MEMORY TAPES: 30TH SEPTEMBER 2011

It's another tale of love this week for Memory Tapes, but this one doesn't end with marriage and kids like usual. Emma Holmes writes....

"Having spent 6 years going to neighbouring schools and never once meeting, I met Chris at the end of an Arctic Monkeys gig in Glasgow's ABC. A drunken man tried to kiss me and I slapped him away which Chris thought was hilarious considering I'm only 5 ft 2! We talked and walked each other down wildest Sauchiehall St for the train home and made plans to meet up.

"We'd meet up at gigs in the summer of 2006. We were both 17 and it was the summer before university started. It really was, as cliched as it sounds, a summer of love; lying in bed all day listening to The Chalets and Belle and Sebastian and Camera Obsucra. It couldn't be any more twee.

"Chris was writing for a local indie music magazine, Is This Music? and would get sent tonnes of CDs and to make the most of this growing pile of music he would make me mix tapes, mixing the new with his old favourites. Once a month he'd post me a letter, a bar of my favourite dark chocolate and, of course, my latest mix tape.

"What I thought would be a summer romance turned into five years of fun and mutual musical appreciation; spending less time in the Barrowlands and more time in the Sub Club, less muddy weekends at T in the Park, more sunny weekends at Sonar. Our musical tastes changed and eventually so did we - we broke up in February of this year. But in classic Chris style, a break up mix followed, gifted to me on Valentines Day. No more lovingly made artwork on cassette: the mix was posted on his Soundcloud, but I guess the romance was well and truly gone! I'll treasure the old (and new) tapes forever: they are like relics of an old life; they remind me of how much I loved Chris and how much we both loved music.

This is my favourite mix tape of the old ones called 'Sylvia (Ain't got nothing on you...)'

SIDE A

Belle and Sebastian - It Could Have Been a Brilliant Career

Bis - Skinny Tie Sensurround

The Cribs - Modern Way

Elle Milano - Swearing's for Art Students

The Ramones - The KKK Took My Baby Away

Milky Wimpshake - I Wanna Be Seen in Public With You

The Long Blondes - Lust in the Movies

Ladyfuzz - Oh Marie

S**TDISCO - I Know Kung Fu

The Paddingtons - Molly's Lips

The Rocks - E's

The Clash - White Riot

Pete Doherty - Albion

SIDE B

Boy Least Likely To - Be Gentle With Me

Johnny Cash - Get Rhythm

Hefner - Hello Kitten

Jeffrey Lewis - Songs About Songwriting

Special Needs - Stick Around

The Libertines - Mocking Bird

Adam Ant - Stand and Deliver

The Chalets - Kiss Chasing

Good Shoes - Valleyboy

Cut Copy - Bright Neon Payphone

Vincent Vincent and the Villains - The Boy Who Killed Time

Arab Strap - Don't Ask Me to Dance

Tullycraft - Pop Songs Your New Boyfriend is too Stupid to Know About

North Atlantic Oscilliation - Some Blue Hive

Want to share a mix tape with Lauren? Go on; it doesn't even have to be a tape! Send her an email when you get a sec.