Category Archives: Music

Mixtape for No One #8: 2010 So Far

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Since we’ve reached the halfway point of 2010 (and I haven’t done this for awhile), here are some of my favorite songs in 2010 (emphasis on some)

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  1. “Fixed” by Stars (The Five Ghosts)
  2. “Nothing Like You” by Frightened Rabbit (The Winter Of Mixed Drinks)
  3. “There Are Listed Buildings” by Los Campesinos! (Romance Is Boring)
  4. “Cold War” by Janelle Monáe (The ArchAndroid)
  5. “Go Do” by Jónsi (Go)
  6. “All I Want” by LCD Soundsystem (This Is Happening)
  7. “Summer Love” by Georgia Anne Muldrow (King’s Ballad)
  8. “She Makes Me Feel Alright” by Freeway & Jake One (The Stimulus Package)
  9. “Heart Is Breaking” by Ty (featuring Sway & Roses Gabor) (Special Kind Of Fool)
  10. “The Better Life” (Boddhi Satva Ancestral Soul Remix) by Georg Levin (featuring Clara Hill) (Everything Must Change)
  11. “She Needs Me” by Jamie Lidell (Compass)
  12. “No Surprises” by Regina Spektor
  13. “Dreams” (The Cranberries cover) by Passion Pit (Manners -Bonus Track Version)
  14. “All to All” by Broken Social Scene (Forgiveness Rock Record)
  15. “Bloodbuzz Ohio” by The National (High Violet)
  16. “Crash Years” by The New Pornographers (Together)
  17. “The High Road” by Broken Bells (Broken Bells)
  18. “Kiss On My List” by The Bird And The Bee (Interpreting The Masters Volume 1: A Tribute To Daryl Hall and John Oates)
If you want to download a zip of all the songs, here

Mixtape for No One #7: 90′s R&B Edition

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  1. “Word To The Mutha” by Bell Biv Devoe (featuring Ralph Tresvant, Johnny Gill, and Bobby Brown)  (WBBD-Bootcity)
  2. “Just Ask Me To” by Tevin Campbell (Boyz N Da Hood Soundtrack)
  3. “House Party (I Don’t Know What You Came To Do)” by Tony! Toni! Toné! (House Party II soundtrack)
  4. “Sympin (Remix)” by Boyz II Men (East Coast Family, Volume 1)
  5. “My Boo” by Ghost Town DJs (So So Def Bass All Stars)
  6. “Give It To You” by Jordan Knight (Jordan Knight)
  7. “Deep Down” by Ladae! (The Moment)
  8. “One In A Million (Remix)” by Aaliyah (featuring Ginuwine) (Sprung soundtrack)
  9. “Think Of You” by Usher (Usher)
  10. “All I Want” by 702 (No Doubt)
  11. “What About Us” by Total (Soul Food soundtrack)
  12. “Georgy Porgy” by Eric Benet (featuring Faith Evans) (Day In The Life)
  13. “If You Really Wanna Know” by Marc Dorsey (Crave)
  14. “This Is How We Roll” by BLACKstreet (Another Level)
  15. “U Know What’s Up” by Donell Jones (Where I Wanna Be)
  16. “The Place Where You Belong” by Shai (Blackface)
  17. “It’s Alright” by Queen Latifah (Order in the Court)
  18. “I’m Not Feeling You” by Yvette Michelle (My Dream)

2009: 15 Favorite Albums

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I had a tough time with the order of the top three.  At any given moment, any of them could be number one.  Again, I emphasize that these are in the order of my favorite albums of the year not the best.

15. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavillion

14. Tanya Morgan – Brooklynati

13. Jay-Z – The Blueprint 3

12. The Swell Season – Strict Joy

11. St. Vincent – Actor

10. Raekwon – Only Built 4 Cuban Linx PT II

9. The Gossip – Music for Men

8. Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca

7. Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

6. The Temper Trap – Conditions

5. Me’Shell Ndegéocello – Devil’s Halo

4. Tegan and Sara – Sainthood

3. Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest

2. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz!

1. Metric – Fantasies

Mixtape For No One #6 – Best of ‘09 Part III

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Here is the third and final mixtape of some of my favorite songs of 2009.  I hope you’ve enjoyed them and hope there is more great music in 2010.

