SEPTEMBER MIX by Ana Carrete and Mike Bushnell

A MIXTAPE TO FALL IN LOVE TO

OH SO we don’t have WHY FI so this mixtape took us way longer than we thought it would. This is a rare collection of songs that we have attached memories to along the way. Some of them are more beautiful than others. Some are really dumb. We had to exclude some songs because they weren’t on Spotify or because they were censored. This list reminds me of some of the radio stations here in Austin. When trying to describe some radio stations while in the car, we used the same word to describe them: “eclectic”. We said it at the same time like they do in chick flicks where couples finish each other’s sentences and have the same reactions at the same time. Mike and I are living in a trill chick flick.

Hope you enjoy and actually listen to this mixtape. Thanks for your time. It’s good to make someone fall in love with you.

1. “Call Me Maybe” by Carley Rae Jepsen

MIKE: We listened to this song over and over again and danced to it with people we knew or were meeting for the first time — there are videos of this online. There is a picture of me doing a sneaky dance while Ana drank a beer, smiling. I believe I fell in love with Ana to this insane song.

ANA: I remember singing this song with Carolyn DeCarlo and Jackson Nieuwland. When I sang it I would look at you and relate to the song and felt dumb but okay cause we’d just met irl after four years of being online friends. “Where you think you’re going, baby?”

2. “The Beautiful People” by Marilyn Manson

MIKE: While attempting to woo Ana I tried to be cool and drink a lot. This backfired. We listened to ’90s songs including “The Beautiful People,” with beautiful people all night on my roof. Eventually I passed out hard. Literally. I fell asleep right where I sat and could not be moved until the next morning. Meanwhile Shaun Gannon took Ana to White Castle for the first time. I woke to the sun with no recollection of the night before. I was told they tried to wake me up many times. Def don’t remember that.

ANA: We listened to this song yesterday(?) while I made breakfast and you showered and maybe when we were at “Hot Topic” too. Dedicating this song to our friends. You look very handsome right now btw.

3. “Pu$$y” by Iggy Azalea

MIKE: I had never heard this song before Ana came to New York. We listened to it a number of times and I thought it was sexy. I would put it on to give a backdrop of sex when she was here, or later while Skyping I would send her the video. Embarrassed to admit that I thought it was a sneaky way of introducing sex into our conversations. Such a creep sometimes.

ANA: Sang this song and meant the lyrics and felt ridiculous. We drank and danced and I remember all our friends became addicted to this song.

4. “Rack City” by Tyga

MIKE: I think we made fun of this song. It is catchy and we probably listened to it 452 times over the first few months. Feel like we made fun of this song. I suggest making fun of this song by saying “hummus” instead of “Hunnids.”

ANA: Mike wrote a poem titled “oh so” and read it to me in his room before we had a reading at his rooftop and he quoted Tyga in it. He quoted “Make it Nasty” but we couldn’t find it on Spotify. They sound the same. We sang this with our friends and sang “hummus hummus” instead of “hunnids hunnids”.

5. UP! By LoveRance

NOTE: (Go buy OHSO)

ANA: I always thought that the censored radio version said “I beat the pizza up.”

MIKE: We made a song with Stephen Michael McDowell and peterBD called “I beat the pizza up.” This is another sexy song. It says “bouncing on a dick like a seesaw” and the chorus is “beat the pussy up.” Feel unsure of the value of these songs in a historical context, but they are very danceable and if you are courting, it can surface things that remain hidden when songs of a less sexual nature are playing.

6. “The Boy Is Mine” by Monica and Brandy

ANA: I just wanna let you know that he’s mine.

MIKE: I like this song in the mix because it signifies that Ana and I broke through courting and fell in love. I had never been happier (until I moved in with her) as I was when we first touched and talked and started dating. I felt like the luckiest man in the world, just like every other man that has fallen in love with the right heart/mind/body/head (she has the most perfect head).

7. “In The Beginning” by My Brightest Diamond

ANA: OH SO beautiful.

MIKE: I listen to a lot of female folk singers — listened to this song on the subway everyday and thought of Ana, and in the beginning of our love this song was 100 percent on point. Eventually I sent it to her and she listened to it and liked it, and I continued to listen to it and think our love was an earthquake and that the love of your life starts with an earthquake. Fuck you if you don’t believe that or try to deny it, you basic. Ana and I took a weird chance and waded through so much — this song will always take me back to before any of that, when we just wanted it and joined the unending hymn.

