so after a long/short four years (it depends on how much i think about it), college is officially over in about two weeks. while i essentially feel no more prepared for the real world than i did four years ago, i've at least listened to a lot of great music along the way. the weird part is, and this happens surprisingly often, hearing some of these songs can bring back memories ranging from my general state of mind when i would listen to them on a regular basis, to specific locations at which i listened to them. and so i've made a series of mixes representing each year to reminisce/depress myself.

freshman year 2001-2002

rival schools - 'travel by telephone'
..trail of dead - 'how near, how far'
bad religion - 'kyoto now'
andrew wk - 'i get wet'
descendents - 'suburban home'
tiger army - 'true romance'
the distillers - 'i am a revenant'
jawbreaker - 'chemistry'
dismemberment plan - 'the city'
doves - 'catch the sun'
stephen malkmus - 'troubbble'
the donnas - 'hook it up'
the impossibles - 'connecticut'
sonic youth - 'teenage riot'
built to spill - 'big dipper'
beat happening - 'our secret'
the get up kids - 'ten minutes'
radio 4 - 'calling all enthusiasts'
hey mercedes - 'the frowning of a lifetime'
kid dynamite - 'cheap shot youth anthem'
piebald - 'fear and loathing on cape cod'
q and not u - 'soft pyramids (single version)'
radiohead - 'like spinning plates (live)'

sophomore year 2002-2003

dillinger four - 'noble stabbings!!'
hot water music - 'i was on a mountain'
leatherface - 'in the real world'
afghan whigs - 'debonair'
arab strap - 'the shy retirer'
cave-in - 'stained silver'
enon - 'natural disasters'
elf power - 'will my feet still carry me home'
graham coxon - 'bitter tears'
husker du - 'chartered trips'
sleater-kinney - 'call the doctor'
j. mascis and the fog - 'bobbin'
mclusky - 'collagen rock'
minus the bear - 'absinthe party at the fly honey warehouse'
the breeders - 'off you'
the halo benders - 'virginia reel around the fountain'
the exploding hearts - 'modern kicks'
wilco - 'kamera'
doves - 'words'
the soundtrack of our lives - 'the flood'

junior year 2003-2004

the new pornographers - 'the laws have changed'
sleater-kinney - 'get up'
elbow - 'grace under pressure'
paint it black - 'womb envy'
graham coxon - 'freakin' out'
pretty girls make graves - 'this is our emergency'
the shins - 'kissing the lipless'
the walkmen - 'the rat'
nada surf - 'blizzard of '77'
franz ferdinand - 'come on home'
wrens - 'this boy is exhausted'
modest mouse - 'bury me with it'
the british sea power - 'the lonely'
the smiths - 'hand in glove'
rye coalition - 'hot strikes'
blur - 'pop scene'
the constantines - 'poison'
the lawrence arms - 'chapter 13: the hero appears'
lifetime - '25 cent giraffes'
the sleepy jackson - 'this day'
the stills - 'still in love song'
air - 'cherry blossom girl'

senior year 2004-2005

mirah - 'nobody has to stay'
mark lanegan - 'when your number isn't up'
beulah - 'a man like me'
magnetic fields - 'i don't believe you'
the arcade fire - 'un anee sans lumiere'
spoon - 'chicago at night'
earlimart - 'heaven adores you'
neko case - 'deep red bells'
neutral milk hotel - 'in the aeroplane over the sea'
a.c. newman - 'on the table'
death from above 1979 - 'black history month'
the futureheads - 'meantime'
ted leo and the pharmacists - 'counting down the hours'
mclusky - 'you should be ashamed, seamus'
the clash - 'clampdown'
the jam - 'going underground'
morrissey - 'first of the gang to die'
the donnas - 'is that all you've got for me'
the dears - 'lost in the plot'
the british sea power - 'it ended on an oily stage'
jonathan richman - 'abdul and cleopatra'
the silver jews - 'random rules'

This is a pretty cool idea.


I wish I had kept something like this for my first college experience: 1988-1990. I think I was making mix tapes back then but doubt that I still have them around anywhere. Seems so long ago now...

Technically, I could do this.