Let's Be Friends

Summer is a time of adventure, new friends and heat stroke. Friends are sometimes of the boy or girl variety and occasionally we expect benefits from a friendship but overall friendship is one of the most rewarding experiences of any of our short lives. I thought I should dedicate this month's mix to friends. If you're one of my friends then you know who you are and this one's for you!(along with all the other ones really.) Track 1 - "Champagne for my Real Friends, Real Pain for my Sham Friends" by Fall Out Boy As with most F.O.B. songs this one is drenched in metaphor but I think it's about the burnout nature of celebrity. Track 2 - "Shiksa(Girlfriend)" by Say Anything This is a song about the joys of a new love. It's also catchy as hell as with everything by Say Anything. Track 3 - "We Used to Be Friends" by The Dandy Warhols If you watched Veronica Mars then you already know this amazing song and if you didn't watch Veronica Mars then what are you doing reading my blog!? Go watch Veronica Mars! Track 4 - "Diplomat's Son" by Vampire Weekend It's hard to put into words how much I like Vampire Weekend. They are just brilliant! Track 5 - "Girlfriend" by Phoenix Phoenix were already a great band before "Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix" was released but they really outdid themselves. It is a near-perfect album! Track 6 - "Home" by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros Alex and Jade singing to each other in this song is one of the sweetest things I've ever heard. Track 7 - "Friend Crush" by Friends Could this song be any more appropriate for this mix? I think not! I've been waiting a few months for this song to be released and one of the reasons that this mix is a little late is that I was waiting for this album to be released yesterday! Track 8 - "At Least I'm not as Sad(as I Used To Be)" by fun. It wouldn't really be a Jeff mix without a little fun., right? This song really represents the unorthodox song structure that is one of the many reasons I admire Nate Ruess so much! Track 9 - "Hotel Song" by Regina Spektor Speaking of new albums, Regina just released "What We Saw From the Cheap Seats" and it is utterly delightful! Track 10 - "Take it Easy(Love Nothing)" by Bright Eyes This is a pretty tragic song about a friendship going too far and leaving a naïve boy heartbroken. Track 11 - "Hospital Beds" by Cold War Kids A soulful and fun song from CWK about dying in a hospital. Track 12 - "Pure Morning" by Placebo This is probably the song most people associate with Placebo. Definitely a classic. Track 13 - "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend(feat. Angel Deradoorian)" by Discovery As I've explained before Discovery is the side project of Vampire Weekend's Rostam Batmanglij(his last name has "Batman" in it!? How lucky!) and Ra Ra Riot's Wesley Miles. The two explore some incredible electro-funk as well as covering some Ra Ra Riot songs. Track 14 - "We're Going to Be Friends" by The White Stripes Very cute song about grade-school friends. Track 15 - "I've Got Friends" by Manchester Orchestra This is a great example of why friends are amazing. This song is about the singer's friends telling him to get out of an unhealthy relationship. Track 16 - "Boyfriend" by Best Coast A little contemporary surf-rock for you wonderful people. Track 17 - "We Could Be Friends" by Freelance Whales The majority of Freelance Whales's music is already adorable but believe me when I tell you that this is their cutest song. Track 18 - "My Girlfriend's Boyfriend(Broken Spindles Remix)" by Her Space Holiday From the remixed version of "The Young Machines" which is, believe it or not, even better than the original album. Track 19 - "The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades is Out to Get Us!" by Sufjan Stevens Unlike almost every other Sufjan Stevens song this title is actually what the song is about. Track 20 - "School Friends" by Now, Now Now, Now opened for The Naked and Famous when I saw them in April and I was awestruck by how good they were. You don't expect the opening act to be as good as the headliners but Now, Now really are. Some might say that they are a little derivative of Tegan & Sara but I think they have a whole different attitude. This song is intense too. Fuck guys like this! On that note I hope you enjoyed listening to this mix as much as I enjoyed making it. As always let me know if you would like a copy.

