Every time I listen to Frightened Rabbit’s “Keep Yourself Warm” and dude gets to the “I’m drunk. I’m drunk. And you’re probably on pills” I always say “Probably?” (Out loud.)
Hi.
A week or so back, Lily organized a music swap dealie. I joined up. Well, I joined up while making a crack about only Amish people burning mixed CDs. I gotta be me.
So I got matched up with sid. And in our e-mail discussion to set up the exchange, she mentioned some disturbing artists in her collection. That, combined with me having no idea how much good music makes it down to South Africa, led me to figure that I had carte blanche to share whatever I wanted. (Knowing it would be a huge improvement on whatever she has.)
And then I spent way too much time trying to come up with the proper criteria for choosing the songs. (While the new novel sat there, barely started, and gave me sad eyes.)
I finally settled on, “if I was on a deserted island right now (with Millie Clode), what 20 songs would I want to listen to first?”
And then I picked 54. (And UPLOADED them, Lily.)
Some are old. Some are new. Some are well-known. Some just should be. Some are pure cheese that I adore, so there.
And if I did this over again tomorrow, the list would likely be completely different.
I called the collection “Deserted I-Land.” And, of course, divided it into three different albums.
So, here it is:
“sand in my undies”
The First Day of Spring – The Gandharvas
Underwhelmed – Sloan
Mr. Soul – Buffalo Springfield
Oxford Comma – Vampire Weekend
If I Ever Feel Better – Phoenix
If You Could Read My Mind – Gordon Lightfoot
Coming Home – City & Colour
New Orleans is Sinking – The Tragically Hip
I Tried To Rock You But You Only Roll – Leona Naess
Lost Together – Blue Rodeo
Lover’s Spit – Broken Social Scene
People – Chester French
Don’t Get Me Wrong – Lily Allen
My Body is a Cage – Arcade Fire
Hallelujah – Leonard Cohen
Mari-Mac – Great Big Sea
Still On your Mind – Oliver Pigott
Hurts To Love You – The Philosopher Kings
“more friggin’ coconut?”
Fake Empire – The National
Trouble – Ray LaMontagne
French Navy – Camera Obscura
I’m a Pilot – Fanfarlo
Lost Coastlines – Okkervil River
Fresh Feeling – Eels
Teenage Dirtbag – Wheatus
Danger! High Voltage – Electric Six
Your Sweet Voice – The Reindeer Section
Meccano – Red Light Company
Keep Yourself Warm – Frightened Rabbit
Tear You Apart – She Wants Revenge
Best of You – Foo Fighters
Atlantic City – Bruce Springsteen
A Boy Named Sue – Johnny Cash
Love Will Tear Us Apart – Joy Division
Love, Love Is On My Mind – The Black Box Revelation
L.E.S. Artistes – Santogold
“i know what we can do to pass the time”
Romeo and Juliet – Dire Straits
There’s No Secrets This Year – Silversun Pickups
Under Pressure – The Used & My Chemical Romance
Goodnight and Go – Imogen Heap
Satellite – Guster
Konstantine – Something Corporate
Desire – Ryan Adams
Use Somebody – Kings of Leon
Disarm – Smashing Pumpkins
Obstacle 2 – Interpol
Pictures of You – The Cure
Running Up That Hill – Placebo
Naive – The Kooks
Laid – James
Always Like This – Bombay Bicycle Club
Heartbreak – Magistrates
Every Day Should Be A Holiday – Dandy Warhols
Bastards of Young – The Replacements
(If you are interested in “sharing” in this collection of goodness too, just drop me an e-mail.)
What song(s) would you absolutely positively need to have on your deserted island mix?
I think I would be fine as long as I had the rolling stones, zepp and jay z.
I could be musically satisfied for a long time with only The Stones, I think. I just haven’t been listening to them lately, so they got left off the list.
If I included them, and followed my “one song per band/artist” rule, I’d choose “Gimme Shelter.”
Or “Angie.”
Or another one of dozens.
Ahhh, I have to do this tonight!! Mine is going to Germany and I do not have a clue! Although, I do have something up my sleeve that will make it all better hehe x
Dropbox travels easily. :)
Thank you for introducing me to the world of Dropbox and pulling me out of my sad, “Amish” old-fashioned CD burning lifestyle. And for sharing this collection – again the inclusion of Great Big Sea is just so fantastic, as are many other tracks.
Well, I had to include a band from Atlantic Canada. Two actually. Sloan is from Halifax.
It makes me incredibly happy that you made not one, but THREE albums for the swap. I’m having a hard time slimming mine down. C’est la vie.
Also, I haven’t heard of many of the songs on here, though I will say that Romeo and Juliet is probably one of my favorite songs. I can’t help but smile whenever the song comes on.
