Mixtape: A homemade music compilation that contains all of your favourite tracks. Often you give such a compilation to the guy or gal of your fancy in hopes that it will help you win their heart. (Urban Dictionary).
Or it could simply be the generic name given to any compilation of songs recorded onto any audio format. (Wikipedia)
My heart belongs to autumn*. It’s my favorite season. My preferred variety of apple becomes available at the end of September, which makes me a very pleasant person to be around. Little known fact, I LOVE apples – I have a list of favorite varieties. Macintosh tops that list, I grew up beside an apple orchard that specialized in Macintosh and the best ones are grown in the Northeast, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Halloween happens. Leaves change color. The first snow falls. Riding boots are back in season. Autumn is the best.
1. Metallica – Nothing Else Matters
2. Griffin House – Go Through It
3. Bruce Springsteen – I’m on Fire. Apparently the best video of 1985…
4. Holley Maher – Hiding Place.This song makes me weepy for no discernible reason. It’s disconcerting. I’m not even certain I like the song. Yet here it is.
5. The Magic Numbers – I See You, You See Me
6. Great Lake Swimmers – Your Rocky Spine.
7. First Aid Kit – I Found a Way
8. Pearl Jam – Just Breathe
9. Morphine – Rope on Fire
10. Carolyn Wonderland – I Live Alone With Someone. She’s amazing.
11. Calexico – Black Heart
12. Wilco – California Stars. This is an update of a Woody Guthrie song.
13. Nina Simone – Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues. There is something magical about Nina Simone covering Bob Dylan.
14. Griffin House – The Guy Who Says Goodbye To You Is Out Of His Mind. Because who doesn’t want this sentiment directed towards them? It’s…cute. And it reminds me a little of school.
15. Wilco – Via Chicago. Inspired by Henry Miller. This mixtape is now literary.
Thoughts? Additions? What do you listen to when autumn comes ’round?
*Considering it was 102 yesterday and as I set the precedent with my summer mixtape, the autumn mixtape will post about one month before the season begins with the hope that my declaring it’s almost autumn brings in the season forthwith. With this reasoning, my winter mixtape will post at least one month late.
flannel and folklore 
Autumn is totally my favorite holiday too. Unfortunately where I live it lasts like two weeks before it just jumps headfirst into Winter. So. I’ve never had a Macintosh apple. I’m fond of Pink Lady apples, personally. I’m new to discovering to Calexico but I really like them. I love your music picks… they’re all so mello. I really like Greg Laswell… Griffin House is great.. I’m a hard rock fan so I’m new to this genre-type. It helps relax me and I need that a lot these days. Your mixtapes have become an inspiration to my Spotify playlists. 😀
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Colorado suffers from the same sort of Autumn. It’s hot until mid-September at least and it begins snowing usually by mid-October. If I’m really lucky, I get a solid month of enjoyment.
Hunt down a Macintosh apple, it’s seriously a life changing apple (if there can be such a thing). I like Pink Lady apples as well, there similar in taste, but are crisper. My apple obsession is a little odd (I realize as I’m typing this).
I am a hard rock (and classic rock) fan as well, more so in my earlier years, than now. A lot of my musical preferences in general are very New England based. I know more Aerosmith, Phish, The Cars, Morphine, and Godsmack than I otherwise would if I had not been from NE. I tend to be the happiest (and most mellow*) in autumn, thus this particular playlist. All of those songs should be available on Spotify, except Morphine (the particular album that “Rope on Fire” is from is not available). I prefer classic rock and, to some extent, blues in the summer (with exceptions, of course). The winter playlist should be quite depressing if it follows my mood. At any rate, I’m glad you like it and happy that someone is reading it. My mixtapes are definitely not my most popular posts, but they are fun for me.
Also, off topic, I’m not feeling Shooting Scars. I don’t know where I thought it was going, but not where it is currently…
*I don’t know if mellow could ever be used to describe me, but I am very easy going.
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I’m happiest in Autumn too… Summer makes me so cranky because I’m hot all the damn time and I feel like I’m going into meltdown.
I listen to quite a bit of Classic Rock too and I have this strange love for 80s rock. Not like the Cure. Like Whitesnake. I’ve never quite understood why… it baffles me.
Yeah, Shooting Scars was… I think my 4 star rating was generous. And the ending? Yeah, I don’t know. I can’t even see where book 3 is going to go. Honestly, I’m not even excited for book 3.
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I’ve been known to be less than pleasant in summer and winter. Not my seasons, though I do love July (my birthday month and there’s a holiday WITH fireworks).