8. “Angels” by The xx

MIKE: Ana sent me this song and I was amazed that a song could describe exactly what I felt. I constantly was amazed Ana and I ended up together because I knew that everyone was in love with her, or at least I didn’t understand how they couldn’t be. She was an ideal to me, and she still is to this day. How are you not in love with her? You just haven’t spent enough time with her.

I used to loop this song and dance alone in my room thinking of her.

ANA: Mike sent me this song before the album came out and we fell in love with it so it is one of our songs. I pre-ordered this album so I could download this song and listen to it and would cry to this song frequently. Felt deeply moved and lucky to know what this band was talking about.

MIKE: Hahaha who knows who actually sent it to who

9. “Adorn” by Miguel

MIKE: We have the same name but his is in Spanish. I thought it meant something meaningful

ANA: Great timing to go get another beer.

MIKE: Ana went to get a beer.

But there was a time when Ana and I struggled to communicate and “Adorn” actually pushed us deeper in love and we became more open — it was a meaningful song we listened to about 400 times.

“Let my love adorn you”

Insanely meaningful to me for the rest of my life.

ANA: I’ve listened to this album thinking of you idk how many times ……

10. “3 Days” by Rhye

MIKE: This song reminds me of the first visit we had together when we had a very limited amount of time together — maybe a week. So it was like three days to sing this song, and when we sang it we said “bunny sheets” — Ana said that first — it was funny and I love her jokes.

I listened to it in transit to keep her close to my heart. (Via my ears).

ANA: “Got three days to feel each other.” We listened to this entire album a bunch and related to this song because this used to be long distance BUT NOT ANYMORE ✔✔✔

11. “American” by Lana Del Wine (sup Elaine)

ANA: You make me crazy you make me wild just like a baby you spin me round like a child

MIKE: Be young be dope be proud

12. “Acrobat” by Angel Olsen

MIKE: I sent this to Ana because she wrote a poem where she said she wanted to be my cat. It is too pretty. Angel knows how to write a love song that carries desire and long distance emotions. I would listen to it loud and dance around my room alone. Like kind of swaying and stepping around my room. Listen to the words closely here and be rewarded because the best poets writing today are female folk singers. Male folk singers try too hard. Fuck you Fleet Foxes.

13. “We Can’t Be Beat” by The Walkmen

ANA: Aren’t they male folk singers(?)

MIKE: When I was in high school I listened to the Walkmen a lot — one time — when visiting Ana — I played this song while in the shower and didn’t know the words but I was so happy I tried to sing along.

Nah, they’re pop or like, indie rock. You hear that electric groove?

ANA: He sang it and it was so sweet. I smiled a lot.

Nah, they’re male folk singers.

MIKE: You are always right.

14. “Open” by Rhye

ANA: YASSSSSSSSS.

MIKE: Still wish they weren’t male folk singers

ANA: I’m a fool for your love

MIKE: I am truly a fool for her thighs, sighs and belly. (Go buy Why-Fi).

15. “The World is Yours” by Nas

MIKE: In 2012 on New Year’s Eve (Ana’s birthday) we went to go see Nas at Radio City Music Hall — the show was amazing and we were front row in the balcony. I can still see the entire night. It taught me what love was.

They gave us horns and hats and honestly the world is ours — always — just wait — we are plotting a takeover. Stacking capital to eventually destroy the current literary conventions and replace them with something more enlightened.

ANA: Best birthday ever.

16. “Lights On” by FKA twigs

ANA: Is this the last song?

MIKE: No.

I sent this song to Ana three days ago. Tonight while making the playlist we danced for 20 minutes to this song.

ANA: We “danced,” lol.

MIKE: I suggest “dancing” to this song.

17. “Rollin” by Limp Bizkit

MIKE: Hey babe this is the last song.

ANA: Great transition.

MIKE: I made fun of Fred Durst while Ana put on her make up yesterday — she thought I was being harsh until I put on this song and she understood where my Fred Durst impression came from — it consists of two word phrases in a high pitched whiney bitch ass voice.

“Hey now”

“Do now”

ANA: Mike sings this song and says Fred sounds like an old man. He thinks he’s doing an accurate impression but tbh idk….lol. It’s pretty sweet though and he does sound like that in this song but not in all of them.

MIKE: It is so on point. Like 100% accurate. I just did it and it was perfect. Couldn’t tell the difference between me and the song.

ANA: Let’s go to sleep now.

MIKE: Okay I gotta send this out first.

ANA: Keep rollin

MIKE: Keep Rollin Rollin Rollin Rollin

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— Mike Bushnell and Ana Carrete live in Austin, TX. Go buy their books: OH SO, Traumahawk, Baby Babe, etc. Google them. Follow them on twitter.