Cloud's Mixtapes: Vol.1 - Ode to Reminiscence

I have been toying with the idea of becoming less reliant on the throes of current technology recently with the rise of heartless ai alongside the seeming loss of whimsy and joys of simply enjoying what makes us human always on my mind. Whilst I have always found myself a deep lover of everything known as 'vintage', in recent months I've found myself jumping to immerse myself in it in every way, tv, movies, music, websites (hello spacehey x), and most importantly technology. 

In honour of my new-found love of CD burning, the best way to capture the buzz of playlist making and combine it with a love of physical media, I thought I'd share the content of each of my mixes as I create them. 

Volume 1. Ode to Reminiscence

It only feels correct to use this first tape to capture the essence of yearning for the past, whether lived or not. These tracks do both the job of transporting you to the past and making you miss what you never had. 

Best listened to: on a cold walk during an overcast day an hour before sunset.

~

1. Pictures of You - The Cure (7:28)

"I've been looking so long at these pictures of you

That I almost believe that they're real

I've been living so long with my pictures of you

That I almost believe that the pictures are all I can feel"

______________________

Nothing could ever encapsulate this specific feeling more than these opening lyrics. Powerful, evocative, and riding upon the wave of atmospheric guitar pedals. Close your eyes and feel.

2. Ceremony - New Order (4:24)

"Heaven knows, it's got to be this time"

_____________

Oftentimes all it takes to transport you into this longing is just a damn good guitar riff, and this track goes above and beyond. 

3. I Wanna Be Adored - The Stone Roses (4:52)

"I don't have to sell my soul

He's already in me"

_______

I feel that not much needs to be said for this track, it stands the test of time for generation after generation. Echoing a similar sentiment to the previous song, guitar is the key to complex wishing and wonderings.

4. Goodbye - The Sundays (4:45)

"So, is this what it's come to?

Am I cold or just a little bit warm?

Oh well, just give me an easy life and a peaceful death"

____________________

Is it goodbye to the love of your life, or the life you wished you lived? Either way this track is trance-like and induces a twist in your heart and a tear in your eye. 

5. Lost in the Supermarket - The Clash (3:47)

"I wasn't born so much as I fell out

Nobody seemed to notice me

We had a hedge back home in the suburbs

Over which I never could see"

________________

Its so silly but oh so loaded. When placed in the context of this mix it serves as a moment of respite from the songs surrounding it, but when given the emotions inflicted by those before it you see this track in a new, bittersweet light.

6. Drown - The Smashing Pumpkins (4:30)

"Yesterday the sky was you

And I still feel the same"

__________

A personal favourite of mine. The soundscape, the flurry of guitars, the crack of the vocals, the simplicity of the lyrics. Just so beautiful and raw, just like the act of reminiscing.

7. Under The Milky Way - The Church (4:58)

"Wish I knew what you were looking for

Might have known what you would find"

_________________

A phenomenally underrated gem. I see this track as the universe speaking back to me, after all that longing and dreaming it reaches back out as an unconventional solace that we are all still under the same stars no matter the passing of time. 

8. The Killing Moon - Echo & The Bunnymen (5:48)

"Fate, up against your will

Through the thick and thin

He will wait until

You give yourself to him"

__________

A true classic for a reason, and the perfect way to end our journey. This track calls out to all of your pain and guides you to give yourself over to whatever may be. Its dark, its eerie, but its also endlessly hopeful. 

And with that I leave you. I hope this mix made you feel all of your emotions deeply, and helped you to reflect on what it means to be human in these times of uncertainty.

Lots of Love,

Cloud xoxo