“Hyde Park Sunset” by Polyhymnia_

Eeeee!!! Spring is finally here! Sure, it’s been cold, rainy, and dreary, but it’s here! And the nice thing about spring is that no matter how crummy the weather currently is, you know it’s to improve. I credit this fact with the reason everyone’s disposition improves so remarkably this time of year – it’s that return to hope, knowing that every day is going to be better than the last.

Here’s to always keeping a little April in our hearts.

The Playlist:

1. Ruth – Polaroid-Roman-Photo

2. School Of Seven Bells – Iamundernodisguise

3. Marissa Nadler – River Of Dirt

4. Ryan Adams – New York, New York

5. Coconut Records – Microphone

6. A Camp – Love Has Left The Room

7. The Fiery Furnaces – Up in the North

8. The White Stripes – You’re Pretty Good Looking

9. Adam Arcuragi – 1981 (or Waving at You as We Part at Light Speed Will Look Like I’m Standing Still)

10. Eels – I Want To Protect You

11. Mirah – Gone Are The Days

12. Inara George – Accidental

13. Berlin – Take My Breath Away

“. A Cold Sunday in November .” by 3amfromkyoto

Roooooaarrr…actually, more like *yaaawn* – it’s a dreary dark day in the city that never sleeps. Kind of day you just want to curl up with a cup of earl grey and a copy of “Wuthering Heights.”

Seems like a fitting day for a little music to keep the spirits up…enjoy…

The Playlist:

1. Bat for Lashes – Daniel

2. Plants And Animals – Mercy

3. Parenthetical Girls – Windmills Of Your Mind

4. The Jealous Sound – Naive

5. Say Hi – Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh

6. Fleet Foxes – Your Protector

7. A Flock Of Seagulls – Space Age Love Song

8. The Dear Hunter – The Bitter Suite I

9. Fever Ray – Triangle Walks

10. Belle & Sebastian – Piazza, New York Catcher

11. Antony and the Johnsons – Fistful Of Love

12. Santogold – L.E.S. Artistes

Been listening to any good tunes? Lemme know!

“November sunset” by Per Ola Wiberg (Powi)

Ach! Hi. Yeah, it’s December. I could feed you some good excuse about why this mixtape is late. In fact, I will: November is crazy short! It totally tricks you by taking up an entire calendar page, then next thing you know, you are full of turkey and everyone is telling you to buy them presents! What the crud?!

Anyway, yeah, this is the mixtape I made for November. A little out of season, but still good, still good. Just close your eyes real tight, and pretend it was 3 days ago. I won’t tell if you won’t tell, deal?

And yes, there will be a Holiday mixtape. Full of holiday songs that don’t suck. It’s gonna be so rad.

Ok, enjoy…

The Playlist:

White Denim – Migration Wind

Cloud Cult – Everybody Here Is a Cloud

Stars – Ageless Beauty (Most Serene Mix)

The Acorn – Flood Pt. 1

The Ark – This Piece of Poetry Is Meant To Do Harm

Badly Drawn Boy – Another Pearl

Ani DiFranco – Decree

MGMT – Weekend Wars

Plants And Animals – Good Friend

…And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead – It Was There That I Saw You

The Cranberries – Animal Instinct

Colin Meloy – Every Day Is Like Sunday

“Halloween” by illtakeyourphoto

Halloween is almost here! I intend to honor the next few spooky days with a little cider and some scary movies (much to the chagrin of Fiance Kaboom!, who will spend the evening hiding behind pillows).

I am delighted to report that I have already been to one Halloween party, and have two more this weekend. No, you cannot know what I am being – you’ll just have to wait until Halloween for that. In the meantime, enjoy this mix of songs to get you in the mood for Friday. I suggest lighting some candles, eating some candy, and playing it up whilst you don your costume. Enjoy…

The Playlist:

Final Fantasy – The Butcher

Phosphorescent – Wolves

TV On The Radio – Stork And Owl

St. Vincent – Paris Is Burning

Squarepusher – Conc 2 Symettriac

M83 – Graveyard Girl

Gang Gang Dance – Nomad For Love

Sneaker Pimps – Small Town Witch

Sufjan Stevens – They Are Night Zombies!! They are Neighbors!! They Have Come Back From the Dead!!

