place. I have no idea how to explain or describe this journey. It's angry, it's cynical and intentionally a little raw/rough around the edges. (And don't worry, I don't expect much love for this.) But after much thought, the only way I could approach this was by combining songs into a continuous mix. I know this sort of breaks the concept of the mixed tape, but I wanted to reflect music bumping into each other, becoming noise. A friend heard this mix a quarter of the way through and declared, "I can't stand this! Please turn it off. I feel like I am losing my mind..." With that, I knew I had accomplished the abstract combination I intended. And I don't think I will ever do a mix like this again... ever.

About the artwork:

Marc made me laugh today, because he kinda gave me a WTF, regarding it. I thought that was a great reaction. But then I realized none of you know me to get my sarcasm and why this represents a hellish end. Rather than let you guess, let me explain a little about it: This photo was taken by a boyfriend who was a photographer. It was 1992 and he liked to take these moody, Sinead O'Connor (yes, Marc Almond-esque!) photos. There were lots of candles, crosses and religious symbolism. It was cool (read: sarcasm). Then as our relationship unraveled, I soon discovered that much of it was lies. Including discovering many of the guys in the photos displayed around our house (including this artwork) were guys he'd slept with. I am not sure why I have kept these photos around, but they remind me of a brief period in my life that felt like a living hell. And this photo (sarcastically) seemed to fit my "chaos in a dark place" mood.

Download As Above, So Below

(Available in two formats, podcast friendly m4a should list the song tracks, or an mp3, if the m4a format won't work for you.)

Tracks include:

Funerale - Corteo

Dead Boy - Aiden Shaw

Intro - Pulled from a Junior Vasquez mix

The Anarchist Movement - Infamous

Allah, Mohammed, Char, Yaar - Diamanda Galas & Nusrat Fateh Ali Kahn

Back in Baby's Arms - Patsy Cline

Schrapnell - Isolee

Hot Monkey, Hot Ass! - Black Moustache

Fanatica - Eisbrecher

Animoid Row Pt 2 - Vangelis

Money Back - Cazwell

le Disko - Shiny Toy Guns

Pop Ya Cork - Stanton Warriors

So Alive - Love & Rockets

The Host of Seraphim - Dead Can Dance

Beautiful Burnout - Underworld

My Soul Yearns for Peace - Blitzkrieg Tiger

Long Snake Moan - PJ Harvey

Myxomatosis - Radiohead

I Fucked Your Boyfriend - Nick Name

She's Lost Control - Joy Division

Lolita - Elefant

Up in Flames - Julee Cruise

Evil California - Annie Ross

Opening 3 - Thomas Newman

Readymade - Snow Lion

Furious Angels - Rob Dougan

Rich People - The Hospitals

Only Dreaming - Red Lorry, Yellow Lorry

Stratoscape - Front 242

Snatch of Fury - Frankie Goes to Hollywood

Rainfall - Naomi

Kernkraft 400 - Zombie Nation

Psycho Boy Jack - Dust Brothers

John Wayne Gacy, Jr. - Sufjan Stevens

Julia - Eurythmics

Not the Red Baron - Tori Amos

Running Up That Hill (Datassette Remix) - Kate Bush

Painted Black - Anneli Drecker

Vergissmeinnicht - Eisbrecher

Challenge #3 - Songs For The Apocalypse

I feel awkward about the mixtape mixups. I have been thinking for the last couple of weeks about this challenge, and Marc's Summer idea was one that ran through my head ("Music for a day at the Beach" was the concept). But in the end, I'm in a dark mood, and want to push us in a comletely different direction. I think this has a lot of creative possibilities, and I like seeing how differently we all apoproach these themes. Have at it guys!

Challenge #2 - Bleeding the Neon Out (Colin's Entry)

I think I might have overreached on this one -- I had a story in mind and I tried to convey it through song selection. The rough screenplay is: Must. Get. Out. Of. This. Fucking. City. Start driving at midnight, hard and fast, through the glowing city, city tapers down, darkened forest, and finally, shore at dawn.

Song selection was a bitch. I thought it would be easier but had hard time finding songs that fit into the mental narrative I had. But at the end of it, I am really happy with it, even if the story only works for me.


1 Dakota (with special intro) Stereophonics
2 Underdog (Radio Edit) Kasabian
3 Wrong (Trentemøller Remix Edit) Depeche Mode
4 Drive Rialto
5 Bite Hard Franz Ferdinand
6 Big Girls Are Best U2
7 Around The Bend The Asteroids Galaxy Tour
8 Only This Moment Röyksopp
9 Girl and the Sea The Presets
10 Us She Wants Revenge
11 Pretending To See The Future Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
12 A Forest Bat For Lashes
13 Dad and Dog Fredo Viola
14 Hoppipolla Sigur Ros
15 Lower Your Eyelids to Die with the Sun M83

Download Bleeding the Neon Out

(That is my arm, those are my veins. I couldn't find any image on the net that fit my description -- either it was overly tanned 'roid body builders or penises. Go figure.)

