Telling You About My CD Collection Because It’s Getting Rough Out Here Content-Wise
Dear fellow Reedies! Please write for the Quest if you don’t want to keep hearing about whatever I come up with on Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday night. I want to work on my thesis now. I want to be happy for once… I want to finally be free.
Over the summer, I decided that instead of using my perfectly good Spotify account to stream music, I would spend more money to listen to the very same music that I could get online with the added inconvenience of having to use a CD player hooked up to my speaker. I regret nothing, and my CD player looks like a little record player.
I have categorized my CDs as such: first, mixtapes that I made from my Spotify playlists and put onto a CD; second, whatever was at Goodwill (mostly consisting of concert music or opera, because that’s what the Goodwill has, save for an empty Under the Pink Tori Amos jewel case); third, CDs from Music Millenium’s Labor Day sale; and, finally, CDs that I purchased online because I’ve already dug my hole, so I might as well dig a little deeper and see if I can get to China. There is one that I bought at the St. Paul’s Cathedral gift shop in London, but I am going to omit that one; it’s cathedral organ music, and it goes without saying that it’s the best CD in my collection. I have also omitted one CD from the Goodwill section for personal reasons, but who really GAF?
Without further ado, here they are.
My Mixtapes:
Give Us New Myths to Live By
After spending last summer wallowing in Boston, this mixtape was intended as an aspirational and tone-setting vibe for Crazy Epic Portland Summer 2025. The title is taken from one of my favorite Lawrence Ferlinghetti poems, and the music was intended to mostly be upbeat and fun, with a mix of different eras of rock from the British invasion era to post-punk. There’s even a Cher song, just in case I thought that it couldn’t get more awesome.
Some highlights include… “My Lover’s Box” by Garbage, “Telegram Sam” by T. Rex, “I Believe in Love” by Lou Reed, “Psycho Killer (Live)” by Talking Heads, “Sunny Afternoon” by The Kinks, “Do You Love Me Like You Used To” by Best Coast, “If You Leave Me Now” by Chicago, “The Perfect Girl (Beethoven Street Instrumental)” by The Cure, and “So I’ll Sit Here Waiting” by The Like.
2. Western Nights
This was my favorite sulk-in-my-living-room mixtape, inspired by what I would listen to if I could go out toward Fountain Hills outside of my hometown to sit and watch the stars without getting pwned by a scorpion sting in the thigh, which sucks massively if you haven’t had the experience (yet!).
Some highlights include… “Western Nights” by Ethel Cain (duh), “40 Days” by Slowdive, “All Alone” by Fauxliage, “Demolition Lovers” by My Chemical Romance, “Ghost” by Sky Ferreira, “Horses In My Dreams” by PJ Harvey, “Repent” by girlfriend., “Nymphs Finding the Head of Orpheus” by Nicole Dollanganger, “This is what the drugs are for” by Gracie Abrams (yeah, yeah), and “Waltzing Back” by The Cranberries.
3. Average Everyday Sane Psycho
This mixtape is part empowering anthems and part pathetic love songs; the allure is somewhere found between the balance and the contradiction.
Some highlights include… “21 Things I Want in a Lover” by Alanis Morissette, “Bathwater” by No Doubt,“I’m On Your Side” by the Divinyls, “Never Let You Go” by Third Eye Blind, “Doin’ Time” by Lana Del Rey, “Extraordinary” by Liz Phair (which features the lyrics I ripped the title from), “Hit Me Where It Hurts” by Caroline Polachek, “I Hate Love” by Garbage, and “What I Got” by Sublime.
4. Death of a Party Girl
This mixtape is perfect on a Friday evening when I feel really reluctant about what the night holds for me, and almost all the lyrics have something to do with going to a party. I do not recommend putting this on at a communal pregame, but it’s perfectly fine for getting ready alone if you’re feeling a little down.
Some highlights include… “7 Minutes in Heaven” by Fall Out Boy, “Amoeba” by Clairo, “Break It Off” by PinkPantheress, “Is This It?” by The Strokes, “One Last Time” by Ariana Grande, “Perfect Places” by Lorde, “Save Your Tears” by The Weeknd, “The Ideal Husband” by Father John Misty, “West Coast” by Lana Del Rey, and “Awful” by Hole.
5. Chewing on Pearls
Another mixtape with an even more upbeat slant than number three, this playlist is extremely eclectic, with tracks ranging from Tom Tom Club to Selena Gomez and the Scene, making every next track a welcome surprise.
Some highlights include… “Never There” by CAKE, “Return of the Mack” by Mark Morrison, “Push” by Madonna, “Bedless” by Pierce The Veil, “Little Lies” by Fleetwood Mac, “Follow God” by Kanye West, “Lowlife” by Poppy, “Don’t Stop (Color on the Walls)” by Foster The People, “Complicated” by Avril Lavigne, and “Something Wonderful” by Seaway.
