2018: 17 ALBUMS

I can't and won't say that 2018 was an especially good year for me. What with multiple falls (one resulting in a broken arm; one resulting in a broken rib), multiple doctor's visits, multiple X-rays and CAT scans, my student loans officially going into default, a crappy, grub-infested front lawn, a squirrel living in my attic, a snake living under my front porch, and a madman living in the White House.. well... it really just all kind of sucked.

Still, music -- as always -- made almost all things bearable. The following is a list of some of my favorite albums from this past year. Who knows... you may like them, too...

SARAH BLASKO/depth of field

COUER DE PIRATE/en cas de tempete, ce jardin sera ferme

COYLE GIRELLI/love kills

THE FAMILY CREST/the war (act 1)

FIRST AID KIT/ruins

THE FRATELLIS/in your own sweet time

GEOWULF/great big blue

KATIE HERZIG/moment of bliss

THE KOOKS/let's go sunshine

LISSIE/castles

MATING RITUAL/light myself on fire

METRIC/art of doubt

MODERN SPACE/flip for it

OH  PEP!/i wasn't only thinking about you...

OPHELIA/blackbox memories

THE SLOW READERS CLUB/build a tower

TELEMAN/family of aliens

THE 7-YEAR-ITCH MIX: WINTER 2011

In which you will find no Edgar Winter. No Shelley Winters. No Jonathan Winters. No Dean or Scott William Winters. No Terence Winter. No Old Man Winter. No "Winter Wonderland." No "The Lion in Winter." No "In the Bleak Midwinter." No "dead of winter." No "winter of our discontent." No Simon & Garfunkel's (or even the Bangles') "A Hazy Shade of Winter."

Yet, despite these unfortunate omissions, I sincerely hope that you (and I) will be back in 2019. [And -- barring an unfortunate and unforeseen ski, snowmobile, snowblower, bobsled, luge, ice fishing, figure skating, or Christmas caroling accident -- my favorite 40-or-so songs from 2018 should be posted some two or three weeks hence. Please do not hesitate to lend them a fresh re-listen....]  

Left-click [HERE] or [HERE] to download THE 7-YEAR-ITCH MIX: WINTER 2011.

TRACKLIST ---

01 WASH U CLEAN beth thornley
02 SAME MISTAKE clap your hands say yeah
03 MAKE A NOISE katie herzig
04 TIGER MAN OF THE MASSO GRATTO this old ghost
05 HOMEWORK big deal
06 MAJESTY the panics
07 WASTED AWAY dum dum girls
08 NEW ZEALAND french films
09 NO CHILDREN communist daughter
10 ACCIDENTAL LIGHT sleeping at last
11 SPRAWL II (MOUNTAINS BEYOND MOUNTAINS) arcade fire
12 COME HOME serenades
13 PUT YOUR HANDS UP nerina pallot
14 GROW wake! owl
15 WAY TO THE FUTURE katie herzig
16 OH FOR THE SPRING neil cousin
17 LONG WAY DOWN azure blue
18 WHAT REMAINS? anna ternheim
19 BLOOD GETS THIN pete and the pirates
20 DANSE ET DANSE coeur de pirate
21 GAY PIRATES cosmo jarvis

Left-click [HERE] to go to previous 7-YEAR-ITCH: WINTER mixes.

IMPOSING BIG BLUE BUNNY REDUX

Left-click [HERE] or [HERE] to download the IMPOSING BIG BLUE BUNNY REDUX mix.

TRACKLIST ---

01 PASSIONATE KISSES mary-chapin carpenter
02 NEVER COMIN DOWN keith urban
03 PARALLEL oh pep!
04 A GIRL WALKS HOME lusts
05 PREMONITIONS miya folick
06 IT HELPS modern space
07 GOOD LUCK WITH THAT distance, light and sky
08 GIVEN UP whenyoung
09 TURN the wombats
10 YOUNGBLOOD angus and julia stone
11 TAINTED LOVE soft cell
12 HERE COMES THE RAIN AGAIN eurythmics
13 BAD LIAR imagine dragons
14 EMPIRE sarah macdougall
15 GIVE IT OFF j mascis
16 ALL THAT WE GET first aid kit
17 SEE ME talos
18 IN CAMERA yumi zouma
19 THE GET ALONG holly golightly
20 PEACE ON EARTH lissie
21 MERRIE LAND the good, the bad and the queen
22 WHERE THE BOYS ARE connie francis

CHRIST AS CAPITALIST

Left-click [HERE] or [HERE] to download the CHRIST AS CAPITALIST mix.