Gotta Get That Paper

This month I would like to examine songs about money. Money is a pretty powerful force in the decisions of all people. As a fun-employed individual I can tell you that not having any sucks while too much money can lead to a Scarface situation where you decide to cover your desk in blow and then get shot to death(*SPOILERS*). [by the way, i have no idea what is wrong with the parsing on this post... blogger got an update and now i can't put line breaks in] Track 1 - "Mo Money Mo Problems(feat. Mase & Puff Daddy)" by The Notorious B.I.G. Pretty much had to start this mix with Biggie! Track 2 - "Time to Pretend" by MGMT MGMT you are so incredibly weird but so awesome at the same time! "The models will have children, we'll get a divorce, find some more models, everything must run its course" Track 3 - "Ain't No Rest for the Wicked" by Cage the Elephant This is kind of a dispassionate list of the terrible things people will do for money. Track 4 - "Right Round(feat. Ke$ha)" by Flo-Rida It took me an embarrassing amount of time to figure out that this whole song is about getting head. Keep it classy Flo-Rida. Track 5 - "Ride Wit Me" by Nelly I don't know what an "L" is and I refuse to smoke it with you, Nelly, until you tell me! Ben-Z or no Ben-Z. Track 6 - "Glamorous(feat. Ludacris)" by Fergie This song would be absolute garbage without Luda in it. I suppose that rule is true for a lot of things though. Track 7 - "A Milli" by Lil' Wayne Young Money! While Lil' Wheezy's crazy homophobic demeanor insults me as a person he sure is catchy... Plus we all know he's secretly gay. Track 8 - "Fighters" by Lupe Fiasco A mellow track from "The Cool". Track 9 - "Gold Digger(feat. Jamie Foxx)" by Kanye West We want pre-nup! "You will see him on T.V., any given Sunday, win the Superbowl and drive off in a Hyundai." Track 10 - "Waterfalls" by TLC Hey everyone, remember this gem? Words to live by. Track 11 - "Can I Get a...(feat. Amil & Ja Rule)" by Jay-Z This song is super infectious as is but if you haven't heard the Girl Talk rendition from "All Day" then you are doing yourself a disservice! It is ten times as awesome. Track 12 - "Price Tag(feat. B.o.B.)" by Jessie J Don't hate me, I really like this song! Guilty pleasures are the best kind. Track 13 - "Bloodbuzz Ohio" by The National That sounds like a pretty bad situation: "I still owe money to the money to the money I owe." Track 14 - "Gold on the Ceiling" by The Black Keys Not sure why he keeps his gold there or who would steal it... Track 15 - "Life's a Bitch" by Nas My buddy, Vignesh, can sing almost any song by Nas from memory. Professional. "Life's a bitch and then you die, that's why we get high cause you never know when you're gonna go." Track 16 - "War" by Mos Def A song about how gangsta the government is... in a bad way. Track 17 - "I Told You I Was Freaky" by Flight of the Conchords I love how this could easily be an MGMT music video. Track 18 - "Money Makes the World Go Round(feat. Nas)" by R. Kelly Can't really tell if R. Kelly is trying to make money or make out with money. And on that note this mix draws to a close. Thanks for reading. You won't have to wait too long for a new mix since I let this one take half the month to complete.

April Showers

If you're like me then you never wash your car which makes this time of year very exciting. In all seriousness though I love the rain. I love people scampering to their cars. I love the rhythmic pitter-patter on my window as I am drifting off to sleep. I love the air after the rain. I hope you enjoy these rain-centric songs!

Track 1 - "Standing in the Rain" by Billy Talent
I would really like to see some new music from Billy Talent. Their existing three albums are so consistently excellent.

Track 2 - "Jumpin' Jack Flash" by The Rolling Stones
Some classic Stones for you.


Track 3 - "Paranoid Android" by Radiohead
I remember when I first heard this album it redefined what I thought music could be. I went through this musical awakening in high school where I learned that not all music was oldies and showtunes.


Track 4 - "The Youth" by MGMT
This album was one of the strongest debut albums I've ever heard.

Track 5 - "Rain" by Mika
I know I've said it before but I love that even Mika's sad songs are super chipper sounding.


Track 6 - "Title and Registration" by Death Cab For Cutie
I totally keep gloves in my glove compartment! Granted it is also a time capsule as I almost never go in there.


Track 7 - "Rain(feat. Scarface & Billy Cook)" by Chamillionaire
Chamillionaire gets pretty serious in this song about suicidal thoughts. Don't do it, people. Life is worth living.

Track 8 - "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" by Creedence Clearwater Revival
One of those songs that was just immediately on this playlist as soon as I thought of the theme.


Track 9 - "English Summer Rain" by Placebo
During an encore at a Placebo concert I attended they covered "Where is my Mind?" by Pixies. I wish I had a recording of that; it was so amazing.


