Mixology: March Mix Madness

Mixology is a recurring feature in which I take a look at one of the many mix tapes (or CDs) I made over the years. Some are better than others, but all of them are fun to revisit.


March Mix Madness (March 2008)

Three years ago, I was in the midst of training for the New Jersey Marathon, the Leafs were on the way to missing the playoffs yet again, the terrific HBO series "The Wire" wrapped up its final season, I was gearing up for big rock shows from the Gutter Twins and the Drive-By Truckers, and we got the news that the city was planning to close my daughter's elementary school because of budget cuts.

Three years later, not too much has changed. Except that I'm not doing a marathon this spring and I have two kids going to a different school across town, I have a different vehicle and I'm going to see Queens of the Stone Age in a few weeks.

This mix is pretty strong. Most of the artists on it are ones for which I have multiple albums. The R.E.M. song was from their "return to rock" album, Accelerate, which many critics wrote off as the band trying too hard to rock out, but what the hell's wrong with that? Especially after the string of disappointing albums they recorded after Bill Berry left the band. Now the band just released its new album, Collapse Into Now, which is being hailed as a true return to form. I've heard a few songs from it and they sound good.

Many of the bands on this mix have released consistently good albums over the last decade or so, including the Raveonettes, Ladyhawk, Jay Reatard (R.I.P.), Andrew Bird, Destroyer, the Black Angels, Greg Dulli (via the Gutter Twins, Twilight Singers or solo), the Drive-By Truckers, Centro-Matic, Black Francis and the Dirtbombs. I'm a pretty faithful music fan. If a band releases an album I really like, I'll stick with its future releases until it really disappoints me. All these acts have delivered the goods on a regular basis. And they make this mix sound particularly good.

Bang On - The Breeders

Aly, Walk With Me - The Raveonettes
Hang Them All - Tapes 'n Tapes
Night You're Beautiful - Ladyhawk
Always Wanting More - Jay Reatard
International Bullet Proof Talent - Bauhaus
Silence - Portishead
Oh Sister - Andrew Bird
My Favorite Year - Destroyer
You On the Run - The Black Angels
'Till Kingdom Come - Dead Meadow
Salt of the Earth - The Rolling Stones
Front Street - Gutter Twins
3 Dimes Down - Drive-By Truckers
Right Hand on My Heart - The Whigs
I The Kite - Centro-Matic
The Seus - Black Francis
Indivisible - The Dirtbombs
Living Well is the Best Revenge - R.E.M.


Front Street:


Living Well: