Sooo, been quite busy with uni and I just didn't get the chance to post anything here.

 

Now, I'd made somewhat of a draft of what sort of songs I might have in the mixtape before uni started and as I soon as get good quality of free time I'll start working further on mine.

 

Regarding my partner, unfortunately I don't them that well so I can't really know what they might or might not like. And so I'm just gonna go with my instinct here, basically. And hopefully they'll like it and find it the least bit enjoyable.

 

And for whoever is working on mine you could look at my Last.fm profile (link found in my sig). I like to try out new things so I recommend you go with anything you like and not to think a lot about what I'd like or not. I like good music. Whether it's pop, rock, metal, indie, classical etc. Anything. Have fun working on it! :cool:

Here are my thoughts on the mixtape that was sent to me:

 

01 I like it. Understated vocals. Interesting drums. I like the way it goes a bit quiet at about 2 minutes, then the guitars and drums kick in again.

 

02 Joyous synthy riff. A minute in, still no vocals – is this an instrumental track I wonder… Ohh I like this a lot. Some mad sounds going on here while that joyous riff carries on playing in the background. This is great. Crank the volume up. Nice strings. Big climax. Ace tune this, who is it?!

 

03 Ohhh, what advert is this from? I recognise it and I love it – never heard it in full though, until now. Someone like Yael Naim or Feist? Whenever I see this advert I keep meaning to find out who the singer is, but I keep forgetting! I’ll definitely look this lady up now. Lovely, cute song!

 

04 Nice beat and guitar in the intro. Interesting vocals – is this French? I wonder what they’re singing about… this is lovely and intriguing and mysteriously beautiful.

 

05 I like this! Great piano. I had to Google image search the Taj Mahal while I listened to it! I like his voice, reminded me a tiny bit of a young Paul McCartney – I thought it was an obscure Beatles b-side at first! Great song.

 

06 This is lovely. I’m digging the beat and the guitar in this towards the end. It’s glorious and anthemic without being too in your face about it.

 

07 I like the piano and the female voice that joins in, they sound gorgeous together. Piano at the end is lovely, and with the strings too it’s really beautiful.

 

08 Her voice sounds quite familiar, but I’ve no idea who it is. Really nice, pure voice. I like the instrumentation, the strings, the hi-hat pattern on the drums, nice guitar in the middle.

 

09 Good guitar rock, Coldplay style. I like his voice.

 

10 He’s got a big voice, some long notes here!

 

11 Yay, handclaps, I like. Nice violin. Nice percussion. FOLK! Ohh, some woodwind about 2 minutes in. This is interesting. I can imagine having a good old knees up to this. Beautiful.

 

12 Lovely voice, nice lyrics. Is that a guitar or a sitar playing every now and again? I like the sound of the drums in this. This is gorgeous, a really nice end to the tape.

 

Overall, a really good mixtape. I’d never heard of any of the people on here, which is great for me as I love discovering new music. Thank you to whoever put it together. I’d love to know the tracklisting!

^You're welcome. :nice: It was mine. I'll post the tracklist in a minute, but first, any guess on the theme? :wacky:

Are they all Canadian? If they are then I love each track a million times more!

^Eeee! :dance: You got it. Wasn't sure if anyone could. Eastern Canada, to be exact, though I stretched the definition of east a little to include Montreal, because let's face it, they have one of the coolest scenes on the planet right now.

Oooh, I wanna download it! :D

Excellent! I already love Tegan and Sara and Ron Sexsmith so now I have some more lovely Canadian people to love :D

Short version tracklist:

 

Jaws of Life - Wintersleep

Lovely Allen - Holy F***

Mushaboom - Feist

Etienne D'Aout - Malajube

Taj Mahal - Sam Roberts

Next Train - Miracle Fortress

We Made a Pact - Hey Rosetta!

Look Up - Stars

Surround - In-Flight Safety

Rooibos/Palm Wine Drinkard - The Stills

Throw it on a Fire - Bell Orchestre

Dreamer - Jenn Grant

 

http://www.coldplaying.com/forum/showpost.php?p=2578425&postcount=6152

rEVIEW

in progress

 

Song 1. Initial reaction... KICK ASS OPENER!! I have to say, I know I just downloaded my tape but, the opener is amazing! Opening with a female singer was a welcome surprise.

