connection!

allow me to be the first to express my excitement at our ability to finally congregate! go team mix tape! well accept for angie, who is busy getting married and stuff--- next time though. basically you know my mix, but i wanted to publish anyway:

1990 wind beneath my wings by bette midler (well it won the grammy in 1990)
1991 under the bridge by red hot chili peppers
1992 friday i'm in love by the cure
1993 heart shaped box by nirvana
1994 lightening crashes by live
1995 who will save your soul by jewel
1996 untouchable face by ani difranco
1997 bachelorrete by bjork
1998 only you by portishead
1999 wicked games by chris isaak 

i'm gonna be honest. i wasn't super pumped for this mix. i was like, 90s music- blah, i'm over it but then when i started looking at my music collection i realized (duh!) these were obviously my formative musical days and there were a lot of people i left off. pearl jam, weezer, lisa loeb, alanis morrisette, shawn colvin, radiohead and one special lady- i loved this song. in fact, i went and saw her perform twice and guess what? she rocked.

and where have all the cowboys gone? [READ: cowgirls] good question paula cole. good one. prolly my favorite song on my mix is untouchable face by ani- it's such a classic. and i've seen her perform like 6 times. but pretty much i love every song on my mix. every single one.

and now for critique time!!
Christine:
your mix is my favorite for sure. i loved so many of your songs that it was difficult for me to pick my very most favorite, so i had to give myself some guidelines. i decided to go with linger by the cranberries. i really wanted to put them on my mix too, but to my dismay i no longer have any of their music in my collection. also this band is like the quintessential band for 90s music in my white, suburban world, you know? alanis morisette was a close, close second. and also fiona apple and no doubt. oh man christine, you just nailed this one.

now my least favorite is a no brainer, given our conversation at the paradise bakery. N Sync. anything N Sync is not gonna fly for me. you get it.


Allison:
i really appreciated your spice girls on this mix. if you can get em on there, you should. but my favorite was obviously sinead o'connor nothing compares. i mean come on. that song is a classic and it always slays me. i do think you need to see an updated picture of her though. although, to be fair i think it's not the best picture she can take.

 whatevs.
anyway my least favorite song, as you now know is the 311. i recently was working the ER and they had some sort of 311 reunion concert. basically, the ER was full of people that were so inebriated at that concert they were sent to the ER. jerks. i think that tells us all a little something about that band. and kearns. which is where the concert was.

excited for next month!!!

august 90s mix by ALLISON

here is a preview to my 90s mix:

1990 - nothing compares 2 U - sinead o'connor. love this song. love her. this song reminds me of washing walls (flower wallpaper) in the summer time when my cousins moved. it was the first time i had heard it and i wanted to die i loved it so much.

1991 - out to get you - james. again. i know. but i LOVE james. and this song is so wonderful.

1992 - free your mind - en vogue. en vogue was iconic for me at this age because my older brother was OBSESSED with them. thus, i became obsessed as well.

1993 - what's up - 4 non blondes. i can.not get enough of this song. ever. i love linda perry and i love this song. i remember my cousins that lived in west virginia were super 'rebels' because they listened to this song while i listened to the little mermaid soundtrack. we would ship mixed tapes to each other. and i would get cool stuff like this song, and they would get disney mania. this is a great version of the song. cuz pink is awesomeballs. even though they broke up. sad sad day.

1994 - strong enough - sheryl crow. i love this entire album. but i didn't really get into it until the 2000s.

1995 - any man of mine - shania twain. OMG. first time i heard this i was at the gym and i d.i.e.d. this beat still rocks me. and i still want to dance in a country hall with wooden floors and peanuts in my shit kicking cowboy boots. whilst being sprayed down by a hose. whilst undressing. ie - coyote ugly.

1996 - all mixed up - 311. EVERYONE in st. george was obsessed with 311 during high school. me not so much. but it just reminds me of good times with my friends and everyone getting caught (except for me) at a 311 concert, high. fun.

1996 - wannabe - spice girls. i was a maniac when this song came on for school dances. that's all.

1997. the freshmen - the verve pipe. again, high school. and actually this song really is one of my very favs. i don't know why. i love this guy's voice. and then i bought the tape, and hated the rest of the album. one hit wonder.

