The past decade has been an incredible ten years. Off the top of my head, I graduated from college, moved across the country, began a new life in Colorado, married my best friend and am now in the midst of starting my own business. While all of these are milestones in my life, music also plays a huge part in reminding me of those times. Juice Newton and the Boss remind me of my mom. Both tapes were on repeat one long, hot, Tennessee summer. I think I was 7 and I remember riding in the little blue chevet with the windows down and singing Queen of Hearts like it was yesterday. Young MC Stone Cold Rhymin’ was my first official CD purchase and I played it over and over until I knew all the words to Busta Move. Neil Young Harvest Moon makes me think of 10th grade, sneaking out to smoke cigarettes and a love for volkswagen vans. I’m sure Jevan would tell you listening to Fleetwood Mac would remind him of growing up in Portland with his mom and dad. Do you have these memories that come rushing back after listening to a song?
To mark the end of each year, Jevan and I make a playlist of our favorite songs. It’s our thing I guess you could say. I realize a lot of people do this but we’ve made this our tradition since we first began dating. We look forward to this time and talk about as much trash as one could possibly talk about a playlist. Ridiculous, I know, but remember it is our thing.
This year we decided on a decade list. Something that would span our lives from 2000 to 2009. We began in the same fashion as our annual list. Each of us had around 100 songs to narrow down to a well rounded list of 32. Not an easy feat because some great music was released between the millennium and 2010. And, while you may wonder why we picked one song over another, this list is once again, purely personal. I chose song #13 because I sang part of it to Jevan as a voice message when we first started falling for each other. I’m a horrible singer and no one, especially a guy I’m interested in, should have a recording of me singing. Thankfully he was good and kept it to himself. Each time I hear the song, it takes me back to those days. Some songs haven’t yet had time to develop the memories while others are much more personal I won’t discuss for all the Internet to read. This list represents an incredible 10 years for each of us. I hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoy putting it together.
Side-note: I’m trying something a little different with the audio version of this list. If you aren’t able to download it or have trouble. Comment below and I’ll try to work it out.
Disc 1 can be listened to here:
1. Air France – No Excuses
2. Arcade Fire – Rebellion (lies)
3. Badly Drawn Boy – Once Around the Block
4. Band of Horses – The Funeral
5. Beirut – Mount Wroclai (Idle Days)
6. Bon Iver – Skinny Love
7. Bowerbirds – In Our Talons
8. Cat Power – Good Woman
9. Cotton Jones – Blood Red Sentimental Blues
10. Death Cab for Cutie – Transatlanticism
11. DeVotchka – How it Ends
12. Drive-By Truckers – Decoration Day
13. Gillian Welsh – Wayside Back In Time
14. Grizzly Bear – Knife
15. Grandaddy – Hewlett’s Daughter
16. The Knife – Heartbeats
Disc 2 can be listened to here:
17. Lykke Li – I’m Good, I’m Gone
18. M.I.A. – Paper Planes
19. Modest Mouse - Gravity Rides Everything
20. The National – Secret Meeting
21. Okkervil River – Okkervil River Song
22. Phoenix – Lisztomania
23. The Postal Service – The District Sleeps Alone
24. Radiohead – Reckoner
25. Ryan Adams – My Winding Wheel
26. The Shins – New Slang
27. The Strokes – Is This It
28. TV on the Radio – Wolf Like Me
29. The Walkmen – Donde Esta La Playa
30. Wilco – I Am Trying to Break Your Heart
31. Wolf Parade – Dear Sons and Daughters of Hungry Ghosts
32. Yeasayer – 2080
