All Hallow's Mix - Halloween Music

It struck me a while back that there is an inordinate amount of Halloween flavor in Alternative music.  Indie artist the world around make mention of "ghosts", "monsters", "vampires", "evil" and general creepiness.  Perhaps it is the pensive, introspective, and distrusting nature of the artistic mind that drives success in today's music scene.  Or maybe the raw imagery of these spooky specters are so vivid that they lend power and strength to any composition.  Or it could be that we all still like to tell ghost stories around the campfire and yearn for that tingle running down our spine.  Whatever the reason, there are a lot of cool songs out there that have a tinge of All Hallow's Eve.

Here is a mix I made of some of my favorites. 

1) Time of the Season - The Zombies
2) Skin and Bones - JET
3) Creep - Stone Temple Pilots
4) Ghosts - The Head and the Heart
5) Fake Palindromes - Andrew Bird
6) Dracula - Gorillaz
7) Give Up the Ghost - Radiohead
8) Evil Bee - Menomena
9) Your Bones - Of Monsters and Men
10) In Our Blood - Horse Feathers
11) Ghosting - Freelance Whales
12) Creep - Radiohead
13) The Ghost Inside - Broken Bells
14) Vampire - Dr. Dog
15) Scatterbrain (As Dead As Leaves) - Radiohead
16) Ghostship - Menomena
17) Caring is Creepy - The Shins
18) Little Ghost - The White Stripes

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The Cousin's B-Day Mix 2011

Since the last mix I put up here was from years gone by, I figured I should put up a more recent edition.  My cousin and I are about 16 months apart in age, and while we are very different on several levels, we sort of have our own short hand much like sibling, and one thing we usually agree upon is tunes.  Every now and then he asks for me to make up a mix of music for him, and it has become a nearly annual tradition for me to give him a mix for his birthday.

Here is the latest iteration, I think its a fun blend of some new stuff and some gems from the past.  It also has a good balance between very very chill stuff, and some more up-tempo-get-out-of-your-seat-and-shake-it jams.  But don't take my word for it, check it out for yourself and let me know what you think...

(also if you see my cousin don't tell him you saw this because I give him his birthday mixes without a playlist so he has to do some sleuthing and learn more about the bands on the mix.  But for you, I included links to info on all of the bands)

(song-band-album)

1. Two Weeks- Grizzly Bear- Veckatimest
2. Wordless Chorus- My Morning Jacket- Z
3. Hang On- Dr. Dog- Fate
4. I Gotta Woman- Toots & The Maytals- Light Your Light
5. Rosetta Stone- Bombadil- A Buzz, a Buzz
6. Sailing to Nowhere- Broken Bells- Broken Bells
7. Cubism Dream- Local Natives- Gorilla Manor
8. Thistled Spring- Horse Feathers- Thistled Spring
9. The Black Roses- Codeine Velvet Club- Codiene Velvet Club
10. Dirty Cartoons- Menomena- Mines
11. Ragged Wood- Fleet Foxes- Fleet Foxes
12. Hotel Yorba- The White Stripes- White Blood Cells
13. A Good Man is Easy to Kill- Beulah- The Coast is Never Clear
14. Weekend Wars- MGMT- Oracular Spectacular
15. Say Hello- Stars of Track and Field- Centuries Before Love and War
16. Don't Look Away- The Helio Sequence- Love and Distance
17. Hannah- Freelance Whales- Weathervanes
18. Daylight- Matt & Kim- Grand

A couple final notes- My Morning Jacket just had a real cool set on VH1 Storytellers; Toots & The Maytals is playing at the Washington Park Rose Garden Amphitheater on the 4th of July (just a few weeks from the time of this post, buy tixx here); The Polymouth is still mourning the breakup of The White Stripes, say it ain't so Jack and Meg; and as always stop piracy and BUY THE MUSIC!

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The Whine List

Well I have to start somewhere and this mix goes back quite a few years (I think i made it in late 2004), but it is still one of may favorites I've made over the years.  It is The Whine List, named for the whiny tenor of most of the tracks.  Some of these tunes (like Arcade Fire's "Neighborhood #4", and Modest Mouse's "One Chance") have become quite popular since then, and others have yet to make it to the big time, but nonetheless I think its a real cool collection of tunes.  Let me know what you think....

(song- band- album)

1. Front Page- The Redwalls- De Nova
2. I'll Believe in Anything- Wolf Parade- Apologies to the Queen Mary
3. The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth- Clap Your Hands Say Yeah- Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
4. Two-Headed Boy- Neutral Milk Hotel- In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
5. Neighborhood #4 (7 Kettles)- The Arcade Fire- Funeral
6. I'm Here- Climber- Climber EP
7. Lull- Radiohead- Desk Top
8. Falling Away With You- Muse- Absolution
9. If You Could Save Yourself (You'd Save Us All)- Ween- Quebec
10. One Chance- Modest Mouse- Good News for People Who Love Bad News
11. Southern Anthem- Iron & Wine- The Creek Drank the Cradle
12. Bad Days- The Flaming Lips- Clouds Taste Metallic
13. What a Wonderful Man- My Morning Jacket- Z
14. The Same Boy You've Always Known- The White Stripes- White Blood Cells
15. Oh Comely- Neutral Milk Hotel- In the Aeroplane Over the Sea

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