Keep Musicking: Crappy Valentines Day 2011 Mixtape: 14 funromantic songs

How'd the Devil get my #?

Here it comes again. Single Awareness Day! The good news is that Valentines Day is an invented holiday, therefore you need not give it any credence. Much like Christmas, the celebration has veered from the true meaning – a religious holiday celebrating the life of a saint who was martyred.

If you are single this Valentines Day (or nearly every Valentines Day), or hate Valentines Day, you aren’t as alone as alone as you think. Funromantic is a portmanteau of the words fun and unromantic. In that spirit, here are 14 funromantic songs from recent artists to get you through the day from some favorite recent artists, many of whom have been or will be at Coachella.

I personally met Kate Nash this week and told her that I put her song on the list. She loved it.

“Doo Wah Doo” – Kate Nash. She doesn’t really like the girl her love interest has picked. She decides to read a book instead because she knows how to get on by herself. A sweet and fun song. You’ll laugh as she sings about the other girl. “I think she’s a b-.“ The video is supercute with a retro feel. She said of the video, "One of my friends is an air host and he showed me the proper way to do the hand signals."
“Cellmates” – Mariachi El Bronx. “Honestly, will you wait for me? A little word, Promise me. One day I’ll be free.” *SIGH* How romantic…except…he’s singing this in jail. That’s the beauty of Mariachi El Bronx, melodic songs with an ironic twist. No, I will not wait, but I will sing along to this catchy mariachi punk song. The filmed-in-LA video is sweet, yet rather odd.
“Evil Bee” – Menomena. This is just a great song featuring experimental elements involving varying beat patterns and speed of play back. Brilliant. It has nothing to do with an evil bee. The words? “I took a walk with my invisible friend. On that walk I gave my hand…” Yep, that’s how we feel on Valentine’s Day. Here's the wicked-cool music video.
“Romance Is Boring” – Los Campesinos! Straight up perfect lyrics for today. As much fun as the LC! can be, they also have a rather serious side as well. Check out the video. Where can I get LC! Cola???
“Too Dramatic” – Ra Ra Riot. No one is really sure what this song is actually about, but it sure is fun. Ra Ra Riot always makes me feel happier. Please note, the guitarist wears a Maps & Atlases shirt in this video.
“Pigeon” – Maps & Atlases. Lead singer Dave Davison wrote this song about the flock of pigeons he saw while walking to his friend’s house at 7 am. Really. The fingerstyle guitar work is amazing. Some call it math rock, I call it genius, and completely funromatic listening for today.
“Gonna Get Along Without You Now” – She and Him. “Uh huh, mm hmm / Gonna get along without you now… Got along without you before I met you / Gonna get along without you now / Gonna find somebody that’s twice as cute / ‘Cause I didn’t like you anyhow.” Sweet sunshine pop for your soul. Good riddance to the person.
“Devils” – Say Hi. Eric Elbogen has problems of Satanic proportions in this song and video. Who has time to think about love when the Devil is trying to get into his heart and has come to claim his soul? And you thought you had problems! Have a listen.
“Once You Say” – Nitzer Ebb. This song features guest vocals by Martin Gore of Depeche Mode over vicious beats from a strong 2010 comeback album by the fathers of Electronic Body Music. Sometimes, you just wanna dance and this tune works perfectly. “Move that body! Left right left. Fire in the hole!”
“Firework” – Katy Perry. “’Cause baby, you’re a firework / Come on, show ‘em what you’re worth… Baby, you’re a firework / Come on let your colors burst.” I feel like a sell out for picking this song. Admit it, you smile when you hear this song, too. Boom, boom, boom.
“Swim Until You Can’t See Land” – Frightened Rabbit. An anthem dedicated to setting yourself free. “Let’s call me a Baptist / call this the drowning of the past.” Kind of a cool thought, move on. “So swim until you can’t see land. Are you a man, are you a bag of sand?” Watch here.
“I Say Fever” – Ramona Falls. The suffering of unrequited love never looked or sounded so incredibly cool as this.
“Mouthful of Diamonds” – Phantogram. Do you really want to date the kind of person who has “A mouthful of diamonds and a pocketful of secrets”? Me either. The world is not around because of you… Check the music video.
“Wrong” – Depeche Mode. When you have this much wrong with you, just shut up and dance. The music video was nominated for the Best Short Form Video Grammy in 2009.