TRACKLIST ---

01 WIDE OPEN SPACE mansun
02 SPECIAL garbage
03 EMPTY VESSELS devotchka
04 I’VE DONE THE BEST amber arcades
05 LIVING A DREAM peter bjorn and john
06 RED HERRING alasca
07 THE DEEP END tall heights
08 BLOODLINE the last hurrah
09 MIRROR MASTER young the giant
10 SOMETHING IN THE NIGHT coyle girelli
11 YOU’RE NOBODY TILL SOMEBODY WANTS YOU DEAD saint motel
12 COMPLEX the chills
13 FAMILY OF ALIENS teleman
14 BURNIN’ GRASS decker.
15 MY LOVE, I’D DO ANYTHING FOR YOU morrissey
16 FOLLOW YOUR FIRE kodaline
17 NOTHING FOR FREE paul mccartney
18 CALL YOUR GIRLFRIEND robyn
19 OPEN LETTER TO THE LYRICAL TRAINSPOTTER mansun
20 YOU LOOK SO FINE garbage

AFTER THE FALL

Left-click [HERE] or [HERE] to download the AFTER THE FALL mix.

TRACKLIST ---

01 RADIATION VIBE fountains of wayne
02 THE FRUG rilo kiley
03 CAME FOR THE FIRE dispatch
04 CARNY KING sugarplum fairies
05 CRACKS frøkedal
06 EAGLE BEAR BUFFALO passenger
07 FALLING mikey collins
08 HUNTER anna calvi
09 JE VEUX RENTRER cœur de pirate
10 LOOK TOGETHER wild moccasins
11 FLIP FOR IT modern space
12 SPARROW jump, little children
13 JOURNEY sarah nixey
14 WETLANDS URBAN FOX mull historical society
15 SEE ME THROUGH coming soon
16 UGLY first aid kit
17 WHITE COATS baxter dury, étienne de crécy & delilah holiday
18 WITCHCRAFT graveyard club
19 GHOST THOUGHTS gregory and the gaslight
20 DENISE fountains of wayne
21 MY SLUMBERING HEART rilo kiley 

NOT ESCHER

Left-click [HERE] or [HERE] to download the NOT ESCHER mix.

TRACKLIST ---

01 STARING AT THE SUN katharina nuttall
02 KINGS OF MEDICINE placebo
03 RISK metric
04 SOMEBODY’S ISLAND teleman
05 NEVER START middle kids
06 CHICKEN BONE the kooks
07 WOLVES milo greene
08 60 & PUNK death cab for cutie
09 I’M STILL HERE sia
10 THE MATADOR decker.
11 ANGRY CYCLIST the proclaimers
12 LIVES NEVER KNOWN the slow readers club
13 THE MESSAGE still corners
14 WHERE’S MY GIRL? coyle girelli
15 PETITE VILLE fontaine wallace
16 I’LL MAKE IT WORTH YOUR WHILE artificial pleasure
17 STRANGERS IN THE HOLLOW the coral
18 TIME TO GIVE white lies
19 BRIGHT LIGHTS placebo
20 SORROW IS THE COLOUR katharina nuttall
21 [TORTURE kris jensen]

ROSEMARY'S ULTRASOUND

Left-click [HERE] or [HERE] to download the ROSEMARY'S ULTRASOUND mix.