Track 10 - "156" by Mew
Even though they are from Denmark, Mew used to play a lot of shows in the Bay Area. If you are not familiar with them then I have done you a great service because they are fantastic.


Track 11 - "Let It Rain" by Tilly and the Wall
A beautiful song from Tilly and the Wall about passion turning into love.

Track 12 - "I Guess It's Gonna Rain Today" by Sondre Lerche
Songs about rain are frequently songs about getting dumped... I suppose if you are already sad then rain is kind of adding insult to injury.

Track 13 - "Kill the Messenger" by Jack's Mannequin
Jack's Mannequin is the project Andrew McMahon started while Something Corporate was on hiatus. Both bands have his signature piano-rock(piano-emo) style.

Track 14 - "The Rain" by Akon
I like the quiet piano and storm sounds that comprise the musical accompaniment on this song.

Track 15 - "I Can't Stand the Rain" by The Commitments
I thought about including the Tina Turner version of this song but the truth is I just like the version from the movie "The Commitments" way more.

Track 16 - "Thistle & Weeds" by Mumford & Sons
These guys really need a second album. No pressure.

Track 17 - "The Rain" by The Swell Season
Speaking of "The Commitments", Glen Hansard(singer/songwriter behind The Frames and 1/2 of The Swell Season) was in that movie. He has such a lovely voice.

Track 18 - "Raincoat Song" by The Decemberists
I had such high hopes for "The Hazards of Love" based on the collection of singles and b-sides leading up to its release but I was quite disappointed.

Track 19 - "Somebody Loved" by The Weepies
Another very cute song from The Weepies. "You turned me into somebody loved."


Track 20 - "re:Stacks" by Bon Iver
I don't want to over-saturate you all with Bon Iver but, like Nate Ruess's two projects, they are too good to not include in a LOT of mixes.


As always, thank you for reading my ramblings! Feel free to comment as I will reply to all comments. Hit me up for a copy of the mix.

The Eyes of March

Some say they are the windows to the soul. Others say you should always keep one open. Either way eyes sure do inspire a lot of good music. All pun credits go to my sister Rachael.

Track 1 - "Sleepyhead" by Passion Pit
This is one of the songs from Passion Pit's first EP(the valentine's day gift for his girlfriend). It really encompasses all that I love about Passion Pit.


Track 2 - "DLZ" by TV on the Radio
TV on the Radio never fails to impress me.

Track 3 - "Le Disko" by Shiny Toy Guns
This is a really fun one. Extremely danceable.


Track 4 - "The Coolest" by Lupe Fiasco
Some classic Lupe for you. He really needs to realize that he is one of the best raw hip-hop artists out there and stop overproducing his tracks.

Track 5 - "My Body" by Young the Giant
One of my favorite new bands. Hopefully their second album will live up to the quality of this one.


Track 6 - "Just a Dream" by Nelly
That's right! Nelly! I bet you forgot about Nelly.


Track 7 - "Such Great Heights" by The Postal Service
I know everyone already loves this song but it fits the theme and it's wonderful.


Track 8 - "Eyes" by Rogue Wave
Rogue Wave are a local band from Oakland! Hooray for Bay Area bands.

Track 9 - "Open Your Eyes" by Snow Patrol
This song just builds and builds and explodes. It was used in the first episode of The Black Donnellys in a very suspenseful climax (don't remember that show? it's okay; it only lasted thirteen episodes. i liked it though. it had Olivia Wilde in it.)


Track 10 - "Many of Horror" by Biffy Clyro
Biffy Clyro are a Scottish band that have apparently been around for a long time. This song was my introduction to them not too long ago.


Track 11 - "Honey Let Me Sing You a Song" by Matt Hires
I have to listen to this song a couple times a day to stay happy and hopeful. It's delightful.


Track 12 - "Baby(feat. Nelly)" by Pharrell
Pharrell is everything Soulja Boy wishes he could be.

Track 13 - "Rebellion(Lies)" by Arcade Fire
I remember when Funeral came out I listened to this song and "In the Back Seat" over and over.


Track 14 - "In Your Eyes" by Peter Gabriel
I would be remiss to not include this song.


Track 15 - "Eyes" by The Naked and Famous
I get to see these guys in April!

Track 16 - "Blue Eyes" by Cary Brothers
This song got stupid popular after it was on the Garden State soundtrack. Since then Cary Brothers has done roughly nothing.

