The mix CD

For the past four or five years, since the wondrous invention of iTunes, I have taken to giving my parents, in addition to their individual Christmas gifts, a mix CD. I usually plug some stuff on it I know they already like, The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Springsteen, that sort of thing. But the real purpose of the disk is to expose them to music I'm enjoying. I guess I have some strange hope that they'll fall in love with, say, Okkervil River.

It's a thin line to walk. I mean, I want them to listen to the CD and to like it, obviously, but I also want them to discover something new, something they won't hear on their "light and easy" radio stations. So I try to find stuff that works for them, songs that aren't too abrasive, that aren't too loud. Bouncy works. Peppy works. A slight country twang works. The trouble is figuring out what the limits are. For example, I really love the recent Portishead and Bloc Party albums, but there's absolutely no way I can see my folks giving them a chance. It just isn't their music (I learned this lesson a few years ago. I thought the introduction of the Danger Mouse/Jay-Z Gray Album, which used elements of The Beatles White Album, would somehow make them look at rap differently. Needless to say, it didn't really work.).

I just have this vision that, one day, my Dad (his name is Jim) will be in his office, humming the tune of M.I.A's "Jimmy," which makes an appearance on this year's CD (I was going to add it to last year's, but, honestly, I thought he'd be too afraid of it). Or, that listening to some Carla Bruni will make my Mom more interested in rediscovering her French, a language she solely spoke until the age of three.

So far, I've had only minor success. My Mom really liked Kings of Convenience, which lead to her getting one of their albums. Outside of that, though, I think I've only gotten an "A" for effort.

But I keep plugging away. One day, another song will work, I can feel it. And then my parents will be the hippest 60-somethings in town.

Here's the line-up I'm playing with for this year:

Gobbledigook - Sigur Ros

Kim & Jessie - M83

Quelqu'un M'a Dit - Carla Bruni

Texas 71 - Magnolia Electric Co.

When Your Mind's Made Up - Glen Hansard

Crying - TV On The Radio

Jimmy - M.I.A.

Belles - The Gutter Twins

Pop Lie - Okkervil River

Room To Rock - Matthew Sweet

Afterglow (Of Your Love) - The Small Faces

Mansion On The Hill - Bruce Springsteen

Just Like A Woman - Bob Dylan

Down The Line - Jose Gonzalez

In Field & Town - Hayden

Made In The Dark - Hot Chip

I Shall Be Released - Wilco w/Fleet Foxes