By now, you’ve hopefully gone into the world and started picking up any and all of the albums I’ve mentioned thus far, and you’re putting together your mix CD. After all, we’re just about a week away from Christmas. Stay strong, dear readers, and try to get your hands on the following tracks.

“A.M. 180” by Grandaddy from the album Under the Western Freeway

It hurts me to say that the debut album from Modesto, CA’s Jason Lytle and crew is no longer in print, but if you try really hard, you can still find it places. This song merges pleasant electronic blips with lo-fi nerd punk and emotional lyrics touching on the joys of reuniting with a loved one you thought you had lost. This is perfect for the halfway mark of the album in that the track rocks, but also brings the mood back into the realm of pop, thereby making it possible to reinvent the flow, and open doors to endless possibilities.

“Suburban Home” by Descendents from the album Milo Goes To College

“I want to be stereotyped/I want to be classified.” So begins Descendents’ classic tribute to the conformity of suburbia. A poppy yet poignant peek into the angst of living in the shadow of one’s parents in a cookie-cutter neighborhood, this song will not only give your giftee something to be pumped about, but will add to their punk-rock education. Descendents originated nerdcore, and this album’s namesake comes from singer Milo Aukerman attending The University of Wisconsin, Madison and achieving a Ph. D. in biochemistry. If you can think of anything cooler than a punk singer holding a Ph. D., I’ll eat my hat.

“A New England” by Billy Bragg from the album Must I Paint You a Picture?:The Essential Billy Bragg

Billy Bragg has admitted to not only stealing the melody of this song from Thin Lizzy, but also to lifting the opening lyric “I was 21 years when I wrote this song/I’m 22 now but I won’t be for long” from Simon & Garfunkel. I chose this song for two reasons: Firstly, it’s an awesome tale of growing up looking for love, being underappreciated and finally moving on, and secondly for Bragg’s ability to have entire songs with no bass and drums that can still captivate. I chose the version from The Essential Billy Bragg over the original version for the simple fact that Bragg wrote two extra verses that do not appear in the original version found on Life’s a Riot with Spy Vs Spy.

“Big Friday” by Bonnie “Prince” Billy from the album The Letting Go

Before Iron & Wine did his thing, Bonnie “Prince” Billy was rocking the whisper-quiet indie-folk scene. Will Oldham seemingly wrote this track as a thank you to a loved one standing beside him through thick and thin. Remembering that life is punctuated with hardships and disasters is tough, but with someone to help you through, the big things seem to matter less, and we’d all do well to keep that in mind. The song follows the Billy Bragg track perfectly as we have subtly brought the mix back into mellow territory. It also works well to teach people that folk was cool long before the girl-pants set claimed it as theirs.

“Bad Sects” by Cursive from the album Happy Hollow

Still mellow, but reentering the realm of full-band action, Cursive’s tale of child molestation within the church is both dramatic and heart-wrenching. Told through the narrative of a small-town priest lamenting a night of weakness, the song reveals this ongoing problem in a frank and unflinching manner. Disturbing in its honesty, “Bad Sects” is not only socially relevant, the music behind the lyrics is interesting and dark-the perfect accompaniment given the topic. Cursive is signed with Omaha’s Saddle Creek Records, often revered as one of indie-rock’s greatest labels. While the band’s previous albums have been more popular, Happy Hollow remains my favorite, and should be shared with anyone you can find.

“No Love” by The Get Up Kids from the album Four Minute Mile

Before emo was a bad word, there was The Get Up Kids. Formed in Lawrence, Kansas in 1995, the band’s debut album Four Minute Mile is  rumored to have been written in response to singer Matt Pryor’s girlfriend of ten years cheating on him. Dealing in raw emotion, “No Love” lets Pryor’s ex know, “I don’t want you to love me anymore.” Describing the hypothetical situation of “what if?”, the song will tug at your giftee’s heart strings while teaching that emo didn’t always suck huge, and there was a reason that it exploded. The Get Up Kids split in 2005, but have sporadically played reunion shows over the last 2 years. Any album in the group’s catalogue is worth picking up, but it’s always good to know how a band got started.

