There’s something to be said against seasonal affective disorder. Myself, I’ve never been struck particularly hard, but I do notice that getting up in the mornings becomes a bit more… pointless?
Nothing that a good sound-track can’t fix though… And here is my 2006 edition.
I’m kicking off with Fools Gold, off the Blissard CD by Motorpsycho. It isn’t actually a real song - more of a organ ditty around the general theme of a ferris wheel type tune. Right, I agree, it totally doesn’t belong on the CD, but I just like to have a tune which is reasonably obscure as the first track, so you can easily identify what you’re listening to.
From the introduction track, we go straight into Jose Gonzalez - Crosses. It’s a beautiful, if downbeat track. The purpose of this is to set the mood: it’s a tune filled with hope, love, and more than a little bit of prettyness. It is the antithesis of what the rest of the album is going to be. Not sure why, but I always find that, when making a mix CD which is designed to influence a mood, that you start off with a song embellishing the mood you are trying to move away from.
The third track is Bixo, by Manu Chao, off his Esperanza album. It’s a whimsical medley of genres and styles, and in a way, Bixo is the whole Esperanza album in a single tune. Of course, it’s cheating, because Esperanza is a feel-good album by itself. This is my album. I make the rules. Shurrup.
Insistor is a track that is quite new to me - it was sent to me by a friend a couple of days ago, but it was actually the inspiration for making this CD compilation. It’s a shuffle-happy song with a quick, upbeat rhythm to it. If you listen to it while walking anywhere, I defy you to not brisken your pace, and walk with a swagger.
Video, by india.arie graces the fifth track on this compilation. It’s a tune that seems to find its way into many of my mix CDs, perhaps because it represents a lot of different moods. The lyrics have a defiance about them which makes me feel upbeat and happy. It’s got a ‘yeah, so what?’ attitude to it, which is sort of what this album is about. ‘Ok, so it’s winter. Fuck it, I’m still going to have a good time. So there.’ That, and I love it.
You’ve heard Honey, by Moby, so many times that you want to throw up, or a least skip the album after the first six seconds. Give this one a chance, though, because this is a hell of a clever remix. I have no idea what the tune mixed in with Play is called, but it works really well. It was a song that made me re-discover Moby - even though I’ve played my Play album until it was nearly falling apart, I dug it back out of the ‘discarded CDs’ pile… Moby’s a hell of an artist. And this song just makes me smile.
If you ever needed proof that my mix albums are completely unapologetic, track 7 is the proof. I Sugababes is a manufactured group which isn’t worth a record contract. However, this particular track has just the kind of cheerful, catchy drive an album like this needs.
From UK pop drivel, I’m moving on to a spot of J-pop. Japanese pop music is weird stuff, and I haven’t got the faintest idea what this song is about (err, Go go dancers, perhaps?) nonetheless, it’s cheerful, it has a colourful and busy soundscape which is rarely found in europop music, and the bass line is subtly gorgeous as well. I love it, and it makes me feel like bouncing along the road like a horny japanese schoolgirl. Which is always a good thing.
In the name of Properly Weird Shit, Datarock are a Norwegian band that I’ve recently discovered. I’ve heard their music described as electro-funk, and I can’t really argue with that, but it’s more than that as well… It’s playful, experimental, yet unarguably very listenable. Oh, and cheerful.
From crazy Norwegians, we’re going to something completely different. I’ve been into Stoner Rock for quite a while now. most of it is relatively downbeat, heavy, and sad, but this particular track by Clutch has a phenomenal impact, with some truly clever vocal and musical syncopations. Sure, it’s heavy rock by anybody’s standard, but that never stopped it from making me happy. Of course, if you ain’t into rock, it’s quite possible that this isn’t going to do anything for you, but hey - is that my fault? 
