I’m having difficulty putting into words what exactly this month’s mix is about. Like the majority of my mixes that are, more often than not,ra about some random+abstract feeling, this one also follows that pattern. So pardon my lack of eloquence when I simply say that this mix is a chill-meets-peaceful-and-soft-but-also-happyish-slash-optimistic-slash-feel-good-all-the-while-being-relaxed sort of mix. Sound good? Marvelous! On with the tunes…

♪ Click here to listen to the mix on 8tracks ♪

Image sources: 1 and 2.

It’s been a loooong while since I last posted a mixtape. Too long, really. I can’t explain the mini hiatus this feature has had on the blog other than I just wasn’t feelin’ all that musically inspired over the last few months. But fear not, my mixtape making frenzy is back in full force! I’ve put together three (!) in the past week alone. The following, titled Three Thirty-One Twelve after the day the mixtape lull ended, doesn’t so much have a specific theme or concept behind the selected tracks. They were instead chosen for the feeling of a specific moment. Do you ever just zone out and pull together songs at random that just feel right? Like they were somehow meant to be together in that exact moment? (You’re either nodding along enthusiastically thinking, “Preach, sister friend!” right now or looking at me like I have 5 heads. Both are acceptable.) That’s what happened here. These songs just felt like they had to be together and they perfectly describe that March 31st afternoon.

♪ Click here to listen to the mix on 8tracks ♪

P.S. Trying something a little different with the formatting of these posts. Let me know what you think, ya?

Image sources: 1 and 2.

Allow me to preface this mix with the following: silliness ensues.

Back story: iTunes shuffle can be mighty hilarious and/or clever. First, it played “July, July” by The Decemberists. Next up was Fiona Apple’s “Pale September”, followed by “Flowers in December” by Mazzy Star. Notice a bit of a pattern there? You bet I did! So for the sake of being a dork, I was curious if I had a song titled with each month of the year in my iTunes library. I did. (And with songs to spare.) I warned you that silliness was abound! I probably should have mentioned dorkiness, too. So I picked my favourites, and made myself a little mix.

Thirty Days Hath September, April, June and November

01. Tori Amos – Black-Dove (January) ♪
02. Architecture in Helsinki – One Heavy February ♪
03. Anya Marina – Waters of March ♪

04. Simon & Garfunkel – April Will Come She Will ♪
05. Alpha – May ♪
06. Eberg – June ♪

(♥) 07. The Decemberists – July, July ♪
08. Rilo Kiley – August ♪
09. Fiona Apple – Pale September ♪

10.  Broken Bells – October ♪
11. Azure Ray – November ♪
12. Mazzy Star – Flowers in December ♪

Bonus: 13. Stars – The Calendar Girl ♪

♪ Listen to the mix on 8tracks ♪

I’m such a dork. But it made for a funny little mix. And I kind of like it.

If you only have a few quick minutes for a tune, make it the one marked with a heart ♥: it’s my most loved song of the bunch.

Click images for sources.

Moody, mysterious and a little bit eerie. It’s that extra spooktacular time of year, and that calls for some extra spooktacular tunes to rock out to “Monster Mash” style. Happy haunting…

How Strange the Moon Seems, Looking for Dead Things

(♥) 01. Sarah Slean – The Score ♪
02. Air – Dark Messages ♪
03. Tori Amos – Iieee (Remixed Version) ♪

04. Emiliana Torrini – Dead Things ♪
05. M83 – Slight Night Shiver ♪
06. Rasputina – Dig Ophelia ♪

07. David Bowie & Massive Attack – Nature Boy 2 ♪
08. Björk – Jóga ♪
09. Elsiane – Prosaic ♪

10. Patrick Wolf – Bloodbeat ♪
11. Frou Frou – Old Piano ♪
(♥) 12. Múm – The Ghosts You Draw On My Back ♪

13. Massive Attack – Inertia Creeps ♪
14. Fever Ray – The Wolf ♪
15. Radiohead – We Suck Young Blood ♪

16. Azure Ray – We Are Mice ♪
17. CocoRosie – Gallows ♪
18. Johnny Hollow – Aegis ♪

19. Depeche Mode – Darkest Star ♪
20. Javier Navarrete – The Fairy & The Labyrinth (from Pan’s Labyrinth) ♪
21. Evanescence – Going Under ♪

♪ Listen to the mix on 8tracks ♪

If you only have a few quick minutes for a tune, make it the one marked with a heart ♥: it’s my most loved song of the bunch.

Click images for sources. Images 1, 6 & 8 from Tumblr with unknown source. If you know, gimme a shout!

Pinch me because I’m dreaming and I’m dreaming of Christmas morning. What a treat Björk’s new music video for the first single from her upcoming album is. Crystalline itself is a stunning piece of musical artistry with her signature out-of-this-world lyrics rife with beautiful imagery and thought-provoking metaphors. Plus there’s some really fun xylophone (I think?) going on. And then the video. It’s genius. A giant orange afro-like mop of hair. Laser beams. Gemstones growing out of moon craters. Crazy ass neon patterns scribbled across the sky. It’s pretty wacky. But in the best possible way.

Continued…