#34: Of Twin Thoughts.

As I have stated many times, and probably to the annoyance of those friends and acquaintances around me, both my wife and I really dislike valentines day. There are many reasons, but mainly it's just the whole institutionalization of love and romance that we can never get our heads around. It always wilts the honesty of a sweet gesture with the inevitability of the corporate holiday. That's not to say that I think everyone should eschew the celebration. To each their own. It's just not something we can find anything special in.

That's also not too say that I lack any interest in romance. Quite the opposite. I am extremely, happily married (for 7 wonderful years) and really relish finding new ways to make my girl feel good and loved. In my view, if you don't enjoy that, then why on earth would you ever be married?

So what more cliched yet totally sweet way to "woo" your new or old love, than with a mixtape. Good question. It was something I did many times over again back in the day. Yet, I recently realized that in all this time that I have been publishing the NEIMT, I have never once made one specifically for my wife. In a roundabout way they are all for her, but never before was it pointedly so. So here it goes.

The following mix is comprised of what I consider to be some of the sweetest songs ever made. Most have some significance to the formative years of our relationship and every year since, though I wouldn't use the word romantic because that would color your expectations in the wrong way. There is no "Between the Moon and New York City" here or anything. This is first and foremost a mix of great songs and I believe that there is a lot on here that most people wouldn't necessarily expect (and some that are most definitely classic).

One last warning, there are moments herein that are genuinely emo.

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Download the Mix as a 126 MB Zip File
Now using sendspace to deliver these massive files. Email me if the file expires.

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The tracklist is as follows: (Follow the links below to ways of supporting the artists)

01 Sweet Avenue, Jets to Brazil 02 Always For You, The Album Leaf 03 Shell Life, Half String 04 Cardiac Atlas, June of 44 05 On Reflection, The Appleseed Cast 06 A Picture, Strictly Ballroom 07 Penelope, Pinback 08 Ride Home, Rex 09 Planetary, Rainer Maria 10 Picture Postcard, The Promise Ring 11 A Dozen Roses, Braid 12 Rubella, Smoking Popes 13 Promise of Love, American Analog Set 14 Watery Hands, SuperChunk 15 La La Love You, The Pixies 16 Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps, Cake 17 Shady Lane, Pavement 18 Mushaboom, Feist 19 Return of the Frog Queen, Jeremy Enigk 20 Good Feelings, Violent Femmes