Tracks

  1. Interruptions — Rogue Wave
    from 10:1, 2005

    I got this EP on a whim, and didn't like it that much at first. But then I remembered Rogue Wave owns my ears, and now each of the three new songs on it are climbing up my iTunes charts. Interruptions, by the way, are why I needed a break from all that hard work.

  2. Sick Day — Fountains of Wayne
    from Fountains of Wayne, 1996

    Before I knew how I was going to make this mix come together, this and Neil Finn were definites. Nothing says "I don't want to work" like a spur-of-the-moment sick day (not that I'd know, what with my perfect attendance record and all).

  3. I'm Bound to Pack It Up — The White Stripes
    from De Stijl, 2000

    I'm obviously stretching a little here, but I think it still works. When you've had enough, you just pack up and go home. Or somewhere else, where you can clear your mind. Which leads us to…

  4. Are You Ready for the Country — Neil Young
    from Harvest, 1972

    I do love getting out of the city from time to time. Country livin' just has a different swagger to it that helps settle my soul. And nothing goes better with country times than some Neil Young.

  5. Rest of the Day Off — Neil Finn
    from One All, 2002

    Part of the seed of this mix, this song was stuck in my head one day during Bumbershoot week last year; I'm almost assured that I started building this mix out in my head that day, whichever it was.

  6. Can't Keep — Pearl Jam
    from Riot Act, 2002

    Never look back. There's something serendipitous about being able to put Pearl Jam on a mix after Neil Finn, buddies as they are. Too bad I missed that special Ed Ved appearance with Crowded House at last year's Bumbershoot. I guess I was working or something.

  7. Won't Be Back Again — The Samples
    from No Room, 1992

    Not only am I leaving, I'm not coming back. It's an idle threat of course, but a good one all the same. And I do still enjoy Boulder, CO's own Samples—one of the great wuss-rock bands of the '90s as far as I'm concerned.

  8. Bang the Drum All Day — Todd Rundgren
    from The Ever Popular Tortured Artist Effect, 1983

    I wavered about putting this one on here, cause I'm not interested in treading through obvious waters. I couldn't deny this track its due though, and really, when else would I ever put Todd Rundgren onto a mix? Never. So here you go.

  9. Getaway — Earth, Wind & Fire
    from Spirit, 1976

    I grew up on Earth, Wind & Fire's greatest hits, and you know what? I need to start listening to them again. They wrote some great soul/funk/pop/disco/dance/whatever back in the day. And I do like to get away from it all.

  10. Freetime — Kenna
    from New Sacred Cow, 2003

    Ever since I saw this video 5 years ago, this has been one of my top ten favorite songs. I could play it whenever. And I do. Mostly though I play it when I need to clear my head, when I need to forget whatever's getting me down. Thank you, Kenna, for your strange dance/rock hybrid skills.

  11. Ease My Mind — Arrested Development
    from Zingalamaduni, 1994

    I'm one of the few people who like—or even own— Arrested D's second album. You may recall this track, the lead single, but I promise the rest is just as good.

  12. Lazy Day — Us3
    from Hand on the Torch, 1993

    Some day soon I'll do a rap CD that jams, but for now you can enjoy the quiet hip-pop of the early- to mid-'90s. Us3, in case you couldn't tell from this track, fused Blue Note jazz with a laconic delivery for one of the great genre-busting albums of that decade.

  13. Not a Job — Elbow
    from Cast of Thousands, 2004

    When the lyrics say "there's not a job to do today," I'm pretty sure it's a case of denial. But that works for me, because that's what a respite from work is all about. There's always something to be done, sure, but sometimes you just have to ignore it for a while.

  14. Takin' It Easy — Brad
    from Welcome To Discovery Park, 2002

    The tail end of this mix is obviously about lounging. We've already ditched work, then basically said "bite me" to whatever was holding us down. So now's our chance to just lie around and blissfully do "nothing." Which you should take advantage of really, because there's never enough time to do all the nothing you want.

  15. Wraith Pinned to the Mist and Other Games — Of Montreal
    from The Sunlandic Twins, 2005

    The last gasp before reality strikes. Pretending you don't exist is of course a tacit acknowledgment that we can't live our vacation-loving fantasies forever. But, to paraphrase Matthew McConaghey, it'd be a lot cooler if we could.

  16. The Good Life — Weezer
    from Pinkerton, 1996

    It might sound at this point, given the narrative of the mix, that the "getting back" is about the reality of work and responsibility, but I disagree. This is the rush of reality returning as we have to go back to work, and the desire to return to what we just had. By the time that first day back is over, we're ready for another vacation…

  17. Every Day Should Be a Holiday — The Dandy Warhols
    from …The Dandy Warhols Come Down, 1997

    I didn't mean to put the Dandy Warhols on two months in a row, but whatever. This is one of my favorite sunny day songs ever, and is just about the only way to end this CD—one last defiant yell for the hard-working man/woman/child in all of us.

cover: Lounging / May 29, 2005 / Crescent Bar, Trinidad, Wa