8xd :: special desert mix edition

this is not a real 8x entry. no mp3s up for grabs, no individual song reviews peppered with inside jokes, no shameless plugs, no downloading of zips and zahs.

this playlist, generously hosted on imeem, is the desert soundtrack. no, it doesn't sound like rattlers or crickets or dust storms. its sound is what you'd generally hear in the valley's airwaves. this strays away from the hard core sounds(think smooth jazz... so smooth and slick, think a coyote hosts it, trust me, coyotes are the slickest hosts out there). you'll only find the more... errr, "familiar" tracks here.

just a word of advice, the desert mix is a lot like living in the valley: its an acquired taste. you will learn to like it because you have no choice. as long as you have a choice(honestly, who in their right mind, except those with scaly skin, would want to live in 110+ weather), you probably won't like it. but it will grown on you.

and pretty much all these songs sound best from dusk to dawn. yeah, i didn't know some songs sound better on certain parts of the day either.

the first song off the track list is the only hint a coyote is on the list. yes, thats what the hard core stuff sounds like. and it made it here because its familiar enough. but the rest are a lot like that, less the familiarity.

third song down is a desert anthem. seriously. but take note, we're not all on crack...

fifth song down is another desert anthem. apparently the desert night brings out the young one in us all.

seventh song down is one of the more popular... "in memory of" songs. yes, its cheesy.

ninth song down(and onwards) can only be heard in my room. (hey this playlist is my radio! so forgive the intrusion!) =D

...:::more

less:::...

8x13 :: when did you lose your wings?

there's something to be said about misleading words. some real world examples include:
- synopsis written on the back cover of fiction books. like "a 300 year old secret, known only by our nation's leaders", but the story is actually about 3 wanna-be turncoats and the so-called secret is only mentioned in passing.
- 0g of trans fat per serving! legally, 499mg is still still 0g so eating 3 of those cookies may actually mean you just had 1497mg of trans fat. glad they're not using kg/serving. i can just imagine: "0kg fat! 0kg carbs! 0kg sugars! the perfect health food has arrived!"
- "Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, and welcome aboard the maiden flight of Hill-Force One. My name is Hillary and I am so pleased to have most of you on board. FAA regulations prohibit the use of any cell phones, Blackberries, or wireless devices that may be used to transmit a negative story about me." -playing flight attendant aboard her campaign plane. its not a sense of humor, its egotism.

the first half of the tracks below come from my most beloved series of all-time: One Tree Hill. despite being classified as teen drama, it has long proved itself to be more than just a 90210 clone. and now in its 5th season, the cast has undoubtedly grown older, lost a lot of their young-ish appeal(i'm looking at you chad michael murray), but at the same time gained a tad more mature bitch with a vulnerable heart(i <3 you sophia bush). the other appeal of OTH is they tend to feature a lot tracks in each episode, some of which are classics(when was the last time a led zeppelin song was used on tv? huh? huh?!), and most are unheard of until then.

the second half features songs with some of the loveliest titles or artist names or just plain unexpected. zipped it up!

