I was driving home one day last week, really tired after several days of late nights, and I needed a playlist of very calming, down-tempo, melancholy-type songs. And I liked what I came up with so much I decided to hammer it down into a mix. I’ve called it the Melancholia Mix because that most closely approximates the sound I was going for, but really, it’s not morose or depressing music – most of it honestly makes me smile. It’s the type of music that you’d listen to in the fall or winter when it’s raining softly outside and you have a fire in the fireplace and you’re curled up with a book or just staring into the flames with a cup of hot cocoa. It’s a very easy-going, very comforting mix. Which is pretty different for me, since I usually tend to pick upbeat songs for mixes. It’s cool, though, because I’ve gotten to choose a few songs from bands that normally do upbeat songs but this particular one happens to fit the theme – like Babyshambles and Mates of State.
Grab the whole mix in this zip file, or stream and download individual songs below (if you’re reading on Facebook, click through to my blog to stream the music). You can right-click > save on the artist/song title to download each song. Clicking on the album title will take you to Amazon.com [disclaimer: through my affiliate link] to buy the album (in MP3 format when available, on CD when not). If there’s no link on the album, it’s out of print or otherwise not available. If you like the music, please support the artists by buying their music and going to their concerts. If you are or represent one of these artists and would like the files removed, please contact me.
01 Amy Millan – Low Sail
(from Masters of the Burial, 2009)
02 The Beatles – Yesterday
(from Help!, 1964)
03 Belle & Sebastian – It Could Have Been a Brilliant Career
(from The Boy With the Arab Strap, 1998)
04 Broken Social Scene – Anthems for a Seventeen-Year-Old Girl
(from You Forgot It In People, 2002; yes, this was on my last mix, too – what’s your point?)
05 Viva Voce – Midnight Sun
(from Rose City, 2009)
06 Architecture in Helsinki – Souvenirs
(from Fingers Crossed, 2003)
07 Elizabeth and the Catapult – The Rainiest Day of Summer
(from Taller Children, 2009)
08 The Libertines – Breck Road Lover
(from Demo, c. 1999)
09 Emma Pollock – The Optimist
(from Watch the Fireworks, 2007)
10 The Whispertown 2000 – Atlantis
(from Swim, 2008)
11 Karen O and The Kids – Worried Shoes
(from Where the Wild Things Are: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, 2009)
12 Babyshambles – Lost Art of Murder
(from Shotter’s Nation, 2007)
13 Jenny Lewis – Acid Tongue
(from Acid Tongue, 2008)
14 Citizen Helene – ‘Til Tomorrow
(from The Gilded Palace of Gin, 2007)
15 Bat for Lashes – Moon and Moon
(from Two Suns, 2009)
16 Metric – London Halflife
(from Grow Up and Blow Away, 2001/2007)
17 Neko Case – I Wish I Was the Moon
(from Blacklisted, 2002)
18 Angie Mattson – Thank You
(from Given to Sudden Panic and Hasty Retreat, 2007)
19 Mates of State – Nature and the Wreck
(from Bring It Back, 2005)
20 The Submarines – Clouds
(from Declare a New State!, 2006)
21 Rilo Kiley – 85
(from The Initial Friend EP, 1999)
22 The Bird and the Bee – Lifespan of a Fly
(from Ray Guns Are Not Just the Future, 2008)
*photo by fotologic
Categories: MusicTags: Amy Millan, Angie Mattson, Architecture in Helsinki, Bat for Lashes, Belle & Sebastian, Broken Social Scene, Citizen Helene, Elizabeth and the Catapult, Emma Pollock, Jenny Lewis, Karen O and the Kids, Lost Art of Murder, mates of state, Metric, Neko Case, Rilo Kiley, The Beatles, The Bird and the Bee, The Libertines, The Submarines, The Whispertown 2000, Viva Voce, where-the-wild-things-are
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