Review
Compilation CD brightens dreary spring days
April 13, 2007
Lately, I’ve been feeling a lot of not-so-cheery vibes. Between the theft of our papers and the ridiculously cold weather, its not feeling like spring should.
So, as an offering to the seasonal gods, I have put together an ultimate spring 2007 mix. Some of the songs may not be familiar to you and some are old favorites, but when you put them together, I think this customized compact disc will put a smile on anyone’s face.
First is “Colours” by Donavon. It’s pretty mellow, but it talks about the different colors you see in the morning. With all the trees budding and flowers blooming, it can really help put you in a great mood for class.
“Ants Marching” by Dave Matthews Band has so many feel-good songs, but this is a classic from their best album. Dave sings, “His concerns/he forgets them,” which is how we will feel in a month when finals are done.
Then we move on to another favorite, of the hip-hop variety — “Me, Myself and I” by De La Soul. This is a great example of how hiphop should still sound. Even after more than a decade, these beats are fresh and the lyrics are positive; no hoes and no turf wars.
From there, we take it back down to Otis Redding’s “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay.” You and I may not be able to sit in such a perfect place here in northern Wisconsin, but we can sure imagine it or make a summer break trip.
Some of the best songs for good weather get their roots from the Caribbean and reggae. The next two songs: K-os’ “Fly Paper” and Lucky Boys Confusion’s “Sunday Morning” keep those beats while maintaining their individual rap and punk roots.
It wouldn’t be spring if love wasn’t in the air, so I hope that the Beastie Boys’ song “Girls” will get you boys thinking about all of us women in our new tank tops and sparkly sandals.
You know you’ve had class with us all semester, so this song will give you the confidence to finally come up and talk to us. And for the ladies, I follow with a ska song from the band I Voted for Kodos called “Just Want You to Know.” Ska always puts a little skip in my step and just hearing a boy sing “I just want you to know/girl I wanna get with you,” makes me anticipate a great summer romance.
Now my mix moves to the summer night party songs. I couldn’t make a good mix without a good punk cover, so to get in the mood I chose New Found Glory’s cover of “Back that Ass up” by Juvenile.
It’s kind of a silly and random song, but everyone will be getting their dance on to this one. Following that, I picked a song for everyone to sing along to, preferably around a campfire.
Todd Schneider is known best for his folk songs, but when you live in River Falls, his best song is “Beer Run.” Although I don’t condone crazy, underage house parties, this song really describes how the small-town ‘gatherings’ get started.
It wouldn’t be spring without a good party. Finally, I end with the “Magic Carpet Ride” remix by Fatboy Slim. Because isn’t that what spring should feel like?
It may not be the beginning of the year, but it sure feels like it when classes are ending and each day becomes a bit less hectic.
Like Rob says about ‘making a great compilation tape’ in High Fidelity, “You gotta kick off with a killer, to grab attention. Then you got to take it up a notch, but you don’t wanna blow your wad, so then you got to cool it off a notch. There are a lot of rules.”
I promise these songs won’t let you down. I hope this CD can put you in high spirits and excitement for the spring season.
Jenna Lee is a student at UW-River Falls.