Never say never, "Everyone listen to my mixtape!" edition.

Here's a fun fact about me: in the past few years, I've gotten in the habit of making a birthday mixtape for myself. They're the only mixes I ever make, mostly because making a mixtape (or mix cd, or ipod playlist for the youngins) is an art, and one that I'm not very good at. Taking other peoples' songs from their original context and using them to tell a different story has always made me feel sort of weird, and also, it's hard. Creating a narrative, with songs from all different places and genres, is really challenging.

It's especially challenging when you're crying too hard to see your computer screen. Last Friday, instead of feeling excited that it was my birthday, I was stuck to my couch and feeling overwhelmed by grief. I wanted to be in a good, festive mood, but I couldn't. I was just too sad.

I did stop crying, eventually. Not because I felt better, not because I'd solved any of my problems, not because I'd figured out how to bring any loved ones back from the dead, but because, well, I had to stop at some point. And when I did, I was somehow able to make The Perfect Mix. It's just the right length, tells the story of my tragic summer without being morbid, and somehow represents my taste, from the obnoxiously obscure to the just plain obnoxious, in a mere 13 tracks. I'm so proud of it that I'm sharing it with all of you, which I never thought I would do on this blog. So, enjoy!



Track list:

1. Little Lungs -- "Dreary"

2. Taking Back Sunday -- "Bonus Mosh Pt. II"

3. Say Anything -- "This is Fucking Ecstasy"

4. The Shondes -- "Let's Go"

5. The Gossip --"Confess"

6. Sleater-Kinney -- "My Stuff"

7. Paramore -- "Feeling Sorry"

8. Margaret Thrasher -- "The Next Best Thing"

9. Refused -- "Refused Party Program"

10. Hideaways -- "Armageddon in Retrospect"

11. Cheeky -- "Get Outta Here"

12. Passive Aggressor" -- Ouroboros"

13. Scantron -- "tappy"