Mixtape Review.

For my birthday I thought my brother-in-law was going to give me a bottle of whiskey. Instead he gave me a mixtape. I listened to it without checking out the bands or song titles to ensure a fair listen. Here's the review of the CD he titled 'This CD will make you want bong hits . . . or ear plugs. . .'

Playlist

1. Shiver / Giant Sand

2. Don't Leave Me Now / Amparanoia

3. Ninja / Grimace Federation

4. Departure / Yolk

5. Kelly's Heroes / Black Grape

6. Emiliano and Jovita / Cordero

7. Pavement Tune / The Frames

8. Janel / Schleigho

9. Winnipeg / Martin Tielli

10. Chancellor / Gordon Downie

11. Don't Cry That Way / Frank Black

12. Acrylic / Miracle Orchestra

13. Ukranian Technological Faith Dance / Monks of Doom

14. Tell Her Lies and Feed Her Candy / The Sadies

15. Triangles on the Wall / Rheostatics

16. One Everything / Chris Murray

17. White Belly (demo) / Tanya Donelly

18. Obsession (With the Sunshine) / As Human

   About a week ago I decided to sit down and listen to the CD that my brother-in-law, Steve, put together for me. I won't lie, his aged tie dye t-shirts made me a little nervous to give a listen, but I did my best to do so with an open mind and open ears.

   I can't and won't lie. While listening to track 1, Shiver, I was a bit bored and lost interest in the song quickly, though I did not skip through. Track 2 is when he got me. And not only with track 2, but track 3 and track 4. All three featured some foreign vocals which I recently learned I completely love. I like to travel, I like to eat new food, I must like to listen to foreign languages being spoken and/or sung, in this case. Track 5 sounded like track 4 except track 5 was bad. Unfortunately for me, track 6 was worse. Track 6, Emiliano and Jovita, was the worst song on the CD and the only one that truly tempted me to click 'next'.

   Man, I hate it. He got me with a 'the' band. You know, THE Strokes, THE Walkmen, you get the idea (p.s. THE Smiths and THE Beastie Boys don't count in this generalization). Track 7 was The Frames and I loved every second of it. I sang with it. I danced to it. I nearly spilled my coffee over it.

   Ah, then a transition to track 8. It was an odd choice to play next, but I shouldn't complain about the order of the list so much (though it should be considered when creating a playlist) There are, however, certain characteristics of songs that guarantee I'll enjoy it. One is foreign vocals, the other is a flute. My favorite song on the planet is Flute Loop by the Beastie Boys (though I also have a serious soft spot for Ceremony by New Order.) Track 8 was not this, it was Janel, but it featured some flute action and for this, I enjoyed it.

   Track 9 notes taken while listening:

       disconcerning children - feel of intro - bring me down a bit more - or hook me up with one of those bong hits. improves for 10 seconds @ 1:25 - good at 3:55 - starts failing again at 4:10 - really? the ending? really?

   The playlist continues and the songs actually improve - consistently - and then sort of drop. Things worth mentioning: Track 11 made me feel like I was sitting bitch in the family station wagon while traveling to a campsite somewhere in the Adirondacks (note: this is a good feeling reminding me of my childhood.) Track 15 held a steady, mediumstyle pace and for this, I appreciated it. Track 16 somehow captured me again. I don't know reggae so well, but this had a reggae vibe to me. Track 17, no comment. And track 18, I had high expectations that weren't quite met. But then again, I usually set high standards, sort of. So maybe the playing field wasn't fair for track 18.

   I do appreciate the time and energy put into making this compilation for me. I am currently developing a response playlist to be developed and delivered by, quite possibly, Wednesday. In such a case, there may be another playlist made by Steve and this may go on for some time. Or until we run out of bands worth sharing and I just start making mixes of Mariah Carey's Greatest Hits. Steve, it's on.