This is Kate. Kate knows music.

Either I have no standards or Kate knows music. I've been told both! Now it's rare that I'll post on a friend though I've done it before --> here and here. Nowadays, it is once in a blue moon (and keep in mind folks, the full moon last Friday night was at it's apogee, meaning the moon was the biggest it will be all year...14% bigger!) that a friend actually gives me music that:
a.) I am not familiar with and
b.) Actually makes my skin tingle while
c.) Causes me to turn the speakers to '11' and eventually
d.) Causes me to write about the experience

Kate delivered me a peculiar mix at 5:55am this morning as we headed out to our bi-weekly morning climbing session. At 9:56am I popped in the album to let it take it's course. You see, John Cusack (via Nick Hornby) nailed the art of the mixtape on the head in High Fidelity by explaining the trivialities and hurdles of configuring a proper mix all through the composers thought process, mood, goal and various other influences that serve as the intricate ingredients to a successful product. Not that I'm judging and not that I really looked into it (ha!), but this compilation is one of two (thanks Wallstreet) ever given to me that has blown me away. That being said, I did just receive a mix from Melt Your Face Off that looks like it could raise a ruckus.

Kate's mix is full of radio staples, "unveiled" indie gems, obscura, orchestral soundtrack backers, forgottens of the yester-years, and the neck-out-on-a-limb singer-songwriter ballad. The disc has it all excluding The dreaded Police, the wrist cut inducing Steely Dan and "lord I wish I had a rope and stool" Van Halen song, for which I praise the lord and Kate for not including! Just some highlights that I implore you look into would be
Alec Puro - Concert Dream
Elvis Perkins - All The Night Without Love
Electric President - Ten Thousand Lines
Scott Matthews - Elusive
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Pin
Fruit Bats - When U love Somebody
James - Fine
Yo La Tengo - Stockholm Syndrome
Home - Slide
New order - Ceremony

Thanks for a better than great Thursday Kate!