July 2012 Playlist
Jan Vermeer - The Painter in His Studio (July 2012 Mix Cover)
I’m a mix making machine who has finally found the ultimate form of musical expression. One CD per month that defines that 30 day span of my life… a musical diary, if you will, where the songs represent my mood, direction and texture. Each month I pull from my library of classics, and mix in current cuts that have me dancing. I like each mix to span several decades and genres. I am constantly absorbing tastes and ideas from some very knowledgeable music savvy friends, and magazines like Paste and Q keep me plugged in to the scene around the world. Bottom line – I am always searching for new music, and the highlight of my day is when I find some.
My rules are simple: 1) The mix must fit in a 120 minute CD. 2) A band, musician and/or song must only be used once a year. In addition, I make a cover for each CD using Google images and Roxio’s “Disc Cover 2” program, found in its Toast software. The cover features art or photography that I feel captures the spirit of the month’s music. As you’ll see, my tempo turns slowly, most often to the beat of a love song. I spend weeks polishing the transitions between songs, so as one ends, the next begins in perfect harmony. In addition to the monthly mixes, I also burn genre-specific discs that are just as carefully constructed. I will post those as added bonuses along the way. In sharing this part of my life with you, my hope is that you will comment on songs on these playlists that move you, and maybe you’ll be inspired to make this a habit, too. If so, please use the comment box below each post to share your CD with us. Of course, feel free to make up your own rules, and certainly no boundaries on the type of music or limits on how you should mix it. Now let’s get to it… July 2012.
1. Regina Spektor – How
2. Brandi Carlile – A Promise to Keep
3. Grace Potter & The Nocturnals – Stars
4. The Magnetic Fields – Papa Was a Rodeo
5. Nazareth – Love Hurts
6. Damien Jurado – Sheets
7. Bright Lights Bright Lights – Debris
8. Robert Francis – Do What I Can
9. James Brown – Lost Someone
10. Bobby Womack – If You Think You’re Lonely Now
11. The Beach Boys – Surfer Girl
12. Bahamas – Lost in the Light
13. First Aid Kit – Emmylou
14. Two Wounded Birds – If Only We Remain
15. The Walkmen – Heaven
16. Vacationer – Good As New
17. Scissor Sisters – Baby Come Home
18. Of Monsters and Men – Little Talks
19. The View – How Long
20. Midnight Oil – Beds Are Burning
21. The Hooters – And We Danced
