Top 10 desert island island mix

"The making of a great compilation tape, like breaking up, is hard to do and takes ages longer than it might seem. You gotta kick off with a killer, to grab attention. Then you got to take it up a notch, but you don't wanna blow your wad, so then you got to cool it off a notch. There are a lot of rules."
--Rob in an excerpt from "High Fidelity"

Although it might be pompous to assume that my musical tastes warrant a "Top [insert number] Songs Ever Made!" list, I like to think that my years of making mixes has paid off in some small way and enabled me to make a decent one. So here goes, my own top-10-desert-island mix:

1. We Looked Like Giants-Death Cab for Cutie
There's nothing like starting off a mix tape/c.d./playlist with this gem from DCFC. The opening notes are both subtle and attention grabbing, enough to make you want to keep listening but not too much excitement...there has to be some build up.

2. Easier- Grizzly Bear
Beautiful insrutmentals and quirky vocals take the mix to the next teir...a little bit more upbeat as the song winds it's way to an energetic chorus worthy of hip-swaying all leading up to song number 3.

3. Shade- Portugal. The Man
My favorite song by a band who manages to combine the perfect amount of abstract imagery and building notes that lead to an explosion of introspective indie rock. This is where the mix ventures into sing-out-loud-in-your-car territory.

4. Fireworks- Animal Collective
If song number 3 leads to singing, this song definately leads to dancing. You would be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn't feel like tapping their toes to this disconnected, but still cohesive song from one of the best and most unique bands currently making music.

5. Black History Month- Death From Above 1979
Ah yes, the climax of the mix. This song grabbed my attention in a snowboarding documentary and has been stuck in my head ever since. Power chords and screaming vocals pulsate as this song pours out the speakers and into your brain, where it will stay for days.

6. Between the Bars- Elliot Smith
A nice segue way back into the softer side of this mix, Smith's faltering voice and emotionally abrasive lyrics lull the play list back to a more subdued state of musical relaxation. The comedown is an important part of a mix and this song strikes a good balance as it leads the way back to mellow tunes.

7. All I Need-Radiohead
A brilliant song, sung beautifully by Thom Yorke on the band's album "In Rainbows", All I Need provides another stepping stone back into the softer side of my desert island mix.

8. Part One- Band of Horses
Just as the mix is cooling down, the jangly guitar intro of Part One is there to stop you from pressing pause and drifting off to sleep. Not too mellow and not too energetic, this song is a little pick-me-up number as the mix nears to an end. Plus the last line, "Every thing I do is for you...", seems to set up an opening for the next song.

9. East River, Berlin Wall- The Antlers
The Antlers is a great and highly under-rated band from New York. The eerie vocals and and soft pulsating keyboards all blend seamlessly into a perfectly chill song that was on repeat for days in my iPod.

10. To Be Alone With You- Sufjan Stevens
And finally, the song that brings it all home. The incredibly talented singer/songwriter/guitarist/any other instrument Sufjan Stevens created this song about a missing love and his soft voice and backdrop of calming guitar melodies wraps up the mix by providing a powerful, but extremely relaxing finale.