Thoughtful gifts that won’t break the bank

-- Bob Longmore

For the last few years, I have created a CD to give my friends for the holidays. Instead of having to look for cheap gifts that don’t mean anything, I can spend my time staring at my bookshelf full of CDs trying to figure out the perfect mix of songs. I usually start a list around June and then by November I start mentally compiling the CD.

Making my yearly mix gives me a feeling a lot like writing an article for the paper. I constantly think about what to say or what to include, but at the same time, I procrastinate about actually doing it. Then after working myself into an unhealthy lather, inspiration comes at the last minute. I’m not saying this last-minute creativity equals quality. I am just saying there is always a burst of light to guide me home each time.

Making mix CDs is a lot different from creating the mix tapes I made before the world went digital. Gone are the searches for the perfect song that is less than three minutes long to fit on that last stretch of side A. Software like Musicmatch or iTunes make it so easy to create a mix CD that it really does take some of the fun of the old days away, but maybe I am just sentimental. OK, here goes: These songs are not necessarily new, but they are songs that made an impact on me and I feel I should share them. This is not one of those year-end best of lists. This a list of songs that I happen to like and think fit well together on a CD.

1. “Here Comes the Summer” by The Fiery Furnaces—The fuzzy guitar melody in this song is infectious and the voice of Eleanor Friedberger will melt even the coldest heart.

2. “You Gotta Dance (With Who You Came to The Dance With)” by The Hold Steady—Lead singer Craig Finn’s narratives of city life infuse a literary bend to classic bar rock riffs. He peppers his tales with witty, but gritty vignettes of growing up in the city, “You gotta go with what got you there/ I came with chipped teeth and some bleached blonde hair/ You gotta make due with what they gave to you/ They took ten bucks and my tennis shoes.”

3. “Daft Punk is Playing at My House” by LCD Soundsystem —I don’t usually pay much attention to electronic music, but after hearing so much about this band, I finally had to give them a chance. Now I can’t get this song out of my head.

4. “BoomBox” by Blueprint —This song transports me back to when I was a kid and there was always one guy at the basketball court with his boombox blaring. My favorite line is, “I’ll give you 15 minutes of fame/ and get the downtown streets looking like Soul Train.”

5. “Four Out of Wichita” by Death Row Tull – This is a great song by a tragically named band. The churchy organ intro leads into a tight rhythm section and the nasally voice of misadventure.

6. “Oscar Wilde” by Romantica— There is so much about this song that keeps me coming back. Ben Kyle’s gruff voice is so genuine and the way it quivers with emotion ties my stomach in a knot every time, and does anything sound as sincere as a slight Irish brogue singing a tragic love song. Then, in the background, there is a slightly behind tempo snare beat and it sounds like the drummer tripped over this drum set; this sound drives me crazy, but at the same time makes my heart race.

7. “Between The Bars” by Madeline Peyroux—Nobody could capture the desperation and emotion of a song like the late Elliot Smith could, but instead of trying to reproduce Smith’s song, Peyroux recreates it. She takes her beautiful silk-smooth voice and floats it over a delicate waltz that would have done Smith proud.

8. “Now We Know” by Jeff Hanson —I imagine Jeff Hanson has heard every snide remark imaginable about his delicate, thin and beautiful voice. It is a breathy, feminine, but at the same time, muscular sound that I think bewilders a listener. This song is a perfect showcase of his musical magic.

9. “Littlest Birds” by Jolie Holland—I believe Holland is from another planet. A planet where it is perpetually 1930 and women sing with a snarled lip and sex appeal dripping from every syllable. The words tumble from her, “I was fair as a summer’s day and now the summer days are through/ You pass through places and places pass through you.” I don’t know anything about Holland and I haven’t tried to find out for fear that my theory will be shattered.

10. “Get Fly” by Atmosphere—An unusually optimistic song by this hip-hop juggernaut closes out the mix. This is a song about looking toward the future, leaving the bad stuff behind and taking the good things with you. This song builds to a crescendo when Slug sings, “Well, okay, it’s settled/ No more nights in this weed and thorn-infested meadow/ From this day forth only forward I pedal/ Get the memo, I’m cutting the strings, Gepetto.”

If it were possible, I would make everyone that reads this article my friend and supply you with this disc. Alas, I am but one man and I am pretty sure copyright laws come into play at some point. In fact, if any RIAA lawyers are reading this, this is all hypothetical. I made my friends buy the songs from iTunes. Promise.

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