1. Michelle Featherstone- Coffee & Cigarettes :: get me!
   "but it's true, i'm still blue, but i finally know what to do, i must quit, i must quit you"
   if you still haven't moved on over someone, this song might suit you perfectly. and no, its not a brokeback reference. i believe this was composed even before that came out. its one of the saddee songs here, so knick it if thats your thing right now.
2. Jimmy Eat World- 23 :: get me!
   "don't give away the end, the one thing that stays mine"
   and if you don't want to move one, then this is the song for you. and i have to admit, this has a special place in my heart(heck, i had a hard time choosing which line to put up). though it clocks in at a hefty 7:15, whats amazing is it doesn't seem like that long. its like thinking 12 days is long enough but actually, it just goes by in a blink. and soon enough, i'll be 23, and i'll start feeling old when i listen to the song.
3. Jack's Mannequin- The Mixed Tape :: get me!
   "this mix could burn a hole in anyone, but it was you i was thinking of"
   if you haven't made a mix tape for someone before, shame on you. you should make one, even if you don't give it to that someone you made it for. if only to make it a bottle for the feelings you have for that someone you were thinking of that you can go back to years later.
4. Hot Hot Heat- Middle of Nowhere :: get me!
   "she said, 'maybe there's a bit of me waiting for a bit of you. baby.'"
   strikes me as a wee bit cruel, but hey, that's life. there are people who just wants you to keep on chasing after them. never quite letting you catch up, never quite letting you go. and once they have you chasing, the only way to stop is if somebody else trips you and you fall over that somebody else.
5. Nada Surf- Always Love :: get me!
   "always love, even when you wanna fight"
   haha, nobility...
6. Shout Out Louds- Please Please Please :: get me!
   "it's getting darker and i know this tiem wasn't meant for us"
   please please please come back to me! people change, and sometimes, we lose them forever...
7. Feeder- Feeling A Moment :: get me!
   "don't ever feel that you're alone, i'll never let you down, i'll never leave you dry"
   its almost a feel good song. if you feel alone, then remember that you have people[to do your taxes]. you are not alone...
8. Fall Out Boy- I've Got a Dark Alley and a Bad Idea that Says You Should Shut Your Mouth :: get me!
   "joke me something awful just like kisses on the necks of bestfriends"
   i love this song, if only because it brings down the tempo of fall out boy for me. also because its a struggle against everyone else.
9. Get Up Kids- The Most Depressing Song :: get me!
   "i've smuggled myself into new nationalities, to think you'd be proud of me"
   no, not by a long shot is this the most depressing song. you can find more depressing songs from eeewi. they're just preppy kids with a saddish sounding voice and not enough sense to craft a tearjerker. but i do love the line above.
10. G. G. Allin- I Kill Everything I Fuck :: get me!
    "drenched in my fluids, you'll never know, i plant the seeds of death untold"
    gotta love the open and uncensored hate...
11. I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness- When You Go Out :: get me!
    "we don't want each other, we don't want our love"
    to a lot of people i know, this song is for all of you. and it delivers the message in a really catchy tune too, so you never really feel like being hit at. the message? well its about two friends. they both know that being a couple won't last and to save the friendship, they convince themselves that they don't like each other[on their own], and they keep repeating that mantra. were they successful? who knows, were you?
12. Daft Punk- Digital Love :: get me!
    "ooh, i don't know what to do, about this dream and you, i wish this dream comes true"
    the 3rd song in their legendary movie: Interstella 5555: the 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem. i <3 it so much i still play the movie on loop every now and then, especially on cram nights.
13. Yael Naim- New Soul :: get me!
    "but since i came here, felt the joy and the fear, finding myself making every possible mistake"
    gotta love apple and their absolute hold on pop culture. they're reeking so much influence, they're practically like the paris of the corporate world. and this song was used in their macbook air commercial. and boom, this becomes the new anthem of yuppies everywhere. and i love them because they're giving breakout artists a biting chance against mainstream ones. seriously, after feist was featured in their ad, she won most, if not all, of the "best new artist" category she was unceremoniously dropped in. never mind the fact that she's beein in the business for years.
14. Pink Nasty feat. Will Oldham- Don't Ever Change :: get me!
    "please don't shower, deodorant stains on your back"
    the first time i heard this, that was the line that stuck with me. well, the whole song feels like they were on crack. oh no wait, they were in love.
15. Intwine- Happy (String Version) :: get me!
    "fuck, i hope you feel much worse than me"
    this is one of the funnest songs ever! so he wishes her to be happy throughout the song. he wishes that she's doing well not like him. then i guess he got fed up, turns around and hope she feels much worse than him at the very last part. take that! ka-pow!
16. Iron & Wine- Boy With a Coin :: get me!
    "a boy with a coin he crammed in his jeans, then making a wish he tossed in the sea"
    there's something simple yet profound in this song. that much, i have to give it credit for. and everytime it comes on, i stop and think about it.
17. New Order- Subculture (DJ Ming Mix) :: get me!
    "a view without a room, unveils the truth so soon"
    one of those songs which i never can quite figure out for sure what's going on. but hey, i love the the line above. and you can't possibly miss it in the song.
18. Dishwalla- Counting Blue Cars :: get me!
    "tell me all your thoughts on God? 'cause i would really like to meet Her"
    this has a good chance at being a robert frost poem turned into a song. there's a simple message or meaning to it, but at the same time, you can go deeper on a personal level. and i hated robert frost for that. i respect the guy, but he made literature a pain in the...

there goes the 13th edition. i won't be posting any for awhile, i have to take care of some other stuff for a bit. that i do. in a sense i guess these picks are about moving on, and not just the romantic kind, but just moving on. like telling life you're ready for the next round, bring it on! not! these songs are for simply your listening (dis)pleasure.

-- goes well with you.

...:::more

less:::...

