Putting the Pieces Together

Gered and I never talked about this mix having any type of overarching theme. Instead, we wanted each song to be an "answer" to the song that came before it. This gives the mix a lot more freedom to pull from different genres and artists.

Stereolab's Cybele's Reverie took me by surprise. I was expecting Gered to start with something acoustic and aggressively melodic (like Come to my Senses). I have to be honest, it's not my favorite tune on the mix, but as a first song it's perfect. It's the cornerstone; it's electronic sensibility doesn't limit the mix to singer/songwriter type music, and the tempo gave me the freedom to go up or down with the next pick. I went down with A Century of Fakers. I started listening to B & S right after they released The Boy with the Arab Strap. I bought the album in Boston. I remember waiting on a friend and popping it into my Discman. There was a soft snow that night. I can still remember hearing them for the first time. I've been a fan ever since. A Century of Fakers is actually a B-side. I love how it captures the young angst of a band on the rise.

Jacksonville is my favorite track on the mix. A friend of mine described Sufjian Stevens music as "slit your wrists tunes." I haven't checked him out before, but this song just makes me want to sing along.

Way You Walk is another discovery I made in Newbury Comics in Boston. The guy behind the counter was playing it, I loved the sound, and picked up the album on the spot. I haven't kept up with Papas Fritas (according to the band, the name's real meaning is "pop has freed us"), but they always pop up on my iPod.

I couldn't think of a better answer to Papas Fritas than Tally Hall's The Bidding. The chant-like intro and hip-hop grooves gives the mix more sonic depth than it had before. I took down the tempo a bit with my favorite Yo La Tengo song, Season of the Shark. Don't get me wrong, I love the YTL hard stuff, but the gentle melodies and atmospheric vocals of their last few albums just hit home for me.

More to come...