Challenge #2: Under the Milky Way Tonight (Marc's Mix)

This one was more of a challenge for me. As I don't drive too much at night and when I do it mostly obnoxiously upbeat remixes or spoken word. But I know what Matt was going for when he came up with this. My only regret is that mine might be at times too literal for some. I tried to go for simply a feel, but with limited time due to being out of town, then coming home to a crashed motherboard, I had to go a bit more obvious on some tracks. 

Under the Milky Way Tonight: Music for a Night Ride Home

1. Night Ride Home -Joni  Mitchell
   
2. Travelin' Light-Chet Baker
   
3. The Downtown Lights-The Blue Nile
   
4. Tonight We Play-Flying White Dots (feat. the Cure and Bjork)
   
5. Stars (original mix)-Dubstar
   
6. Walk On By-Isaac Hayes
   
7. Be Thankful For What You've Got-William DeVaughn
   
8. Lady Cab Driver-Prince
   
9. Driving (MAW Mix)-Everything But the Girl
   
10. Stay On These Roads-a-ha
    
11. The Killing Moon-Echo & The Bunnymen
    
12. Under the Milky Way-Grant Lee Phillips
    
13. When the Stars Go Blue-Blake Lewis
    
14. Sudden Rush-Erlend Oye
    
15. Stars Above Us-Saint Etienne
    
16. Four to the Floor (thin white duke mix)-Starsailor
    
17. Beautiful Ghost/Introduction To Songs Of Experience-U2
    

download under milky

Song Order Alert

I noticed the songs download to my iTunes in the wrong order, although they are properly tagged. My partner also had the issue. Here's a link re: problem, w/o a solution that works: http://forums.ilounge.com/archive/index.php/t-110116.html Colin's stayed in order, but no one else's, and this makes a HUGE difference in the compilations. Thanx.

Challenge #2 - Midnight Has No Regrets (Steven's Entry)

I knocked out the original mix for this challenge the weekend before Marc and Brad came to visit, put it on my iPod and listened to it for a few days. Then something unexpected happened, the hills caught on fire in Santa Barbara, life's unexpected turns emerged and I found that my original mix reminded me of these not-so-happy events. This week, I started reconstructing it, well past midnight one night and...

... not one song remained. What emerged was something else completely: I have so many memories through the years of driving home after midnight—and this is a compilation of (new and old) songs that I associate with driving home and the stories that go with them. I hope the mix works for someone who doesn’t know actually know me or these tales. This mix’s history extends all the way back to college when I would drive an hour and a half north up to Portland, Oregon after class and then drive home late that night after the bars closed and my friend's crashed. Sometimes filled with hopeful, new romance or worse, regretting my consumption of the evening.

Twenty-three years of driving later, I find myself once again making a similar journey with my hour drive home from a night out in Los Angeles (and I'm still very much listening to the car radio’s for company and to that ever-present soundtrack to my life's movie). The ocean at my side, the yellow flashing lines on the highway, the moon's smug shine above—all of this adds to my love of dramatic musical moments—by myself in the car. I love this kind of midnight drive. Behind the wheel, enjoying the push of the motor’s engine ...

Download: Midnight Has No Regrets

• Miserere - Ennio Morricone, from The Mission Soundtrack
• Shot In The Back of the Head - Moby
• Everyone's At It (Doc Fritz Rec Mix) - Lily Allen
• Let's Be Poor Together - Johnny Lloyd Rollins
• Keep The Streets Empty for Me - Fever Ray
• For the Truth In You - Roger O'Donnell
• One More Kiss, Dear - Vangelis, from Blade Runner Soundtrack
• Blue Lagoon - Laurie Anderson
• From a Shell - Lisa Germano
• The Sea Whisperer - Lisa Gerrard (Did I mention midnight is a time for drama?!)
• Bluer Than Midnight - The The
• Needle in the Hay - Elliot Smith
• Gun Song - Alphawezen
• Fascinating - Fischerspooner (actually an REM song)
• Entropy Reigns (in the Celestial City) - Kelley Polar
• I Love The Rain - The Real Tuesday Weld
• The City - Milosh
• Absence Heard, Presence Felt - Quantic

Challenge #2 - Blue Moon Cruise (Jeff's Entry)

Cars are my passion. As soon as Matt issued this challenge I was excited to compose, and excited to hear the other collections. This is my third cruise mix (the first was for my M Roadster, the second for my Vette). A midnight cruise for me is all about heat, top down air, a lonely interstate and driving fast. Cruising down the road as time slows, thoughts drift. If only I lived in Montana.....

1. November Was White, December Was Grey ~ Say Hi
2. Ain't No Rest for the Wicked ~ Cage the Elephant
3. Baby Doll ~ The Fratellis
4. Mer Du Japon ~ AIR
5. Dry Lips ~ Lightspeed Champion
6. Houses ~ Great Northern
7. Lazy Eye (Jason Bentley Remix) ~ Silversun Pickups
8. Face Down In the Right Town ~ Earlimart
9. Atlantic ~ Keane
10. The Reason ~ Hoobastank
11. Not As Goth As They Say We Are ~ Say Hi to Your Mom
12. Stay Don't Go ~ Spoon
13. Under the Milky Way ~ The Church
14. A Message ~ Coldplay
15. Your Rocky Spine ~ Great Lake Swimmers

Drive safely, but passionately.