8x12 :: come, let's paint the sky and explode in each other's arms

this entry is devoted entirely to the infinitely wonderful explosions in the sky. no, i'm not talking about fireworks of course------------>

they're songs are the most moving and understated masterpieces you'll ever have the pleasure of hearing. do your ears a favor and get your hands on their songs and listen to it full blast(preferably through a spanking good stereo set, it would be an insult to them otherwise).

there's this insanely strange throbbing that pulsates through you in every track, like the whole world is running through you.

and never mind that there are no words, its the feeling that matters. do you know what qualifies as a great song(on a personal level that is)? its that song where upon hearing it years later, it instantly makes makes you remember the things that you were doing, the things that were around you when you first heard it. whether it was in a record bar, wearing your favorite red shirt while trying to find who's wearing the scent that you love so much; or while trudging down the street [you always have to walk on everyday] in your flip-flops while worrying about having had too little sleep and the awfully big pimple on your neck. for me, thats what these guys' songs are.

though i wish my first times were as remotely grandiose as my examples, i'm ashamed to admit that all my tracks of them... i first heard in front of the computer, wearing a shirt [and picking my nose].

and for the internet-challenged, here's something to annoy you even more: its an all or nothing deal. get the entire zip, or none at all. spare me the horror and embarassment of having to put words where words are unwelcome.

Track Listing for this zip-

1. Day 1
2. Day 2
3. Day 3
4. Day 4
5. Day 5
6. Day 6
7. Day 7
8. Day 8
9. A Song for Our Fathers
10. Yasmin the Light
11. Your Hand in Mine
12. What Do You Go Home To
13. A Poor Man's Memory
14. Look into the Air
15. So Long, Lonesome
16. Memorial
17. The Birth and Death of the Day
18. The Long Spring
19. Welcome, Ghosts
20. First Breath After Coma
21. Magic Hours

support them, get their album(s) if you find one.

-- goes well with pretty much everything.

...:::more

less:::...

8x11 :: i say marco, you say polo

do you know that game?

when you're trying to find your way in this world, it helps big time if you google up your destination first. for those of us who are unfortunate enough who don't know the link to Google Life, i find its best to look... errr, grope for your destination blindfolded. you don't know where you're going anyway, so might as well be completely surprised by it.

and this collection is basically that. its what i feel right now. i have no solid idea what's going to happen over the next few months, so i'm forcing myself to just get by and live it out, day by day. my only comfort is i know that no matter how harsh the world may treat us, innocence still abounds. that to the right is my feel good picture.

its only six links, work your fingers, click five more times than you would with a zip.

1. Girl Talk- Bounce That :: get me!
   "let me see you bounce that, bounce that"
   gad, i wanna live in new york, if only for the awesome indie music scene going about there. now that the unstoppable arterial pulse of life. mr. girl talk serves up well-polished remixes of popular songs. but the key difference is he uses anywhere from 10 to 50 in a 3 minute track. wow.
2. Imogen Heap- Hide and Seek(Unofficial Strings Mix) :: get me!
   "spin me around again and rub my eyes, this can't be happening"
   from The O.C. to a fan video on youtube, this song has been used around alot, most descecrated the tragic but sweet melodies. here is a "strings remix", note that the strings were used real subtly. now that is respect.
3. Augustana- Boston :: get me!
   "i think i'll start it over, where no one knows my name"
   this is quite a sad song. tells a sad tale of his special someone breaking it off and telling him she's moving away. why? because he's an a-hole. that's why.
4. Emerson Hart- Friend to a Stranger :: get me!
   "from a friend to a stranger how's your life, in your current situation? did they held you hostage, did they tell you lies? just to add to your frustration: oh... my heart."
   i love this guy! i love him so much there's another entry for him two items down. this is probably the track to nick in this list(except for tidsey, seriously). talks about how going about separate ways end up. usually ends up nasty. bah.
5. Six by Seven- Candlelight :: get me!
   "something stopped beating blood in my chest"
   hey its upbeat! enough said. (dont get me wrong, i don't have anything against "good-feeling" songs)
6. Emerson Hart- Green Hills Race for California :: get me!
   "oh my friends, what a long trip it's been"
   this song is really close to my heart. of course, a song about someone who moves away and is contemplating on how to go back to where he was from is bound to be in my playlist. and please spare me the sarcastic answers to that(like "get on a plane" or "swim the ocean" or "tell your palm 'beam me up scotty'" or "hitch a ride with santa"). what i love about this song is even though the lyrics are simplistic, the message its trying to get across is heard quite clear(or maybe its just me and my position... y'know, lying on the floor[kidding]).

its worth noting that it looks like my picks here have something to do with places and/or moving. and with the nature of my opener, here goes the disclaimer: moving is definitely not in my sights in any of the near future. trust me, i can look through alternate earths(thanks to the power of booze that is, guiness ftw!).

