Banks 2009 Mix – Summer Soundtrack

Every year before our Memorial Day Weekend camping trip to Banks Lake in eastern Washington we make a “mix tape”. Wow, I’m old. What do you call it these days anyway? A compilation CD? Too formal. A Mix CD? Sounds dumb. Oh well, anyway…

We create this cd as a sort of time capsule, documenting the popular music of the year and it becomes my summer soundtrack, mostly because I am one of those people who never changes the cds in the car. Karli also does a lot of music discovery and comes up with stuff that I would never find but usually grow to love. I also try to include songs from several other categories. Something that was just released. Someone making a comeback. Songs that were influential this last year. And there always seems to be one old song that we just discovered or rediscovered.

Because it also has to serve as the music that lives in my car for the next year, it needs to upbeat, happy and sound good loud. No slow songs unless they are incredible or fit perfectly into one of the essential categories. I also take great care in the ordering of the cd. Making the perfect mix tape is an art form that I have been enjoying and partaking in since high school. The order of and grouping of songs as well as the transitions between songs are very important.

This was the first year that we had to take the kid’s likes and dislikes into account. We don’t listen to any children’s music really, sometimes some Barenaked ladies or Jack Johnson who both have children’s albums. But really our kids just like to listen to regular music. We mostly make them listen to what we like, but the Rhapsody Tivo interface was wonky for a few months and all we could easily get through the TV and stereo system in the house was the Rhapsody Top Tracks, which includes mostly top forty stuff. Because of this the kids have developed a definite opinion about what they like and so we gave them a nod on this cd.

Nickelback for Ian, he likes the hard stuff and for some reason Nickelback is his favorite, and Flo Rida and Lady Gaga for Ada, she likes the dance tracks.

I want to keep a record of these so i am posting this here and hey, maybe you will like it too. Every song has a reason and a place and I am really pleased with this year’s creation.

1.  Make It Mine – Jason Mraz
2. Poker Face – Lady GaGa
3. Break Me Out 2.0 – The Rescues
4. All Around Me – Flyleaf
5. I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’ – Scissor Sisters
6. The Fear – Lily Allen
7. Peacemaker – Green Day
8. Burn It To The Ground – Nickelback
9. Right Round – Flo Rida
10. I Kissed A Girl – Katy Perry
11. You Found Me – The Fray
12. Walking On A Dream – Empire Of The Sun
13. Homecoming – Hey Monday
14. Falling Away – Jupiter Rising
15. Lisztomania – Phoenix
16. Womanizer – Britney Spears
17. Decode – Paramore
18. Boom Boom Pow – Black Eyed Peas
19. Sink Into Me – Taking Back Sunday
20. Help I’m Alive – Metric
21. Sunshine Lady (Alternate Mix) – Two Spot Gobi