TRACKLIST ---

01 SHOUT tears for fears
02 CHANGE tears for fears
03 I DON’T CARE frøkedal
04 HEART TO LOVE passenger
05 DO OR DARE modern space
06 SONG FOR A SEAGULL teleman
07 BOUDOIR POET sugarplum fairies
08 ANCHOR IN THE SEA mikey collins
09 LOW LIGHT mating ritual
10 JADED LOVER, SHADY DRIFTER eric bachmann
11 ZERO imagine dragons
12 SHOOTING IN THE DARK wild moccasins
13 LET ME SLEEP devotchka
14 THUNDERCLOUDS sia, labrinth & diplo
15 I’M DESPERATE bc camplight
16 SUSPIRIUM thom yorke
17 DANCE TO THIS troye sivan [w/ariana grande]
18 WISH anna calvi
19 HEAD OVER HEELS tears for fears
20 EVERYBODY WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD tears for fears

THE 7-YEAR-ITCH MIX: FALL 2011

In which you will find no "Fall Guy." No Angel Falls. No Niagara Falls. No "Autumn Leaves." No Jane Leeves. No "love it or leave it." No "Leave It to Beaver." No Ryan Leaf. No Toronto Maple Leafs. No "Can't Help Falling in Love." No "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?" No "I Fall to Pieces." No "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall." No Norman Fell. No "I've fallen, and I can't get up."

Left-click [HERE] or [HERE] to download THE 7-YEAR-ITCH MIX: FALL 2011.

TRACKLIST ---

01 ANYTHING FOR PROGRESS her space holiday
02 SICK LOVE scanners
03 DADDY WON’T PAY YOUR BILL jon fratelli
04 BALTIMORE kindest lines
05 SUGAR HIGH bell x1
06 THESE HANDS hhymn
07 I DARE YOU kaiser chiefs
08 I STARTED SOMETHING I COULDN’T FINISH sparkadia
09 APPOINTMENT IN SAMARRA paul thomas saunders
10 THIS COULD TAKE A LIFETIME maria taylor
11 GRACE the view
12 AT LEAST I HAVE YOU mates of state
13 NEVER MEANT TO KNOW tally hall
14 I DON’T MIND parlour
15 APPREHENSION manchester orchestra
16 BAD WINE AND LEMON CAKE the jane austen argument
17 VERMILLION guillemots
18 BONES david j. roch
19 THE BLACK SHEEP & THE SHEPHERD quiet company

THIS MASQUERADE

Left-click [HERE] or [HERE] to download the THIS MASQUERADE mix.

TRACKLIST ---

01 THESE ARE THE THINGS black box recorder
02 TRANZ gorillaz
03 BOYISH WAVE wild moccasins
04 UNDERCOVER OF NIGHT the coral
05 HARD TO BE STILL annie hart
06 STREETS OF EDINBURGH the proclaimers
07 CASTLE IN THE SKY the love language
08 CARRY YOU TO SAFETY the jayhawks
09 DAY IN DAY OUT johnny marr
10 COMING HOME (PT. 2) james
11 SWINGING black box recorder
12 SUPERNATURAL the slow readers club
13 CORDUROY send medicine
14 ON THE ROAD frank turner
15 YOU WOULDN’T LIKE ME the beths
16 HEAD HELD HIGH kodaline
17 UNE ODYSSÉE fontaine wallace
18 YOUNG AT HEART milo greene
19 YOUNG AND CAREFREE artificial pleasure
20 IT KEEPS US DANCING the family crest
21 GOODNIGHT KISS black box recorder

THE GAY '90s

Left-click [HERE] or [HERE] to download THE GAY '90s mix.

TRACKLIST ---

01 OH L’AMOUR erasure
02 BROTHER AND SISTER erasure
03 SEARCH FOR YOUR LOVE gulp
04 I’M JUST ALRIGHT mating ritual
05 PLEASE middle kids
06 LOADED miles kane
07 SOMETIMES IT’S THE FOOLS the proclaimers
08 EVERYTHING I’LL EVER NEED jake shears
09 CIGARETTE LIGHTER mellah
10 HARD TO BE STILL annie hart
11 GREEN TO BLUE sons of bill
12 THIS PARTY houndmouth
13 LEVIATHAN james
14 DON’T GO guster
15 BAD CONTESTANT matt maltese
16 ON THE TV the slow readers club
17 ALABAMA tracyanne & danny
18 DEPARTURE mt. desolation
19 LOST ONES amy stroup
20 LOVE TO HATE YOU erasure
21 A LITTLE RESPECT erasure

MOTHER OWL WITH CHILD

Left-click [HERE] or [HERE] to download the MOTHER OWL WITH CHILD mix.