My Goodwill Finds:
Gluck’s Orphée et Eurydice, recorded with Anne Sofie von Otter, the Monteverdi Choir and Orchestre de L’Opéra de Lyon
I like this recording, but I prefer listening to the recording with La Petite Bande that’s available on Spotify because I’m more familiar with that particular recording, which is not a great reason, but it’s my reason.
2. Glenn Gould’s A State of Wonder (The Complete Goldberg Variations 1955 & 1981)
I love Glenn Gould because I’m basic as all hell. Next.
3. Verdi’s Otello, recorded with Mario Del Monaco, Gabriella Tucci, Tito Gobbi, and Alberto Erede
I like it. I’ve put it on while making dinner or hanging out with my friends studying, so it’s had some airtime and will probably get more. For what it’s worth, Verdi is mentioned in my favorite CAKE song.
4. Peri’s Euridice recorded with Anibal E. Cetrangolo, Sylva Pozzer, Luca Dordolo, La Compagnia dei Febi Armonici, and Ensemble Albalonga
I listened to this on my flight to London on Spotify while I made a largely unsuccessful attempt to sleep on the flight and I really enjoyed it. I don’t return to it all that often, but when I do, I’m always happy. I liked it so much that I added it to rateyourmusic.com when it was not available to log. I would recommend listening.
5. Ralph Lauren’s Classical Collection
Absolutely vile. Ralph Lauren mocks the consumer as hopelessly philistinic in this compilation. This CD was pawned off on me and I now look at it on my shelf with disgust. It has some of the most overplayed concert music found on the planet and the pieces are disingenuously presented as somehow being an introduction to high culture. I never want to hear “Gymnopédie No. 3” by Erik Satie, “Spring” from Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons 1st Movement (in my opinion, Summer is the superior concerto, normative determinism aside and with an acknowledgement that it is still overplayed), or “Musetta’s Waltz” again in my life unless I’m listening to all of La Boheme or I’m watching Moonstruck, because, as previously established, I love Cher.
6. The Best of Andrew Lloyd Webber
Is it really the best of Andrew Lloyd Webber? No, because it doesn’t include Think Of Me. Next.
Music Millenium Labor Day Sale Finds:
Lana Del Ray a.k.a. Lizzy Grant
I was grateful to find this one, although it was not on sale. I like Lana Del Rey’s earlier work, especially under Lizzy Grant, but I don’t think that this is her absolute best to offer. “Kill Kill,” “For K Part 2,” and “Smarty” are three of my favorites (I will argue that the latter is a Christmas song). “Kill Kill” is slinky at parts while mostly morbid, “For K Part 2” is smug yet inviting, and “Smarty” is upbeat and playful. It’s not for everyone, but I’m happy to own it.
2. The Caution Horses by Cowboy Junkies
Although I haven’t spent as much time with this album as I would have liked, it’s hard to go wrong with Cowboy Junkies. “‘Cause Cheap Is How I Feel,” “Where Are You Tonight?,” and “You Will Be Loved Again” have been good friends of mine for a while. It’s worth a listen, and I’ll do the same.
3. Magnolia (Music from the Motion Picture) by Aimee Mann
This was incredibly underpriced at two dollars, broken jewel case and all. I was extremely surprised to see that it was in the 400 range of top soundtracks when I looked at the category on RYM a few days ago after listening to the Queer (2024) soundtrack (God smiles upon Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross). Anyone PTA wants to write a movie for with the purpose of centering their music is undoubtedly someone to pay attention to. These tracks are all great and it’s hard to pick a favorite, but her cover of Harry Nilsson’s “One” is haunting, and her original songs “You Do,” and “Save Me” are all more than worth the listen, if you’re not willing to spend the 51 minutes listening through the album (for shame!).
4. The Essential Leonard Cohen
Seeing as it was on sale for ten dollars and had “Waiting for the Miracle” on the tracklist, it was a no-brainer to purchase. This compilation has a relatively good distribution of songs ranging from his older albums to newer music, starting with “Suzanne” and concluding with tracks from his 2001 album, Ten New Songs. Sorry to “You Want It Darker” fans, but “In My Secret Life” will have to suffice.
5. Beautiful Creature by Juliana Hatfield
I enjoy Juliana Hatfield and I think she has some great music, so I find it unfortunate that she hasn’t drawn as much attention as some of her contemporaries (see: Whitechocolatespaceegg by Liz Phair), but either way, the market’s niche. “Somebody Is Waiting For Me” is one of my favorite songs of all time and it has a whopping 81,140 streams on Spotify, which actually makes it the biggest song off the album. I think that, on a whole, the album is not particularly memorable. When considering CDs to purchase, it’s good to remember that it’s often easier to listen through the whole album rather than skipping around, and while I do listen to it all the way through, I’m not itching to do so. Overall, this one probably would’ve been fine staying resigned to my digital library, even though I don’t miss the two dollars that I spent.