For track 11, I’ve got another cheesy pop tune in store for you. DJ Mendez’ only big hit that I’m aware of is cheesier than a Macaroni factory, but vocal harmonies, lyrics about the sun, rapping in spanish(?) and general latin feel makes me dancy and happy. Listen to this tune on headphones - It’s a guilty pleasure, and it’s perfectly OK to feel naughty as you turn your discman / iPod to 11. Go on. Nobody will ever know.
For reasons unknown to me, I’ve always felt that Razor Tongue would go great with some Green Day. If I ever learn how to remix songs, it’s going to be my first try. In the meantime the best I can do is to stick them back-to-back on my mix album. Hithcin’ a ride is good for oh so many different reasons. It’s a typical marching song - put this on your iPod, and you’ll never miss a bus again in your life.
Time for a bit of crazy Norgie-music again, I think. Resistansen is a fabulous track by the even more fabulous Kaizers Orchestra. It’s more camp than a row of pitched tents, and it sounds religious as you like, but it’s actually about playing russian roulette. Don’t ask, but once the chorus kicks in, I’m grinning from ear to ear. If you don’t speak norwegian, put it on during a dinner party or something. People will look at you oddly, but they’ll be smiling, for sure.
After a song that odd, we obviously need to go a little bit more mainstream. You’ve heard about Nu-Metal of course? Well, the Scissor Sisters are Nu-Disco, and I don’t care what anybody says - they kick ass. No apologies, no excuses, pure and simple disco music. Can’t go wrong.
The cheerfullest music ever created was ska punk, especially if they take it a little bit easy. I went to see Rancid a couple of weeks ago, and what can I say - Time Bomb is one of the best live songs I’ve heard in bloody ages. Rancid’s legendary bass player is just doodling along in the background, the keyboard is doing its own thing, and the rhythm guitars are all over the place, but the lyrics and drums drive the song forward, forward, forward, like a steam train. Another perfect walking song, and most definitely a happy tune.
Know what I said about happy ska? Well, it all applies to I Want Your Girlfriend, by Reel Big Fish, but in this case, you can add silly lyrics, too. A definite winner.
Just when you thought we were done with furrin music, I go and break it all again! Shocking, or something. Get That Girl, by Witches, shot to fame after an awfully cute Flash music video hit the intarwebs. It took a bit of tracking down to find the song, but once I found it, I knew it had to be on any happy-song compilation after that. It’s kind of like korean pop-ska. Sound weird? Well, that’s cause it is, but it’s bloody brilliant.
I’m always struggling to find a song that’s deserving of closing an album - especially one that is mood-driven like this one. The last tune was such a troubled little creature that I actually gave up. This album was originally made about two weeks ago, but without a proper closer - well - no. Then, the other day, I was driving to work with my iPod on random, and this tune popped up. Bingo, I though. It’s calm, peaceful, and passionate. More importantly, though, if you know the original, then you realise how much funkier and more up-beat this version is. A playful yet subtle bass line and a nearly jungle-inspired drumline in the background drives the tune. It’s kind of as if you’re getting a gentle landing from the rest of the album - sure, it’s been upbeat, and cheerful and happy, and now, in a calming-down exercise, it puts you back in a cocoon of gentle warmness and upbeat tranquility. Just what you need, yes?
1 - Fools Gold (Motorpsycho)
2 - Crosses (Jose Gonzalez)
3 - Bixo (Manu Chao)
4 - Insistor (Tapes ‘n Tapes)
5 - Video (India.Arie)
6 - Honey (remix) (Moby)
7 - Hole In The Head (Sugababes))
8 - Go Go Dancer (Pizzicato Five)
9 - Fa Fa Fa (Datarock)
10 - The Mob Goes Wild (Clutch)
11 - Razor Tongue (Dj Mendez)
12 - Hitchin’ a Ride (Green Day)
13 - Resistansen (Kaizers Orchestra)
14 - Filthy/Gorgeous (Scissor Sisters)
15 - Timebomb (Rancid)
16 - I Want Your Girlfriend (Reel Big Fish)
17 - Get That Girl (Witches)
18 - Immigrant - KV5 Mix (Nitin Sawhney)