R&J, according to iTunes, is one of my most listened to songs. And I’ve never known iTunes to lie to me.
Well, there was that one time…
Gah! All three of these discs are fantastic!! I’d love to take part in the sharing if possible…we’re moving right now and my music collection is temporarily out of commission. This would be perfect for the unpacking weekend!
Check your e-mail.
That is tough question. I’m thinking that since my persistently Amish self burned a (very random) CD a mere couple of months ago, which has blared from my car stereo over and over without myself having grown tired of it, that a good place to start for my desert mix is with: stuff from Paul’s Boutique, a lil’ Ella & Louis, any Belle & Sebastian song, a lively Indie song one might hear on an iPod commercial, and some British Invasion from The 60s, Baby!
Hmmm. Interesting choices. I think a few of mine would make good iPod commercial tunes.
I’ve never even heard of half of these bands. Does that make me old or just out of touch?
Oh, wait, I know! It means that I’ve been forced to listen to only death metal for the last year and a half of my life and therefore have heard no normal music in that time.
I feel sorry for your ears.
Great so now my name is synonymous with bad music.
Quoting Mariah Carey lyrics will do that to you.
I listen to mostly country but I have heard of some of the songs (mostly in the I know what we can do to pass time CD)
Could you pass me some love?
XO
Sent.
Wow, way to put together some great CD mixes! So would I also be able to partake in the “sharing”? Please? Promise I’m a long time blog reader :)
Hmmm. How “long time” of a reader?
(Sent.)
I’m sorry to say I know so few of your songs, but from the couple I do know it looks like it would be a fun mix.
I use the star ranking thing in my itunes and I consider 5 star to be ‘if I had to I could listen to nothing but this song over and over again’. I don’t tend to do the ‘most listened’ to thing as I throw everything into the ipod and hit random. Which can be interesting because I tend to be pretty ecclectic. At one point I added a whole bunch of Eminem and Metallica in an attempt to ‘balance out’ the whinnie the pooh CDs we got for my niece … I gotta tell you, there is no balancing out and poor Pooh Bear was shown the door.
Anyway this is my current list, but I’ve not been through and re-evaluated everything in a while so I’m probably missing a few. Actually looking at it now I think it needs a revamp.
Alone Like Me – The Sharp
Angel of Harlem – U2
Body – Presidents of the United States of America
Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy – The Andrews Sisters
Crazy Bitch – Buckcherry
Fever – Peggy Lee (though I’d rather have the Jessica Rabbit version ;) )
Holy Grail – Hunters and Collectors
Loose Yourself – Eminem
Son of a Preacher Man – Deni Hines
Throw your Arms Around Me – Hunters and Collectors
The Way I Are – Timberland
Twig – Presidents of the United States of America
What that list says about me I’m not sure but it’s probably something along the lines of ‘she’s crazy run far far away’. Certainly a strange combination.
I have a soft spot for that Buckcherry tune. Not sure why. But it amuses and entertains me.
Questions like this give me the hives. Because I feel as soon as I pick the songs, I won’t be able to change my mind and when it comes to questions like this, my answer changes daily. However, today? Here would be some of the songs I would have to have:
1. My doorbell- The White Stripes
2. Drive on- Johnny Cash (greatest cash song ever)
3. All My days- Alexi Murdoch
4. Untouchable Face- Ani DiFranco
5. Little Bit of Feel Good- Jamie Lidell
6. Gardenia- Mandy Moore
7. Love, love, love- Tristan Prettyman
8. Bust A Move- Young MC
9. Criminal- Fiona Apple
10. Everything- Stereo Fuse
11. I Don’t like Mondays- Tori Amos
12. Home for a rest- Spirit of the West
13. Broken Arrow- Rod Stewart
14. Fair- Remy Zero
15. Us- Regina Spektor
Man. I have to stop. But seriously, I didn’t even get to my shameful music. Like Soul Decision. I need Soul Decision in my life. And no, Mandy Moore will never be classified as shameful to me. I love her too much.
Brandy! How did I forget “Home For A Rest?”
Bad Canadian.
Some of those songs sound familiar… ;)
I would definitely also include James’ “Laid.” And then some Dave Matthews. And Eminem. And lots and lots of GNR!
I know you’re shuddering at what else I’ll come up with… I’ll have to share when I do! :)
Great fun!
No shame in some GnR.
You know who doesn’t get enough love? Motley Fucking Crue.
That is fuckin’ true. Gotta love the Crüe!
WANT.
you have an awesome mix of some real classics along with more less-than-mainstream stuff.
i’m partial to jeff buckley’s “hallelujah” myself though. also, the placebo song…is that a cover of the kate bush song by the same name? because that would be interesting. i like placebo but haven’t heard much of their stuff.