Like many aged teens, I like to consider myself a connoisseur of mixes - a mixologist, if you will. Actually, don't. I've been making mixes since middle school, but maybe even earlier. I remember staying up late listening to the radio just to hear a single song. If it came on, I'd jump out of bed and hit record. My tapes all featured songs that started and ended a few seconds late. Then there were computers and Napster and Limewire and Kazaa and I must have spent hundreds of dollars of allowance on blank CDs so I could exchange mixes with friends. A personalized mix CD with a decorated jewel case and handwritten track list was my most successful romantic move as a teen and a 20-something and it wooed many a dude. My husband and I fell in love over mix CDs sent through the mail.
Of all my mixes, though, there have been three that really meant something: Just Lovely Volume 1: a painstakingly selected compilation of all of the prettiest and most beautiful songs I knew. Shortly after came Just Lovely Volume 2: vol. 1's big sister; a few new songs, mostly old stuff because some things are just too good not to carry over. And finally, after many years in the works: Makeout Club (what's up millennials) or Just Lovely Volume 3.
This mix was months in production and was originally designed with making out in mind. Ubiquitous make out tracks like "Lovers Spit" by Broken Social Scene, "La Familia" by Mirah (my signature "let's have sex" song), Jeff Buckley and Bloc Party ballads made up the bulk of the mix, but some more complicated stuff got in there. Aphex Twin, Portishead, Suede, The Smashing Pumpkins, The Pixies, The Replacements, even Dinosaur Jr. Not unquestionable for a mix geared for kissing, but"dead eyes, dead eyes, are you just like me?" isn't classically romantic. (Though the problem is probably more so voices like Frank Black's, Billy Corgan's and J. Mascis', but I digress...)
I started to notice some of the songs were explicitly not love songs, but break up songs: "Come Pick Me Up" by Ryan Adams, "Linger" by The Cranberries, "A Thousand Hours" by The Cure. And nobody wants to get romantic to songs like "Book of the Month" by Lovage or "Hood" by Perfume Genius - great songs, beautiful songs, but decidedly unsexy lyrical content.
At this point I lost control and the mix became another incarnation of Just Lovely. Back were original additions like "Alien" by Bush, "Porpoise Song" by the Monkees and "Svefn-g-englar" by Sigur Ros. I doubled up on The Cure and Nick Cave, added Air, Eels, Led Zeppelin, Fleetwood Mac, Morphine.
It's a mix that's no longer about making out, but simply feeling good. Or feeling sad, but owning it, enjoying it. Recommended for yoga, love, loss, laundry, watching your dog fall asleep, and lying on your back and staring up at the ceiling. Pairs well with marijuana and all warm/room temp beverages. Enjoy. And if you get laid, you're welcome.
Of all my mixes, though, there have been three that really meant something: Just Lovely Volume 1: a painstakingly selected compilation of all of the prettiest and most beautiful songs I knew. Shortly after came Just Lovely Volume 2: vol. 1's big sister; a few new songs, mostly old stuff because some things are just too good not to carry over. And finally, after many years in the works: Makeout Club (what's up millennials) or Just Lovely Volume 3.
This mix was months in production and was originally designed with making out in mind. Ubiquitous make out tracks like "Lovers Spit" by Broken Social Scene, "La Familia" by Mirah (my signature "let's have sex" song), Jeff Buckley and Bloc Party ballads made up the bulk of the mix, but some more complicated stuff got in there. Aphex Twin, Portishead, Suede, The Smashing Pumpkins, The Pixies, The Replacements, even Dinosaur Jr. Not unquestionable for a mix geared for kissing, but"dead eyes, dead eyes, are you just like me?" isn't classically romantic. (Though the problem is probably more so voices like Frank Black's, Billy Corgan's and J. Mascis', but I digress...)
I started to notice some of the songs were explicitly not love songs, but break up songs: "Come Pick Me Up" by Ryan Adams, "Linger" by The Cranberries, "A Thousand Hours" by The Cure. And nobody wants to get romantic to songs like "Book of the Month" by Lovage or "Hood" by Perfume Genius - great songs, beautiful songs, but decidedly unsexy lyrical content.
At this point I lost control and the mix became another incarnation of Just Lovely. Back were original additions like "Alien" by Bush, "Porpoise Song" by the Monkees and "Svefn-g-englar" by Sigur Ros. I doubled up on The Cure and Nick Cave, added Air, Eels, Led Zeppelin, Fleetwood Mac, Morphine.
It's a mix that's no longer about making out, but simply feeling good. Or feeling sad, but owning it, enjoying it. Recommended for yoga, love, loss, laundry, watching your dog fall asleep, and lying on your back and staring up at the ceiling. Pairs well with marijuana and all warm/room temp beverages. Enjoy. And if you get laid, you're welcome.