Jack Sou Brasileiro

*a guest mix from an avid friendlymixtape follower who we'll call "jack".

I've got a whole creative process I go through when I put a mixdisc together, but the most important rule is that it's got to make sense, there's got to be something holding it all together. In this case, there's a theme here: this is about the end of a relationship. I tried to take it from the good times (All I Want) to the break-up (Swans) to that time where there's a lot of confusion and feelings going on (You Still Believe in Me) to depression (The Medication is Wearing Off) to anger (A Little Bit More) to denial (What a Fool Believes) to acceptance (Keep Me in Your Heart).

1. Joni Mitchell – All I Want – This is one of my favorite love songs. Joni has such a talent for exaggerating the tone of the song… she makes happy songs ecstatic and sad songs heart-wrenchingly depressing. This is one of the former. And it fits me pretty well, very self-depreciating.

2. Nada Surf – Do It Again – Okay, a handful of these songs don't fit perfectly in my little theme, but I put them in anyway. Although I think "It" is sex. More than anything, it's about how difficult things are.

3. Rufus Wainwright – Instant Pleasure – A cover of Seth Swirsky, off the Big Daddy soundtrack. Pretty simple really, lets us know where his priorities are.

4. Nouvelle Vague – Teenage Kicks – The (of course) bossa nova cover of the Undertone's rather unknown single. It's incredibly infectious piece of pop, and I love it. And you will too.

5. Marisa Monte – Pale Blue Eyes – Wow, third cover in a row. Here, the original is by The Velvet Underground, and I don't have to tell you that this version by probably one of the best vocalists ever to come out of Brazil is 307 times better than Lou Reed.

6. Griffin House – The Guy That Says Goodbye to You Is Out of His Mind – The title pretty much says it all here.

7. Betty Johnson – It's Been a Long, Long Time – A short and sweet little ditty. Thematically, this song is end of the good times.







8. The Pretenders – Human – One of my favorite bands. Here we begin with the hurt feelings and broken promises, with a catchy beat.

9. Unkle Bob – Swans – Yeah yeah, I heard this on Grey's Anatomy with everyone else. It's got one of the saddest lines I've ever heard: "You tell me that you love me, but you never want to see me again."

10. Psapp – Calm Down – I don't even remember how I got into Psapp, but I now hear them on every other commercial. This one's been on ads for VW and the New York Times. And I love it.

11. Feist – 1234 – New single from Feist. It's got my two favorite instruments here: the banjo, which has a naturally happy sound, and the trumpets, which I feel can make just about any song better. I love it when anyone makes happy songs out of sad subjects, but Feist is really good at it.

12. Paul Simon – Everything About It Is a Love Song – I think this song is about getting old. But maybe everything about that is about love… or something like that.

13. M. Ward – You Still Believe in Me – Since this is an instrumental version of the Beach Boy's song, I'm using it to represent that nebulous area during the breakup where, yeah, the relationship is over, but maybe you'll get back together, nobody knows… that's a fun area. But, as always, a great performance from M. Ward.

14. Steely Dan – Black Cow – This is another song that doesn't really fit, but for the mood. And let's us know it's over now. I'm a huge Dan fan, and this song is great. The bass line really drives the song, and it's got a great hook.

15. Eels – The Medication Is Wearing Off – Really, really depressing (but that's how I roll). The depression in this guy's life is probably from a few sources, but I love how this constant reminder of him is right there on his wrist.

16. Shout Out Louds – Please Please Please – Another great pop song… this is in the denial/begging stage. The lead singer, who looks like Jason Schwartzman, is a total asshole.







17. Jamie Lidell – A Little Bit More – Yes, from the Target commercial. Here one of two is really just telling the other off. Just try not to dance to it (bouncing in your chair counts as dancing).

18. The Doobie Brothers – What a Fool Believes – This one kinda echoes the last one, in that one of them wasn't taking the relationship as serious as the other. In this one, the guy is obviously blind to her signals that it's over over. He can't help it. What a great song.

19. Neil Young – Long May You Run – Sometimes, even though it ends, we just want the best for the other person (sometimes we become a bitter, empty shallow of a person, but that's neither here nor there). The liner notes say he wrote this for "a girl and a car."

20. Johnny Cash – I'll Take You Home Again Kathleen – A real classic. I got the whole story on this from a woman at Breuger's: written by a Canadian for his homesick Irish wife. I've always wanted to sing this as a bar is closing.

21. Norah Jones – Wurlitzer Prize (I Don't Want to Get Over You) – A cover of Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson. The imagery here is great: going back to that place you used to go and play the old songs. So sad, but really, who hasn't been there?

22. Jorge Calderón & Jennifer Warnes – Keep Me in Your Heart – This is the last song Warren Zevon wrote after learning he had lung cancer. From that perspective, it's about remember the best about someone after they've died, but it works for anyone who's gone away that you care about. This version is from the tribute album "Enjoy Every Sandwich," and it's just heartbreaking.

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