A Day In The Life: Melissa's Mix
I took the approach of a radio show with Bobby's mix - good flow for three or four tracks, obvious break, another short sequence, pause, etc. With my sister's mix I made a soundtrack, a possible day, with highs and lows and in-between. So it is very different, but I think works because of the goal I had set.
1. "Hyper-Ballad" - Bjork. Hands down my favorite Bjork track. It has the feel of the time between sleeping and wakefulness, a hazy melange of two very different states. It is the time of day when anything is possible.
2. "Drop" - Cornelius. Water moves, the tempo swells. Cleansing the auditory palate for another's days journey. Yes, I occasionally talk like this in real life.
3. "Close To Me" - The Cure. This is the version from Mixed Up. I feel this is the rare case of a remix adding to the feel of the original instead of remaking it. It's hard not to smile and bounce a little to this, which is a good way to get going as the day awaits.
4. "Bowtie" - Outkast. Big Boi melds Clinton (George) with Crunk and celebrates self-expression with style. It's the sound of a big booty'd peacock, strutin'. The horns call to the sun, daring it to shine in the face of such radiant splendor.
5. "Peek-A-Boo" - Siouxsie & the Banshees. The horns get weird as the late morning starts to ask you why you got out of bed. Sometimes you wonder, and your mind wanders...
6. "Run On For A Long Time" - The Blind Boys of Alabama. A bit of a startling shift, a clarion call to judgment. It's high noon, and where do you stand?
7. "I Cry" - Lamb. The beat pulls, the synth soothes. Over this comes a voice, disembodied, floating. It's an inward song, a song of self. It sounds milky to me, reminiscent of a tryptophanic state of mind. Digestion music.
8. "PMS" - Mary J. Blige. If there is a better song about this particular female condition I don't know it. Plus, Mary rules.
9. "Cure For Pain" - Morphine. The day is long, work drags, the heart and mind want new stimuli, or at least a way out.
10. "Harder To Breathe" - Maroon 5. Silly riffs, poorly played. Under three minutes of a tempo change, as we go to -
11. "The Stroke" - Billy Squier. The workday is done, and the pulse needs shaking. It's a driving home song, crude and simple, easy to sing, easy to nod to.
12. "Darling Nikki" - Foo Fighters. So earnest and true. Dave Grohl sells this with a different kind of dirty than Prince did. It's a sweaty-mechanic dirty, stringy hair and all. Everyone likes to sing along to Prince, and when it's heavy, it's a different kind of fun.
13. "Well Did You Evah!" - Debbie Harry & Iggy Pop. From the seemingly forgotten Red, Hot & Blue, the king and queen of scummy majesty take Cole Porter into gutters and dives in search of the party. Are you ready to go out now?
14. "Hey Ladies (Paul Nice remix)" - The Beastie Boys. Clubbing circa '89 via '78. Just a great dance tune, silly and throw away as all pop should be. Irrelevant and essential, a winning combination.
15. "Informer" - Snow. I'm sorry, but the Snow man once claimed us all. This and Ice Cube's "When Will They Shoot?" ruled my party mixes in 1993. It's my party that I'm playing for my sister, so of course it's dated. I don't get around much anymore...
16."Who's In The Tomb?" - Black Uhuru. Dub version of "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" mixed with the theme from Raiders of the Lost Ark. The party begins to slow and wind down, but there's still a little movement left in the feet and hips.
17. "Everything I Own" - Ken Boothe. Bread's treacle recast here as a soulful reggae masterpiece, which lords it over Boy George's weak reggae travesty. Ken Boothe means his words, painfully, skillfully, truly. The party is over, the day nearly done, and home you head with the one you love.
18. "Sweet Child of Mine" - Luna. A G'N'R lullaby to close your eyes and drift away, soft and gentle. Nothing follows but dreams of a new day.
A very different mix, with highs and lows to follow the tides of a day. Not perfect - no day is - but a mixture of different styles and thoughts. Now that these two are done, it's time to get in gear and ramp up for Christmas.
1. "Hyper-Ballad" - Bjork. Hands down my favorite Bjork track. It has the feel of the time between sleeping and wakefulness, a hazy melange of two very different states. It is the time of day when anything is possible.2. "Drop" - Cornelius. Water moves, the tempo swells. Cleansing the auditory palate for another's days journey. Yes, I occasionally talk like this in real life.
3. "Close To Me" - The Cure. This is the version from Mixed Up. I feel this is the rare case of a remix adding to the feel of the original instead of remaking it. It's hard not to smile and bounce a little to this, which is a good way to get going as the day awaits.
4. "Bowtie" - Outkast. Big Boi melds Clinton (George) with Crunk and celebrates self-expression with style. It's the sound of a big booty'd peacock, strutin'. The horns call to the sun, daring it to shine in the face of such radiant splendor.
5. "Peek-A-Boo" - Siouxsie & the Banshees. The horns get weird as the late morning starts to ask you why you got out of bed. Sometimes you wonder, and your mind wanders...
6. "Run On For A Long Time" - The Blind Boys of Alabama. A bit of a startling shift, a clarion call to judgment. It's high noon, and where do you stand?
7. "I Cry" - Lamb. The beat pulls, the synth soothes. Over this comes a voice, disembodied, floating. It's an inward song, a song of self. It sounds milky to me, reminiscent of a tryptophanic state of mind. Digestion music.
8. "PMS" - Mary J. Blige. If there is a better song about this particular female condition I don't know it. Plus, Mary rules.
9. "Cure For Pain" - Morphine. The day is long, work drags, the heart and mind want new stimuli, or at least a way out.
10. "Harder To Breathe" - Maroon 5. Silly riffs, poorly played. Under three minutes of a tempo change, as we go to -
11. "The Stroke" - Billy Squier. The workday is done, and the pulse needs shaking. It's a driving home song, crude and simple, easy to sing, easy to nod to.
12. "Darling Nikki" - Foo Fighters. So earnest and true. Dave Grohl sells this with a different kind of dirty than Prince did. It's a sweaty-mechanic dirty, stringy hair and all. Everyone likes to sing along to Prince, and when it's heavy, it's a different kind of fun.
13. "Well Did You Evah!" - Debbie Harry & Iggy Pop. From the seemingly forgotten Red, Hot & Blue, the king and queen of scummy majesty take Cole Porter into gutters and dives in search of the party. Are you ready to go out now?
14. "Hey Ladies (Paul Nice remix)" - The Beastie Boys. Clubbing circa '89 via '78. Just a great dance tune, silly and throw away as all pop should be. Irrelevant and essential, a winning combination.
15. "Informer" - Snow. I'm sorry, but the Snow man once claimed us all. This and Ice Cube's "When Will They Shoot?" ruled my party mixes in 1993. It's my party that I'm playing for my sister, so of course it's dated. I don't get around much anymore...
16."Who's In The Tomb?" - Black Uhuru. Dub version of "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" mixed with the theme from Raiders of the Lost Ark. The party begins to slow and wind down, but there's still a little movement left in the feet and hips.
17. "Everything I Own" - Ken Boothe. Bread's treacle recast here as a soulful reggae masterpiece, which lords it over Boy George's weak reggae travesty. Ken Boothe means his words, painfully, skillfully, truly. The party is over, the day nearly done, and home you head with the one you love.
18. "Sweet Child of Mine" - Luna. A G'N'R lullaby to close your eyes and drift away, soft and gentle. Nothing follows but dreams of a new day.
A very different mix, with highs and lows to follow the tides of a day. Not perfect - no day is - but a mixture of different styles and thoughts. Now that these two are done, it's time to get in gear and ramp up for Christmas.
<< Home