Track 17 - "My Night with the Prostitute from Marseille" by Beirut
Zach Condon dropped out of high school to travel with his brother and learn about world music. I would say that this gamble paid off pretty well.

Track 18 - "Closer(Presets Remix) by Kings of Leon
This remix was included in Kings of Leon's newest album "Come Around Sundown". I find it utterly haunting.

Another great way to listen to these mixes is to friend me on Spotify and listen to them there!

Breaking Up is Hard to Do

I received a request last year for a breakup mix(a more focused one since part of the "Lifespan of a Relationship" mix is a breakup). My knee-jerk reaction was to save it for Valentine's Day. I don't know what that says about me... There are different philosophies regarding breakup mixes. Do you go with sad bastard music about love lost or tongue-in-cheek songs about relationships? Do you want the album to have a bitter tone or a funny one? I ended up going with a bit of each. By the way, I have never been more frustrated by songs I have already included in previous mixes than when going through my iTunes to make this mix. I hope that everyone enjoys this but I hope especially that those of you with fresh dating wounds really connect with these songs. Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Track 1 - "Our Perfect Disease" by The Wombats
The Wombats are one of my favorite discoveries of 2011 and this bitterness anthem had to start off the mix. "We all need someone to drive us mad".


Track 2 - "Song for the Dumped" by Ben Folds Five
This has been a staple on all breakup mixes I've made since about 2003. Everyone feels this way. You don't just want all the money and presents that you wasted on this person back, you also want the time and effort.


Track 3 - "Fuck You" by Cee Lo Green
Despite the over-saturation of this song it is a great one. Also if you are listening to "Forget You" you are doing it wrong. Living well is the best revenge but sometimes you need to advertise it.


Track 4 - "There's No Home for You Here" by The White Stripes
This song is so biting and well written. The next time I'm in a bad breakup I want Jack White to come over and express my displeasure.

Track 5 - "Bye Bye Bye" by 'N Sync
I had to...


Track 6 - "Love Lockdown(LMFAO Remix)" by Kanye West
Everyone hated Kanye's auto-tuned album "808's and Heartbreaks" but I kind of loved it. This remix by LMFAO takes the song to a whole new level by adding their own verse and tweaking the beats.


Track 7 - "Girls Ain't Nothing but Trouble" by DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince
Will Smith gave me all the knowledge I needed when I was in high school. I should've listened.


Track 8 - "Pussy Killz" by Nas
This is pretty much the NSFW version of the last song.

Track 9 - "Okay I Believe You, but My Tommy Gun Don't" by Brand New
One of my favorite songs from Brand New. "Every line is about who I don't want to write about anymore."

Track 10 - "Heartbeat" by Childish Gambino
For those of you who don't know, Childish Gambino is the hip-hop alter ego of Donald Glover(Troy from Community, writer for 30 Rock). He has gotten better and better and I love his newest album, "Camp". The last line of this song changes from performance to performance.


Track 11 - "Your Ex-Lover is Dead" by Stars
This song tells both perspectives of a chance meeting between two former lovers. It also features strings, so... yeah. Jeff trap.


Track 12 - "Happy Ending" by Mika
I feel like this is the only sad thing that's ever happened to Mika. He's just so chipper!


Track 13 - "Skinny Love" by Bon Iver
This song is about not wanting a love to end but being unable to stop its demise.


Track 14 - "A Lack of Color" by Death Cab For Cutie
Realized only too late that I have already used this song! Now that all the mixes are on this computer hopefully I will stop making dumb mistakes like that.


Track 15 - "IMpossible" by Figurine
Figurine is a music project started by James Tamborello(of The Postal Service).


Track 16 - "U R the One" by Mos Def
Who hurt you, Mos? I will mess them up! A fantastic song about feeling like a great potential was squandered.

Track 17 - "Devil Dressed in Blue" by Right Away, Great Captain
RAGC is the solo project of Andy Hull from Manchester Orchestra. Much like Coheed and Cambria, Hull tells an ongoing story with each album about a 17th century sailor.

Track 18 - "Miss Misery" by Elliott Smith
This was the song Elliott wrote for Good Will Hunting. He really smashed it out of the park.


Track 19 - "No Way" by The Naked and Famous
The way this song swells halfway through is amazing. Listen to this in your car as loud as your ears will allow. You will thank me.


