So, uh... what did you think of my mixtape?
Recently I participated in SwissToni's CD Shuffleathon. Each participant put together a CD of twelve of their favorite songs, and then we were each given the name and address of another randomly selected participant to send it to. Once we received the CD sent to us, we were supposed to listen to it and review it.

Quick side note: I grew up in the glorious era of the mixtape, when hours were spent agonizing over the perfect beginning and ending to the A and B sides, and maybe, just maybe the recipient would see hidden meanings in the lyrics and finally ask you out, or see what a cool person you were, or whatever. So "mix CD" is just not part of my vocabulary. Please forgive me while I henceforth refer to this as a mixtape. I do realize it is not on a casette.

Anyway, I sent off a mixtape to Ben at Silent Words Speak Loudest. He has received it but has not reviewed it. I received a mixtape from Charlie at Late Night Radio. I actually received mine last week, but then I went on vacation for five days without a CD player. So I was able to finally listen to it yesterday and today. Apologies to Charlie, who likened waiting on the review to "waiting to go to the principal's office." Well, better late than never! I like to call his mixtape "The Bonnaroo Mixtape." Here is my review.

1. Beulah – "Landslide Baby" Aww, this is such a good song! It’s funny… I usually put on a Beulah song (“A Good Man is Easy to Kill”) when I do a mixtape, but I left it off this time. They are such a good summer band. This song has a really nice piano intro and then turns into fantastic power pop. As an added plus, there is plenty of use of the "f" word. Yay! Really great start to the mix.



2. Agents of Good Roots – "Pin Up Girl" The first time I listened to this, I thought "I bet this band is good live." And then I heard applause at the end of the track... There’s a lot of low sax (tenor? bari?) on this song. I’m not really a jam band kind of girl, but like I said, this would probably be a fun band to see live.



3. Wilco – "A Shot in the Arm" I always like Wilco songs. They are one of those bands that all of my friends like, and they constantly get put onto mixtapes for me, but I never end up buying a CD. I don’t know why, because I really like them. Plus I kind of want to put Jeff Tweedy in my pocket. This is a great song... really nice atmosphere.



4. Phish – "Character Zero" I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again… I’m not a jam band kind of girl. I’ve never really listened to Phish in any kind of studious way, so this was a first for me. It didn’t convince me to buy any of their albums. It did remind me of the South Park episode Die Hippie, Die: "Oh man, I can't wait to see the look on those little Eichmanns' faces when they hear this crunchy groove."



5. Elvis Costello – "Alison" OK, I’ll come clean here and lose all of my street cred. I don’t really like Elvis Costello. Everyone I know worships him, but I only like a couple of songs. This one isn’t bad, but it’s no "Oliver’s Army" (my favorite Costello song). I put him in the same category as the Pixies and Nirvana… artists that were hugely influential to bands I love, artists with an enormous historical importance... and I don’t care for them. I understand their significance, but I just can’t get into them.



6. Weezer – "The Good Life" Oh man, this song reminds me of college. I always thought it was funny, easy to dance and sing to, and it had a great video. It had plenty of anger and sadness underneath, which made me happy. Even the opening chords can’t fail to put a smile on my face.



7. Modern Groove Syndicate – "Fryin’ Eggs and Bacon" Another sax song… well, tons of horns in this one. This kind of reminds me of college too, but I’m not really sure why. Did I knew people who listened to similar music? Maybe. Yeah, I think so. Anyway, not my cup of tea, really.



8. Gomez – "Get Myself Arrested" I saw Gomez once, back in 2000 when I went to Leeds for the Carling Festival. I was never a huge fan of their music, although I didn't dislike it either, but I really enjoyed their show. This song brings back good memories of being covered in mud and filth, drinking warm beer that Marie and I had smuggled into the festival, and seeing a ton of great bands. I also remember some magazine, I think it was Q or maybe NME, constantly referring to one of the guys as "the growly one," which I found pretty funny. I like this song… it’s good for summer.



9. Stevie Wonder – "Higher Ground" You know, you hear the Red Hot Chili Peppers version of this song so much more than Stevie’s original. It’s kind of refreshing to hear this one. If only I could get the visions of the RHCP’s video out of my head...



10. Mike Doughty – "Busting Up a Starbux" Do I remember hearing that Mike Doughty has a master’s degree or something? After a quick Google search, I couldn’t find any proof of that… just that he studied poetry in college with Ani DiFranco. So I guess I was wrong. More saxophone on this song. It’s an alright song... I always thought his voice was interesting.



11. Devil’s Workshop Big Band – "Morning Bell" Sax again! This is a cover of the Radiohead song. At this point, I am wondering if Charlie ever played (or still plays) the sax, or whether it’s just a favorite instrument of his? This was a bit too jazzy for my usual taste, but it’s a pretty interesting take on the original.



12. My Morning Jacket – "Dancefloors" I really like Jim James’s voice. As far as this new breed of southern rock (or whatever you want to call it) goes, I think I like My Morning Jacket the best. I would love to see these guys live. This is a great song… really builds to a fantastic ending (for both the song and the mixtape). Hey, are those saxophones I hear?

Well, as far as liking the songs go, this was a little hit and miss for me. I’m not much into rootsy/bluesy/jam bandy type stuff, but it is always good to get exposed to things that you wouldn’t normally listen to. However, as far as putting together a good, unified mixtape, I thought Charlie did a great job! You can definitely get a sense for his general taste in music as well as the instruments that make it. It makes sense that he’s a young guy from Virginia. His blogger profile says he likes "playing, listening, and talking about music, sports, politics, being a nice guy, high fives, chicken wings, spirituality, and stuff." I think this thin slice of his music collection reflects the way he describes himself perfectly. Bravo, Charlie!

Now, I'm waiting on tenterhooks to see how Ben reviews my mixtape.