This post is dedicated to my grandmother, who passed away May 27. She was an amazing woman and will be missed dearly.

When I first launched Mike Went West nearly 3 years ago, one of my site’s main features was a monthly podcast of music. Sadly, I abandoned this feature after releasing only 5 mixes. I felt like each podcast took an inordinate amount of time and energy. I also felt like the quality of each mix was sliding steadily downhill.

As it turns out, I lacked the proper motivation. About 10 months ago, I started dating my girlfriend. To help her better understand my crazy little world, I decided to make monthly mix tapes for her (which I coined “Mike Mixes”). So far I’ve made ten and I’m still going strong. I hope to post a new mix every month. I decided to start with Mike Mix 06 for one simple reason: the first five are decent but nothing special. Also, it seems appropriate that I should pick up where my podcasts left off — with number six.

Now a few quick words about the pacing and sequencing of the mix. Mike Mix 06 starts off with “If Only It Were True,” a slow, lumbering song by The Walkmen. Two consecutive tracks by Brand New help transition the mix to a slightly faster pace, which is maintained by the next four songs (fantastic tracks by Okkervil River, Frightened Rabbit, MGMT, and Arctic Monkeys). Following this upbeat middle section, two tracks by The Rural Alberta Advantage help slow things back down. The mix ends with three of my all-time favorite songs: “3 Rounds and a Sound” by Blind Pilot, “A Desolate Angels Blues” by Justin Townes Earle, and “Okkervil River Song” by Okkervil River.

I highly recommend listening to the songs in this order (a full track listing is provided below). Download the entire mix as a zip file here, or download individual songs below. Or listen to the entire mix using the player below!

1	The Walkmen :: If Only It Were True
2	Brand New :: The Boy Who Blocked His Own Shot
3	Brand New :: Me vs. Maradona vs. Elvis
4	Okkervil River :: Another Radio Song
5	Frightened Rabbit :: Square 9
6	MGMT :: Kids
7	Arctic Monkeys :: 505
8	The Rural Alberta Advantage :: Edmonton
9	The Rural Alberta Advantage :: In the Summertime
10	Blind Pilot :: 3 Rounds and a Sound
11	Justin Townes Earle :: A Desolate Angels Blues
12	Okkervil River :: Okkervil River Song

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

PS — I just finished integrating Twitter into my site. Make sure to check out the sidebar widget for my most recent updates!