Mixtape 2: Late January 2005

1. The Shins – Those Bold City Girls

2. Adam Green – Choke on a Cock

3. Echo and the Bunnymen – The Killing Moon
4. The Knife – Heartbeats
5. Dr. Octagon – Blue Flowers
6. Beck – Que Onda Guero?
7. Death from Above 1979 – Black History Month
8. The New Pornographers – From Blown Speakers
9. Liars – There’s Always Room on the Broom (Video)
10. Cat Power – He War (Video)

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This one is a little better. Just like with The Decemberists, you can't judge me for the Beck song, since it had literally just leaked at this time. I was experiencing Guero for the first time. Don't you remember what you were like then? (This is also true for Adam Green, but I don't have much of an excuse for that one.) The rap in the middle was still working, but I'd have to mix it up at some point to avoid falling into a formula. I'd also like to take this opportunity to point out that before anyone knew who Jose Gonzales was, I was still all about that Knife song. Late January also marked my first exposure to the New Pornographers, and I seem to recall that "From Blown Speakers" just barely made the final cut. Death from Above 1979's "Romantic Rights" had been the unofficial soundtrack to much of my 2004 fall/winter season, and so "Black History Month" seemed like the next logical step. "He War" was one of those songs that I always liked, but for some reason was hesitant to come clean about. I had read Chan Marshall interviews, and I guess I thought putting one of her songs on a playlist would be a tacit endorsement of the bizarre behavior I was always hearing and reading about. The important thing is I got over it.