1997 - dammit - blink 182. again. sorry. but i didn't even hear this until at least 2000 and fell in love with the band then.

1998 - all my life - k-ci and jojo. you can skip this one nicki ;) so the story with this is that i LOVED this song so much and wasn't getting napsterish yet. so the only station i could get it on in my car was through vegas. and there was one street in my neighborhood that i could barely stream the station through. so i remember several times just sitting in the middle of the road singing like a maniac to this song.

1999 - this years love - david gray. i didn't hear of david gray until 2002. and i haven't stopped since. i love this man. he is amazing. i have seen him one time live and it was the best 2 hours of my life. he played this song whilst playing the piano all by his lonesome at the concert. amazeballs. there are other instruments in this one, but you get the point. grand piano. lights low. gorgeous.

there's my 90s mix. hope you like. thanks christine for the theme. it was fun.

September Mix

I promise I want to be involved in this, but weddings are stressful!!!!!!!! So I am choosing September's mix. It's going to have a marriage theme (don't gag), but I would like the mix to be songs for a wedding. The bonus song should be the song you danced your first dance with your significant other at your wedding/ or the song you would like to dance to. All other songs are true love or wedding related. Lets try to pick original songs that haven't been used a million times.

Recap: Wedding songs/love songs (12) with one bonus track of YOUR first dance song/or future first dance song. One old classic song, one daddy daughter song and other original songs you would like. I'm excited for this one!!!!!!!!!

july summer mix review: by ALLISON

so it's almost september. thought we better review our july mixes. i know angie you are super busy with wedding, so please don't stress over this silly little thing. but i can't wait to get your mix.

to review mine, nicki's and christine's:

disclaimer - lots of pot smoking references in this review. i guess that is what you do in the summer.

me:
1. doin' time - sublime. love sublime. love this song. think of blunts and drunken summer nights with buckets o beer on the beach.
2. summer rain - carl thomas. already explained my love for this song. always will be a favorite. such a great beat.

i could have done without cry me a river. after i listened to the whole tape through it didn't fit at all. OMG. don't get me wrong. i am in love with JT and feel it is blasphemous that he is not currently in the recording studio right now. but for this mix, i did wrong by him. sorry. (ps. anyone interested in his new movie? i might sleep over for tickets...)

nicki:
1. dancing on my own - robyn. can't get enough of her. can not get enough of fist pounding during this song.
2. day n night - kid cudi. great club jam. and i pretty much want/feel like i am stoned whenever i hear that song. or kid cudi at all for that matter.
3. wildflower - tom petty. you put this on my mix after anthon died. i cry/think of him (anthon, not tom petty) every time i hear this song. i want to put "among the wildflowers" on his headstone. because i want him to run free in flowers and a lot of other things. but this song is so perfect. love.

although i love me some johnny d, i just can't jive with sunshine on my shoulders on this mix. i have to pass it up. even though he reminds me of my in-laws and the cabin.

christine:
1. give a little - hanson. what is my deal with lame-ass hanson. i love them so much right now. they got another good review from me.
2. dani california - chili peppers. OBSESSED with the chili peppers. so any song is going to be on my good review list. unless it is from mother's milk (early, early album) i'm good with a RHCP song.

how in god's name did that summer girls song EVER get written, recorded, sung, videoed, liked? it has to be the worst song i can think of right now. sorry i am being harsh. but holy shit, lets be honest. LFO. bad bad bad.

ok. now that christine is crying. you should continue. because nicki def won my july review. obviously. i had to pick 3 songs. and that was even hard. great album. we got some club, fun summer stuff, old school/new school smoking dope songs. (cuz apparently that is what you do during the summer, or at least i would like to think that).

can't wait to see you guys august 30 to discuss our 90s mix. and can't wait for september's theme.

july summer mix by allison

how fun is this?

1. summer lovin' - grease soundtrack
um this isn't the track i used for my "summer" rule. but i LOVE this song and this movie so much and just takes me away to summer. and how fun is it to sing to?

2. dumpweed - blink 182
i will most likely have blink 182 on all of my mixes as well. it was actually really hard to pick just one summer song from them. they are and will always be one of my favs - even if they did sell out a little. this song reminds me of my summer whilst living in LA. enema of the state never got turned off that year.

