Mix albums!

I recently reconnected with an old friend, from back in my high school days. We never went to school together, after all, she was, and still is far off in a foreign country. So I made Beth this mix, but I didn’t know what I might have sent her all those years ago, so I decided to limit myself to nothing older than 2000. I also didn’t know what she had been listening to since then, so I decided to limit the selection to Canadian music.

“The Indie Queens Are Waiting” by Dan Mangan

• This is my favourite Dan Mangan song, and I’ve been on a bit of a kick of listening to him endlessly.

“Hibernation Song” by Whale Tooth

• This is not just my favourite Whale Tooth song, but everyone’s favourite Whale Tooth song. They’re a lot of fun, but this song specifically is addictively catchy.

“Oh, Alberta” by Elliott Brood

• If you’re going to make a mix of mostly Canadian music, how can you ignore the most Canadian song ever written. “Ontario, that’s where I’m from.”

“Fourteen Hour Day” by $100

• This is such a tragic tale of loss and heartache.

“The Ballad of Poor John Henry” by Cuff The Duke

• Number two in the Cuff The Duke’s “Ballad of…” series, and definitely my favourite.

“Nowhere With You” by The Joel Plaskett Emergency

• This song is just addictive and fun. I often forget about the Make A Little Noise EP, so I figured this was a good way to give it some love.

“Morning Dove” by Greg Keelor

• My favourite song from Keelor’s depressing, but beautiful Seven Songs for Jim album.

“The Nun’s Litany” by The Magnetic Fields

• How can you not love a song with the lyric “I want to be a dominatrix, which isn’t like me, but I can dream. Learn S&M and all those gay tricks, and men would pay me to make them scream.” FYI, on the album Shirley sings the song, but in the video Stephin sings it. He did after all write it.

“The Gambler and His Bride” by Daniel, Fred & Julie

• I never noticed how long this song was until Beth, the recipient of this playlist pointed out how bloody long it actually is. It’s a great song, DF&J played it both times I saw them live recently.

“Many Lives -> 49mp” by Final Fantasy

• The violin is so pretty.

“Jumpers” by Sleater-Kinney

• Not many better songs about killing yourself. “My falling shape will draw a line between the blue of sea and sky; I’m not a bird, I’m not a plane.”

“Sunndal Song” by The Apples In Stereo

• Easy to forget that Hilarie Sidney was in The Apples In Stereo, but I think she added a much needed secondary voice to Robert Schneider’s.

“Step Off The Map and Float” by Library Voices

• We’re all just pinpricks on a paper continent.

“Two Girls From Montreal” by The Bicycles

• The first Bicycles song I got stuck in my head. After seeing them live for the first time (years before their first album was released), I left the venue singing this song.

So, yes, there are one item in there by an international artist, The Magnetic Fields, but not enough people know Stephin Merritt, and that’s just a sin.

A few nights ago, I saw my friend Emily, and somehow my enjoyment from making mix tapes/discs/playlists1 came up, and she asked me to make one for her, so this is what I came up with.

1. “Tina’s Glorious Comeback” by Dan Mangan
   • Dan Mangan started the previous one off so well, why not carry on. This one is another that I’ll happen to listen to days ago, and still be singing it. My coworkers must think I’m insane.
2. “I’ll Have To Dance With Cassie” by God Help The Girl
   • My favourite God Help The Girl song, and I think Emily would understand the thoughts behind this one.
3. “Cop Song” by Entire Cities
   • One day I was walking down the street listening to this song, and a cop was slowing following me in their car.
4. “Snowsuit Sound” by Sloan
   • Though I’ve given up my love of Sloan, I still understand that they used to be awesome, and this is one of the songs which can perfectly capture it.
5. “Yelverton Hill” by The Inbreds
   • “A ring is an awful thing…”
6. “Great Lakes” by Valery Gore
   • The last mix had Valery’s doppelgänger, so this one should include the original.
7. “Seduced And Abandoned” by The Magnetic Fields
   • This is the tale of an abandoned woman, left without her lover, but with a baby. It’s not the first time that Merritt has told this story, but I think it’s the best rendition of the tale. See: “The Night You Can’t Remember“
8. “Highschool” by The Flashing Lights
   • This power pop anthem is as good as it gets.
9. “Girlfriend” by Eric’s Trip
   • Grunge!
10. “Don’t Wannabe / Like By You” by Julie Doiron
    • Hehe, I put Julie Doiron right after Eric’s Trip! This is the song women sing when I get a crush on them.
11. “Glitter” by The Superfantastics
    • This two piece is just sugary fun.
12. “Your Island” by Young Rival
    • I like Young Rival, I think Emily would dig these Hamiltononians.
13. “Scott Pilgrim” by Plumtree
    • With the new Scott Pilgrim film coming out soon, this song is a perfect piece.
14. “We Are Being Reduced” by Thrush Hermit
    • My lord, this song is stunning.

1. Any music nerd has this love. [↩]