 

Song 2. What I am really loving about this so far, is that I have no idea who either of these artists are and I am blown away by how much I instantly like both songs. Ive listened to this, #1 #8 and the last song several times now LOVE THEM!

 

Song 3. If no others songs are better than the first 2. Ill be happy!!!! This one has got to be Death Cab. If it is, Id like to know what album its from. I dont have it.

 

Song 4. Another in a genre that fits me like a glove and once again. I have no idea who it is. I like the music in this song quite a bit. It has a fun spanish vibe to it. Not too crazy about the lead singers voice but all around its a keeper.

 

Song 5. Cute lyrics, could get slightly annoying with too many repeated listens... Just ok for me.

 

Song 6. ABBA on acid? Charo? The vintage feel of this song makes me think of my teens, roller skates and foozeball tables. Hmmmm disco with lyrics. Not my style but fun none the less.

 

Song 7. Not this is more my cup a tea... The "lushness" makes for a nice shoegaze-ish ballad. Third female artist in a row VERY NICE CHOICES!

 

Song 8. You must know me or did some kinda research. I love the guitar in this one. This one earns headphones, GOOD

ONES!

 

SONG 9!!! OK Ive gushed about several of these new songs that Ive never heard. THIS SONG is absolutely in my top 10 of greatest songs ever written. I loved Durans version of it too! Thank you so much for reminding me why I love Strawberry Swing so much too! AWESOME!!!

 

Song 10. Her voice reminds me slightly of the lead singer of Fiest and reminds me of the final artist on my mixtape. I swear I know who this is... All the sudden it takes turns that sounds "Pink" like. Is it her? Awesome ROCKER! georgeous voice turns into an almost shoegaze style epic. NICE

 

Song 11. I wish I had put Jesus Jackson on the mixtape I sent in. This jam is R&B/Hip hop - turned rocker jam at its best. Smart, original and gets you shakin that thang. LOVE IT! I wish Jamiriqoui would be more prolific. Stevie Wonder would sound great doing a cover of this. The only downside to this song is it may be a little too long.

 

 

Back with more later. REALLY GRATEFUL for you mixtape, who ever you are. You did an awesome job.

 

that was my mixtape. :nice:

i didn't have a theme i stuck with and the fact that a lot of female vocalists ended up on the tape was actually an accident. :smiley:

i am so glad you liked it though! :nice: and i didn't do any reasearch. i just went through my titles and took a few of my favourites/most underrated/unknown ones.

#4 ("Postcards From Italy") actually is my favourite song of all time, which is why it had to be on the mixtape.

and #2 (the Death Cab song) is featured on their "Transatlanticism" album.

this is the tracklist.

1. Goldfrapp - "A & E"
   
2. Conor Oberst - "Milk Thistle"
   
3. Death Cab For Cutie - "Death Of An Interior Decorator"
   
4. Beirut - "Postcards From Italy"
   
5. Jenny Lewis With The Watson Twins - "You Are What You Love"
   
6. Girls Aloud - "The Promise"
   
7. Azure Ray - "Sleep"
   
8. Jeff Buckley - "Hallelujah"
   
9. Lou Reed - "Perfect Day"
   
10. The Like - "Too Late"
    
11. N*E*R*D - "Sooner Or Later"
    
12. Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - "If I Am A Stranger"
    
13. Your Hand In Mine - "They Youngest One Had A Rose In His Mouth"
    
14. Bright Eyes - "Oh, You Are The Roots That Sleep Beneath My Feet And Hold The Earth In Place"
    
15. Laura Gibson - "The Longest Day"
    

and the linky...

http://rapidshare.com/files/152503603/mixtape.zip.html

 

^Grace,

 

You ROCK! I cant wait to discover all of these artists and their albums. Especially Goldfrapp, Conner Oberst, Laura Gibson and of coarse I need to fill out my Death Cab collection! I really love this mixtape Grace. I have listened to it several times and my friends have commented on it. Its started a couple of awesome conversations!!!

