2011 - put your ear up against it

Hi there -

Just a few words about 2011. I'm not one for new year's resolutions, mostly because I think all year should be a time for trying to change and improve oneself, not just a few hurried, transient "holiday months" over the bitter wintertime. I am not overly fond of the holidays, perhaps because I work in two industries (wine and hospitality) that almost require banter and forced enthusiam about Thanksgiving / Christmas / New Year's Eve.

So, I don't have any resolutions to sum up from last year. Upcoming events in 2011 include the following:

Black Belt Test in 54 days (Feb 26, 2011)
1 year anniversary of graduation from UVA (May 23, 2011)
J.'s wedding (May 31, 2010)
S.'s wedding (Oct 15, 2011)

The first event, which is definitely the most present on my mind these days, has culminated in the forcible creation of a six-days-a-week workout schedule (an hour of cardio and stretch in the morning, an hour of karate every day, included with 3-hour karate classes four times / week). Anyone following a schedule that death-inducing really, really, *really* needs some workout tunes.

I have eclectic and bouncy taste in music, often straying towards acoustic, ambient dreampop, girls with guitars genres. That does not make the best exercise music, unless you're doing yoga. I'm running. I'm kind of loving it.

I've been working on my mix all day, and here is the annotated final version:

1. Break Your Heart / Taio Cruz and Ludacris
A little bit of top-40 hip hop is an absolute necessity for a workout playlist. The beat mixes well with the synthesizer, and I have to start my workouts out with a strong push of energy, or else I'll wilt early. And come on, I can identify with the problematic badassery of being the heartbreaker. Nothing like a tiny bit of self-loathing to power your run.
2. Rebel Girl / Bikini Kill
A genre switch early in the workout to angry feminist alt rock helps my mind stay plugged in. It also makes me feel a little less like a patriarchy-enabling stereotype of a white girl, jogging on a treadmill in part so my body can conform to what society calls "attractive". Also taps into my queerfem identity, giving me food for thought and energy for running,
3. Ready For The Floor / Hot Chip
This song is a reward for getting into the swing of the workout -- I used to listen to this all the time in Lyon and it reminded me of home, of love, of affection and attention to detail and of sweet summertime passions. "I am ready, I am ready for a fall" takes on a new meaning inside of the dojo, while "we are ready, we are ready for the floor" remains personal. Or does it? Happiness.
4. Giving Up The Gun / Vampire Weekend
One of the songs on the playlist I hadn't heard before a friend recommended it to me. It's a faster-paced version of many VW songs, with a build to a good chorus that pulls me into going faster and faster to keep up. The little high notes make my hair stand on end. "my ears are blown to bits from all the rifle hits, but still I crave that sound." A metaphor for getting what you want most? Weaponry? I like it.
5. Teenage Dream / Katy Perry
I can't help my giggling, teenage-girl amusement with KP. I loved this song when I first heard it, and loved it double when I saw the Glee take on it (this is the original on my playlist, though). For me it channels and challenges exactly what the title says -- my brief, halcyon, distorted and disordered and scarringly perfect teenage experience. A lot of which had to do with running.
6. The Boxer / Carbon Leaf
"She is the boxer, she knows when and where to strike". Enough said. And I'll take any excuse to listen to Carbon Leaf, one of my favorite bands from the happiest days of early college.
7. Take Your Mama / Scissor Sisters
I heard a DJ say once that this was a great workout song, and since I happen to like Scissor Sisters, I thought why not? It's funny and lighter than most of the other songs on the mix. Kinda lends itself to an easy, loping pace. And who doesn't want to get jacked up on champagne?
8. Soul Meets Body / Death Cab for Cutie
This might not seem like an obvious choice for a workout mix, but I like the guitars and little bells. I have to return to my soft, indie rock sensibilities to keep from being overwhelmed with noise. And this song means so much to me. "I do believe it's true, that there are roads left in both of our shoes, and if the silence takes you then I hope it takes me too." Turn it up!
9. We R Who We R / Ke$ha
A newer song also from the top-40 contingency; I like Kesha even more than KP. Because she's completely hilarious and a lot less serious. I like the strong synthesizer and the way the beat bottoms out during the chorus. "our bodies going numb, we'll be forever young, we are who we are." Simple, straightforward. Makes me think of Bot Sai Sho (a kata for black belt 1st degree), for some reason.
10. Temperature / Sean Paul
This one is actually in honor of Master Morton, instigator of the Workout Death Machine, as I'm calling this little adventure. I'll never forget the Sunday morning several years ago that he came in with his iPod and had the whole karate class doing a mai (movement) exercise to this song.
11.Kick Drum Heart / The Avett Brothers
Also a new song for me! I've known the Avett Brothers for other songs previously, but as soon as I watched the live video and saw the way the drummer was actually using the drum to imitate the heartbeat, I knew this was perfect. We have many discussions with Master Campbell about the importance of the heartbeat in karate timing.
12. Dejalo / Rilo Kiley
The exact translation of the title depends on context, but I got it roughly as "stop it, leave our thing" which I think is pretty interesting and also borderline applicable. Just one of my favorite songs. This is where the playlist inevitably slides into indie / cooldown mode.
13. I'm Always In Love / Wilco
"when I let go of your throat's sweet throttle, when I catch the moon like a bird in a cage" high strings, synthesizer, and some chanting in the background. Not much more to say about that one.
14. Mothers, Sisters, Daughters, and Wives / Voxtrot
A last hurrah for the feminist contingency of my playlist. A completely random song that was given to me on a mixtape last year, Voxtrot actually picks up the beat a little bit and lends a bit of energy to the tail end of the playlist (and these annotations). "the take and the giving leaves no room for the living, death in one corner leaves a space in the other you know."
15. The District Sleeps Alone Tonight / The Postal Service
This band and often this song are often selected to end playlists, to bring them down on a soft and thrilling and gorgeous low that never fails to creep inside of me. This song is about creeping cold and despair, attention to detail and a sudden, sweeping realization of the big picture. About unforseen loss.
16. Crossfire / Brandon Flowers
I absolutely can't end a black belt training playlist on a low note, so at the very bottom of the heap I pull out the ace: Crossfire. I first heard this song, which is the theme for a trailer to the movie of the same name. Katanas are involved. Everything, everything, everything about this song fills me with hope, from the opening piano notes to Brandon Flowers' clear vocals to the crashing rise of instrumentalism in the chorus. "And we're caught in the crossfire of heaven and hell, and we're searching for shelter. Tell the devil that he can go back from where he came, his fiery arrows drew their bead in vain. And when the hardest part is over we'll be here, and our dreams will break the boundaries of our fears."

It really does mean that much to me.

So there you have it! 16 songs, 59.8 minutes. Perfect.