If it’s Christmas at You Ain’t No Picasso, that means it’s Mixmas! These twelve days give me a chance to turn You Ain’t No Picasso over to the musicians I cover and allow them to showcase and talk about some of their favorite songs through a themed mix. This is the fourth year of Mixmas; here’s hoping for many more. MP3: Cotton Jones - Blood Red Sentimental Blues Michael Nau of Cotton Jones is no stranger to regular You Ain't No Picasso readers. His band Page France ruled these here blog pages from early 2005 through to the band's unofficial hiatus late last year. But Mike, one of the quickest songwriters I know, couldn't even put his pen down then. Cotton Jones explores another side of his mind; one populated by more rock and apparently a love for the Doors. Cotton Jones, like its predecessor Page France, is a ton of fun. Michael -- also a ton of fun -- was nice enough to share another Mixmas with us this year. Sidenote: Mike picked These United States for his mix and Jesse from TUS picked Cotton Jones on his. I love it when bands I love love each other. "'Hey! Remember Me?' songs" by Michael Nau of Cotton Jones Songs my head lost in the fire, then returned in sweet remembering... and yes, they're still good.... better. MP3: Yo La Tengo - Tears Are In Your Eyes Years ago, I listened to this song ad nauseam. I think I cried a few times too. Eventually, in the shuffle of new music a year can bring, I gradually moved on from this jam. Then, once napping at the Headlights' farmhouse, Tristen put on And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out, and it began again. Still going. MP3: These United States - Sun Is Below And Above I've the pleasure of knowing these wonderful people, and calling them friend. And, I've the pleasure of watching them play frequently, and each time it jumps from best to better - We played together the other night, and it was "adjective of big gleam here". Heart beat picked up. You know, all that good shit that happens during a period of excitement. I've been listening to much Crimes, but I'll always love returning to this one. MP3: The Psychedelic Furs - Into You Like A Train Found Talk Talk Talk in a dollar-bin. Recall Jawbreaker doing a cover of it. Loved it. Sought out the Furs record - Listened a few times then - Listened again yesterday. This tune does it for me. MP3: The Cure - Doing The Unstuck This was my buddy's alarm for a while, and I thought it was a brilliant tune to wake up to. I spent a long drive with "Wish" recently, and it felt overdue. I could list any of those songs on this list, really. MP3: Brian Eno - I'll Come Running Another Green World was the first record that made me realize the excitement of viewing a record as one work, rather than a collection of songs. Prior, I hadn't spent much time with ambient music, and I knew little about Eno. So, It was magical to listen straight-through... all of these threads and sounds, unfamiliar to me, and then all of the sudden, a relatively cohesive pop song like St. Elmo's Fire, or I'll Come Running happens, and I begin breathing into a brown paper bag. You Ain't No Picasso Mixmas 2008 Ivana XL | Henry Clay People | These United States