41 songs

I've been a bit of a musical slut lately. I hear something pretty/cool/dancey/rockin and the next thing I know my iTunes account is totally depleted and I've got all these new songs. I haven't posted a Mix of the Month in a long time, but I also haven't been doing monthly theme mixes in the last year either. What I have been doing is customizing mixes for my family & friends out of the 41 songs you see below.

Note: Many thanks to Amanda, Eyad, Megan, Conrad, Amy, Mikey and Mac. This mix would be a lot shorter, and a lot less cool, without all of your contributions.

1. See You at the Lights, 1990s - From the album Cookie, which I Totally Recommend. Happy guitar rock. Good times.
   
2. D is for Dangerous, Arctic Monkeys - These kids are getting better, this song in particular.
3. Trophy, Bat for Lashes - I JUST discovered Bat for Lashes a couple weeks ago in Seattle. They're moody, haunting, and feature floaty girl vocals over percussive bass & drums. SIGN ME UP!
4. Fucking Boyfriend, The Bird and the Bee - A side project of Inara George, The Bird & the Bee are a little more electronic. This song is hilarious and awesome.
5. Earth Intruders, Bjork - Hi, B's using FRENCH HORNS now, in addition to everything else. Because she rules.
   
6. Sunday, Bloc Party - A Weekend in the City is SO GOOD, y'all, I recommend the whole album. Actually I recommend everything Bloc Party--their drummer is sick, they're awesome live, they're delicious, danceable Brit Pop at its best. This song stays in heavy rotation 'cause I'm a sucker for lyrics like, "Giant proclamations are all very well, but our love is louder than words." Swoon!
7. Silently, Blonde Redhead - My favorite track from 23, their most recent album. The whole album is rad, but I want to HUG this song, it's so sweet.
   
8. The Long List of Girls, The Blow - Amanda turned me on to The Blow, and they do so many cool, interesting things. Here, they've got drum corps percussion making asses everywhere shake happily, while singing, nonchalantly, "Guess I'm on the long list of girls who love the shit out of you."
   
9. If Looks Could Kill, Camera Obscura - This song is like crack to me. All my favorite elements are here: heavy drums, strong bass line, sweet girly vocals, AND it's reminiscent of a 60's motown girl-group song.
10. To Build A Home, The Cinematic Orchestra - This is that pretty rolling piano anthem you're hearing everywhere that sounds like Coldplay, but isn't.
    
11. Let the Drummer Kick, Citizen Cope - A So You Think You Can Dance discovery, I love this song's ability to lure me into a laid-back trance of cool.
    
12. Bulldozer, Datarock - A birthday present from my friend Conrad, I like the way the drums on this press urgently forward, like a train. I hear the rest of the Datarock album is great, but I haven't heard it yet.
    
13. The Crane Wife Pt. 3, The Decemberists - I wouldn't call myself a Decemberists fan, per se, but I AM a fan of big, swelling (heh. That's what SHE said) anthems. ANTHEMS. Ahem. Seriously, though, this song is all strummy and pretty and, for CD-mixing types, a great way to end a mix.
14. Society, Eddie Vedder - From the Into the Wild soundtrack, it's all jangly acoustic guitars and Eddie's signature deep, sexy voice. Yes, please.
    
15. Drunk and Stoned, Faux Jean - Faux Jean is a Minnesota bar band my sister Amy introduced me to when I told her how much I love male/female duets. This song is powerful, sweet, funny, and totally rockin'.
    
16. Bang Bang to the Rock 'n' Roll, Gabin - Another SYTYCD find, this updated mambo track makes me dance, plain & simple.
    
17. Tell Me Where It Hurts, Garbage - Who loves Garbage with all her heart? And big, orchestral numbers? And plaintive, touching vocals about friendship and love? Dinah, that's who. So this one pretty much makes me happy without hardly trying.
    
18. Buddha's Delight, Haley Bennett - Okay: If you haven't seen Music & Lyrics yet, go rent it. Nay, BUY IT. If, that is, you can appreciate 80's throw-back numbers, would be delighted by a "POP!" video that's reminiscent of Roxette and Wham, or would be as stunned as me to realize that all the jokey modern pop songs, like this one, that were written to mock every other pop starlet out there, are actually kind of awesome, danceable, addictive tracks.
    
19. Fools In Love, Inara George - I heart Inara George. On a cold, gray, miserable day, she is my warm blankie, my bunny slippers, my chamomile tea. This song was a present from the Grey's Anatomy soundtrack, and it's just one of the prettiest songs ever made.
    
20. The Way I Am, Ingrid Michaelson - Yeah, it's that Old Navy commercial song. Shut up. I like it.
    
21. Real Life, Joan As Policewoman - I discovered Joan as Policewoman last fall in Australia, in this little record bar. I was standing in line waiting to settle up the bill, and found myself rocking on the balls of my feet, totally sucked in my the simple piano and vocals of this slow, deliberate, and dreamy song.
    
22. Weekend Without Makeup, The Long Blondes - I recently picked up the Long Blondes album "Someone to Drive You Home," and it's great. If you like Girl Rock (The Donnas, The Blackhearts, etc) then you like The Long Blondes. The lyrics on this particular track tell a story many women can relate to, and they're written & sung in such a way you an almost hear the punctuation. And you know I love that, comma, sweetie.
    