  1. “Nothing to Worry About” by Peter Bjorn and John (Living Thing)
  2. “My Girls” by Animal Collective (Merriweather Post Pavilion)
  3. “I Was Once A Loyal Lover” by Death Cab For Cutie (The Open Door EP)
  4. “Winter Hill” by Doves (Kingdom of Rust)
  5. “Heavy Cross” by The Gossip (Music for Men)
  6. “Black Heart Inertia” by Incubus (Monuments And Melodies)
  7. “Clean Break” by Jenny Owen Youngs (Transmitter Failure)
  8. “Games For Days” by Julian Plenti (Is… Skyscraper)
  9. “Time Lapse Lifeline” by Maria Taylor (LadyLuck)
  10. “Relator” by Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson (Break Up)
  11. “The Verb” by The Swell Season (Strict Joy)
  12. “Stadium Love” by Metric (Fantasies)
  13. “Lisztomania” by Phoenix (Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix)
  14. “Sweet Disposition” by The Temper Trap (Conditions)
  15. “Someday” by Tegan and Sara (Sainthood)

Mixtape For No One #5 – Best of ‘09 Part II

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Here are some more of my favorite tracks this year. Part II is intentionally mellow.  I’m depressed or anything.  Tomorrow will be more upbeat. :)

  1. “Two Weeks” by Grizzly Bear (Veckatimest)
  2. “Daniel” by Bat For Lashes (Two Suns)
  3. “Stillness Is The Move” by Dirty Projectors (Bitte Orca)
  4. “Chasing Pirates” by Norah Jones (The Fall)
  5. “Carol Brown” by Flight Of The Conchords (I Told You I Was Freaky)
  6. “Heartbreak Warfare” by John Mayer (Battle Studies)
  7. “Human of the Year” by Regina Spektor (Far)
  8. “New Ways Of Living” by Lavender Diamond (Score! 20 Years Of Merge Records: The Covers!)
  9. “Off I Go” by Greg Laswell
  10. “Oliver” by Gemma Hayes (Oliver)
  11. “The Party” by St. Vincent (Actor)
  12. “The Chain” by Ingrid Michaelson (Everybody)
  13. “Hideaway” by Karen O and the Kids (Where the Wild Things Are soundtrack)
  14. “The Hazards of Love 4″ by The Decemberists (The Hazards of Love)

Mixtape For No One #4 – Best of ’09 Part I

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I’m going to revive the Mixtape For No One to showcase some of my favorite songs of 2009.  These are the hip-hop/R&B tracks.

  1. “Never Forget You”  by Noisettes (Wild Young Hearts)
  2. “The Power That Kisses Hold” by Eric Roberson (Music Fan First)
  3. “Cold” by Maxwell (BLACKsummersnight)
  4. “Fortune” by Little Dragon (Machine Dreams)
  5. “Successful” (Featuring Trey Songz And Lil’ Wayne) by Drake (So Far Gone)
  6. “Lola” by Me’Shell Ndegéocello (Devil’s Halo)
  7. “Kinda Like A Big Deal” (feat. Kanye West) by Clipse (Til The Casket Drops)
  8. “Casa Bey” by Mos Def (The Ecstatic)
  9. “House Of Flying Daggers” (feat. Inspectah Deck, Ghostface & Method Man) by Raekwon (Only Built 4 Cuban Linx PT II)
  10. “Maybach Music 2″ (feat. T-Pain, Lil Wayne & Kanye West) by Rick Ross (Deeper Than Rap)
  11. “Errbody Scream” (Featuring Keith Murray) by Method Man & Redman (Blackout! 2)
  12. “Tour Stories” by Souls Of Mischief (Montezuma’s Revenge)
  13. “So Damn Down” by Tanya Morgan (Brooklynati)
  14. “Thank You” by Jay-Z (The Blueprint 3)

My 50 Favorite Albums of the 00s

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This was much harder than the “My 50 Favorite Television Shows of the 00s” list. When I started the television list, I singled out 70 shows or so and cut it down to 50. It took me three days to come up with a first draft of albums and I ended up with 185! I was going to just do a list of 100 but I like consistency so I whittled the list down to 50.  The closer I got to 50, the sadder I got as I had to delete albums I loved off the list. After how depressing it ended up being bringing this list down to 50, a) I won’t even try to single out a top 10 (although I think “Kid A” would be my favorite album) and b) sorry, Karen, I won’t even attempt a 50 Favorite Singles list.

A couple of notes:

  • Just a reminder, I am not saying these are the 50 BEST albums in the last decade, these are the ones I am most fond of
  • Apparently my best years for music was 2000 and 2002 as nine albums from each year made the list.
  • Nothing released this year made the list and only two albums from 2008
  • Only Jay-Z and Radiohead have more than one album on the list (unless you count Jenny Lewis twice for her solo and Rilo Kiley)

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