This mix is about Lord of the Flies, everyone’s favorite novel from Freshmen English.
Why it’s pretentious: Aside from the meaning and title? I know it’s hard to believe, but there was once a time when Snow Patrol was too cool for school. I made this right before I dumped them for becoming too commercial. “Chasing Cars? Pfft. I prefer the lo-fi drugged-out sounds of Velocity Girl.”
Tracklisting and downloads after the jump.
This mix is about Sydney Carton from A Tale of Two Cities.
Why It’s Pretentious: I adored Tale of Two Cities because I like really long drawn out stories with overindulgent characterizations and little, if any, distinguishable plot. And also moody misunderstood criminals who sacrifice themselves for the one they love. The title comes from the scene in which Carton tells Lucie that he’s hopelessly in love with her: “Since I knew you… I have had unformed ideas of striving afresh, beginning anew, shaking off sloth and sensuality, and fighting out the abandoned fight. A dream, all a dream, that ends in nothing, and leaves the sleeper where he lay down, but I wish you to know that you inspired it.” I mean, SWOON.
Tracklisting, downloads, and bonus weekend pretension after the jump.
This mix is about a drug addict who falls for a prostitute.
Why It’s Pretentious: I promised super pretentious and here it is: This is an epic about a drug addict who picks up a hitchhiker on his way home, falls for her, and then finds out she’s a prostitute. Wanting to start a better life together, they try to get clean. He succeeds. She doesn’t. So even though he loves her, he can’t be with her. Named after a song by Bloc Party, it features a Smiths bootleg and a song by Jimmy Eat World that used to be a rarity but can now be found on iTunes. #displeased
Oh, and the story unfolds backwards. So.
Tracklisting and downloads after the jump.
This mix is about what happens when a hopeless romantic meets a fiery redhead.
Why it’s Pretentious: At some point in my high school career, I got really into making vignettes. (Hey, some people write stories; I make mixtapes.) This one is about a quiet bookish boy in a cardigan; a spunky, magnetic girl; and that place where their whimsy meets and they fall in love. It’s about when the person you love is so mesmerizing that you’re a little lost for words, a little bit hopeless. For good measure, it features both a song in French (Rufus Wainwright’s beautiful “Complainte de la Butte”) and a string tribute to the Beatles.
Tracklisting and downloads after the jump.
This mix is about… our anniversary, maybe? Er…
Why It’s Pretentious: Sometimes I look back at mixes that I made for people and notice little subconscious things. Like, I probably should have known that including a song with the line “What do you mean I don’t love you? I am standing here, aren’t I?” on an anniversary tape meant the relationship was a little strained. (Or that when he didn’t appreciate Klaxons covering Justin Timberlake, it was definitely not mean to be.) I don’t listen to this mix much because that incidental foreshadowing is a bit strange to hear, but I do think it’s a sweet little jumble of songs. Makes me smile.
Tracklisting, downloads, and bonus quote after the jump.
