Muxtape 3: Neverending Summer Mix

"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!

July Mixtape: Hot Asphalt Mix

"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]

Sum Sum Summer Jams: Muxtape Mix

Search the hymns
Originally uploaded by hello sunrise

One of my fondest memories growing up was receiving mix tapes. First, they were silly mixes from the boys in grade school, that me and my girlfriends would giggle over listening to on our crummy stereos. The tapes were the first real attempt at flirting I ever encountered, and would contain songs interspersed with goofy banter from the group of boys that put them together. Later in high school, mix tapes became much more serious affairs; careful compilations intensely labored over and scrutinized by their creators, and equally scrutinized by their recipients. Due to the difficulty of creation and replication, a mix tape was the most sincere gift of friendship/love you could receive from another person. Whether pouring through lyrics to decode hidden messages, or just rocking out to a fantastic ska comp, a mix tape said unequivocally: you matter.

Sadly, with the dawn of the recordable CD and later, the downloadable song, mix tapes have become virtually nonexistent. However, I was delighted to discover there is a site trying to rekindle the mixtape in the new age: Muxtape.com.



Muxtape allows users to upload and share mixtapes on the web. It's functionality is remarkably simple, and it's look is beautifully minimal and superbly designed. And while it's not nearly of the same caliber as receiving an actual cassette, it's the closest the internet has ever come to it (and let's be honest: if you did receive a mix tape today, would you even have a cassette player to play it?)

I've put together a little mix together for you, dear reader. I hope you like it as much as I like you ;)



The Tracklist:
Lavender Diamond - You Broke My Heart
Nina Simone - See Line Woman
Okkervil River - A Hand To Take Hold Of The Scene
Laura Veirs - Secret Someones
Laura Marling - Night Terror [Explicit]
Le Tigre - After Dark
LCD Soundsystem - Never As Tired As When I'm Waking Up
Kaki King - Can Anyone Who Has Heard This Music Really Be a Bad Person?
Sonic Youth - Hits of Sunshine (for Allen Ginsberg)
Wolf Parade - An Animal In Your Care
Dr. Dog - 12 Find The River
Greg Laswell - Sing, Theresa Says