Mix CD!

Somebody gave me a mix CD. This makes me happy, because I am still 16 in many ways, and I love giving and receiving mixtapes. Why people no do this anymore? (Oh yeah, because iTunes blah blah blah) I knew a lot of the music on it, but there were a few pleasant surprises from artists whose music I already loved, as well as a few things from people I'd never heard. Here are my favorite songs from this mix:

1. P!nk - "Blow Me (One Last Kiss)"
2. Yeasayer - "Reagan's Skeleton"
3. Jason Mraz - "You Fckn Did It" (live)
4. Vampire Weekend - "I'm Goin' Down" (Bruce Springsteen cover)
5. K'Naan - "Wavin' Flag"
6. Jonathan Clay - "Heart On Fire"
7. David Guetta ft. Sia - "Titanium"

I adore P!nk, but I tend to do it from afar, as I do with most Top 40 music. Yes, I have lots of it on my iTunes, but it's not what I listen to on a regular basis. So, I didn't know this P!nk song, except maybe overhearing it on the radio somewhere, or in a friend's car or something. Regardless, I've been paying more and more attention to her ever since that Grammy performance of "Glitter In The Air."


Yeasayer is a band I absolutely adore, but I hadn't heard much of their new stuff. "Madder Red" from their Odd Blood record is probably one of my favorite songs of the past several years.


Jason Mraz, another one I adore. I have the record this song is from, but apparently I do not have the special "deluxe" version, which includes this song.


Vampire Weekend. Love this band, and always have. Didn't know they had tackled this Springsteen song. The results are pleasing.


So, this K'Naan song really hits a certain nerve in my musical taste. I have the wanderlust, especially as regards exploring places like Africa where I've never been, and where American travelers don't as often venture. Granted, the song is considerably more commercial and pop-py than, say, something from Amadou & Mariam, but it's also got that whole "we are the world, we are the children, we are all tied together in one big global community" vibe, and that resonates with me, in both cheesy and valid ways. Makes me want to explore.


So this Jonathan Clay song came from a Hannah Montana or Miley Cyrus movie or something? I would never have noticed. A sweet, simple love song.


David Guetta is something that I have seen posted on gay men's Facebook walls (I am a gay man, so I am talking shit about my own), much like I have seen that Scissor Sisters "Kiki" song on their walls, and have thus summarily ignored. That said, Sia is kinda cool, and this song works.