Mixed Emotions
Meanwhile, I’m at work with not a lot to listen to. I’ve made a morning routine of heading to Muxtapestumbler--my cheat for remembering or finding mix tapes with songs and artists related to songs and artists I already love. I’m not a big fan of Pandora. I like the human element of Muxtape; that there are some predictable connections, and then some totally off-the-wall ones. That’s the heart of mix tapes for me--subjectively good finds next to old favorites next to embarrassing admissions of bad taste. Christ, I used to actually put the Pretenders “Message of Love” on mix tapes for would-be-girlfriends. Dorkiness sheathed in hubris is a pretty essential element in any mix.
Recently, TNG Steph turned us on to Mixwit, and TNG’s Frankenstein collaboration of what we’re listening to found its digital home. My only beef with Mixwit is that audio files must be searchable in the Mixwit database, so you might miss out on some of the more rare tracks or artists. But Mix beats Mux hands down on looks--Muxtape looks like some podunk listserv left to die on Geocities or Angelfire.
In my grief-stricken wanderings this morning, I also happened across this article from the Minneapolis Star Tribune,which points to Muxtape, Mixwit, GoodStorm (which is more for bands, stressing users upload their own self-produced mp3s), Automatic Mix Tape Generator (which doesn’t actually provide files to listen to, just track listings based on reader-submitted themes), and Found magazine co-creator Jason Bitner’s Cassettes From My Ex.
Cassettes From My Ex awesomely captures the stories and music from those crusty, old, hand-labeled mix tapes beating around a shoebox in your closet--the little souvenirs from a terrible year (or month) spent as the object of affection sought and lost, all wrapped up in a sonic time capsule. “Cassettes” launched this spring, so in blog years it’s a million years old-and-known, but I’m digging it on this down day for my go-to site. The tapes logged here are pretty much blowing my mix tape game out of the water. I mean, eventually I graduated from painfully wooing girls with James Taylor’s “You’ve Got a Friend” (ugh, high school), to Magnetic Fields’ “Strange Powers”--but that’s still kinda cheesy when you think about it.
Worst / best song you’ve ever given or gotten on a mix tape?
6 comments:
I have to say that the most unique and enticing songs I've ever received on mixtape have to be from Bongwater. The tracks "Obscene and Pornographic Art" and "Nick Cave Dolls" totally rocked my world. Forget the fact that the tape violated one of the primary rules of mixtapes (no more than one song per artist) and was, as it was eventually discovered, nearly a complete copy of a mixtape that the giver had received from a friend. Not cool.
a guy that was into me made me a mix with weezer's "pink triangle" on it. you know, "i'm dumb she's a lesbian . . . " awkward but flattering.
oh, nancypants. I've heard that one before.
@Michael: You are TOTALLY allowed to put more than one song per artist. You're just not allowed to put more than one song per artist IN A ROW. Who taught you the cardinal rules? I think they were pulling your leg.
@coach: "Dorkiness sheathed in hubris is a pretty essential element in any mix." Killer.
My friend gave me a mix tape circa 1994 with Nightswimming by REM on it. I listened to it every night on my stereo before I went to bed. And by stereo I mean, clock radio with tape deck.
I would like to offer another category: Songs that every one of my friends put on every mix tape, ever. This would include Power of Two, Cecelia, and Oh Very Young. Which are all great songs yet only reinforce the fact of my nerdy, neo-hippie youth.
My worst and best song: Theme from Welcome to the Dollhouse
Post a Comment