3. heaven - dj sammy & yanou
summer 2002. summer camp counselor. everywhere we went in NYC or any local scary new jersey bar this song was bumpin. always takes me back

4. doin' time - sublime
sublime = summer to me. and the lyrics in this one is about summer, so how perfect.

5. under the boardwalk - the drifters
i wanted to do the OG on this one, although bette middler does an amazing cover. just love this song. reminds me of the beach, sand, ocean, makin love...

6. island in the sun - weezer
so this song first came to light to me whilst i was watching an olsen twin movie when they go to the bahamas. ever since then i have loved this song (although i do love weezer anyway) and must go to that bahama resort before i die.

7. dancin in the moonlight - toploader
just love this song. i think of a big party on the beach with a bonfire and everyone has drinks dancing along to this song. feels like summer nights for me.

8. cry me a river - justin timberlake
summer while i was in college. this album was all we listened to. however, as i was thinking about it, it might have been wintery...

9. king creole (viva elvis) - elvis remastered
so cirque du solieli has a production going on in vegas right now called viva elvis. and for those of you who know me, you know that i love elvis. and elvis remastered is like having an elvisgasm :) i chose this song because it makes me think of a sweaty, hot, drunk, hole in the wall place in louisiana where people are just dancing and loving life.

10. boys of summer - don henley
again, not my "summer" rule choice. but i love me some eagles and don henley. and i love this song. best description of a hot woman in a song ever. i have grown up listening to this song wanting to be that girl with her hair slicked back and sunglasses on...

11. fire burning - sean kingston
in light of my recent situation. thought i would put a great club pounding track down.

12. summer rain - carl thomas
my summer rule track. first track i thought of when nicki mentioned this theme. OMG. if you hate it i understand. but everytime i hear it i go straight to the dance studio in my head and just remember what it felt like to be sweating and in dance clothes and what my body felt like whilst dancing to this song. literally one of my favorite songs. and who wouldn't want to dance in summer rain?

13. BONUS killing me softly - the fugees
oh dear how this entire cd got worn out in my car during highschool. LOVE this track. love layrn hill. love wyclef. love nas. i think on one of the other tracks (ready or not) my friends and i almost got homicidal on a boy because of that song.

Christine's July Summer Mix

1. California Love- 2Pac
I know that this song is not even close to being a new song, but it's one of the 2011 Summer Anthems in our house. Ben cranks this song up and he and Dylan have dance parties in the kitchen. It's precious, I tell you.

2. Give a Little- Hanson

I know, I know... another Hanson song. I can't help that I've loved them dearly since the days of Mmmbop. This song has a great beat and makes me want to dance. Seriously, give Hanson a chance. They've come a long way since 1996.

3. Crazy in Love- Beyonce

This is another song that makes me want to move. To be honest, the majority of my song choices are ones that make me want to dance, which is why I love them so. Whenever I hear this song I want to either dance like B or at least walk with major purpose like Bridget Jones when she's going to talk to Mark Darcy at the end of the movie. 

4. #41- Dave Matthews Band

This song stirs up some serious emotion in me and brings me right back to high school. Specifically the summer between junior and senior year. Next to no responsibility with the nightly plans on either hanging out with my girlfriends or whomever I was dating at the time. 

5. Cupid's Chokehold- Gym Class Heroes

This song reminds me of 2 summers ago I believe. I love that the beat is borrowed from Elton John and the lyrics make me laugh. 

6. Dani California- Red Hot Chlli Peppers

Summer, summer, summer what can I say. 

7. Love Will Keep Us Together- Captain and Tennille

Quite random for a summer mix, but I love this song and the memories it takes me to- walking around DC in August 2006. 

8. Dog Days are Over- Florence + The Machine

Love this song. Love Florence. 

9. Womanizer- Britney Spears

I love this song today as much as the first time that I heard it. This song reminds me of the summer of 2009, because I think I listened to it multiple times each day, dancing in my kitchen or in my office. Allison knows of my love for Britney.

9. New Soul- Yael Naim

My husband loves this song as much as I do, which cracks me up. He likes to pretend that he's playing the trombone during this song and makes it a hilarious show to watch. Again, brings me to the summer of 2009. 

