Mixology

There must be a science involved with making the perfect mix CD. Unfortunately, I've never been especially good at science. Nick Hornby said it best when he said something about making mixes. I don't remember what exactly it was, but I'm sure it was prescient and especially witty.
I've made a few good mixes that I'm proud of...one of which I've given to S. Yet there are some where only one song throws the mood completely out of whack. I like all sorts of music, but one has to be careful when mixing genres.
For example, this is a great mix, except for two songs that don't quite work. I don't know why they don't work, but they don't.

Not for All the Love In the World - The Thrills
Telephone - Shelby Lynne
Float On - Modest Mouse
Jersey Girl (Live) - Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band
She's The One - World Party
Somewhere Only We Know - Keane
Leaving New York - R.E.M.
Hallelujah - Jeff Buckley
This Is the Last Time - Keane
Sail Away - David Gray
Last Goodbye - Jeff Buckley
Superman's Song - Crash Test Dummies
Circle - Edie Brickell & The New Bohemians
More Than This - Bryan Ferry & Roxy Music
Into the Mystic - Van Morrison
Across the Universe - Fiona Apple
Plainsong - The Cure

This is a great mix for monday mornings, or when it's gray and dreary in New Jersey. I like the "Telephone" song from Shelby Lynne, but I skip past it everytime I play this CD. Now, I rarely listen to it, cuz whenever I hear it, I remember that it messes up a good mix. Another song that doesn't quite work is the David Gray tune, "Sail Away." It's a great song that comes from "White Ladder," which is in my top five album list. However, here it doesn't work, because it's a real slow song that's stuck between two fast ones. The beauty about making these mixes is that you can always make another one.
So, what are the rules for making good mix CDs? I have no clue, but these are some ideas I go by:
* Let's say I want to make a mix around only one or two songs. I'm gonna put those songs somewhere in the middle or toward the end so that I have a whole bunch of other songs to listen to.
* Watch what genres you mix. I'm no longer going to put an uppity country song in between angst-driven al-rock and brit-pop. It just doesn't work.
* Don't put insanely happy songs next to depressing ones. I don't want my CDs to have wild mood swings.