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On the occasion of Sabina’s birthday, I’m taking a break from my, uhm, break.

So, Sabina…

If this is turning out to be a good day, then Birthday by The Beatles.

If the day kinda sucks and you want it to suck a little more, then I Burn Today by Frank Black.

If you know the birthday of someone you hate, then send him/her Unhappy Birthday by The Smiths.

If you don’t see this post until tomorrow, then Happy Birthday Yesterday by Hayden (a Mark Mulcahy cover).

I am taking a break from posting to reevaluate this blog.  The purpose of Side A, Track 1 was to provide a means by which I could not only share music, but also write (the former was suppose to make the latter easier, despite my annoying inclination to craft virtually everything I write no matter what.)  But comparing the first dozen posts with the last dozen posts, it’s clear that the latter has been a product of duty rather than desire.  Given the limited time to listen to, let alone write about music, I need to be realistic.  Since I can rarely devote the time needed to write in the essay-form originally envisioned for this blog, I need to figure out a more sustainable model – a model that doesn’t induce guilt…

[Image can be found here]

We all have stories about the role music has played in our relationships – for better or worse.  Whether it’s something as trite as a couple’s “our song” or as creepy as groupies of reunited 80s hair-metal bands, music is inextricably linked to love, lust, or, in the case of dating, potential.  C’mon, surely you too have been on dates or at the early stages of a relationship where you wondered about the compatibility of the other person’s taste in music.  If you’re lucky, you get to pat yourself on the back for finding someone who reinforces your taste and enhances your cultural capital; if you’re not, then you have to create the appropriate Venn diagrams to decide how much you really want to be with that person.  I don’t know if Match or eHarmony uses music taste in their matching algorithms, but I bet I would have as much success simply by knowing participant music tastes.  Admittedly, it would be a fairly extensive survey to weigh musical taste and judge musical competence, but I contend that the success rate would be quite similar to that of established dating services.  (I’ll have to work on the survey for fun.)

One of my single cousins (who doesn’t seem to read my blog) is fearful – based on exaggerations and faulty memories of others, I might add – of introducing potential boyfriends because of my unfounded reputation for being overprotective and harsh on said potential boyfriends.  Now, I admit, I do ask pointed questions that are entirely legitimate and warranted based purely on what the potential boyfriend (or girlfriend) says in the course of the initial meeting.  I mean, it’s not like I come prepared with a docket of pre-researched evidence and background checks, at least not anymore.  Anyway, if she prefers, she can simply send me his iTunes library in text form instead of a physical introduction.  Wait, what?  You did a search for “Rammstein” in his iTunes and found 31 entries?  Ah, sorry, thanks for playing, but he already lost.  (Feel free to substitute “Rammstein” with “Jimmy Buffett”, “Celine”, “Vanilla Ice”, or “Bob Marley” – but only if he bought Marley songs during a stint in a fraternity.)

So, here’s the first in a series of posts to connect music and dating/relationships.  I am, ahem, happily married, but entirely fascinated with the idea that one’s music tastes informs one’s romantic life/choices.  I’ll use a variety of sources, including actual Craigslist’s Personals ads, news items, and real dating stories and match them to appropriate songs/albums/artists.  Some will be serious, others will be in jest.

Let’s start with this Personals ad in Chicago:

I want a life to spend with my love – 22

I believe many things that most people want. Many people do not listen to there heart so they are not so aware of what they are looking for their life. I feel that communication is the most important thing in any strong relationship.

She is (probably)…

• romantic at heart
• more attracted to the idea of love than the trials of love
• not particularly strong at written communication
• a fan of Oprah and Oprah’s Book Club, but finds reading a pesky activity
• attracted to Eastern European men given her ad picture

As her matchmaker, the song I would choose for her and any potential mate is…

Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t've), The Buzzcocks (from Love Bites, 1978 – Buy Here).

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Do I want my loved ones to listen to happy, joyful songs to fight off deep sadness?? Hell, no! I want them to listen to somber, soul-achingly depressing songs. But…they’re all beautifully somber, soul-achingly depressing songs. To that end, I made a mix for Amanda (and others) to be played about a month after my death, which I hope is many years in the future – of course, I probably just cursed myself to an early death. Lyrically, they’re not all about death, but each one of them evokes just that right something. They should be played late at night, lights off, sitting in front of a window with a view of the skyline or on a porch under a star-filled sky, drink in hand, contemplative mind, grateful heart.

I don’t know about you, but I find it immensely comforting to listen to melancholic songs so it’s no surprise that many of these songs have been featured on multiple mixes over the past 20 years. They’re an indelible part of me that will live on.

So in the coming months and years I’ll highlight a random selection from this ever-growing mix.

Don’t Look Back, John Lee Hooker with Van Morrison (from The Best of Friends – Buy Here). It’s John Lee Hooker and Van Morrison – what more could I possibly say? There’s something wondrous about Hooker’s world-weary baritone voice as it hovers above the melody carved out by soulful electric guitar riffs and delicate Hammond B-3 lines. And then Van Morrison drops by and kicks up the soulful factor by a few notches in a way that only Van Morrison can (one of these days, I’ll have to take on the daunting task of finally writing down what Van Morrison’s music has meant in my life.)

