Really, looking at this mix makes me wonder if I was more than one person during the course of 2005. I came pretty close, really, but I think most people would claim the same thing, given the circumstances. There’s something about meeting someone that you will spend the rest of your life with that amplifies everything — the good and the bad. I suppose you could compare it to birth, in that there’s an awful lot of pain for something that’s ultimately wonderful, and for every moment of morning sickness, there’s that first kick, which makes it all worthwhile.
I could go on, but needless to say (but I’ll say it anyway), 2005 was a mind boggling one for me. While I met Nicole the last month of 2004, this was the year that our relationship got serious…and that seemed to stick, what with us being married now and all. Still, there are more than a few songs on this mix that involve, to some extent, wrapping your brain around being in love, and allowing yourself to be happy, two things that are far harder for most of us than they should be.
“Survival 101” by the New Transit Direction
“The Rat” by the Walkmen
“Neighborhood #2 (Laika)” by Arcade Fire
“One With the Freaks” by the Notwist
“The Widow” by the Mars Volta
“Your Ex-Lover Is Dead” by Stars
“Will You Smile Again?” by Trail of Dead
“Little Thoughts” by Bloc Party
“Perfect Situation” by Weezer
“Ear, Nose, and Throat” by Troubled Hubble
“Popular Mechanics for Lovers” by Beulah
“I Turn My Camera On” by Spoon
“We Will Become Silhouettes” by the Shins
“The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts” by Sufjan Stevens
“Tell Balgeary, Balgury Is Dead” by Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
“Blankest Year” by Nada Surf
“Lydia, You’re Fading” by Oceanographer
“Ten Years Ahead” by Soundtrack of Our Lives
“Juicebox” by the Strokes
“For Miles” by Thrice
Aside from themes, it’s interesting to see how Nicole’s presence in my life indirectly affected this mix. She’s the one who finally got me to listen to the Arcade Fire. We also watched the OC together, and a decent number of these songs came from that show. One of our first dates involved seeing “In Good Company,” and there’s a song from the soundtrack on here.
On the music industry side of things, 2005 was significant for two reasons. First, it featured new albums from big bands like the White Stripes, Coldplay, and Weezer, all of which were pretty disappointing and, ultimately, exercises in playing it safe. Weezer’s the only one to make the cut on this mix, and that’s mostly because I like the lyrics.
The other big industry related aspect of this mix is that it would be the last one made up of songs I ripped from actual CDs. Come the new year, I would stop buying CDs all together, going so far as to rip all the ones I already had and taking them to Amoeba for cash. The digital revolution had finally hit home.
While this mix might be disjointed in both style and substance, next year’s mix would end up being one of my all time favorites.
KyleGarret.com 