-- goes well with vicodin and gin.

...:::more

less:::...

8x9 :: a hastily put together collage of sun shining songs

wow, i broke the through 8th issue, i'm free! haha, some changes around here, mainly i might break the 8 main songs rule. so far, i haven't really kept it, just made it look like they are 8 but there are like about 3 more songs filed under an item so that's technically like cheating. so yeah, out it goes i guess. that also means i can post 1 song editions! haha, well that's really the reason why. kinda hard to come up with material nowadays, not in any part, due to a lack of good talent, but more for the fact that i'm having a hard time getting hold of them.

another change is now there will be snippets of them songs. my fave lines i guess. =D

anyway, this compilation reflects that of those who needs a pick-me-up. well, no actually. i just threw these guys together in a playlist. hence, the picture: senseless. get all of them here.

1. Colbie Caillat- Bubbly :: get me!
   "just take your time now, holding me tight"
   this is such a feel good song. if it doesn't work for you, then i don't know what will. hearing it is like eating a pure dose of concentrated sunshining rainbow. it like... makes you feel bubbly! perfect song to wake up to!
2. Bell X1- Bad Skin Day :: get me!
   "feels like we're always waiting, feels like we're never leading"
   right, this already has a separate post here. but i so <3 this song right now so you gotta live with it. here is the original version. its a great song from an irish band who used to have damien rice on board. no irish band can make it big without being compared to U2 of course, which, i guess, is the reason why its kinda hard for irish bands to make it big. i noticed that there's an "epiphany" part in this song, like the climactic high point, like the same technique coldplay used in fix you when he let go of the light thingy. might be the reason why i find it good. but this has some of the same feel that coldplay's fix you has, only much lighter. it also sings from your heart, like the song is something you know inherently.
3. Morning Runner- Burning Bencher :: get me!
   "we're not overly good friends, but its not heaven without you"
   bam! a sad one! a dramatic sad one! note of caution, this is the type of song that grows on you with each press of the play button, specially when you let the words wash over and engulf you completely. starts out sad, ends rocking and embarassed.
4. Sheryl Crow- The First Cut is the Deepest :: get me!
   "i still want you by my side just to help me dry the tears that i've cried"
   out of the many variations and covers of this song, i like her's the best. for some reason, her voice fits it perfectly. her voice doesn't make it sound dramatic, nor emo, but its still able to convey the song perfectly. it doesn't twist any of your heartstrings, maybe your vocal chords but definitely not your heartstrings.
5. Liz Phair- Why Can't I :: get me!
   "why can't i breathe whenever i think about you"
   unlike sheryl crow's, i cant say this is not dramatic. but i love the way how she sings the chorus, like its so natural for her.
6. Jonatha Brooke- I'll Try :: get me!
   "i am not a child now i can take care of myself, i mustn't let them down now- mustn't let them see me cry"
   i dedicate this song for all you who are simply finding their you're way in this world. for all of you who feel overwhelmed, saddled by responsibilities, bit off too much than you can handle. this one's for you. keep on beliving in pixie dust.
7. Grandaddy- Jed's Other Poem(Beautiful Ground) :: get me!
   "you said i'd wake up dead drunk alon in the park, i called you a liar but how right you were"
   simple. poetic. simple. i guess when you hit rock bottom, you can only go under now.
8. A Fine Frenzy- Almost Lover :: get me!
   "goodbye my almost lover, goodbye my hopeless dream"
   haha, so easy to relate to this song. heck, its so easy to get that line stuck on your head, especially with the tune. if you do listen to it, don't say i didn't warn you! its just so dramatic! and that's what makes a keeper. and i just love the lyrics, its such a tearjerker! not to mention it also sounds like the theme song of masochists... i should know.
9. Massive Attack- Teardrop :: get me!
   "love, love is a verb, love is a doing word"
   what's the differential? time for the big LP.. Lumbar Puncture. but the blood work is negative for everything! then what are you standing around there for?! go do some more tests! and chase, go to his house, check out what pills he's popping.
10. Alicia Keys- No One :: get me!
    "when the rain is pouring down and my heart is hurtin, you will always be around this i know for certain"
    i love her. and i love the all out performance she gave last new year's eve. i love how she can radiate energy and strength. i always fall for that trick. yeah, and my other weaknesses are chocolates and chinito guys. haha! classic ad. anyway, this song of her makes me feel good. this is testament that shouting out lines, when mashed with a set interval of looping thumps, works. that and you'd have to have the name alicia keys.

gad, i'm getting older!

-- goes well with a broken heart. haha!

...:::more

less:::...