 

Thank you so much, Jeff

Grace and Mo, you ROCK! I still have to listen to both of the mixtapes (they'll have to wait for a while until I get my laptop back), but it looks like they're both great. :)

Special thanks to Mo for giving me some more Canadian music, yay. :)

I saw somebody mention a theme... do they have to have a theme?

Not necessarily! :)

oh my, jeff, you don't know how glad i am that you liked the mixtape.

and that it inspired you to discover their albums. :nice:

i know why i love this mixtape idea!

thank you, nina!

Just had my first go at a tracklist. Went through my I-Tunes library clicking on potential tracks and ended up with 57 songs taking up almost 4 hours!

 

A little long I know, but my partner has left no clues as to what they want so I'm feeling very indecisive :confused:

Do any standout as being particular favourites?

On my long list? Well, I've put a couple of my alltime faves on there, but I think I'm trying to hard not to ruffle any feathers... so it's probably going to end up being really bland :(

I'm sure you're song choices wouldn't ruffle any feathers. Just go with your gut feeling. You can always upload the rest and post the links to them separately.

Just had my first go at a tracklist. Went through my I-Tunes library clicking on potential tracks and ended up with 57 songs taking up almost 4 hours!

 

A little long I know, but my partner has left no clues as to what they want so I'm feeling very indecisive :confused:

You have GREAT taste in music! Dont worry about it... Just pick out the best of your best or the ones youve played the most. Narrow it down to 15 or so and go for it. I know Id listen enthusiastically to anything you chose to send. Dont forget to post the link, Im excited to hear it too!

Damn I missed the deadline :(

i missed the deadline too, but im up for doing one. david - if you need one - ill make you one. youll know who its from but hopefully ill find stuff that you dont know :)

 

ok it seems im _really_ late so if anyone is keen for another one - or david - let me know. not sure i can get to it before paris but ill do it when i return.

I'm also feeling more pressure with every passing day because everyone who's got one already is posting such positive comments.

 

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrghh!

Just pick out however many songs you intend to use at random. There'll be loads more opportunities to share the rest :)

 

I hope the person that got mine found at least 1 track they like. I put a couple of unconventional tracks on mine!

You're right, I'm thinking about this way too much...

 

... I just feel like the class geek surrounded by cool kids!

^Well, as someone who's literally been the class geek for the last 20-odd years, I say don't sweat it. Geek is good. :D And yes, you're thinking/worrying about it too much.

 

Music works best when you go on your instincts. What feels right together? If no one cared, what would you absolutely put on it? What goes with those things best? There are lots of different ways to put a mix together, so go with the one that helps you pick songs and end up with something you're happy with rather than trying to please everyone.

 

If you listen to a good album by a single artist, you'll notice a certain sort of pattern to the songs. There will be an opener that sets the tone, a closer that sort of says goodbye, a few higher-energy tracks that keep the momentum going and bring a lot of variety to the album, a couple of quiet songs that make the fast or loud ones stand out, and some in-between songs that transition between the different moods and make the album seem like a unified whole. If you listen to something like Garden State, for instance, mixes do that too. A little bit of something to challenge, a little bit of something to soothe, a couple of universal kick-ass tracks, it's all there. I never even liked Simon and Garfunkle until I heard their song in that context on Garden State, for instance.

 

In my case, I knew I had to have Jenn Grant and Wintersleep on anything I did, period. They're brilliant and I love them and think everyone should listen to them. Since they're both from Halifax, I thought I would come up with something different and better by going with a local theme instead of worrying about how to fit Burial and the Secret Machines into the same mix as Jenn Grant. But that's just me.

 

Here's a hint, though: people will always respond to things that sound familiar but aren't. I don't know why, but it's true. There wouldn't be genres otherwise. Personally, I like things that challenge any pre-conceived notions I might still have, and I love new-to-me things. I don't think anyone would sign up for a mix if they only wanted to hear things they already liked. It's all about balance.

 

Sorry, I've been terribly long-winded, but I hope that helps at least a little. It's a topic that kind of fascinates me. Perhaps a little too much. :mad:

 

But seriously, relax. ;)

Aw, thanks! :)