mix for 2012 - I am the DJ track listing
It's the time!
Remember, you promised to listen to the whole mix FIRST before reading the stories behind the songs. :-)
ENJOY!
I Am The D.J. -- Neon Trees (Picture Show) -- Because of maybedeadcat and Rock Band, Neon Trees got a lot of play for me this year. While I still think that Habits is a much stronger album, Picture Show was a good sophomore effort. Plus, how could I resist using this track while making my mix? Too perfect.
In Your Light -- Gotye (Making Mirrors) -- This was probably my most listened to album of the year. Even though it technically came out in 2011, I hadn't heard of Gotye until my brother made me a mix CD which had 'Someone that I used to know' on it...which a month later EXPLODED on the radio (you're welcome). It was also one of the best concerts I saw this year. So different to watch a singer/songwriter whose main instrument is percussion. I really think that changes how you compose your songs. Anyway, this is one of his fun, bouncy songs. maybedeadcat says he sounds like Sting in this song...which is probably another reason I like it.
Just Give Me A Reason -- P!nk, featuring that guy from Fun. Nate Ruess (The Truth About Love) -- P!nk is probably the most GRRRR music I listen to. I love her attitude, her style, her general feistyness. She's a bitch and she is proud of it. But I picked this song because she gets to sing more than holler, which she tends to do on her more anthemy songs. Also, I think Ruess' voice is such a great match for hers - she probably sounds more masculine than him LOL. I love the line "we're not broken, just bent"
Elle Me Dit -- Mika (Origin of Love) -- Mika is my happy!place music. I love to crank up his songs and dance around. I had a lot of Mika tracks on this mix initially but this was always on here. The big debate was whether I did the English or French language version. I had "Emily" on there for a long time but I switched it back to "Elle Me Dit" for two reasons. 1) This was the first song I heard from this album. The video came out long before it was released and the melody was so infectious, even though I didn't know what he was saying, I loved it. Then 2) I looked up the translation of the lyrics and I prefer the French. In the English version, the singer is lecturing some girl named Emily about her life but in the French version it's a mysterious "She" lecturing the singer. (And according to the video I linked above, it might be a mother lecturing a child). Either way, you know you should danse danse danse. :)
Daughter's Lament -- Carolina Chocolate Drops (The Hunger Games: Songs from District 12 and Beyond) -- Anticipation for the Hunger Games movie dominated the first third of 2012 for me. This album was such a great collection of songs - not just songs lifted from other albums but actual songs written for Hunger Games. I loved hearing the different bands singing in the folk/mountain/Appalachian style. This was the stand-out track for me though. I find this song hypnotizing in it's bareness; it feels like something Katniss would sing. You can hear the emotion in the vocals and it gets me every time. Beautiful, eerie song that is hard to get out of your mind.
Full Circle -- Half Moon Run (Dark Eyes) -- We saw this band open for Metric and they were really good. They opened with this song and it's the first track on their album. They are just a little Canadian band, I kinda wish I had bought the CD at the show but we were able to get it from Amazon mp3 store. I'm hoping to hear more from this group in 2013 **crosses fingers**
Sally I Can See You -- Kimbra (Vows) -- You know her as the female vocals on Gotye's hit "Somebody That I Used To Know". I impulse purchased this album when I was at Target earlier this year and really liked it. Her voice stands out to me. The album was pretty good, not my favorite but it had some stand-out tracks like this one.
Walt Grace's Submarine Test, January 1967 -- John Mayer (Born and Raised) -- Even though Mayer has sorta turned into a bit of a jerk over the past few years (okay, maybe not turned into...perhaps I should say has revealed himself to be kind of a jerk), I still buy his albums. I know, I tend to not want to support artists who say stupid stuff but...damn the man has talent. I REALLY liked this album, it was so much better than 'Battle Studies' (though that is not saying much), but at least it moved away from the over-mixing of 'Heavier Things'. Every time I listened to the album, this was the track I ended up humming afterwards. Plus, it has a line about using a library card, how could I NOT include it??
Speed the Collapose -- Metric (Synthetica) -- Again, this band dominated a lot of 2012 thanks to the Scott Pilgrim soundtrack and maybedeadcat's obsession with them. Good thing they are awesome! The live show was fantastic, so much energy! Synthetica was a solid album and I would definitely see them live next time they are in town.