6. Essence by Lucinda Williams
I was excited to find this one on sale at MM for a meager six dollars. This is my favorite Lucinda Williams album, for better or for worse, although my father would probably have something to say about that. It’s really hard for me to pick favorite tracks from this album, but “Lonely Girls,” “I Envy The Wind,” and "Reason To Cry” have all gone triple platinum from running the 4:00am crashout circuit. Do with that what you will. I will now offer my honorable mention for “Get Right With God.”
7. Both Sides Now by Joni Mitchell
This album is effectively a jazzy orchestral recording of some of Joni Mitchell’s most famous songs alongside covers. It’s not particularly inventive or interesting, but it also doesn’t need to be. It is conceptual, but I don’t think that the storyline is really all that riveting: lover meets lover, love goes south, disillusionment and despair, “Both Sides Now.” We’ve all been there/done that at some point or another. If you don’t like jazz, then you’re probably not going to like it. If you do like jazz, then you might. It’s cinematic and smooth. The production quality is fantastic, and you can tell that there was endless care put into making it sound as pristine as possible. However, I think that very same fact almost deprives it of certain charms when compared to her other works. Still, Joni Mitchell is a legend, so if anyone should have an overproduced jazz album, it’s her.
My online finds:
The Milk-Eyed Mender by Joanna Newsom
Abstaining from Spotify for ethical reasons, if you don’t have an Apple Music subscription (...I have an Apple Music subscription…) or otherwise, you will be S.O.L. for the sound of Joanna Newsom. Joanna is an acquired taste, and I’d say this is especially true for her first album (ignoring previous EPs). Her music is adventurous and magical. I wish that I had listened to it as a child instead of discovering it as a young adult, but I think that finding it as an adult offers me the opportunity to understand it in a fuller dimensionality rather than having it be primarily a nostalgic attachment. This isn’t an album that I sit around and listen to frequently because it almost demands attention, and it’s difficult for me to concentrate on other activities while really appreciating it. I recommend it anyway.
2. Ys by Joanna Newsom
Joanna matures in Ys, and I actually prefer it to The Milk-Eyed Mender for that reason. This album is markedly jazzier rather than whimsical, and this album has five longer tracks rather than twelve shorter ones, but it clocks in at only two minutes longer than MEM. This album requires patience to appreciate because each song should be thoughtfully listened to as well, but this one is far more suitable for a background play than MEM. It is similarly poetic and also worth a careful listen through.
3. Louise Glück for the American Academy of Poets
I love listening to spoken word poetry, and will regularly listen to this recording while walking to class, eating lunch, or heading home from a party. After all, doesn’t everyone else feel like they come unwelcome into this world calling disorder, disorder after a beer or two? By some twist of fate, I was grateful to find this album for under $90, as it is almost always advertised online, at the far more reasonable price of $7. Although I am certain that it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, poetry is for everyone with the heart to hold it, and I would encourage anyone to test out the waters with Glück. Some of my favorites are “Matins [Unreachable Father…],” “Witchgrass,” “The White Rose,” and “Horse.”
4. Emotional Discipline by Nothing Painted Blue
I have not listened to this all the way through because I just purchased it, however, I like Nothing Painted Blue, and only “Big Pink Heart” and “Who’s Landing In My Hangar?” are on Spotify. If you’re interested in being niche as hell, they only have 131 monthly listeners. Go forth and be indie. I digress, I probably account for at least a thousand “Big Pink Heart” streams, and I love listening to it on a rainy day in Portland. I picked this collection of singles because it has “Big Pink Heart,” and I assume the other tracks will at least be somewhat satisfying. Only time will tell.
5. Minor Works by J. Tillman
Finally, we have a Father John Misty deep cut. This was the first album he released under J. Tillman, and “Crooked Roof” is a song that is somehow nostalgic without actually having any connection to my early life. In one part of my mind, it reminds me of the very particular smell of wood that the second house I lived in smelled of, and evokes looking up at the stars by my swing set while laying near the crawling eucalyptus tree overgrowing from my neighbor’s backyard. In another part of my mind, the song reminds me of when I actually encountered it, which was while moving into my apartment at the beginning of junior year, and still has the same flavor of hope I had for that fall semester, and I remember how it felt to putting together the bedroom I would live in for the next two years. The album is melodramatic and somber, but I think it's worth the listen. It’s twangy in part, but mostly just downtrodden. It would be a great album to put on while hanging out late on the rugby field and comet-watching. I recommend listening to “Crooked Roof,” “For an Hour With You,” and “Take Care.”
