Monday, October 31

1998

Download the 1998 mix here.

A few last minute changes on this one knocked off Hole's Celebrity Skin (which was really just there because it was short) and Marilyn Manson's "Dope Show" ("Sweet Dreams" was also considered for an earlier mix). "Praise You" replaced "Rockafeller Skank" because of time issues. While I think "Praise You" is the far better song, "Rockafeller Skank" is way more important, so I'm sad to see it go, but this is probably a better mix without it.

Overall, this is a pretty good set. Lauryn Hill, Black Star, Outkast, and some great electronic, most notably Air's "Sexy Boy," which revolutionized the downtempo scene, and Stardust's "The Music Sounds Better With You," the solo single from one half of Daft Punk, which predicted the house bliss of the group's Discovery. And then, of course, there's "Teardrop," which is really one of the best songs of the decade, though it's not even the best song on Mezzanine.

There are some great one hit wonders in the late to mid 90s, with acts like Marcy Playground, Harvey Danger, and Beenie Man from this year alone. One I couldn't put on here that I highly recommend is Dub Pistols' "Cyclone." One of my favorite singles ever, but just not well-known enough to make it on here.

Some songs I left out: Fastball: "The Way," Juvenile: "Ha," Natalie Imbruglia: "Torn," Sugar Ray: "Every Morning," Beastie Boys: "Intergalactic," New Radicals: "You Get What You Give," Pulp: "This is Hardcore," Semisonic: "Closing Time," Cher: "Believe" (one of the worst songs ever), and yes: Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On."

Post comments below.

1. Praise You - Fatboy Slim - 5:23
2. Hard Knock Life - Jay-Z - 3:57
3. Doo Wop (That Thing) (Edit) - Lauryn Hill - 3:57
4. Music Sounds Better With You - Stardust - 4:20
5. Ray Of Light - Madonna - 5:19
6. Sexy Boy - Air - 4:57
7. The Boy Is Mine - Brandy & Monica - 3:55
8. Gone Till November - Wyclef Jean - 3:26
9. (Sim Sima) Who Am I - Beenie Man - 3:15
10. Definition - Black Star - 3:26
11. You Know My Steez (edit) - Gang Starr - 3:44
12. Rosa Parks (edit) - Outkast - 4:23
13. Ghetto Supastar - Pras Michel Ft ODB and Mya - 4:25
14. No Shelter - Rage Against the Machine - 4:03
15. Flagpole Sitta - Harvey Danger - 3:35
16. Sex and Candy - Marcy Playground - 2:53
17. Waltz #2 - Elliott Smith - 4:40
18. Pure Morning - Placebo - 4:16
19. Teardrop - Massive Attack - 5:30

Monday, October 24

1999

Download the 1999 mix here.

Like probably many of you, the nineties was my decade, my coming of age years, and my formative music years. Most of the songs I have the strongest connections to come from these years, and as we go further back in the mixes, it becomes harder and harder for me to seperate the actually worthwhile stuff from the stuff that was either important to me or has a big enough cheese factor in my life as to be impossible to ignore. You'll notice that the early nineties may be where I make my biggest concessions to the mainstream, and I just can't help it. I apologize in advance for Kriss Kross.

As for 1999, well, it was the big year for Dre, who broke Eminem and put out Dre 2001. The hard rock phenomenon hit bigger with KoRn, Limp Bizkit, etc. I'll be ignoring that pretty much, although I like Incubus enough to include their first single ("Drive" was bigger, but it didn't fit on 2000). One last minute change here was replacing Everlast's "What It's Like" with Fiona Apple's "Fast As You Can." It was a simple case of not being able to listen to the former song, whereas I think Fiona's work was fairly important musically, as it showed a more unusual side of the conventional female singer-songwriter genre.

Blackalicious's contribution will be especially enjoyable for those who haven't heard it, and I defy any Macy Gray doubters to listen to "I Try" again and not admit that it is a thoroughly enjoyable song. I'm also ignoring Britney Spears and Backstreet Boys, because I'll be ignoring most teeny bop music (sorry NKOTB fans).

I left a lot out on this one, but here are the big ones: ODB: "Got your Money," Aphex Twin: "Windowlicker," Blink 182: "What's My Age Again," Chemical Brothers: "Let Forever Be," Madonna: "Beautiful Stranger," Santana: "Smooth."

