I Know What You Like So Shut Up and Like It

So This Is What The Volume Knob's For!

The Holidays. Time to pull out the mini-tree, hang grandma’s stockings, decorate the mantle, gorge on fudge, and burn CDs for everyone I know. My favorite gift to give is music, but not a CD of Christmas carols or pre-packaged greatest hits holiday-special. As the giver I like the givee to receive music I think they should be listening to.

A couple examples: For my friend’s last birthday I bought an empty CD wallet, burned 24 bands he had never heard, drew artsy pictures on each one and shipped them off; for my dad’s Christmas present I burned a CD of music he would never stumble on due to his tastes abruptly stopping at Country Western and Barbershop; every Christmas and birthday I burn my brother a mix CD complete with cover art, one-of-a-kind drawings, track listings, and witty song descriptions. Everyone always says “Thanks” and I take that to mean that I was successful in judging what they should have in their stereos.

So here is the current list of songs (cherry picked from my own music) itching to be made into audio gifts for the people I love who should be listening to something better than they currently are. Hopefully I can inspire some of you to leave a burned CD under the tree.

For the grandma who still considers the Big Bands to be cutting edge:

1. White Winter Hymnal – Fleet Foxes – Self Titled
2. The Sun Smells Too Loud – Mogwai – The Hawk is Howling
3. Angels and Acrobats – Rod Picott – Stray Dogs
4. It’ll All Work Out – Tom Petty – Anthology
5. Black Bird – Sarah McLachlan – I Am Sam

For the cousin who wears guyliner and girl jeans while bumping My Chemical Romance:

1. I Typed for Miles – Jets to Brazil – Orange Rhyming Dictionary
2. Saturday Night – The Misfits – Famous Monsters
3. Ceremony – New Order – Singles
4. English Summer Rain – Placebo – Sleeping with Ghosts
5. Gender Bombs – The Stills – Logic Will Break Your Heart

For the girlfriend who only likes 10 percent of the music you like:

1. Wordless Chorus – My Morning Jacket – Z
2. Nantes – Beirut – The Flying Club Cup
3. Lover – Devendra Banhart – Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon
4. Waltz #2 – Elliott Smith – XO
5. I Woke Up Today – Port O’ Brien – The Wind and Swell

For the brother who loves metal, but is a closet indie fan:

1. Grass – Animal Collective – Feels
2. Hullahoop Wounds – At The Drive-In – In-Casino-Out
3. Set Fire to the Face on Fire – Blood Brothers – Young Machetes
4. The Modern Lepper – Frightened Rabbit – The Midnight Organ Fight
5. Knights – Minus the Bear – Planets of Ice

For the brother-in-law whose musical taste ends with the latest "Now That's What I Call Music, Vol. 317":

1. Yesterday – Atmosphere – When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold
2. Blazing Arrow – Blackalicious – Blazing Arrow
3. Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenoceros – Flight of the Conchords – Self Titled
4. Born to Run – K-OS – Atlantis Hymns for Disco
5. Fit But You Know It – The Streets – A Grand Don’t Come For Free

For the mom who cares more about goulash than music:

1. Avril 14th – Aphex Twin – Drukqs
2. Rise – Eddie Vedder – Into the Wild
3. These Days – Fountains of Wayne – Out-of-State Plates
4. Naked As We Came – Iron & Wine – Our Endless Numbered Days
5. Walk in the Park – Oh No! Oh My! – Self Titled

For the co-worker who calls you into his cube to hear some "old school Nickelback":

1. Have Love Will Travel – The Black Keys – Thickfreakness
2. Sic Trans Gloria…Glory Fades – Brand New – Deja Entendu
3. Stuck Between Stations – The Hold Steady – Boys and Girls in America
4. Thrash Unreal – Against Me! – New Wave
5. Yawn Yawn Yawn – Les Savy Fav – Inches

For the dad who sings country and oldies at the top of his lungs:

1. Four Winds – Bright Eyes – Cassadaga
2. River Song – Dennis Wilson – Pacific Ocean Blue
3. Do You Love Me? – The Explorer’s Club – Freedom Wind
4. Holding Back the Year – Lou Barlow – Emoh
5. Why Do You Let Me Stay Here? – She & Him – Volume One