Techno Fan -- Wombats (The Wombats Proudly Present...This Modern Glitch) -- another album that is technically 2011 but Vincent introduced me to the band with his mix. I love the humor in their music and this song cracks me up! My favorite lyrics are "shut up and move with me or get out of my face, I didn't queue for an hour to leave straight away"..."I never knew I was a techno fan!"
State of the Art -- Gotye (Making Mirrors) -- Since it was my album of the year, I figured it could have two tracks. Plus, this track sounds SO different from his other songs. And it was WILD to see live; he had the voice modulator thing on stage, plus some crazy xylophone thing that he could mess with and the animation for the video was very Ren & Stimpy style. The first time I listened to this album and heard this song I was like "WTF! I'm never listening to this again" but then I found myself wanting to hear it...I think it was the lyric and the humor...and the weirdness.
(I'm The One That's) Cool -- The cast of The Guild -- Ah, my epic girl!crush on Felicia Day continues. While not as strong as 'Do You Want to Date my Avatar', I was still amused by this song. I mean, I totally identified with so many of those scenarios LOL. Plus, Jed Whedon co-wrote the song and directed the video and you know I am weak against Whedons.
Your Bones -- Of Monsters and Men (My Head is an Animal) -- I bought this album and many more this year because of glorious SPOTIFY. OMG I LOVE THIS SITE/SERVICE! So great to get to preview albums before you buy them and find new music by randomly clicking around. I listened to this album over and over and over and finally decided I should just buy it. I find the proliferation of this kind of music right now to be fascinating. I mean, it's no less noisy than electric guitar/techno music, but there's something folksy about it...Mumford & Sons, Avett Brothers -- they all have this sound...
Love You When I'm Drunk -- Mika (Origin of Love) -- This song snuck on at the last minute. For the first few drafts of this mix, it was 'Popular Song' because I was so amused by how he sampled the song from 'Wicked'...but I felt like the "rap" portion of the song was just sorta meh. But this was another case of loving the whole album, so I wanted more Mika, so we got this one. Figured you should hear him sing in english too. :)
Diet Mountain Dew -- Lana Del Rey (Born to Die) -- Don't judge her by the awkward SNL performance, Lana Del Rey has song great songs, though, as maybedeadcat pointed out to me, she is less about logical lyrics and more about a certain kind of sound. There are many words in this song and strung together you could argue they do make sentences but really it's more about an attitude. This is another album that I could just not stop listening to after I got it. It's the kind of album you play on a humid summer night, driving around with your car windows down, just cruising around the city...that's the kinda vibe I get, at least.
Black White & Blue -- Ladyhawke (Anxiety) -- Somehow I had one random Ladyhawke track on my computer...not sure if it was from a mix from lostacanthus or something else but I loved it. So when I saw she had a new album coming out, I had to get it! I was not disappointed - she's got such a great sound. I really like this whole album. The tracks have such a full sound, there's a lot going on, but it makes me want to dance around.
Man Who Never Lied -- Maroon 5 (Overexposed) -- This album was all over the place and I don't think it was as strong as 'Hands All Over' but it had a few tracks I liked, such as this one. It's such a heartbreaking little song. Also, I got tickets to see them in April and I'm SO EXCITED! :D
Don't Leave Me (Ne Me Quitte Pas) -- Regina Spektor (What We Saw From the Cheap Seats) -- Look, another song in French (and I took Spanish in high school so I have no idea what anyone is saying in French)! This was the first album I bought this year, it was 99 cents on Amazon and I couldn't resist! I love Regina's voice. Sometimes, she scares me with her weird sounds, but when she's just singing, I like her. ;)
Misty Mountains -- Richard Armitage and the Dwarf Cast (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Soundtrack) -- If the first third of the year was Hunger Games, Hobbit and LotR owned the last third (the middle went to Joss Whedon with Cabin in the Woods and Avengers, but they didn't have soundtracks I was into). Hearing this song in the trailer for Hobbit, I got goosebumps! And it was just as powerful in the movie, with the dwarves all crowded into Bag End, longing for a place to call home. Plus, Richard Armitage. **melts**
Are We All We Are -- P!nk (The Truth About Love) -- Had to go out rocking! While I really like "Give Me A Reason", this track feels like an anthem for marching down the street to. I feel like it's a call to do...something! JUST BE FEISTY! BE FEARLESS! AIM TO MISBEHAVE! :)
Happy New Year!
