Good Music Saves Lives

Upd8s

2008-03-25T09:14:00.000-07:00

New EP coming in soon. Release date set for the 5th of April.

Its the saddest EP yet. Yes even more morose than Songs for a Rainy Day. Will likely put you into a pensive mood... so yeah, wait for it.

Mix Taping 101

2008-02-03T11:18:00.000-08:00

There are a few things to keep in mind while selecting songs for a mixtape. The Golden Rule is
Balance.

Of course, first you gotta know who you're making the mix tape for. More importantly, you gotta know their taste. If its your dad or mum or someone older, generally you'd fill it up with oldies, and not stuff like Primus(unless your dad is cool like that). If its for someone special, ah.. there's the tricky part. Research has got to be done about what songs that person likes, what bands.

Mixtapes should have themes and not a random bunch of songs thrown in. They need to be purposeful. Which is where balance comes in. A typical mixtape will generally attempt to accomplish this(in this order):

Have good songs so it'll stay in that person's CD player
Carry a particular message(s)
Have distinct properties to remind the listener of who made the tape

Which is where balance comes in. The first, of course, needs to be done no matter what, because you don't want to chuck mainstream pop into an indie-lovin-pretentious-elitist's mixtape. And vice versa.

Balance comes in when you try to juggle point two and three. Sometimes those two points conflict, because say.. the listener might not get the sweet vibes coming off of a guitar solo, which so totally symbolizes the fleeting sunset that reminds you of the listener's unpredictable temperaments. Or something like that.

As you try and figure out how to balance point two and three, people tend to get lost in striking perfect synergy when the answer is really simple, go back to point one. Many times we try to insert too many songs that we think we like, that we think communicates through music what we find so hard to express, that we fall short of what a mixtape should be.

A joy to the ears for the listener.

Songs for a Sunny Day EP

2008-01-28T17:06:00.000-08:00

By far one of my favorite mixes, cause I prepared it pretty nicely. It had a properly designed cover and all. Its also a favourite with me because it was simple, and the theme was quite happy. It was about sunny days, not the kind with blistering heat causing heat strokes, but you know, happy sunny days, with puffy clouds against a sky blue sky.

Status : Not in possession of it.

Flowers in the Window - Travis
The Henney Buggy Band - Sufjan Stevens
Even Though I'm Fooling Around - Persephone's Bees
Hard to Find - American Analog Set
Lost At Sea - Eisley

This was a momentous mixtape, because from here on, I decided to impose some quality control, not only on the song choice, but to packaging, concept art and all that. Too bad, I don't have the album art with me, I searched my whole computer earlier, and apparently I deleted it. But thank God, I have a hard copy printed on A4 paper. So its not all lost for good.

The Exam Mix

2008-01-28T04:16:00.000-08:00

Compiled and designed for people who are having their exams. Nothing tops off a mixtape like this with Frank Sinatra's I Did It My Way at the end. How bad can bad be right?

Status : Not in possession of it

Crooked Teeth - Death Cab for Cutie
Move Along - All American Rejects
Big - Planetshakers
The Final Countdown - Europe
I'm Ready - Jack's Mannequin
Sweet November - Tegan & Sara
Look After You - The Fray
All You Wanted - Michelle Branch
Building a Mystery - Sarah McLachlan
Run - Snow Patrol
Time After Time - Cyndi Lauper
Cannonball - Damien Rice
Came To The Rescue - Hillsong United
Calendar Girl - Stars
Heavy - Holly Brook
I Did It My Way - Frank Sinatra

The Mixed Tape

2008-01-27T23:36:00.000-08:00

It was 2006. Listening to a lot of Jack's Mannequin then inspired me to come up with this.

Status : Not in possession of it.

Love Is All Around -Wet Wet Wet
Can't Take My Eyes Of You - Frankie Valli
Collide - Howie Day
When The Stars Go Blue -Bethany Joy Lenz & Tyler Hilton
Belaian Jiwa - Innuendo
Polaris - Jimmy Eat World
Wherever You Will Go - The Calling
I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing - Aerosmith
The Blower's Daughter - Damien Rice
Truly Madly Deeply - Savage Garden
Yellow - Petra Haden & Bill Frissel
Leap of Faith - Michelle Branch
My Heart - The Perishers
Wonderwall - Oasis
Everything - Lifehouse
The Mixed Tape - Jack's Mannequin

This mix could burn a whole in anyone, but its you I was thinking of.

Songs for a Rainy Day EP

2007-10-06T02:06:00.000-07:00

Since its been a bleak rainy lazy Saturday, I finally had the inspiration to complete my new mix tape. I began this 2 months ago, in the midst of all the rainy weather and gloomy emotions. Think of it as probably a follow up to Songs for a Sunny Day, when clouds flood the sky and kill the sunlight.

Status : Unreleased

Songs for a Rainy Day

Let The Love Back In by The Orange Lights
Surprise Ice by Kings of Convenience
All Will Be Forgotten by Holly Brook
Today Will Be Better, I Swear! by Stars
Let There Be Morning by The Perishers
Cartwheels by the Reindeer Section

Its finally done :)

No album art though :S