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
Midnight has no regrets.
ReplyDeleteNice to get a fresh mix voice in here.
"Midnight" had such an unusual and pleasant mix of songs -- and many of them are so evocative. By kicking off with Morricone, I was primed to think of this as a soundtrack, something I enjoy doing. The best mixes for me have a narrative arc to them and this -- even if I am reading it into the song selection -- has it.
Shot in The Back of the Head -- I have been a huge Moby fan off and on and this song got me re-inspired to track down a lot of his stuff. (Torrents and me get along great). Great sister song to this, if you don't have it, is "Souvenir (Moby Remix)" by OMD... I think I could listen to both of them back to back for hours.
Everyone's at it. I am becoming a Lily Allen mix. Her lyrics have the right evocative mix of simple and punchy as all good pop should have. The song evokes the "consumption" theme you write about in your opener.
Let's be poor... ah, one of those delightfully wistful songs.
One More Kiss, Dear. Jeff can attest to my Blade Runner fan love. This song -- along with the rest of the soundtrack -- is so loaded for me, that have such a strong love for it. Given the songs history for me, it is both a great future-oldtime blend for me.
From a Shell. already been played more than 12 times by itunes play count. Love the vocal treatment, love the lyrics, love the plaintive quality. Love it.
Gun song - goes along well (for me anyway) with the Morricone song. Good song, and evocative lyrics.
Fascinating / Entropy reigns - these are great electropop songs. I am curious about the context for these songs and the personal connection to them.
I love the Rain - again, that old time-y sound, that I am a sucker for. "I sick and tired of being dry; so let's get wet" - I willfully read this as one of the sexiest lines in a long time.
The City. Like several Postal Service songs, this song has a moody, minor key feel to it. I am also a sucker for that electronic and moody feel.
Absence Heard, Presence Felt. Final reprise of that old-time sound. A nice coda, but the subject flavors the whole mix as something sad and lonely.
Great mix and I look forward to the next one from you.
(p.s. I am not sure how to incorporate your artwork into my view of the disc... still mulling that over)
Jumping right in. I'm going to give you the mood I got with each one.
ReplyDeleteMisere, Shot, Everyone's on it. With these 3 in a row I see you ramping up from the contemplation of transitioning from stability to moving into a journey, then the quiet contemplation and anxiety of the trip ahead to accelerating.
Let's Be Poor. Got to say I was thrown off by this one. While I loved it and it reminded me of David Mead, after Lily it made my mind change speads. From the driving alone, to driving with a mate and hearing this on the radio.
Keep the Streets Empty-This would have been perfect after Lily for me. But you know I'm not a massive fan of her voice, but this isn't bad.
One More Kiss-Back to the listening to the radio feeling I got with Poor Together. This puts me totally in a car with Mia Farrow in a Woody Allen movie. I hear him narrating right now.
Blue Lagoon-I know you'll be heartbroken to know, I really don't like Laurie Anderson. :(
I'd love this song if not for the Pee Wee's Playhouse style plucky synth that keeps coming in.
From a Shell-Heaven. Love this song. Cannot believe she's Mellencamp's fiddle player by day! This song just washes over me. I feel like sticking my fingers into the night window out the window.
Sea Whisperer-Lisa Gerard can do no wrong. I like he much better with DCD, but all her solo stuff is exquisite too. Pulls me in the same directions as Germano's track.
Bluer Than Midnight-Funny. I went through this CD too and felt I had to put something in. But nothing hit me. I see now this was the overlooked choice. I like the way the easy piano at the beginning transistioned well from Lisa Gerard's quite. The The's dusk is good for 2 things: driving and fucking.
Needle in the Hay. Not really a Elliot Smith fan. For him, this is good. Just never got it. But the mood of it works.
Gun Song. Never heard this. Really nice. Sexy and dangerous. Kinda Sneaker Pimps.
Fascinating. This CD is Fischerspooner's best yet as a full CD. Good choice. Plays well off the Gun Song.
I Love The Rain. Back to the old fashioned radio sound. But now its relevant to the scene as well. Flawless choice.
Entropy Reigns. Is it me or does this sound like a long lost Human League track?????? So fun and cold. Also see: Client, Dubstar.
The City. I have no idea who Milosh is, but this is nice. Glitchy but still fluid. Makes me feel like you've been driving too long and the music is staring to morph and blur in my tired mind. Did Colin mention this was a remake?
Abscence Heard. Very Chinese. But also had that old radio sound mixes with your electronic leanings. Sums up the entire mix like ending credits.
Best in overall feeling. Great job.
And the CD cover is gorgeous. What's the photography from? Another Ex?