TRACKLIST ---

01 BACHELORETTE björk
02 ANALYSE thom yorke
03 DARK SATURDAY metric
04 LOVE TALK blossoms
05 NO MUSE wild moccasins
06 I REMEMBER IT WELL #2 matt costa
07 MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN frank turner
08 SUGARTOWN the fratellis
09 DON’T LEAVE IT IN OUR HANDS the essex green
10 JOLENE radical face
11 BENEATH THE BRINE the family crest
12 COMBUSTIBLE cœur de pirate
13 QUARANTINE fontaine wallace
14 SERAS-TU LA françoise hardy
15 MELODY NOIR patrick watson
16 OCEAN goldfrapp
17 LET IT BLEED neighbor lady
18 AS THE DAY PASSES scott matthews
19 WE GET HIGH ashe
20 I’VE SEEN IT ALL bjork & thom yorke

HOW SWEDE IT IS

Stumbled upon this little blast-from-the-past while preparing the current "regular" mix that accompanies it here today. Originally curated by myself and posted on this blog in April of 2010, it somehow seems oh-so-cozily-apropos in this guilded age of "Mama Mia!" madness.

Eat your heart out, Roxette. Do your stuff, Swedish Bikini Team. Wherefore art thou, Swedish Chef (bork! bork! bork!)?

Left-click [HERE] or [HERE] to download the HOW SWEDE IT IS mix.

TRACKLIST ---

01 FELT TIP/love is all
02 DU AR ANGA/kent
03 NEW MOON/sambassadeur
04 THE KIDS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN/the legends
05 WAR ON SOUND/moonbabies
06 SISTER SURROUND/the soundtrack of our lives
07 MONDAY MORNING/the charade
08 ON AND ON/friska viljor
09 COME ON/consequences
10 GHANA MOT ITALIEN/emil jensen
11 STARDUST/irene
12 SWEDEN/the divine comedy
13 SILENT SHOUT/the knife
14 DANCE WITH SOMEBODY/mando diao
15 HAIRLESS YOUTH OF BOSNIA/strip squad
16 DEATH TO THE MARTYRS/the ark
17 TIME LEFT FOR LOVE/shout out louds
18 MAN UNDER THE SUN/the carny
19 REFLECTED/ronderlin
20 STORMY WEATHER/moneybrother
21 CHEMICAL GIRL/the fine arts showcase
22 ANGELS FABLE [demo]/gustav & the seasick sailors
23 HEJ GAMLE MAN/abba

COURT JESTER WITH SWAN

Left-click [HERE] or [HERE] to download the COURT JESTER WITH SWAN mix.

TRACKLIST ---

01 CONNECTION elastica
02 GIRLS & BOYS blur
03 HOLD TO THE LIGHT brooke annibale
04 CONFESSIONS IN THE POOL ash
05 A DARK SWITCH snow patrol
06 YOU ARE THE SHINING LIGHT eels
07 LUNATIC the slow readers club
08 EDGE OF TOWN middle kids
09 BELIEVER/PRETENDER sons of bill
10 AS THE WORLD CAVES IN matt maltese
11 WHY CAN’T I CHANGE passenger
12 PUSHING UP DAISIES lily allen
13 NIGHT MOVES work drugs
14 DON’T KNOW YOUR NAME mating ritual
15 VIOLET THREADED maps and atlases
16 FAILING FARM river whyless
17 HOME IS A QUESTION MARK morrissey
18 ON YOUR WAY mt. desolation
19 IT CAN’T BE LOVE UNLESS IT HURTS tracyanne & danny
20 SONG 2 blur
21 NEVER HERE elastica

THE NUCLEAR OPTION

Left-click [HERE] or [HERE] to download THE NUCLEAR OPTION mix.

