"Turn Turn Turn"

August 2011
for: derhay

1. A Real Hero (feat. Electric Youth) - College
2. Call Your Girlfriend - Robyn
3. Bizness - Tune-Yards
4. Go (feat. Karen O) - Santigold
5. O.N.E - Yeasayer
6. Will Do - TV On The Radio
7. Future Starts Slow - The Kills
8. Infinity Guitars - Sleigh Bells
9. Hoover Dam - Sugar
10. Little Golden Age - Wolf Parade
11. Saints - The Breeders
12. Two Against One - Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi
13. Written On The Forehead - PJ Harvey
14. A Good Flying Bird - Guided By Voices
15. Surfer's Hymn - Panda Bear
16. Don't Stop - The Dodos
17. Strangers - Wye Oak
18. Real Love - Beach House
19. May Queen - Liz Phair
20. Beautiful People - The Books

Vaguely summer-transitional. All recent stuff, plus four early '90s gems. Cover image by Louise Bourgeois.

"Flip Flop"

June 2010
for: Putli Bai

1. Bad Romance - Lady GaGa
2. Into the Nightlife - Cyndi Lauper
3. Age Of Consent - New Order
4. Tightrope (feat. Big Boi) - Janelle Monáe
5. That Beep - Architecture in Helsinki
6. I Can Change - LCD Soundsystem
7. Islands - The XX
8. Does Your Mother Know - ABBA
9. And She Was - Talking Heads
10. Me And Jane Doe - Charlotte Gainsbourg
11. Your Hands (Together) - The New Pornographers
12. Die By The Drop - The Dead Weather
13. Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way - Waylon Jennings
14. Everlasting Light - The Black Keys
15. Come On, Come On (Dean & Britta Remix) - Scott Hardkiss
16. Absolutely Cuckoo - The Magnetic Fields
17. All Is Love - Karen O & The Kids
18. Lust - The Raveonettes
19. Everyday - Buddy Holly

Just my annual summer entry.

"Beach Ball"

June 2009
for: ord

1. Lisztomania - Phoenix
2. I'm A Lady - Santogold
3. Summertime Clothes - Animal Collective
4. Zero - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
5. Black Postcards - Luna
6. Each Year - Ra Ra Riot
7. Friction - Television
8. People Got A Lotta Nerve - Neko Case
9. Sabali - Amadou & Mariam
10. Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard - Paul Simon
11. Rome (Wasn't Built In A Day) - Sam Cooke
12. French Navy - Camera Obscura
13. Two Weeks - Grizzly Bear
14. Ooh Carla, Ooh Otis - Otis Redding & Carla Thomas
15. Nothing Ever Happened - Deerhunter
16. Rock And Roll - The Velvet Underground
17. Snookered - Dan Deacon
18. Everyday - Vetiver

Comments on the mix: Just my annual summer entry.

"Ice Pop"

July 2008
for: ihavecooties

1. Time to Pretend - MGMT
2. Ready For The Floor - Hot Chip
3. Peacebone - Animal Collective
4. Salute Your Solution - The Raconteurs
5. Just Can't Get Enough - Depeche Mode
6. Bullets - Tunng
7. Gilt Complex - Sons & Daughters
8. California Girls - The Magnetic Fields
9. Your English Is Good - Tokyo Police Club
10. You! Me! Dancing! - Los Campesinos!
11. California Sun - The Ramones
12. Something's Changed - Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings
13. Myriad Harbour - The New Pornographers
14. Fools - The Dodos
15. Funny Little Frog - Belle & Sebastian
16. Lights Out - Santogold
17. The Opposite of Hallelujah - Jens Lekman
18. Strange Victory, Strange Defeat - Silver Jews
19. Pata Pata - Miriam Makeba

Comments on the mix: A fun summer mix in the tradition of Garden Party, Sunburn and Picnic.

Comments on the cover: Cover photo by Meredith Allen. She did a whole series of these.