As always hit me up for a copy and let me know what you think!

One Hit Wonders!

Well there goes one New Year's Resolution: Be more punctual with blog entries.
This month we are taking a look at bands whose contribution to good music is less of a roaring fire and more of a molotov cocktail. I am at the age now where all the popular music from my high school years has been either canonized or proven a fluke so when my good friend Neal suggested that I make a mix of One-Hit-Wonders I gladly accepted the challenge. Here are some of my favorite songs from artists who, for one reason or another, couldn't put together a quality album.

Track 1 - "I Want You Back" by The Jackson 5
I bet, even as a baby crying in his crib, little Michael was melting hearts and taking names. To be honest I also like "ABC" but the Jackson 5 really have nothing else on par with this song.


Track 2 - "Fat Lip" by Sum 41
I remember Sum 41 being insanely popular in high school but this is the only song they have that's worth a damn. (besides "Pieces" but that's not really a hit, just a sad ballad) Don't get me wrong I love me some pop-punk but Sum 41 never matched the energy or catchiness of this track.


Track 3 - "Bust a Move" by Young MC
I nearly jumped out of my seat with excitement when I saw not-so-Young MC's cameo in "Up In the Air". This song features Flea on bass!


Track 4 - "Dammit" by Blink 182
I might be alone on this one but I just hated all of Blink's songs from "Enema of the State" and onward. They might prove me wrong with their reformation but I sincerely doubt it.


Track 5 - "One Week" by Barenaked Ladies
One of the first concerts I ever went to (with my dad and sister) was BNL with Semisonic opening for them. I can't really remember but it must have been a short concert...

Track 6 - "Tubthumping" by Chumbawamba
Remember when this song had receded from your memory and you could once again go a week without your subconscious going "I GET KNOCKED DOWN, BUT I GET UP AGAIN!" You're welcome!


Track 7 - "Inside Out" by Eve 6
I feel like deep down we're all born knowing the lyrics to this song. Other than their band name being a reference to the greatest show ever and this song they don't have anything really going for them.


Track 8 - "Teenage Dirtbag" by Wheatus
Apparently this song was from the movie "Loser" which if you couldn't tell by the mere fact that Jason Biggs was in it was baaaaaad. This song became pretty popular though and when my friend Wesley suggested it be included I agreed.


Track 9 - "Whoomp!(There it is) by Tag Team
This song will forever be known as Ben Wyatt's swearing-in ceremony theme song. This was a suggestion by my sister, Rachael.


Track 10 - "In the Meantime" by Spacehog
I had completely forgotten about this song until it popped up in Rock Band. Rock Band is really the champion of all one-hit-wonders. Probably because the licenses are so cheap.


Track 11 - "Kiss From a Rose" by Seal
While this song is pretty awesome Seal's main achievement is locking down Heidi Klum. I guess I would slack off on my music career too if I had Heidi Klum to come home to for better or worse. The video for this song was apparently shot to be a promotional video for a Batman movie that never ended up getting made. I really want to put the version sung by Jeff Winger and Dean Pelton.


Track 12 - "No Rain" by Blind Melon
This one isn't really fair. Who knows how many other great songs Blind Melon would have made if their lead singer hadn't tragically died from an overdose.


Track 13 - "O-O-H Child" by The Five Stairsteps
I do so love the rhythm and blues.


Track 14 - "Good" by Better Than Ezra
This was another great suggestion by Wesley.


Track 15 - "Closing Time" by Semisonic
These songs really are fantastic songs by bands who just couldn't replicate the quality of these hits. I jam out to this one pretty regularly.


Track 16 - "Because I Got High" by Afroman
I really don't know where Afroman gets his weed, but it sounds potent as hell. This video is from when Kevin Smith was still funny.


Track 17 - "Baby I Love Your Way" by Peter Frampton
I couldn't agree more with Rob's sentiment in High Fidelity concerning this song. I used to hate it until I heard the Lisa Bonet version in the film which made me appreciate the original.


Track 18 - "Bittersweet Symphony" by The Verve
Strings!!! Need I say more?


Track 19 - "Just a Friend" by Biz Markie
This song's message is pretty simple. Girls can't be trusted to have male friends. Very enlightened, Biz.


Track 20 - "Boston" by Augustana
The piano in this song just gets me every time.


Happy New Year everyone! Make it count because the world's gonna end this year!