Remember, you promised to listen to the whole mix FIRST before reading the stories behind the songs. :-)
ENJOY!
I Am The D.J. -- Neon Trees (Picture Show) -- Because of maybedeadcat and Rock Band, Neon Trees got a lot of play for me this year. While I still think that Habits is a much stronger album, Picture Show was a good sophomore effort. Plus, how could I resist using this track while making my mix? Too perfect.
In Your Light -- Gotye (Making Mirrors) -- This was probably my most listened to album of the year. Even though it technically came out in 2011, I hadn't heard of Gotye until my brother made me a mix CD which had 'Someone that I used to know' on it...which a month later EXPLODED on the radio (you're welcome). It was also one of the best concerts I saw this year. So different to watch a singer/songwriter whose main instrument is percussion. I really think that changes how you compose your songs. Anyway, this is one of his fun, bouncy songs. maybedeadcat says he sounds like Sting in this song...which is probably another reason I like it.
Just Give Me A Reason -- P!nk, featuring that guy from Fun. Nate Ruess (The Truth About Love) -- P!nk is probably the most GRRRR music I listen to. I love her attitude, her style, her general feistyness. She's a bitch and she is proud of it. But I picked this song because she gets to sing more than holler, which she tends to do on her more anthemy songs. Also, I think Ruess' voice is such a great match for hers - she probably sounds more masculine than him LOL. I love the line "we're not broken, just bent"
Elle Me Dit -- Mika (Origin of Love) -- Mika is my happy!place music. I love to crank up his songs and dance around. I had a lot of Mika tracks on this mix initially but this was always on here. The big debate was whether I did the English or French language version. I had "Emily" on there for a long time but I switched it back to "Elle Me Dit" for two reasons. 1) This was the first song I heard from this album. The video came out long before it was released and the melody was so infectious, even though I didn't know what he was saying, I loved it. Then 2) I looked up the translation of the lyrics and I prefer the French. In the English version, the singer is lecturing some girl named Emily about her life but in the French version it's a mysterious "She" lecturing the singer. (And according to the video I linked above, it might be a mother lecturing a child). Either way, you know you should danse danse danse. :)
Daughter's Lament -- Carolina Chocolate Drops (The Hunger Games: Songs from District 12 and Beyond) -- Anticipation for the Hunger Games movie dominated the first third of 2012 for me. This album was such a great collection of songs - not just songs lifted from other albums but actual songs written for Hunger Games. I loved hearing the different bands singing in the folk/mountain/Appalachian style. This was the stand-out track for me though. I find this song hypnotizing in it's bareness; it feels like something Katniss would sing. You can hear the emotion in the vocals and it gets me every time. Beautiful, eerie song that is hard to get out of your mind.
Full Circle -- Half Moon Run (Dark Eyes) -- We saw this band open for Metric and they were really good. They opened with this song and it's the first track on their album. They are just a little Canadian band, I kinda wish I had bought the CD at the show but we were able to get it from Amazon mp3 store. I'm hoping to hear more from this group in 2013 **crosses fingers**
Sally I Can See You -- Kimbra (Vows) -- You know her as the female vocals on Gotye's hit "Somebody That I Used To Know". I impulse purchased this album when I was at Target earlier this year and really liked it. Her voice stands out to me. The album was pretty good, not my favorite but it had some stand-out tracks like this one.
Walt Grace's Submarine Test, January 1967 -- John Mayer (Born and Raised) -- Even though Mayer has sorta turned into a bit of a jerk over the past few years (okay, maybe not turned into...perhaps I should say has revealed himself to be kind of a jerk), I still buy his albums. I know, I tend to not want to support artists who say stupid stuff but...damn the man has talent. I REALLY liked this album, it was so much better than 'Battle Studies' (though that is not saying much), but at least it moved away from the over-mixing of 'Heavier Things'. Every time I listened to the album, this was the track I ended up humming afterwards. Plus, it has a line about using a library card, how could I NOT include it??
Speed the Collapose -- Metric (Synthetica) -- Again, this band dominated a lot of 2012 thanks to the Scott Pilgrim soundtrack and maybedeadcat's obsession with them. Good thing they are awesome! The live show was fantastic, so much energy! Synthetica was a solid album and I would definitely see them live next time they are in town.
