Pop quiz! What is the best way to give your Valentine something handmade without getting glitter glue all over yourself? A mixtape! The most coveted gift in all of dating! Ever! I know you wouldn't dream of simply burning a CD, so to allow you more time to run out and get a proper cassette tape and player I have compiled ten Valentine's Day appropriate songs-all from local artists! Enjoy your street cred and conversation hearts.
01. Rocky Votolato, "Where We Left Off" Seattle. A soothing solo departure from his past project, Waxwing, and the acts of his actual brothers from The Blood Brothers. Songs like "Where We Left Off"-with their moody vocal harmonies, strains of harmonica, and soft drums-that make Rocky the king of Northwestern indie.
02. The Blow, "Jet Ski Accidents" Portland. Brilliant lyrics are brought to life by Mikhaela Maricich's sweet voice. The Blow is at their best when the songs are stripped down and simple in songs like Jet Ski Accidents.
03. Death Cab for Cutie, "Marching Bands of Manhattan" Seattle. It's impossible not to talk about Death Cab when talking about Seattle music, but that doesn't mean that Marching Bands of Manhattan wasn't absolutely made for a Valentine mix like this.
04. M. Ward, "Never Had Nobody Like You" Portland. M. Ward features Zooey Deschanel in "Never Had Nobody Like You," but the She & Him sound is nowhere to be found. A poppier strain of indie folk, carefully cultivated as only M. Ward could.
05. Say Hi to Your Mom, "Laundry" Seattle. I will never get tired of love songs about meeting in laundromats. Of course, I only know of this one and Neil Patrick Harris' "My Freeze Ray (Laundry Day)" from Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog. Even without the more than adorable premise, the steady drums and incorporation of poppy piano is great for taking you out of the ooey-gooey love ballad mood.
06. The Lonely H, "Simple Love" Seattle. It's hard to believe that the Lonely H were mere high schoolers when they wrote this heartfelt love song for their first album Kick Upstairs. I can only imagine what lucky girl took such a boyfriend to prom!
07. Iron & Wine, "Such Great Heights" South Carolina. Although not technically from the NW, Iron & Wine does the most beautiful cover of "Such Great Heights" (from Seattle's favorite side project the Postal Service,) that I had to make an exception. A perfect fit in this mix for low-key lovers.
08. Hey Marseilles, "Someone to Love" Seattle. Something about their wistful lyrics over the full sound of orchestral pop seems so satisfying and (more importantly in today's market) fresh. You can go down and thank frontman Matt Bishop in Admissions personally, for any romantic hand holding that goes down during this song.
09. The Fruit Bats, "When U Love Somebody" Seattle. I'm more than willing to adopt Chicago transplants, the Fruit Bats, as Seattlites when they're putting out gems like "When U Love Somebody. "
10. Kay Kay & His Weathered Underground, "Simon Courage Flees the Coop" Seattle. Okay, I'll admit-I will find a way to insert Kay Kay & His Weathered Underground into almost any occasion. But this is perfect. With lyrics like "liquid spice girls out of children," nobody really knows what's going on in this song, but you will forget every ballad for the sweeping orchestral movements mixing with stomping and clapping and harmonicas and a million other things in "Simon Courage Flees the Coop."
There you go! Remember, mixtapes are best enjoyed in the car on the way to your date, through split headphones on the bus, or in the background while sharing a very special helping of Valentine's Day Scooby Doo Mac & Cheese.
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