Seriously, listen to the song in the proper setting (as described earlier) – you’ll thank me for it.

Holiday season is over and it’s time to revert my attention to this blog.  I hope everyone is having a great start to the new year.

As it happens every January, I have a wealth of new and not-so-new records to spin after having mass purchased music I either missed or dismissed from the previous year.  One I missed was the debut self-titled release from Raleigh, North Carolina band, The Love Language.  Essentially a solo project of frontman Stuart McLamb, it was recorded in his basement using a 4-track analog machine.  Without ever losing its lo-fi sensibilities, McLamb deftly weaves a wall of instrumentation and catchy melodies that sound both familiar and fresh at the same time.

Lalita, The Love Language (from S/T – Buy Here).
Stars,  The Love Language (from S/T – Buy Here).
Sparxxx, The Love Language (from S/T – Buy Here).

This is my new favorite album – at least until tomorrow.

So in no particular order here are the ten songs that I listened to most while making the Top 50 list.  (I could have easily substituted at least three of the songs with another from their respective albums.)

Fables, The Dodos (from Time To Die – Buy Here).

Dominos, The Big Pink (from A Brief History of Love – Buy Here).

Set Sail Tomorrow, Montt Mardié (from Clocks/Pretender – Buy Here).

Lisztomania, Phoenix (from Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix – Buy Here).

French Navy, Camera Obscura (from My Maudlin Career – Buy Here).

Two Weeks, Grizzly Bear (from Veckatimest – Buy Here).

No Intention, Dirty Projectors (from Bitte Orca – Buy Here).

So Far Around The Bend, The National (from Dark Was The Night Compilation – Buy Here).

Blood Bank, Bon Iver (from Blood Bank EP – Buy Here).

Laundry Room, The Avett Brothers (from I And Love And You – Buy Here).

19. The Strangers, St. Vincent (from Actor – Buy Here).  I jumped on her bandwagon late, but what a lovely, richly-layered song that melds a potent melody with a kaleidoscope of sonic nuggets.

18. Beach Comber, Real Estate (from S/T – Buy Here).  While their band name is hardly Google-friendly, their dreamy pop is easily accessible.

17. Antenna, Sonic Youth (from Eternal Youth – Buy Here).  Ah Sonic Youth…I will never tire of your well-worn palette of melody and noise.

16. Funny Little Frog, God Help The Girl (from S/T – Buy Here).  God Help The Girl is essentially Stuart Murdoch (Belle & Sebastian) with a stable of unknown of female singers.  This track is actually from B&S’ last studio release in 2006, but I love the new production and voice so much that I decided to include it in this year’s list.

15. Little Lion Man, Mumford & Sons (from Sigh No More – Buy Here).  A product of London’s re-emerging folk scene, Mumford & Sons’ debut album is one more evidence that sometimes foreigners do Americana better than Americans.

14. More of This, Vetiver (from Tight Knit – Buy Here).  Very few songs make me want to dance (I don’t dance), but there’s something inviting about the simple, retro-feel of this song.

13. Hellhole Ratrace, Girls (from Album – Buy Here).  Here’s what I wrote about this song a couple of months ago: Beautiful song.  The sing-along melody sets a serenely pastoral scene for the first half of the song, but it slowly and steadily builds with percussive elements and distorted, atmospheric guitars.  And believe it or not, the lyrics are rather life-affirming.  Wow, what a beautiful song.

12. Sick Muse, Metric (from Fantasies - Buy Here).  I love Emily Haines.  What, you want other reasons?  Ok, here’s one – crazy hooks.

11. My Girls, Animal Collective (from Merriweather Post Pavilion - Buy Here).  I didn’t buy into the annoyingly omnipresent hype upon the album’s release in January, but I relented a few months later and ok, ok, I was dead wrong.  This track alone is almost worth the hype.

30. Antonia Jane, Lightning Dust (from Infinite Light – Buy Here).

29. Harold T. Wilkins, Or How To Wait For A Very Long Time, Fanfarlo (from Reservoir – Buy Here).

28. Nothing But Change Part II, Harlem Shakes (from Technicolor Health – Buy Here).

27. Corriander, Pomegranates (from Everybody, Come Outside! – Buy Here).

26. Make Light, Passion Pit (from Manners – Buy Here).

25. This Tornado Loves You, Neko Case (from Middle Cyclone – Buy Here).

24. VCR, The xx (from S/T – Buy Here).

23. Young Adult Friction, The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart (from S/T – Buy Here).

22. The Rake Song, The Decemberists (from The Hazards Of Love – Buy Here).

21. Rave On, M. Ward (from Hold Time – Buy Here).

So it seems like this web site has acted somewhat erratically in the last week or so. There are some features of the blog that have somehow become active on their own and then inactive a few days later.  Anyway, you probably haven’t noticed anything, but if you see anything out of the ordinary, then please ignore.