1. Sentridoh - Cause for Celebration - based on the name of the song, I was expecting something a little more upbeat. 3/5
2. Yo La Tengo - The Crying of the Lot G - I like this. Very laid back. Something I'd play in the background. 4/5
3. Idlewild - Tell Me Ten Words - well, I'd already told red that this one of my favorites, so of course, it gets 5 stars. 5/5
4. Gordon Gano - Impossible Love - This is a sweet tune, but I can't get over the guy's voice, which kinda annoys me. 3/5
5. Elefant - Tonight Let's Dance - wonderful! 5/5
6. The Darling Buds - If - *Loved* this band back in the 90s. 4/5
7. Autumn Defense - You Know Where I Live - hey, did you and Z compare notes on this one? 3/5
8. Calexico - Yours and Mine - I like this. I'm starting to sense a heartbreak about your mix cd, red?? 3/5
9. Emiliana Torrini - Today Has Been OK - Wonderful voice. Love her. 4/5
10. Iron & Wine - Passing Afternoon - Lovely. It's hard to go wrong with this guy. 4/5
11. Coldplay - Sparks - oh yeah, Coldplay used to be pretty good, right? Was surprised to see this on your mix. 3/5
12. Ivy - I've Got You Memorized - I've got this album at home. Good stuff. 4/5
13. Shout Out Louds - Very Loud - I'm not impressed by this band for whatever reason, and I have seen them live. 2/5
14. the Long Winters - Scared Straight - Hmm, didn't do much for me. 2/5
15. Rilo Kiley - It's a Hit - Nice closer to the cd. 3/5

Another very strong 3/5. A nice assemblage of "relationship" tunes. It makes me wonder if you are sad? I hope not.

i might've been kind of mopey when i assembled the mix.

i didn't realize that z and i both used that autumn defense song until we were putting the discs into the envelopes. oh well. two great minds...

glad you enjoyed a good portion of it!

Idlewild, Rilo, the Shout Outs, I&W, and a Daniel Johnston cover. That's my kind of mix.

1. "Cause For Celebration" - Sentridoh
Interesting choice for an opener. It works quite nicely in this context.

2. "The Crying of Lot G" - Yo La Tengo
This really sounds a lot like Luna to me. I like the whisper-speak vocals and the dreamy Badalamenti instrumentation here.

3. "Tell Me Ten Words" - Idlewild
I run pretty hot and cold on these guys. I generally prefer it when they rock out, but this is a pretty good midtempo number. They frustrate me on the whole, though, because they really tend to underachieve. They've got the potential to be very, very good, but it kind of seems like they're settling for a kind of comfortable niche rather than pushing the envelope.

4. "Impossible Love" - Gordon Gano
I haven't heard as much Violent Femmes as I should have, given my age. I mean, I should have been exposed to more over the years simply by osmosis, if nothing else. This is catchy enough. Reminds me a little of Del Fuegos, or am I thinking of BoDeans? My memory is starting to fail me...EARLY ONSET ALZHEIMER'S!

5. "Tonight, Let's Dance" - Elefant
This has an '80s feel to it, but not a cheesy '80s feel. It would have been right at home on the soundtrack to a John Hughes movie. I like it.

6. "If" - Darling Buds
A pleasant little pop ditty. Nothing earthshattering, but it's nice.

7. "You Know Where I Live" - Autumn Defense
This same track was on Z's mix, which I reviewed yesterday. Here's what I said:

Since then, I have learned that this is, in fact, a Wilco side project. However, we have been unable to verify whether it's a harpsichord or mellotron. That mystery remains unsolved.

8. "Yours & Mine" - Calexico
I only recently "acquired" Garden Ruin, so I'm still trying to absorb it. This is a particularly heartfelt ballad, which is quite different from the mariachi-tinged stuff I'm used to from them (at least the little I've heard). It's good, just not what I expected.

9."Today Has Been Okay" - Emiliana Terrini
Her name makes me crave pasta. "Our specials today, sir, are the Fettucine Alfredo and the Emiliana Terrini." Her voice is very delicate, almost fragile. After listening to this track, all I can say is this song has been okay.

10. "Passing Afternoon" - Iron & Wine
This is very soothing. Not sure if I could handle an entire album of this, but it's definitely a quality song on its own.

11. "Sparks" - Coldplay
I was kind of hoping the Mael brothers had written a song that inspired the name of Mr. Paltrow's band, but alas, that is not the case. It's not that I hate Coldplay, they are just so damn innocuous. I mean, it sounds nice and all, but there doesn't seem to be anything there. It's like pretty on the surface, but hollow on the inside.

12. "I've Got You Memorized" - Ivy
I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE Dominique Durant's voice. In the Clear wasn't their best album, but this is one of the better tracks from it.

13. "Very Loud" - Shout Out Louds
I'm torn. I like the drums and bass on this track, but not the vocals or guitar. What am I to make of this? Results inconclusive.

14. "Scared Straight" - The Long Winters
Awesome band. Awesome album. Awesome song. The 1-2-3 punch that kicks off this album very well might be the greatest so far in the '00s. In fact, if it weren't for the painfully out of place "Bride and Bridle," this would be a damn near perfect album. This song is probably the best one on the whole album, and definitely the best on this mix. Absolutely killer horns!

15. "It's a Hit" - Rilo Kiley
Believe it or not, this marks the first time I have ever heard a Rilo Kiley song, unless there was one on someone else's mix I can't recall. Regardless, this is pretty good. Ahhhhhhhhhhhh, yes...more horns. I love horns.

This is one of the more subdued mixes I've heard in a while, but that's not a bad thing. Sometimes I get so focused on THE RAWK that I don't stop and smell the musical roses. This was a very nice bouquet, Jasmine. I give this an extremely solid B. Well done, red!