1. My Name Is - Eminem - 4:28
2. Still D.R.E. - Dr. Dre - 4:30
3. Guerilla Radio - Rage Against The Machine - 3:26
4. Pardon Me - Incubus - 3:43
5. Steal My Sunshine - Len - 4:08
6. No Scrubs - TLC - 3:34
7. Umi Says - Mos Def - 5:10
8. I Try - Macy Gray - 3:59
9. Simon Says - Pharoahe Monch - 2:53
10. Back That Ass Up - Juvenile - 4:28
11. I See You Baby (Fatboy Slim Mix) - Groove Armada - 5:43
12. Red Alert - Basement Jaxx - 4:17
13. You Got Me - The Roots - 4:19
14. Fast As You Can - Fiona Apple - 4:40
15. Race For The Prize - The Flaming Lips - 4:18
16. Tender - Blur - 7:40
17. Alphabet Aerobics (The Cut Chemist 2 1/2 Minute Workout) - Blackalicious - 2:13
18. Debra (Edit) - Beck - 5:35

Friday, October 14

2000

For anyone who wants earlier mixes, I will be reposting the first four mixes later today and tomorrow, so check back later in the week and they will all be up. Okay, moving forward.

Download the 2000 mix here.

2000 was a great year for hip hop, some of which is not represented on this mix. If you've ever talked about hip hop with me, you probably know that Supreme Clientele is one of my favorite hip hop records of all time, and I also really love Blackalicious's Nia and Reflection Eternal's Train of Thought. All three of these records are not represented because I didn't feel any single defined them well enough. Perhaps "Too Late" or "Cherchez La Ghost" should have been included, but I like my choices here better. There will be a Blackalicious song represented next year, however.

Some great electronic music this time around: "Crazy Love" will be the lone representative of the much-maligned Garage movment, "Lebanese Blonde" is a great Thievery Corporation song, and opener "Frontier Psychiatrist," while it hit bigger in the States in late 2001, was already making waves world wide the year before. Since I Left You is probably my album of the decade, by the way.

One last thing about this mix: I chose "Down to the River to Pray" to represent the O Brother sountrack. I did this because it was probably my favorite new recording on the album, and because it featured Alison Krauss, whom I am a big fan of and who will not be included on later mixes, even though her music made quite a splash in the early to mid nineties within the bluegrass community. I highly recommend her music, even for people who aren't big country music fans. She has a beautiful voice.

Here's the list, post suggestions and comments below if you are so inclined.

1. Frontier Psychiatrist - The Avalanches - 4:48
2. The Light - Common - 4:21
3. Stan - Eminem - 6:44
4. B.O.B. - Outkast - 5:04
5. One Armed Scissor - At The Drive-In - 3:44
6. Hip-Hop - Dead Prez - 3:33
7. Country Grammar - Nelly - 4:19
8. Try Again - Aaliyah Ft. Timbaland - 4:40
9. Say My Name - Destinys Child - 4:30
10. Crazy Love - MJ Cole - 3:27
11. Gravel Pit (Edit) - Wu Tang Clan - 4:17
12. Idioteque - Radiohead - 5:09
13. Bohemian Like You - Dandy Warhols - 3:31
14. Lebanese Blonde - Thievery Corporation - 4:48
15. Down To The River To Pray - Alison Krauss - 2:55
16. Yellow - Coldplay - 4:29
17. Untitled (How Does It Feel) - D'Angelo - 7:10

Monday, October 10

2001

Download the 2001 mix here.

Not much to say on this one. This is undoubtedly the worst year of the decade so far for music (among other things), though I managed to cobble together a pretty decent mix. I stuck "The Takeover" and "Ether" on here to represent the most talked about hip hop feud ever, and there are some great songs, to be sure. "Romeo" has had enormous influence in the ensuing years, and "Digital Love" is my jam. The rock revival at the end of the year redeemed it somewhat, with the Strokes and the White Stripes in particular, though both groups didn't truly take hold until the next year. You'll also see I used the Bjork single "Our Hands" rather than anything off of Vespertine. I love Vespertine, but I think " Our Hands" stands alone much better than "Pagan Poetry."

"New Slang" presented a difficult decision, since the song was so big in 2004 because of Garden State ("here, this is "New Slang," by the Shins, off of their record "Oh, Inverted World" available wherever records are sold"). I decided to put it in 2001 because the song made a slight splash in the indie world then, and also because I've kind of decided not to include songs because they hit big on soundtracks. For the most part, I've stuck those songs in their original years. I'm not really sure why.