Techno Fan -- Wombats (The Wombats Proudly Present...This Modern Glitch) -- another album that is technically 2011 but Vincent introduced me to the band with his mix. I love the humor in their music and this song cracks me up! My favorite lyrics are "shut up and move with me or get out of my face, I didn't queue for an hour to leave straight away"..."I never knew I was a techno fan!"
State of the Art -- Gotye (Making Mirrors) -- Since it was my album of the year, I figured it could have two tracks. Plus, this track sounds SO different from his other songs. And it was WILD to see live; he had the voice modulator thing on stage, plus some crazy xylophone thing that he could mess with and the animation for the video was very Ren & Stimpy style. The first time I listened to this album and heard this song I was like "WTF! I'm never listening to this again" but then I found myself wanting to hear it...I think it was the lyric and the humor...and the weirdness.
(I'm The One That's) Cool -- The cast of The Guild -- Ah, my epic girl!crush on Felicia Day continues. While not as strong as 'Do You Want to Date my Avatar', I was still amused by this song. I mean, I totally identified with so many of those scenarios LOL. Plus, Jed Whedon co-wrote the song and directed the video and you know I am weak against Whedons.
Your Bones -- Of Monsters and Men (My Head is an Animal) -- I bought this album and many more this year because of glorious SPOTIFY. OMG I LOVE THIS SITE/SERVICE! So great to get to preview albums before you buy them and find new music by randomly clicking around. I listened to this album over and over and over and finally decided I should just buy it. I find the proliferation of this kind of music right now to be fascinating. I mean, it's no less noisy than electric guitar/techno music, but there's something folksy about it...Mumford & Sons, Avett Brothers -- they all have this sound...
Love You When I'm Drunk -- Mika (Origin of Love) -- This song snuck on at the last minute. For the first few drafts of this mix, it was 'Popular Song' because I was so amused by how he sampled the song from 'Wicked'...but I felt like the "rap" portion of the song was just sorta meh. But this was another case of loving the whole album, so I wanted more Mika, so we got this one. Figured you should hear him sing in english too. :)
Diet Mountain Dew -- Lana Del Rey (Born to Die) -- Don't judge her by the awkward SNL performance, Lana Del Rey has song great songs, though, as maybedeadcat pointed out to me, she is less about logical lyrics and more about a certain kind of sound. There are many words in this song and strung together you could argue they do make sentences but really it's more about an attitude. This is another album that I could just not stop listening to after I got it. It's the kind of album you play on a humid summer night, driving around with your car windows down, just cruising around the city...that's the kinda vibe I get, at least.
Black White & Blue -- Ladyhawke (Anxiety) -- Somehow I had one random Ladyhawke track on my computer...not sure if it was from a mix from lostacanthus or something else but I loved it. So when I saw she had a new album coming out, I had to get it! I was not disappointed - she's got such a great sound. I really like this whole album. The tracks have such a full sound, there's a lot going on, but it makes me want to dance around.
Man Who Never Lied -- Maroon 5 (Overexposed) -- This album was all over the place and I don't think it was as strong as 'Hands All Over' but it had a few tracks I liked, such as this one. It's such a heartbreaking little song. Also, I got tickets to see them in April and I'm SO EXCITED! :D
Don't Leave Me (Ne Me Quitte Pas) -- Regina Spektor (What We Saw From the Cheap Seats) -- Look, another song in French (and I took Spanish in high school so I have no idea what anyone is saying in French)! This was the first album I bought this year, it was 99 cents on Amazon and I couldn't resist! I love Regina's voice. Sometimes, she scares me with her weird sounds, but when she's just singing, I like her. ;)
Misty Mountains -- Richard Armitage and the Dwarf Cast (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Soundtrack) -- If the first third of the year was Hunger Games, Hobbit and LotR owned the last third (the middle went to Joss Whedon with Cabin in the Woods and Avengers, but they didn't have soundtracks I was into). Hearing this song in the trailer for Hobbit, I got goosebumps! And it was just as powerful in the movie, with the dwarves all crowded into Bag End, longing for a place to call home. Plus, Richard Armitage. **melts**
Are We All We Are -- P!nk (The Truth About Love) -- Had to go out rocking! While I really like "Give Me A Reason", this track feels like an anthem for marching down the street to. I feel like it's a call to do...something! JUST BE FEISTY! BE FEARLESS! AIM TO MISBEHAVE! :)
Happy New Year!