"Garden Party"

June 2007
for: Jedzz

1. Hong Kong Garden - Siouxsie & The Banshees
2. Listen Up! - The Gossip
3. Open Your Heart - Lavender Diamond
4. Sideshow By The Seashore - Luna
5. How Do I Let A Good Man Down? - Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings
6. Number 1 -Goldfrapp
7. Sorry - Madonna
8. Trains to Brazil - Guillemots
9. Cherries in the Snow - Elk City
10. Dirty Mind - The Pipettes
11. The Seed (2.0) - The Roots & Cody Chestnutt
12. Wet And Rusting - Menomena
13. Lady Lawyers - Oxford Collapse
14. Stuck Between Stations - The Hold Steady
15. Alcohol - Saturday Looks Good To Me
16. I Need All The Friends I Can Get - Camera Obscura
17. I Feel It All - Feist
18. Night Majestic - Au Revoir Simone
19. All My Friends - LCD Soundsystem
20. Cut And Run - Electrelane

Comments on the mix: Following Sunburn and Picnic, here's what strikes me as "summery" music in 2007. Couldn't come up with a great title this year (too much like "Picnic"), but the butterflies are cute!

"Sunburn"

June 2006
for: razzy

1. I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor - Arctic Monkeys
2. Riot in Cell Block #9 - Wanda Jackson
3. Level - The Raconteurs
4. Don't Call Me Whitney, Bobby - Islands
5. Tangerine Speedo - Caviar
6. Pull Shapes - The Pipettes
7. Que Onda Guero - Beck
8. The Way We Get By - Spoon
9. Head On - Jesus and Mary Chain
10. Camions Sauvages - Amadou & Mariam
11. The Motion of Love - Gene Loves Jezebel
12. Cherish - Madonna
13. Janie Jones - The Clash
14. Elevator Love Letter - Stars
15. John Saw That Number - Neko Case
16. Ramblin Man - Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan
17. Nothing But a Heartache - The Flirtations
18. Gimme Some Salt - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
19. Surf Wax America - Weezer
20. After Last Night - The Rev-Lons
21. Dudley - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
22. Our Way To Fall - Yo La Tengo

Comments on the mix: First of two mixes I sent to razzy. This is my second annual "Summer Mix," following Picnic last year. It's meant to be fun and summery in tone. That Wanda Jackson track is da bomb!

"Picnic"

June 2005
for: velocity girl

1. Belle and Sebastian - The Boy with the Arab Strap
2. Brazilian Girls - Don't Stop
3. The Pixies - Here Comes Your Man
4. Arcade Fire - Rebellion (Lies)
5. Sleeper - What Do I Do Now?
6. Pet Shop Boys - What Have I Done To Deserve This?
7. Bloc Party - Banquet
8. Nina Simone - Buck
9. Blondie - The Tide Is High
10. Stars - What I'm Trying to Say
11. The Flaming Lips - Buggin'
12. Robbers on High Street - The Price and Style
13. Pulp - Sorted for E's and Wizz
14. Idlewild - American English
15. Talking Heads - And She Was
16. Hot Hot Heat - No, Not Now
17. Bishop Allen - Charm School
18. Venus Hum - Soul Sloshing
19. U2 - Sweetest Thing
20. Sly and the Family Stone - Everyday People
21. Liz Phair - Polyester Bride
22. The Delays - On

Comments on the mix: This is the first of the Summer Mixes I've done (I made another one, called "Sunburn" in 2006 and I'm planning another for June 2007). For me, a summer mix is just a generally upbeat and fun group of songs. There were also some choices here that I made specifically for (what I perceived to be) velocity girl's taste. I like the idea of doing a sequence of summer mixes just because it keeps me from repeating songs (always a danger with me!). This summer, I might send my mixee all three! That will depend on if I think they'll like 'em.

Comments on the cover: You probably can't tell at this size, but there are ants! That is probably the end of inspiration for this cover.