Christmas is on the way and all your dumb friends have birthdays coming up, but we’re in a recession and money is tight. Luckily, it’s the thought that counts so you can totally make a mix album for the people in your life and dust off your hands knowing that you put together a bithcin’ series of songs that not only rule, but are exciting and new to someone. I suggest not only buying the following albums for your own collection, but showing them to the people you love.

“Car” by Built To Spill from the album The Normal Years

I’d recommend using the live version of this song, as it sounds better than the album version. “Car” conjures images of road-trippin’ as well as our place in the cosmos. Built To Spill can always be counted on to produce indie-rock of the highest caliber, and often don’t get the credit it deserves for the influence it’s had on music at large. You’re welcome, Weezer. I chose it as the opener for it’s slow build, spacey guitar solos and to say that I’m thinking about whoever I’ve made the mix for. Maybe I’m even suggesting it’s time to hit the road…let’s face it, this town is sad in the winter. (special thanks to my homeboy jesse malmed for pointing out i had the wrong album. You’re a champ, buddy.)

“Outcome” by Beck from the album One Foot in the Grave

One Foot in the Grave was Beck’s Americana/bluegrassy album. Though not many people own it, it’s a highly sought after out of print album that is incredible from beginning to end. Admittedly, though, this year brought a re-release and a remastering of the album. However, after working in a record store for years, I learned that the real hardcore collectors always want the original. This song is excellent not only as a tribute to possibilities and letting go of expectations, but Chris Ballew of The Presidents of the United States of America provides vocals on this song, and is actually all over the album.

“Scene” by Kind of Like Spitting from the album 100 Dollar Room

Though Weezer owes a lot to Pavement and the Pixies, this album from the Pacific Northwest’s Ben Barnett is the album Rivers Cuomo always wished he could have made. It’s indie/nerd core that’s rough around the edges, which I find endearing and more accessible. As time goes on, albums become more and more produced; sometimes to the point that the artist or band can’t even reproduce the songs from the album. Lo-Fi is Barnett’s trademark, and the fact that he and his ever-changing members of his band aren’t more well-known is a crime. This particular song begins with quiet acoustic strumming and a girl singing prettily before heading into the single greatest guitar riff in indie-rock history. A tribute to Barnett’s friends will speak volumes to someone you love.

“Spit Shine your Black Clouds” by The Blood Brothers from the album Young Machetes

This is the great transition. While the song is certainly dancey and fun, it’s heavier and allows one to segue into a more rocking arena. The lyrics are a strange and jumbled mess that seem to dissect the world of humanity vs. overblown music icons resulting in a screaming, triumphant song that’ll make it even harder to tell your friend that the band has split up. The Blood Brothers influenced an entire generation of screamo kids to stray from metal-core, and take advantage of weird time signatures, ethnic sounds and full on screaming intensity.

“Just As The Day Was Dawning” by Big Business from the album Here Come the Waterworks

The opener from the two-pieces sophomore effort blends Melvins-esque stoner metal with mathy, prog-rock to convey the deep sorrow of losing a loved one. “Spring was confusing, a little bit scary/Summer was much of the same/By winter you ran with the nights, never came home” are some of the most heart-wrenching lyrics if your giftee can read between the lines. Let’s face it, everyone loves sad songs better, and if one can rock out while being bummed, then something good is really happening. Bonus tidbit-Pick up the album Suplex by the band Karp to get a better feel of bassist/singer Jared Warren’s roots.

“Chanbara” by At The Drive-In from the album In Casino Out

Now that you’ve entered the hard-rockin’ zone, you want to pull it back just slightly, and this song is the perfect way. It begins with a Latin flavor before slowly making way into a frenzied screaming freak out. At-The Drive In writes songs the way a robot would if it could, and mixing its members Hispanic heritage with progressive future-metal makes for an interesting listen and also wondering why you’ve never heard this shit before. When the band split in 2001, it was a huge blow to original music, but it wasn’t long before members formed both Sparta and ever-popular prog/experimental outfit The Mars Volta. At The Drive-In may be better than the newer groups it has spawned, but you can always go back and listen to the classics. So can your dumb friends.