Download - Blue Moon Cruise

Challenge #1: Till The Heart Caves In (Marc's Entry)

1. Trust-Billy Bragg. Have never been able to figure out if this is sung from a girls or boys POV. Rape is never upbeat. 
   
2. I Love You, Creedence-Casiotone For The Painfully Alone. Song for the hipster lonely. 
   
3. Damage-David Sylvian. "I only want to be in love"
   
4. $35-The Aluminum Group. What makes this one sad is it is a true story. Listen to the lyrics and I'll tell you the story relayed to me offline. 
   
5. Medicine Bottle-Red House Painters. "I drank so much tea I wrote my letter in Kanji"
   
6. Mexican Wrestler-Jill Sobule. Guess you can't force love. 
   
7. Il Adore-Boy George. This placement was a toss up between this and Culture Club's Less Than Perfect. Still not 100% on my choice. 
   
8. Scorn Not His Simplicity-Sinead O'Connor
   
9. Marie-Townes Van Zandt. Homeless people and miscarriages. Fun. 
   
10. Till The Heart Caves In-kd lang. Lost unrecorded Roy Orbison tune. 
    
11. Half-Life Duncan Sheik. Always thought this was a song about being in the closet. Take it as you see it. 
    
12. Your Next Lover-Lori McKenna. and it goes a bit rootsy, sorry. 
    
13. Would You Still Have Fallen-Holly Williams. Got me through my dad's death. 
    
14. New Favorite (Edit)-Alison Krauss
    
15. Come Pick Me Up Ryan Adams. The last 2 are more angry than sad. And he says Fuck. 
    
16. Why Don't You See Me?-Concrete Blonde. My default breakup/unrequited love song. 
    

Bonus Track: Make It Easy On Yourself-Jerry Butler. Before my second attempt at uploading I realized I have 3 minutes of space left so stuck this on. I remember a break up in 98 where I went out to Hunters for a rebound the next day. As my friend Paul drove my drunk ass home, i turned this up on the car radio and screamed this out the window till I cried. 

Hope you enjoy! 

Download this mix

Challenge #1 - Into The Mist (Jeff's Entry)

I feel exposed by this project, but I guess that's the point. Each of the songs is an anchor to an event or episode in my past, which makes this collection exceptionally personal, yet in all likelihood difficult to relate to without ad nauseum liner notes. It was interesting to search the recesses of my past in search of these - and even more surprising how listening to them brought back feelings I thought had faded away....

I hope you enjoy, and I seriously can't wait to listen to yours. Oh yeah, special thanx to Colin for motivating me with this challenge, and for hosting my mix so that I could post it to the blog.

Jeff

A Thousand Years -- Sting
Julia -- The Beatles
Take My Breath Away (Love Theme from "Top Gun") -- Berlin
We Belong -- Pat Benatar
Human -- The Pretenders

Time and Tide -- Basia
At Last -- Etta James
I Know The Truth (Aida Act 2 Original Cast) -- Sherie René Scott
The Wings -- Gustavo Santaolalla
Big Log -- Robert Plant
Streets of Philadelphia (From "Philadelphia") -- Bruce Springsteen
How Soon Is Now? -- The Smiths
Rough Boy -- ZZ Top
Surround Me With Your Love (Mental Overdrive Remix) -- 3-11 Porter
Blue -- LeAnn Rimes
Come What May -- Nicole Kidman & Ewin McGregor
Witness -- Sarah McLachlan

Download "Into The Mist"

Challenge #1 - Left Alone (Colin's Entry)

Tough to do one that speaks to more people than you just you on this one since most of the songs I flagged as "ache" are so intertwined with personal stories... But I think these do a good job of spanning a lot of themes and hopefully get those deep emotions -- the ones you only access when drunk or a really good song comes on -- will get dredged up.

Track Listing:
1 Lonely Soul Unkle
2 Back to the Lake Guided By Voices
3 Cinema Air Gloria Record
4 The Sulphur Man Doves
5 Inside of Love Nada Surf
6 Leave Me Alone Trash Can Sinatras
7 Wonderwall Ryan Adams
8 Philadelphia Neil Young
9 Fake Plastic Trees Radiohead
10 Switching Off Elbow
11 Somebody Depeche Mode
12 The Luckiest Ben Folds
13 Your Hand In Mine (Goodbye) Explosions In The Sky
14 Miss you (lulu rouge feat asger baden remix) Trentemøller
15 Clementina Xymox
16 Adagio For Strings Samuel Barber

Album Art:


Download "Left Alone"

Challenge #1 - Songs that Make Your Heart Ache

Due: Saturday April 25th.

The Rules

Short and Sweet.

1) Keep mixes under 80 minutes.
2) Upload album in zip / RAR format. Individual tracks should be in either mp3 or AAC form.
3) Must make album art
4) Any mixes should be turned in on "due" date.
5) Don't use same track twice. If used on any compilation, its retired.