I just realized it’s been well over a month since I last posted an mp3 and almost 3 months since my last Mike Mix! I sincerely apologize. Now that my year-end coverage is officially complete, I will return to my normal schedule. And I have a lot to write about. Over the past few months, I’ve become obsessed with a handful of amazing albums. I hope to write about each one in the coming weeks. I might even come up with a catchy title for the feature. Stay tuned.

But before I do that, I have a brand new Mike Mix to introduce. A quick glance at the track list (below) reveals that nearly half of the songs come from only two bands: Loney, Dear and Annuals. If you’ve never heard these two artists before, Mike Mix 12 will serve as an excellent introduction to them. Make sure to check out the track “Always Do.” The pedal steel and soaring middle section of the song are truly incredible.

Scattered between these tracks are dusty gems by some of my all-time favorite bands. Highlights include: “Metal Detektor,” an effortlessly cool number by Spoon; “Uprooted,” a slow-burning anthem from The Antlers; and “About Today,” a slice of late-night perfection by The National.

As always, I highly recommend listening to Mike Mix 12 in the order presented below. Download the entire mix here or stream it using the player below! Enjoy!

As is becoming routine, I apologize for the extensive delay. I think after this post I’m going back to the usual blog format. I do have a few other lists I’ve organized, but given the fact that it’s already February, I think I’m just gonna move on. 2007 has started out very strong, so I have lots of work to do (in addition to the whole grad school thing).

Anyways, I remember this being a lot easier last year. This year I could probably generate two equally-strong lists, but for the sake of brevity I’ve kept it to just one. Without further ado, I present the Top 10 Songs of 2006:

1. Rocky Votolato :: White Daisy Passing
2. Beirut :: Postcards From Italy
3. M. Ward :: Poison Cup
4. Silversun Pickups :: Lazy Eye
5. TV On the Radio :: Wolf Like Me
6. Junior Boys :: In the Morning
7. Bishop Allen :: Flight 180
8. Band of Horses :: I Go to the Barn Because I Like the Monsters
9. Calexico :: All Systems Red
10. Voxtrot :: Sway

Most of the tracks above have previously appeared on my blog in one form or another, so I feel like there’s nothing too spectacular about this mix. I think it flows pretty well, though I’m starting to doubt whether I will ever eclipse the pinnacle that is my first podcast.

And just in case you’d forgotten, my absolute favorite song of 2006 did not make the list above due to time constraints. I cannot recommend it any more strongly, so give it a listen!

[mp3] Mono & world’s end girlfriend :: Part 5

Directly download my podcast here. Visit the archives here.

So now that I’ve removed the “pressure” of doing a podcast every month, I feel more relaxed and better able to deliver quality music to you as it comes to me.

This month’s podcast was originally conceived on Halloween night, but the only scary thing about it is how good the songs are. Did I really just type that? Oh well, no going back now. I created this mix as I sat alone at home wondering why I can never think of any good costumes.

But it’s actually fitting that I call this the Halloween mix. Fans of My Morning Jacket may be familiar with their excellent live EP Acoustic Citsuoca. The EP, which features Jim James solo on the acoustic guitar, was recorded at a Halloween party.

All of the songs on this podcast are hushed acoustic numbers. If you pay close attention, the only cracks of the drum you’ll hear are near the end of the mix. Now do you understand why the title is appropriate?

Before I get too carried away, here’s the track listing:

1. Gary Jules :: Mad World
2. Elliott Smith :: Angeles
3. M. Ward :: Let’s Dance
4. Bishop Allen :: The Chinatown Bus
5. The Mountain Goats :: Moon Over Goldsboro
6. The Decemberists :: Red Right Ankle
7. Ryan Adams :: Tomorrow
8. Sufjan Stevens :: To Be Alone With You
9. Iron & Wine :: Upward Over the Mountain
10. The Mountain Goats :: Pale Green Things
11. Weezer :: Butterfly
12. Elliott Smith :: Pitseleh
13. Calexico :: Removed
14. Voxtrot :: Sway

Bonus points to anyone who can tell me which two songs on the mix are covers, and also which song is the only one to feature the drums.

Directly download my podcast here. Visit the archives here

Brace yourself. You are about to meet your new favorite band.

I know that’s a pretty bold statement, but once you hear what I’m listening to, you’ll understand why I made that claim.

The band is Bishop Allen and they deserve your undivided attention. They are the very definition of an indie band: they record, mix, and release everything themselves.

I heard about these guys 8 months ago when they announced they would release a new EP every month in 2006. A bit pretentious, I thought – much like Sufjan Stevens saying he plans to do an album for every state in the US.

Despite my initial misgivings, I listened to a track from the January EP. It was decent, but nothing spectacular. Then about a week ago, cokemachineglow posted a review of all the band’s EP’s to date (read it here).

They said some pretty nice things. And seeing as how I have never been led astray by cokemachineglow, I decided to buy all 8 EP’s. They are currently in some mail truck on their way to me. But for an extra $2, I was given access to digital versions of everything.

As I listened to January again, my initial impressions started to change. Continuing chronologically, I put on February and thought to myself these guys are pretty good.

Then I heard “The Monitor.” Damn that’s an incredible song. That guitar part during the chorus is ridiculous. But wait, what was that last track? “Flight 180.” Wow, that’s also amazing.

And that’s how it began. That’s how it will go for you too. Please let me know if I’m wrong because I’ll be stunned.

[mp3] Bishop Allen :: The Monitor
[mp3] Bishop Allen :: Flight 180
[mp3] Bishop Allen :: Butterfly Nets

Definitely visit Bishop Allen’s website to download more free tracks.