23. Sweet Dreams, Sweet Cheeks, Los Campesinos - This is a great strummy alt-rock song (with violins! yay!). I think mostly, though, I just like the expression "Sweet Cheeks."
    
24. Valerie, Mark Ronson, feat. Amy Winehouse - I've had a ton of different people ask me my opinion on Miss Amy, and here it is: I heartily disapprove of her lifestyle and her attitude towards getting help for an obvious drug addiction. Her immaturity is as grating as joints in a skeleton with no muscle or fat to cushion them. That said, I have to admit the girl can sing. And this song is darling, so. I listen to it. A lot.
    
25. The Libertine, Patrick Wolf - Patrick Wolf is this 23-year-old British dude that all the hipsters like. I've tried out a handful of his songs on some friends' recommendations, and been kind of underwhelmed. With this one very distinct exception. The Libertine is a find, a treasure, an exciting musical journey with violins that wail like the wind in a storm, and trotting horses on percussion. It's one of those songs that you hear for the first time and you're like, "...What? Wait, play it again!" And then suddenly you've listened to it, like, 43,652 times in one sitting.
    
26. Young Folks, Peter Bjorn and John - This is that song you've heard all over the damn place, with the catchy drums and the whistling. The one that gets stuck in your head for a week until finally you're like, Fine! I'll buy it on iTunes and listen to it repeatedly! YOU WIN, PETER BJORN AND JOHN. At least, that's what happened to me.
    
27. Hey There Delilah, Plain White T's - Oh, strummy, heartfelt pop songs. It really doesn't matter how overplayed you are, you're just so, so pretty.
    
28. Pieces Of The People We Love, The Rapture - Mac found this track several months ago, but I keep putting it on mixes & playlists because I like the strong backbeat, and I love me some backup vocals that sound like they could be sung by Muppets (see: Hard-Fi, Kaiser Chiefs).
    
29. Ain't Nothing Wrong With That, Robert Randolph & The Family Band - As Mikey once said, this one is a Powerhouse. I like to open mixes with this track, so the first beat just knocks you square in the chest, and makes you pay attention: "This is not background music, friend. Now get up and DANCE."
    
30. Release The Stars, Rufus Wainwright - This beautiful track swells and sways and makes me want to don a strapless frock and slow dance under paper streamers and a balloon arch in the high school gym.
    
31. I Don't Feel Like Dancin', Scissor Sisters - But I DO! I DO feel like dancing! Oh, you cheeky Scissory Sisters.
    
32. Australia , The Shins - The Shins' most recent album is great, but I latched onto this happy track because it's called Australia, I think. What? It was a great trip, even if it was a year ago.
    
33. One Mile Below, Siouxsie - ATTENTION FRIENDS: Siouxsie Sioux has a new album, Mantaray, and it is AWESOME. Yeah. Go get it. Of course, I choose this track for my mix because it's the one with the... you guessed it! Really heavy drums and floaty vocals. Because I'm predictable in what turns my musical crank. What can I say? I know what I like, and so, evidently, does Siouxsie. Rawr.
    
34. You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb, Spoon - Spoon's new album, Ga Ga Ga Ga (seriously), is really good, and this is just kind of a classic, perfect alt-pop song.
    
35. Punkrocker, Teddybears, feat. Iggy Pop - "Cause I'm a punkrocker, yes I am." I like how this song's lyrics sound kind of insecure, while the song itself rocks. It's a musical paradox, and a damn good time.
    
36. Oh Timbaland, Timbaland - I like Timbaland's new album, and appreciate the repetitive (if totally overplayed) "The Way I Are" for motivating my lazy ass on the treadmill. That said, this is the best track on the album. It samples Nina Simone's "Sinner Man," only in the most badass possible way.
    
37. Body And Soul, Tori Amos - I know a lot of Tori fans. Traditionally, I'm not one. I mean, I like her fine, but I don't LOVE her or anything. I do LOVE this song, however. It's all heavy piano and striptease beats and sexy as hell.
    
38. Here It Comes Again, Tracey Thorn - More dreamy, floaty girl vocals. I can't help myself. This one's like a bubble bath followed up with a big, fluffy towel right out of the dryer.
    
39. In The Clouds, Under The Influence Of Giants - This song challenges my commitment to perfect the song order on every mix I make, because it's a hard-hitting disco number that just smacks you in the face on the first note. Tricky, but totally worth it.
    
40. (I'd Search) The Whole Wide World, Wreckless Eric - My friend Eyad put this on a mix of love songs for his fiance Amanda, then left it at our house by accident after we hosted her birthday party here. So I listened to the mix (I couldn't help it, E makes really awesome CDs), and heard this song, and was like, "Aw!" And then I imported all the songs so I could return the CD and still listen to it whenever I want.
    
41. Down Boy, Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Finally, we end with Y, and I don't know if it's because it's fall, or if it's indicative of my overall mood, or what, but it's another moody, sexy number featuring sexy beats and warbling female vocals. So good, though! I have a bunch of tracks from the YYY's latest album, actually, and they're all kind of awesome. This one's a definite favorite, though.

Now, your turn. What are you listening to right now? GO!