here, now, is nowhere

so, way back in March 2012, i made this mix, like you do, standard recent-listening favorites springtime selection.  (mostly nascent 2k12 tracks, and a few k11 holdovers – mayer hawthorne, big troubles, the embassy, herman düne – that somehow managed not to make it into my massive year-end mix flurry.)  i made one version of it (below) and then i made another rejiggered version of it (slightly less below) that mostly kept the perky poppy beginning and the smoove slinky soulful ending and most of the big rocky riffage in between, but cut out that nasty scandinavian techno stuff that nobody actually likes besides me (and james murphy), swapped out a couple of songs for others by the same artists probably for reasons of flow and space (and title alignment) that are now mysterious even to me, and that's the version (i think) that i slipped into people's mailboxes just pre-spring break, sorta like i used to do back the last time i was in school.

and now here are the track lists, long after the fact.  still good stuff, and a good snapshot of what was in my ears around that time (it's so interesting to me how particular musical-moments can take such particular flavors...this one's...sort of orangey maybe?  definitely bright, a little goofy but also comfy and homey.) 
 
the title, to which i made a silly self-referential allusion that nobody probably could have gotten in the title of a pre-sxsw post roughly contemporary with the mix itself, comes from the magical mystery mouth of elsa, as does the theoretical title of a theoretical companion piece (should i ever deign to actually make it), "the land of barely anything."  i have absolutely no recollection what she was talking about.

ok here you go:

Baby Steps to Nowhere
1. Gotye: "In Your Light"
2. Asteroids Galaxy Tour: "Suburban Space Invader"
3. The 2 Bears: "Time In Mind"
4. Lana Del Rey: "Diet Mt. Dew"
5. Allo Darlin': "Europe"
6. The Embassy: "You Tend To Forget"
7. The Magnetic Fields: "Andrew in Drag"
8. Mayer Hawthorne: "Hooked"
9. Explorer's Club: "Anticipatin'"
10. Hospitality: "Eighth Avenue"
11. Retribution Gospel Choir: "Feel It, Superior"
12. Free Energy: "Electric Fever"
13. Big Troubles: "Misery"
14. Veronica Falls: "Misery"
15. New Build: "Misery Loves Company"
16. Foxy Shazam: "Holy Touch"17. Honeychurch: "Tennessee Valley"
18. Frank Ocean: "We All Try"
19. Jamie Woon: "Street"
20. John Talabot ft. Pional: "Destiny"
21. Escort: "Makeover"
22. Terranova: "Question Mark"
23: Herman Düne: "Tell Me Something I Don't Know"

(Baby Steps to) Baby Steps to Nowhere  [step one]
1. Gotye: "In Your Light"
2. Asteroids Galaxy Tour: "Suburban Space Invader"
3. The 2 Bears: "Time In Mind"
4. Lana Del Rey: "Diet Mt. Dew"
5. Retribution Gospel Choir: "Feel It, Superior"
6. Free Energy: "Electric Fever"
7. Veronica Falls: "Steven"
8. The Embassy: "You Tend To Forget"
9. Todd Terje: "Mr. Norse"
10. Lindstrøm: "A Quiet Place To Live"
11. The Magnetic Fields: "Goin' Back To The Country"
12. Mayer Hawthorne: "Finally Falling"
13. Explorer's Club: "Anticipatin'"
14. Foxy Shazam: "Holy Touch"
15. Big Troubles: "Misery"
16. Honeychurch: "Tennessee Valley"
17. Frank Ocean: "We All Try"
18. Jamie Woon: "Street"
19. John Talabot ft. Pional: "Destiny"
20. Escort: "Makeover"
21. Terranova: "Question Mark"
22. Allo Darlin': "Some People Say"

bonus track list for another mix, from around the same time (actually, probably, around february 14th), drawing from mostly the same pool of material, which i actually kind of like better.  it's a love mix i made for elsa, a happy light-hearted love mix (though not without its share of sweet realism) which is not the easiest thing to come by mind you, and it feels pretty great.  there are some strikingly beautiful (as well as topical) songs here, tops maybe honeychurch and jens (along with mayer and herman) but nothing better than the simply amazing "church" by the 2 bears, which could well be the best song of the year, certainly has some of the greatest couplets:

<<i love your pretty face and your sweet determination//i love your body too, let's mate and make a nation>>

(and in tribute to which i titled this (did i really?)):

Love is Lovely
1. The 2 Bears, "Church"
2. Beyoncé, "Lay Up Under Me"
3. Escort, "A Sailboat in the Moonlight"
4. Jazmine Sullivan, "Love You Long Time" 
5. Miguel, "Sure Thing"
6. Kings Go Forth, "High On Your Love"
7. Jens Lekman, "So This Guy At My Office..."
8. Andrew Rose Gregory, "Your Love Is Better Than Wine"
9. Devon Sproule, "I Love You, Go Easy"
10. Lana Del Rey, "The Lucky Ones"
11. Drake ft. Rihanna, "Take Care"
12. Joe Goddard, "All I Know" (Radio Edit)
13. Kurt Vile, "Baby's Arms"
14. Honeychurch, "Miko II"
15. Real Estate, "Municipality"
16. Herman Düne, "Lay Your Head On My Chest"
17. Mayer Hawthorne, "You Called Me"
18. Gotye, "I Feel Better"
19. Foxy Shazam, "I Wanna Be Yours"
20. Explorer's Club, "Go For You"
21. Xylos, "Darling Dearest"
22. Acid House Kings, "I Just Called To Say Jag Älskar Dig"