10. Ghetto Superstar- Mya, Pras, ODB

High school jam. I just remember blasting it in my little red convertible with my girlfriends driving around the cosmopolitan town of Columbus, Indiana. 

11. No Matta What- American Juniors * high school track

Although there have been multiple references to high school, this is my 100% high school jam. Me and my girls were always listening to this song. Makes me remember summer, cheer camp, and going off campus for lunch. 

12. Summer Girls- LFO * summer song!

I was too lazy to find a song that had summer in the lyrics, so I went the easy route to find something with summer in the title. While I don't adore this song it definitely brings me back to my adolescence and makes me laugh a bit. 

Angie's July Summer Mix

1. Summer Skin by Death Cab For Cutie

I know some of you have sad that you don't love Death Cab. I don't know what it is about them that I love, but I love them and this is one of my favorite songs. And it has SUMMER in the title (it's summer right? not sunshine?) Maybe Nicki is right, but I have a song with sunshine in the title too, so it's covered. This song reminds me of summer as a child and how it seemed to go on forever, but when it was over, it almost seemed like a dream and things were different somehow.

2. As Is by Ani DiFranco

Ani reminds me of summer and this song especially reminds me of summer. It's just kinda happy, yet kinda cynical and sassy and just summery. I tried to put different groups on my mix but the same ones keep coming up. Sorry.

3. Is There A Ghost by Band Of Horses

This is a great song, with an equally great video. I was obsessed with Band of Horses a few summers ago and must be the reason they remind me of summer.

4. Polite Dance Song by The Bird And The Bee

This is such a summer song and if you don't know the Bird and the Bee you should really look

them up. This video also makes me laugh, so it's posted. it's AWKWARD, but wonderful.

5. Two Weeks by Grizzly Bear

I listened to this song on repeat for a month. I just loved it. There is something very haunting and

happy about it. It was last summer for me. Over and Over and Over.

6.Boy with a Coin by Iron & Wine

I love things about Iron & Wine. I loved them a lot more a few years ago, but this song never

seems to get old. This video is also cool if you want to check it out. Makes me wanna clap.

7. Tik Tok by Ke$ha

Can we say "guilty pleasure"? The lyrics are BAD, her voice is auto tuned but it's brilliant! This song makes me want to dance and run and sing along. I even loved the Glee episode where they all threw up because they sang this song drunk. This will probably be on every summer mix CD I ever make.

8. Come Pick Me Up by Ryan Adams

This sounds like a winter song, I know, but hear me out. A few summers ago, a friend and I drove

from Salt Lake to NYC and she had just had a break up. This was one of the songs we listened to

cried to and sang the F word to and it just felt right. It will forever remind me of that summer.

9. The Wolves (Act I And II) by Bon Iver

Ok, so here is the deal. I will probably have a Bon Iver song on every mix. I just will. A couple

summers ago he played at the summer concert series. It was Amazeballs (thanks for letting me

steal your catch phrase nicki). He sang this song as the encore and everyone sang the last part with

him and there was some sort of crazy vibe that just felt so awesome. Probably one of my favorite

concerts ever.

10.Brighter Than Sunshine by Aqualung

Let's be honest, I could probably play you ten Aqualung songs that are better than this one, but it's

just so summery. And cute. It's a cute song.

11. If I Had A Boat by James Vincent McMorrow

I promise I did not copy you nicki, I am in love with this guy. I discovered him about three months

ago and it's been true love ever since. This is one of his more popular tunes on the album and if Nicki

hadn't picked it first I would have chosen we don't eat, but she wins! This guy is fantastic.

12. Best For The Best by Josh Ritter

The summer before Bon Iver came to the summer concert series, Josh Ritter came. I went way early

to save a spot and read a book when he came out and did a sound check. Since there were about 20

of us just hanging out and waiting, he played a mini concert for us. He played this song and I had never

heard it before. It just rang true to me and I have loved it ever since. It's a great summer memory.

**Bonus Track**The World Has Turned And Left Me Here by Weezer

The Weezer Blue album pretty much sums up my high school existence. I don't know what high

school would have been like without these guys and this song has always been my favorite. It's a great

summer road trip song.