Husker Du – The Tooth Fairy And The Princess

Cursive – Butcher the Song

Laura Veirs – Magnetized

Unkle, Thom Yorke – Rabbit In Your Headlights (Unkle (with Thom Yorke) – Rabbit In Your Headlights

“Lookout” by caese

Well, it’s September again. This month always feels so inevitable, like this is the starting point of the circle of the year – forget January, for me, THIS is the season of new beginnings. There’s something utterly comforting about September, like it’s the day after that huge party you went to last night, held by your friend Summer. And as awesome and wild as that party was, there’s nothing quite like that feeling of relief and satisfaction you have the next day, when you can crawl into your favorite sweatpants and reminisce upon all that fun. That’s what September is like. Except you won’t see me caught dead in sweatpants.

This mix is a bit more laid back, a bit more subtle than the previous. Put it on with a cup of tea on a gray day. Lay on your couch, remember those days of warmth, and look forward to the cool days ahead.

The Playlist:
Bob Dylan – Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here With You
Andrew Bird – Imitosis
Minus the Bear – Monkey!!! Knife!!! Fight!!!
Rodrigo y Gabriela – Paris
Sufjan Stevens – For the Widows in Paradise, for the Fatherless in Ypsilanti
The Knife – Heartbeats
Nicole Atkins – Under The Milky Way
M83 – Kim & Jessie (Montag Remix)
A Sunny Day In Glasgow – A Mundane Phonecall to Jack Parsons
Gang Gang Dance – House Jam
Elvis Perkins – It’s Only Me
Beirut – The Penalty

(Special thanks to thescrabbled.com for helping me host my mixtapes in Muxtapes’ hour of need)

“4 New Flavoured Ice Cream Plush Toys from Chocolate Log” by ChocolateLog

August is always a very bittersweet month for me. It’s the month of my birthday, so I am always looking forward to friends and parties and general fun-ness. However, it’s also the last month of the summer, and the end of my favorite season. As beautiful as the days are, there’s always that sad feeling that it’s fleeting, and cool days and falling leaves are just on the horizon.

I put this mix together in honor of August, all the last-minute fun and nostalgia and contemplation of the cooler days ahead – something you can listen to in the car on that final beach trip or picnic of the season. I hope it helps keeps summer with you just a little longer.

The Playlist:

Alias – Crosswalks
National skyline – some will say
Beck – Gamma Ray
King Khan and The Shrines – Took My Lady Out To Dinner
Devin Davis – When The Angels Lift Our Eyelids In The Morning
Mystery Jets – Diamonds In The Dark
Fleet Foxes – Ragged Wood
Au Revoir Simone – Sad Song (RAC Mix)
The XYZ Affair – Evening Life
Rogue Wave – Chicago X 12
MGMT – Love Always Remains
Nicole Atkins – Brooklyn’s on Fire!

“365:20 .. Lost in Music” by fwumpbungle

You have to love July. It’s quintessential summer – smack-dab in the middle of the season, free of the early eagerness of June, and the sentimental farewells of August. It’s summer at its fullest, most bang-out fun in its hot, sticky glory.

Here are some fun beats to keep you bopping. Make sure to open up the windows, grab a tall lemonade, and dance around in your underwear – the ideal summer apparel.

The Playlist:
Santogold – L.E.S. Artistes
Hercules and Love Affair – Hercules Theme
Laura Marling – The Captain And The Hourglass [Explicit]
The National – Squalor Victoria
Dengue Fever – Tiger Phone Card
Panda Bear – Bros
Blonde Redhead – Slogan
Angels Of Light – Sunflower’s Here To Stay
Gnarls Barkley – Going On (Album Version)
national skyline – some will say
The Anambra Beats – Ayamma
Naughty by Nature – O.P.P. [Ultimix Remix]

Photo by Christos

Girl Talk is the stage name of Pittsburgh DJ Greg Gillis. Girl Talk is also some of the funnest, fly-est dance music mash-up stuff out right now, in my humble opinion. Squeezing rap, alternative, seventies rock and everything in between into the songs he mixes, Girl Talk fuses subcultural music together like a sculptor spins clay. The result is music that is both sentimentally identifiable and new to the ear, audially beautiful and mentally intriguing. Music that brings mixing to a whole new level: Mix 2.0. It’s also amusing as hell to hear some of the stuff he puts together.

I think in a way, Girl Talk’s music sums up our generation. With the availability of style, culture and genre blown open by the interactive environment, barriers have broken down between subcultures in a way that has never been experienced before. Parents and children can enjoy the same music, there’s less need or reason to identify with a specific culture for acceptance – whether hip-hop, alt-rock, reggaeton or klesmer – if it’s cool, it’s cool. ’nuff said.

Girl Talk’s new album, “Feed The Animals,” is out now – and the best part is that YOU can pick the price.

“Feed the Animals” by Girl Talk

Download it here. And don’t forget to drop a few bucks in the hat, kiddos. Support the music you love.