a brief intermission: mixes

though i'm sure you are all chomping at the bit (as the proverb goes) to see more and hear more of my lovely travels abroad, i am going to do something else before fulfilling those desires of yours (which, if you think introspectively, are a bit selfish now, don't you think? i mean, this is MY blog, dammit!)
mostly it's just because my computer is so damn slow. i am still loading the ireland photos, so really they are on their way. i promise.
now back to me.
what i want to do this late sunday evening is talk about making mixes. making a mix is a very delicate process (similar to the equally delicate process of absorbing a new cd, see prior blogs). there are a few rules that must be observed:
#1 (and MOST IMPORTANT): you may not EVER make a copy of a mix for more someone other than that person for whom the mix is meant (see below applicable exclusions)
#2: the mix should be composed entirely with the receiver in mind (even though this one sounds a bit stifling, you are still afforded a great deal of creativity)
#3: the songs must flow together; hence, the ending of one song must jive well with the beginning of the next, and so on and so forth
#4: the maker of the mix must personally study the "rough draft" before declaring it finished; this usually only involves listening to the work of art several times to absorb it, if you will, and make sure there are no gliches or points of incohesion
#5: a mix must always, always, ALWAYS be titled
#6: never put more than one song by the same band on one mix (see possible exclusions)
possible exclusion #1: the mix maker may ONLY break rule #1 in the case that a particular mix is composed for two or more persons, in which case a copy for each receiver is, obviously, necessary (it should be added, however, that this adds a certain difficulty to the mix-makign process, as you no longer only have one receiver to keep in mind; although, the "theme" of the mix as decided in rule #2 could be as such that affords an easy mix-making process for the plural receivers ((i.e. the theme of "songs that i think you've never heard but that you would probably like" or "songs i think we should listen to next time during our threesome")) )
possible exclusion #2: in the rare case that the mix-maker is absolutely, 100% sure of the pure genious of the final product, the maker may skip rule #4
possible exclusion #3: the mix-maker may disregard rule #6 IFF (i didn't misspell that, ask a science/math geek) the mix has something to do with introducing the receiver(s) of the mix to a new band, in which case repetition is necessary OR if the mix is in more than one volume, in which case it is fine to put more than one song by the same band AS LONG AS they are on different CDs

helpful hint: a master mix-maker should have a "regular" that he/she puts on all mixes...this does not necessarily have to be the same song but could perhaps be always putting something on the mix by a certain band (for me it is the cure)

okay, now that that's out of the way, i have made some mixes as of late. the first one is for someone i am getting to know slowly, as she lives elsewhere. i promised her a mix a while back and have finally made good on my word, although i can assure you this has been a work in progress. as i do not know her too well, i am not fully aware of her musical tastes and background, so it was quite a challenge to compose something over which she might cry. we've had brief conversations about this or that artist, but the one meaningful run-on we had regarding music was her out of nowhere playing neutral milk hotel's "in the aeroplane over the sea" when driving a drunken me back to a friend's house. i'm pretty sure we high-fived in the car, and, of course, that is the song that wraps up vol. II of her mix (i just couldn't fit everything i needed to get in there into one volume!). so, without further ado, here is the "i hardly know you...yet" mix (title pending final approval):

vol. I:
in particular--blonde redhead
in the waiting line--zero 7
climbing up the walls--radiohead
cherubs--arab strap
lungs for the race--havergal
the ballad of the broken birdie--múm
i wasn't prepared--eisley
penelope--pinback
lovecats (extended vinyl)--the cure
big dipper--built to spill
tundra/dessert--modest mouse
positive tension--bloc party
get over it--ok go
unbelievable--emf

vol. II
release my heart--black heart procession
oh, you pretty things--david bowie
cold beverage--g. love and special sauce
damn i wish i was your lover--sophie b. hawkins
get me away from here, i'm dying--belle & sebastian
goldstar--starlight mints
rock and roll--velvet underground
time has told me--nick drake
careful where you stand--coldplay
how it feels to be something on--sunny day real estate
road movie--adorable
rave down--swervedriver
stop me if you've heard this one before--smiths
all is full of love--death cab for cutie
the best days--the softies
dancing in the moonlight--smashing pumpkins
unchained--johnny cash
in the aeroplane over the sea--neutral milk hotel

there you have it. i can wipe the sweat off my forehead now: i'm done. now i have only to send it off and wait for a response...
i did make one other mix, but as the night has waxed late and my blog has waxed long, i shall save that one for later. in the meantime, happy mix making, and should you have any questions or requests, there will be a slight fee involved.