This is also the first time that I have edited a track, due to the inclusion of a skit before or after the song. "The Life" originally had a skit that led into the next song, but I cut it off for your listening pleasure. Enjoy, and don't be afraid to post suggestions below.

1. Romeo - Basement Jaxx - 3:36
2. Let Me Blow Ya Mind Ft. Gwen Stefani - Eve - 3:49
3. Clint Eastwood - Gorillaz - 5:42
4. Hash Pipe - Weezer - 3:07
5. Last Night - The Strokes - 3:17
6. Agenda Suicide - The Faint - 3:58
7. Purple Pills - D12 - 5:06
8. Can't Get You Out Of My Head - Kylie Minogue - 3:49
9. Digital Love - Daft Punk - 4:58
10. Fallin' - Alicia Keys - 3:30
11. The Takeover - Jay-Z - 5:13
12. Ether - NaS - 4:37
13. Fell In Love With A Girl - The White Stripes - 1:50
14. Witness (One Hope) - Roots Manuva - 4:15
15. The Life (edit) - Mystic - 3:32
16. Destiny - Zero 7 - 5:37
17. Our Hands - Bjork - 4:18
18. New Slang - The Shins - 3:51
19. Pyramid Song - Radiohead - 4:48

Monday, October 3

2002

Download the 2002 mix here.

I made a lot of personal choices on this mix. I like "Gossip Folks" better than "Work It," "Time For Heroes" better than "Wot a Waster," and "I Luv You" better than "Fix Up Look Sharp." Plus, I stuck "My Block" on the mix, which isn't too important, but I just think is a fantastic single.

Similarly, I think "Do You Realize???" is more important than "Fight Test," I think "Cry Me a River" is bigger than "Like I Love You," or "Rock Your Body," and don't even complain about "Lose Yourself" over something from Eminem Show; it won an oscar for chrissakes.

Then there are the unusual choices. I love the remix of Dinah Washington's "Is You Is" by Rae and Christian off Verve Remixed (not to mention I think the remix fad is a pretty noteworthy movement). Ms. Dynamite didn't hitnearly as big as Britain expected her to, but that song is so fantastic I don't want to ignore it (and I want to get as much female hip hop represented as I can).

I will also point out that there are two of the best neptunes beats ever on this mix: "Hot in Herre," and "Grindin'."

A big song I'm leaving out is "A Stroke of Genie-us" by Freelance Hellraiser. Certainly the most famous mash up (of the recent era anyway), it was actually released as an offical single once it got so popular that they figured they could at least make a little money off of it. I didn't put it on here because it sucks. It's terrible, and every time I try to listen to it, I feel a part of my soul die inside.

Songs I left out besides that: Weezer's "Burndt Jamb" or "Dope Nose," Beck "Lost Cause," The Walkmen's "We've Been Had," Coldplay "Clocks" and "In My Place," DJ Shadow "Six Days," Hot Hot Heat "Bandages," The Coral, "Dreaming of You," the Vines "Get Free," the remix of Elvis's "A Little Less Conversation (A Little More Action)," anything from Thought For Food, Bright Eyes' Lifted, RJD2's Deadringer, or Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Oh, and I hate "Danger! High Voltage!"

I also plan to add the Chris Martin version of "Dry Your Eyes" to my 2004 post later in the day, so look for that if you are interested. Post comments on this mix below.

1. Losing My Edge - LCD Soundsystem - 7:51
2. Hot In Herre - Nelly - 3:48
3. Lapdance (feat. Lee Harvey & Vita) - N*E*R*D - 3:29
4. Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby (Rae & Christian Remix) - Dinah Washington - 4:58
5. Cry me a river - Justin Timberlake - 4:52
6. The Way We Get By - Spoon - 2:40
7. Hate To Say I Told You So - The Hives - 3:22
8. No One Knows - Queens Of The Stone Age - 4:14
9. The Seed (2.0) - The Roots - 4:27
10. Dy-Na-Mi-Tee - Ms. Dynamite - 3:39
11. Lose Yourself - Eminem - 5:31
12. Made You Look - NaS - 3:22
13. Gossip Folks (featuring Ludacris) - Missy Elliott - 3:54
14. Grindin' - Clipse - 4:24
15. I Luv You - Dizzee Rascal - 4:05
16. Time For Heroes - The Libertines - 2:40
17. Do You Realize?? - The Flaming Lips - 3:32
18. My Block - Scarface - 3:31
19. Weak Become Heroes - The Streets - 5:32