I do love The Cure. And the ’80’s (and the ’90’s). Whitesnake not as much, though hairbands do hold a special place in my heart (it’s not necessarily a good place, but a place nonetheless). Though I do love The Smiths which can be equally as dubious (Morrissey is something else). If you can admit to loving Whitesnake, I can admit to loving Genesis, Simple Minds, AND Cheap Trick. I think ‘That’s All’ is a classic.
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And the first time Ellie was with Javier and felt not remorse or regret, she lost me. There’s doing what you need to do and just being slutty. It was the latter for me, unfortunately. Plus it just made her “love” seem kind of worthless, bear in mind I’m not done yet. There could be a miraculous turnaround that I’ve not yet discovered.
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hahaha I could admit to liking a lot of band 80s bands. Including Motley Crue. I have a problem. And yeah, not necessarily a ‘good place’.
My birthday is in November and is ironically my favorite month too. I was born on Thanksgiving but it only falls on the holiday once like every… 14 years or something. It falls on it this year!
Cheap Trick is pretty awesome, I agree.
She was TOTALLY being slutty… I was actually pretty grossed out.
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Great picks! Specially that Springsteen song 🙂
Autumn is my favorite season too. Days get a little colder, it begins to rain again and I get to wear atumn clothes! scarfs, boots, coats, umbrellas… I love them!
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That is my favorite Springsteen song of all time. I don’t think it’s his best, but it definitely is my favorite.
I LOVE autumn – boots, scarves, sweaters, tights – I was obviously meant to live in a cool climate. How I ended up some place it never rains (and, by default, can never wear wellies) is a mystery to me.
Plus, I love all things pumpkin.
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Nothing Else Matters is amazing! Have you heard the version of the song done by the orchestra? If not, I’ll find out more details about it for you because it’s worth listening to.
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I LOVE it. I mean really love it. It’s Metallica and the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra – just amazing. It ranks up in my top ten favorite songs of all time.
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YES!!! So glad you know it. It’s just such an amazing song, and done with the orchestra is even more amazing!
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Our first dance at our wedding was to Nothing Else Matters, so it hold a special place in my heart! And while I love afternoons by the pool, now that school has started I can’t wait for cooler temperatures- we hit 100 today.
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That is such a good choice for a first dance. It’s one I’d strongly consider if I have a wedding.
We hit 102 yesterday and upper 90’s today. At 6:30 tonight it was still 95…yuck.
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I love the fall! I love the smell, I love the leaves, I love the overpriced apple orchard that sells cider donuts. I also now love that Holley Maher song. I might listen to it again… and again… and again….
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I don’t know why it makes me weepy, but it does. It’s a pretty song though and the video that accompanies it is very sweet. I’ve never wanted to have small children in New York City, but it makes it look fun and magical. I also like Masochist by her.
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And I love all the thing you said about fall. I even love raking and the first snow. It’s like catnip. Bonus points if you can guess what that is from without cheating. I
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How… is it that I know none of these songs? What is wrong with me?? Clearly I have some work to do.
I like fall itself – the pretty colors, the cozy clothes, Thanksgiving, etc. But I can never FULLY let myself love it because I know that it means winter is coming and I LOATHE winter. If we could just have the other three seasons and pass over the part where it gets all snowy and freezing and horrible, that’d be great.
I will try as always to ignore the fact that winter is coming and just enjoy the fall. I am pretty excited about being able to wear tall boots again 🙂
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Winter’s not SO bad. It’s not very good either, but there are all those holidays that involve good food and time off of work. However, I do agree it would be better if we could skip winter. Or migrate.
And hopefully you like a song or two, they’re all a bit similar, but maybe something will appeal?
And tall boots – I’m so excited. I won a pair of new Frye, back zip riding boots on ebay and I’m in love. Too bad it’s still over 90 here with no signs of cooling. But soon.
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I can’t wait for autumn, the moment when I can wear jumpers outside and feel the crisp air before it gets so cold you need coats.
Love your song choice, I associate Nothing Else Matters with autumn too. I don’t actually know most of the songs/artists you’ve listed, so this is a perfect opportunity to add them to my own autumnal playlist in preparation.
The National’s High Violet album and Yeasayer will be my autumn theme tunes.
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I’ve not heard of Yeasayer, so I will be sure to check them out.
My heart belongs to autumn, it’s a shame it’s always followed by winter. It snows quite a bit where I live, but at least I usually get a full month of crisp air and crunchy leaves before it starts.
I love Nothing Else Matters, if I ever actually have a wedding, that is high on my list of possible songs.
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That would be an amazing wedding song! If autumn was followed by Spring, which was followed by Autumn I think I would be constantly happy.
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