TRACKLIST ---

01 WE ARE THE PIGS suede
02 EVERYTHING WILL FLOW suede
03 ALABAMA TO THE BASEMENT high up
04 LATCHKEY KIDS family of the year
05 HEAD ON night flowers
06 HOW LONG WILL THIS LAST? blossoms
07 SPACE winter dies in june
08 SELFIES IN THE SUNSET gruff rhys & lily cole
09 HI HELLO johnny marr
10 THE HYMNAL 1982 fine china
11 1980-99 ssion [w/sky ferreira & patty schemel]
12 RUNAWAYS the magic numbers
13 DON’T WANT TO SAY GOOD-BYE cut worms
14 DANS LES BRAS DE L’AUTRE cœur de pirate
15 EXIT 353 damien jurado
16 TAKE TONIGHT the family crest
17 SLEEP ALL SUMMER neko case & eric bachmann
18 GOLDEN GUN suede
19 THE 2 OF US suede

THE 7-YEAR-ITCH MIX: SUMMER 2011

In which you will find no Donna Summer. No Josef Sommer. No Suzanne Somers. No Jaime Sommers. No "Summer of Sam." No "Summer of Love." No "Summer of '42." No "Summer of '69." No "Summer Nights." No "Boys of Summer." No "Summer in the City." No "Summer Wind." No "Summer Rain."  No "Long, Hot Summer." No "Summer and Smoke." No Summer's Eve.

Trust me when I tell you: I find these exclusions excruciating....

Left-click [HERE] or [HERE] to download THE 7-YEAR-ITCH MIX: SUMMER 2011.

TRACKLIST ---

01 THE CITY patrick wolf
02 SEA OF TEARS eilen jewell
03 LAST MINUTE hooray for earth
04 BABY, I WILL LEAVE YOU IN THE MORNING marissa nadler
05 SAY GOODBYE falcon
06 FRIENDS mexican elvis
07 WOODS the rosebuds
08 I HATE YOU BUT I LOVE YOU russian red
09 THE WEEPING SONG the michael j. epstein memorial library
10 LOTUS FLOWER radiohead
11 BRIGHT & EARLY sleeping at last
12 IRON woodkid
13 LET ME COME katharina nuttall
14 IT’S A BEAUTIFUL THING the loose salute
15 TEN DON’TS TO LIVE BY don lennon
16 SUICIDE IS PAINLESS lady & bird
17 BIRD GERHL antony and the johnsons
18 COLD BLACK KITTY pete and the pirates
19 TURN YOUR FACE title tracks
20 TEACHERS buchanan
21 CLIMBING TO THE MOON eels

IF JULIE ANDREWS WERE A PENGUIN

Left-click [HERE] or [HERE] to download the IF JULIE ANDREWS WERE A PENGUIN mix.

TRACKLIST ---

01 DON’T CHANGE inxs

02 A SHOT sarah blasko

03 BONE DRY eels

04 OUT OF THE WAY the rumour said fire

05 WORK IN PROGRESS geowulf

06 IN NEW EUROPE shout out louds

07 CANDLES & FLOWERS a toys orchestra

08 CALLIOPE future islands

09 ALL THE COOL GIRLS jeremy messersmith

10 PROPERTIES OF PERCEPTION we are scientists

11 TRAIN SPECIAL françoise hardy

12 ASTRONAUTE fontaine wallace

13 THREE OH NINE fenne lily

14 STARCROSSED LOVERS the fratellis

15 U + ME WILL NEVER DIE mating ritual

16 MISTAKE middle kids

17 JUST ONE KISS (ONE LAST KISS) tim burgess [w/ladyhawke]

18 21st CENTURY SURVIVAL BLUES frank turner

19 YOU OPENED UP MY HEART the slow readers club

20 THE GOONIES R GOOD ENOUGH radical face

21 NEVER TEAR US APART inxs