New Year's

One of my 2012 resolutions is to get back in the books game. I'm resolving to read two new(ish) books a month, even if it means cutting down on the number of TV episode recaps I read online. What about you? Do you have any literary resolutions (or suggestions for contemporary books to add to my growing list)?

New Year's Eve is a tricky holiday. While a night set aside for dressing fancy, toasting to a maybe-great future, and counting down to a kiss with someone cute should equal the best time ever, it can quickly turn into a stress-filled letdown that leaves you walking home barefoot in the slush because you couldn't get a cab, uncomfortable shoes in hand and false eyelashes sliding down your cheeks like a sad Living Classics version of a Picasso portrait. (Just me? Doubtful.)

Like it or not, tomorrow is New Year's Eve, and whether your plans include living it up at a fancy champagne party or stuffing your cat into a shiny paper hat (or both!), you'll need some tunes to set the mood. Here are a few songs that are about this most loaded of nights—in party order from plan-making to waking up the next day, of course.



Track list after the jump!

It seems only fitting that I'm able to help Bitchtapes ring in the new year. For me, the '00s (I still haven't figured out what I want to call this decade) started with an actual mixed tape from a new friend, who has since been through the ringer with me. And in thinking about it today, I've realized that my very favorite people have won me over with mixes, even recently. So, here is my little gift for all of you to help start off something good.

Rather than do any kind of decade retrospective or theme here, this one is kind of all over the map...a little bit sparkly, a little dark, a little sloppy, with a trumpet here and there. Just what I would hope for in the new year. Friends new and old, cheers to what the next decade will bring...

(track listing after the jump)

 

We're sharing our New Year's Bitch Tapes a day early so you can get your 2010 jam on early! For this mix I give you the 10 songs of the decade. These are not the best songs, nor the worst, nor my favorite. They are just solid, memorable, danceable songs—some you will have heard played to death, some you might wonder how you missed their release. I hope you’ll listen to the mix, see if you can place yourself in time for each track’s debut, and then play it at a holiday party for everyone else to enjoy! Feel free to leave nominations for other include-able tracks (along with the year released!) in the comments section.